Ruger Bearcat, great plinking and trail gun (pics)...

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canoeguy

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My generous Uncle gave me a Ruger Bearcat .22 revolver for Christmas this year, completing a small collection of Ruger revolvers. I now have Rugers in Small (.22 Bearcat), Medium (.22 Single Six), Large (.357 Blackhawk) and Extra Large (.44 Magnum Super Blackhawk).

I envision using this revolver as a light weight trail gun for Summer use, when carrying more water is important, and you want to save weight. The revolver has a 4" barrell, small frame and only weighs 14 ounces.

Took it to the range today and had a blast shooting it. Probaly fired over 200 rounds at paper and steel targets. It is the only Ruger Single action revolver I know that still requires the use of the half cock notch to load the revolver, but it still has the transfer bar firing pin safety. The fixed sights are well regulated, and you can't beat a single action for reliability, no magazines to lose, etc. I like it!

Best target of the day, 18 shots fired offhand at 15 yards, Federal Bulk 550 ammo. Aiming black is 3" in diameter:

1.JPG


Group photo, top left is the Ruger Bearcat, top right Ruger Single Six, bottom left Ruger Super Blackhawk, bottom right 1967 vintage .357 Blackhawk:

2.JPG


A great revolver and great Christmas present!
 
Looks like you'd be okay for most snakes and small game. But if your trail is frequented by wild canids or cougars or bears, I'd want more than a .22.
Cute little gun, though.

Do you have any extraction problems? S&W .22 revolvers often experience those.
 
Texas Star,

No extraction problems, kicking the empties out one at a time from a single action revolver makes for easy extraction compared to a Smith and Wesson .22 revolver. I have had two of them, and both were picky about what ammo they would extract with "Reasonable" force....

A compact .22 revolver would not be my first choice as a defensive handgun, but there are times when a .22 revolver beats no gun at all. If I am going into an area where I am not at the top of the food chain, I do have bigger revolvers to choose from.

Another interesting thing about Ruger Bearcats, apparently Ruger doesn't make a lot of them. Looking at thier on-line serial number data base, only 500 a year are produced.
 
I own an older steel-framed 'Super Bearcat'...it's a fine little revolver.

Also own several of it's bigger brothers..Single-Six and Super Single-Six revolvers. Great .22 revolvers as well.
 
There was a Bearcat on my LGS consignment shelf for a couple of months while I was funding and accumulating other things, and finally it was going to be my next purchase if it was still there the next time I was in. Alas, it wasn't. I have kind of wanted one of these since the early '60s, when my high school gun buddy had one, but I didn't want one enough to defer other expenditures in order to get one of these.

I appreciate them even more now because of my five-year-old S&W Prewar Kit Gun addiction. These little Rugers are basically SA Kit Guns, which is really how most people use the S&W KGs anyway. They are for squirrels, rabbits, snakes and plinking, and not much else. But they are fine specimens of their design class. You could probably sell me one faster without a genre scene on the cylinder, but guns are what they are. I expect I will have one some day.
 
I gave my wife one for Valentine's Day in 1968. I doubt that we have shot a box through it, but now it is on the list for my wife to try out for a house gun. After nearly fifty years of marriage, she finally sees the wisdom of having a couple of loaded guns stashed around the house.
 
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