A new .22 (Bearcat)

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 12:45 pm

I’ve been playing with a variety of .22 revolvers but in each case there’s been something missing. Too big and heavy to carry on the hip. Not accurate enough. Just something wasn’t quite right.

Now I may be on the right track. I like the Bearcat but they don’t always shoot to the sights and they seem to be bigger and heavier than need be. But I have a friend who has a 3 inch Storekeeper version. After looking it over l found one.

The trigger is too heavy and it needs to be slicked up but before I do anything I need to see if it shoots to the sights.

First 50 rounds at 15 yards. Close enough.

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 12:58 pm

Great little pop gun for sure! I'd really like one but I don't NEED one.

2ndovc · Post by **2ndovc** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 2:22 pm

Neat little revolvers. I have one of the blued ones that, along w/ the LCP .22 it spends a lot of time in my pocket while working outside around the yard.
The trigger on mine isn't the best either, but it's not terrible.

jb

JimT · Post by **JimT** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 2:30 pm

I have the stainless one. I carry it when mowing and working around the property. I blackened the front sight and got it hitting pretty close. Trigger isn't bad on it.

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lonesome dave · Post by **lonesome dave** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 2:40 pm

mine's about fifty years old and i love it.

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 4:20 pm

Jim,

Guess who the friend is that I was talking about?

I can fix the trigger easily. I can’t easily get it to shoot to the sights.

If pulled slowly you can see that the hammer is pushed back as the trigger is pulled. It doesn’t need that angle on the engagement.

JimT · Post by **JimT** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 6:28 pm

Scott Tschirhart wrote: ↑Sat Jul 01, 2023 4:20 pm Jim,

Guess who the friend is that I was talking about?

I can fix the trigger easily. I can’t easily get it to shoot to the sights.

If pulled slowly you can see that the hammer is pushed back as the trigger is pulled. It doesn’t need that angle on the engagement.

Gotcha!

Yeah .. you can fix that trigger. Shooting to the sights? Got mine adjusted vertically for the ranges I shoot with it. It shoots to the left a bit but not enough to hurt out to 30 feet or so. I am happy with what it will do. I can make it work at 25 yards but it is a really a much shorter range gun than that for most things.

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 6:44 pm

Do I remember reading an article a few years ago that Ruger started putting adjustable sights on the Bearcat?
If I remember correctly the first one was given to one of the well known writers...

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 8:27 pm

Must... resist... temptation....

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:48 pm

I’ve shot a mess of them and once owned a Super Bearcat…….to me, they are hard to shoot fast. Takes too much time to get the gun situated in MY hands and then after shooting, theres too much repositioning needed for FAST ACCURATE shooting……like Jim T, I also have a “yard gun” and it’s my time and tested old model Single Six with a 5.5 barrel. That gun has not seen the inside of a house for probably 30 years, hanging on a nail out in the barn and for that matter, not even a cleaning.

Then there’s the issue of sights……a revolver has to have adjustable sights unless you’re shooting torso sized objects at 5 yards……

I stripped all the blue off and turned into a “white” gun, then rust blued the old fashioned way…the way Winchester USED to do it……….degreasing-adding the solution-rusting-boiling-stripping” about 15 times. Took me 2 weeks or more then added a set of Colt stocks to it……….drills very nice 1/4” holes…just press the muzzle where you want the hole and bang!

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Sun Jul 02, 2023 6:35 am

GunnyMack wrote: ↑Sat Jul 01, 2023 12:58 pm...I'd really like one but I don't NEED one...

That is true for 90% of the guns I've ever bought...

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Sun Jul 02, 2023 7:35 am

AJMD429 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 02, 2023 6:35 am
GunnyMack wrote: ↑Sat Jul 01, 2023 12:58 pm...I'd really like one but I don't NEED one...
That is true for 90% of the guns I've ever bought...

I'd certainly trade a HiStandard B model for a Bearcat !!

Rube Burrows · Post by **Rube Burrows** » Sun Jul 02, 2023 8:20 am

Nice. I haven't had a Bear Cat in a while but they are great little guns. Last one I had I traded for one of the SASS Red Box Vaquero sets in 45 colt.

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Sun Jul 02, 2023 8:42 am

A man who pays attention can make most any gun work. If this thing will hit a rattlesnake head at 10-20 feet it will be accurate enough. (And it easily does that without any modification) But it’s nice if I can stretch it out to 20 yards or so for the things you use .22s for.

