Ruger Bearcat Shopkeeper

CAJUNLAWYER

CAJUNLAWYER

Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2005
Messages
19,056
Reaction score
62,788
Location
On da Bayou Teche
Have an opportunuty to pick up a LNIB stainless Ruger bearcat Lipsey special Shopkeeper with 3.5" barrel and birdshead grips. Anyone have one of these? Never had a single action with anything but the old plow handle grips. Am leaning towards buying but I thought I'd ask the brain trust if there is anyone with experience with one of these little revolvers. The guy wants $650 for it. Good Price??
 
Register to hide this ad
I owned one. It was just too small for my hands, and I don't have big hands. Even the regular Bearcat fells to small to me, but the Shopkeeper was even worse. But if it fits your hands, $650 is a good price in the current market.
 
I own one.

I really like it, and I have a ton of fun shooting it.

That said, it is a very small gun, and without a lot of real estate to get a good grip it can be challenging to shoot accurately. If you’re looking for a plinker and you like its looks (IMHO it is as cute as all get-out) by all means go for it.

But if you’re looking for a fun to tromp around the woods with to take the occasional shot at game I’d probably look elsewhere.
 
The birdhead grip always looked a bit ungainly to me, as though it would neither point very well nor allow for a solid grip during recoil. That may be true in larger frame SA revolvers but in the smaller framed such as Ruger Single Six or Bearcat I found it points very well. The back end occupies the hollow of your palm very well.

This isn't a Bearcat. It's the slightly larger Single Six in 327 Magnum.

IMG_1153.jpg

Grips are aftermarket and a tad fuller than Ruger factory. Much as I like Ruger in general, they've done a bit too much economizing on some of their offerings. Grips tend to not fit very well and are pretty thin.
 
I lucked into one NIB at a gunshow several years ago for I think $300. I couldn't help but have my master machinist gunsmith friend put a J frame adjustable rear sight on it!
 
alwslate said:
$650? You can get a new Ruger Wrangler with the birdshead grip for a little over $200. Kinda hard to believe the Bearcat is worth three times as much as they are both plinkers and the Wrangler is new with a warranty :D
Click to expand...

I've got Wranglers including a Birdshead and standard Bearcats. The Bearcats are far superior in build quality. Kind of the Swiss watches for Ruger. Wranglers are decent but their actions are nowhere near as smooth as Single Six, Blackhawk, Bearcats etc.
 
iscs-yoda-albums-other-brands-revolvers-picture15837-3-ruger-22s-single-six-22-magnum-old-style-bearcat-not-modified-single-six-22-not-modified.jpg


That's an old model Bearcat in the middle there. I think it's delicious and I had a shoulder holster for concealing it (I might still have it post-fire; I have a lot of soiled leather in a box - the gun is similar in size to a Paterson Colt). That 3.5" looks really cool and the MSRP is over $900 in case that matters.
 
It is cool and I think at a reasonable current market price.
Having recently had the same choice I now have a Wrangler with a BUNCH of ammo. But it's not "special".
 
Rammer Jammer said:
I've got Wranglers including a Birdshead and standard Bearcats. The Bearcats are far superior in build quality. Kind of the Swiss watches for Ruger. Wranglers are decent but their actions are nowhere near as smooth as Single Six, Blackhawk, Bearcats etc.
Click to expand...

So the action of the Bearcat feels smother than the Wrangler when you pull the hammer back makes it worth three times as much? Not my money :rolleyes:
 
It is not just that the Bearcat has a smoother action, it has more steel in it, and it is visually more appealing. The Wrangler is the size of the single six, and priced very attractively. However, the price cutting is obvious when you have a wrangler side by side with a single-six or a bearcat. This is in no way denigrating the wrangler. It is a heck of a deal for the money. So is a $650 Lipsey Bearcat, just a different kind of value.
You pays your money and you makes you choice.
 
I usually reserve Cute for the Ladies and Puppies.
But those little Rugers are cute!
When I see them I just have to pick them up!
But they are just too small for my medium size fat thick hands!
 
I had one of the first Bearcats way back in the late 60s. Small grips, alloy frame, light weight. Very difficult to shoot with any accuracy compared to a Single Six. Moved it on after a little while. And as far as the Bearcat being a kind of Swiss watch for Ruger; the gunwriters of the time said it wasn't one of Ruger's better ideas and was inferior to the Single Six. Ruger responded by improving the Bearcat. Called it a Super Bearcat with the introduction of a steel frame. Later a slightly beefier version for the .22 magnum. The Wrangler is a Single Six in design and with identical lockwork, just less polish, and you can get three for the price of one Bearcat. Any new Ruger gets you a coupon code for 20% off or Ruger accessories up to $100 when you register it. And as far as a Ford Escort not being as good as a Mustang, how do you know which will prove to be more reliable over the years without owning both? The two Mustangs I owned back in the day quickly developed the common problem. Oil leaks from the rocker arm covers. Sometimes cheap is a good thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

I
Ruger Bearcat
Replies
3
Views
640
Igiveup
I
C
Ruger Bearcat
2 3
Replies
49
Views
3K
Goony
Goony
K
Ruger pellet gun
Replies
7
Views
661
Golddollar
Golddollar
J
Ruger Speed Six
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
BE Mike
BE Mike
chief38
Revisiting a Ruger LCP Max
Replies
2
Views
235
chief38
chief38

Latest posts

Back
Top