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Sun Jul 02, 2023 10:50 am

My best back pocket gun is an old Smith model 34 Kit Gun. The oversize grips help to shoot it accurately despite its light weight and J frame size and there's no issue with POA vs POI.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sun Jul 02, 2023 11:52 am

That’s a nice Smith, Walt…..and a great book underneath it…..—-00

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Sun Jul 02, 2023 1:02 pm

Thanks, Six. I am fascinated by the size of that old brace to the left of your Single Six.

Well, the mechanism is different than that of a brace. What is it called (aside from a drill)?

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Sun Jul 02, 2023 11:18 pm

Lowering the power of the hammer spring made this gun unreliable, but it’s easier to shoot.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 5:05 am

Good old Terry Murbach had nothing but good to say about Ruger Bearcats that is testimony enough for me..

JimT · Post by **JimT** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 7:13 am

Good friend Al Anderson uses his Bearcat Shopkeeper for whatever happens to need to be shot when he is carrying it.

bearcat coyote.jpg

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 7:48 am

Now Jim that would have saved me a lot of money over the years to know that a short .22 sixgun is all I needed!

I’m going to up the hammer spring by a couple of pounds and see where that gets me.

JimT · Post by **JimT** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 8:46 am

Scott Tschirhart wrote: ↑Mon Jul 03, 2023 7:48 am Now Jim that would have saved me a lot of money over the years to know that a short .22 sixgun is all I needed!

I’m going to up the hammer spring by a couple of pounds and see where that gets me.

I think I would have to be at intimate distances to hammer a coyote with mine.

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 2:39 pm

A very well engineered mechanism.

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 2:43 pm

Lots to polish up though.

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 2:46 pm

I hope that's grease and not blood on the paper towel!?
The second pic is before any polishing? My word that's rough! But then again it's stainless and a casting so it doesn't surprise me much.

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 3:33 pm

Yes, I use red axle grease on everything. So there’s no blood.

The second photo shows high spots after a couple of passes over 3000 grit emory cloth. This is the transfer bar and I’m pretty sure it’s a stamped part.

Everything is back together and operating much more smoothly.

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 3:39 pm

Ok good , no blood !

A little elbow grease goes a long way.
Isn't it satisfying to know what a gun feels like before and after a little bit of work!

Grizz · Post by **Grizz** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 5:24 pm

Scott Tschirhart wrote: ↑Mon Jul 03, 2023 3:33 pm Yes, I use red axle grease on everything.

that's Interesting. I use green waterproof wheel bearing grease on non-moving internals. Too cold to use on moving parts and frozen guns are a legendary cheechaco mistake. In cold weather guns are stripped of all lubricants, unless there are some that don't freeze, but i've never heard of any.

do you think your exploded bearcat illustration would apply to the wrangler, which certainly needs some tlc?

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 6:15 pm

The Wrangler is quite different. The Wrangler is basically a Blackhawk.

The one piece frame makes the Bearcat a very different gun in how it goes together. It has all the same parts, but they go into the frame differently.

No problems with lube here in Texas. It never gets cold enough to affect red axle grease.

You should see the inside of my AR-15!!

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 6:54 pm

Cold is why I use powdered graphite or a dry lube.

Grizz · Post by **Grizz** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 8:11 pm

GunnyMack wrote: ↑Mon Jul 03, 2023 6:54 pm Cold is why I use powdered graphite or a dry lube.

i use graphite too. what dry lube? where I lived it didn't get cold enough to freeze an action, but it sure could slow it down.

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Tue Jul 04, 2023 4:46 am

What dry lube...? I'll have to go look at the bottles as I don't remember what they are!
I know one is non propellant that I got to use on the hinges on folding wood rules.
The other is something I read about in a gun mag and found on Amazon.

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Tue Jul 04, 2023 5:58 am

I use Break Free, which is one of a number of synthetic lubricants that maintain their viscosity over a broad temperature range.

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Tue Jul 04, 2023 7:31 am

I started using red axle grease years ago when I took a couple of Urban Rifle courses at Thunder Ranch. ARs went down because they either weren’t lubed properly or the lube wasn’t up to the heat.

One tub of red axle grease has lasted me for almost 20 years. But my ARs have never missed a beat. That grease stays where I put it and doesn’t evaporate when it gets hot.

It is convenient to take a q-tip or a toothpick to use this same red grease to lubricant just about any kind of firearm.

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Tue Jul 04, 2023 7:52 am

I'm not an overly large fan of the AR rifles but yes they really like to be 'wet' with lube. Nothing wrong with your process Scott.

Oh yeah the dry lubes-

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I have to get out to the shop for the other one...

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samsi · Post by **samsi** » Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:02 pm

My flirtation with the Garand led me to Lubriplate, which then got used on my AR. It was also an old Marine trick to roll the buffer spring in Lubriplate, it gets rid of the "boiing" noise too. I sold my AR to a BP agent and for a while afterwards I got a lot of guff from PA's about being a guy who overlubes his guns. Not so, they're running too dry, and besides, Uncle isn't footing the repair bills on my stuff. I also have a small can of MIL-G-something Artillery Grease. I've used that on almost everything for the past 15 years or so and it's almost gone. I may have to look into the red axle grease next.

Back to Bearcats. I've had 2, a '62 and an early 70's Super. Both of mine shot pretty well to the sights with SV .22 but I've got large hands so they weren't the easiest thing to find a consistent grip with. I much prefer an OM Single Six with XR3 frame for a rimfire but the Wrangler isn't bad for a knockabout either.

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:48 pm

Now it’s buttery smooth and if I shot it better I would think it would make one ragged hole.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Tue Jul 04, 2023 1:04 pm

Like I said Terry really liked his http://www.gunblast.com/Murbach-Bearcat.htm photos by Boge Quinn.

Paladin · Post by **Paladin** » Tue Jul 04, 2023 1:14 pm

Scott Tschirhart wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:48 pm Now it’s buttery smooth and if I shot it better I would think it would make one ragged hole.

Well done on the adjustments.
I have a couple of SIngle sixs, and a recently purchased in-the-box Wrangler I got at an auction for $150. The Wrangler shoots pretty well out to 25 yards for rabbits and vermin and is much lighter than the Sixs but I miss the adjustable sights. I used to carry the single six on my trap line and it supplied a few dinners at the end of the day. The Wrangler has only been used for a few varmints when out with the dog, so far. I was given a tube of Lubra-plate in 2002 for my M-14 in Iraq and still use it on my guns and an aerosol can of white Lithium grease on many of the pistols and revolvers to get a light layer on parts I can't reach without disassembly.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Tue Jul 04, 2023 1:34 pm

There is something pretty cool about a little 22 revolver. I really like the ‘big’ Single Six convertible, but I also like the diminutive North American Arms ‘Pug’. The Bearcat seems to be a nice one in between those sizes….plus….”it’s a Ruger…”

I gotta admit I also like these…

https://northamericanarms.com/shop/firearms/naa-mmc/

…or these…

https://northamericanarms.com/shop/fire ... 22mc-btii/

Leverluver · Post by **Leverluver** » Tue Jul 04, 2023 6:30 pm

I like that little mini Schofield but WOW $680.

Old No7 · Post by **Old No7** » Wed Jul 05, 2023 2:19 pm

Leverluver wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 6:30 pm I like that little mini Schofield but WOW $680.

Trust me. You won't like it any better after you shoot it with a 22 Mag either...

Old No7

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Thu Jul 06, 2023 7:57 am

I’d really like to like those mini revolvers but I can’t seem to get a good grip on any of them. The Bearcat is about as small as I really feel comfortable with.

JimT · Post by **JimT** » Thu Jul 06, 2023 8:55 am

I can shoot the little Bearcat fairly well as long as I pay attention to the trigger squeeze and my breathing and can see the sights. And if I am close enough to the target.

Grizz · Post by **Grizz** » Thu Jul 06, 2023 2:07 pm

JimT wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 8:55 am I can shoot the little Bearcat fairly well as long as I pay attention to the trigger squeeze and my breathing and can see the sights. And if I am close enough to the target.

I can hit 410 shells set vertical... with the lcp 380 . . . but of course the bullet is Much Wider

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Mon Jul 10, 2023 7:56 am

Close enough to the target is always important! But that’s the point of a revolver in the first place. We use them for targets of opportunity, in my case, rattlesnakes. I don’t have to go get my gun when I’m wearing it.

Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Sat Jul 15, 2023 8:33 am

New dead cow from Simply Rugged!

JimT · Post by **JimT** » Sat Jul 15, 2023 8:45 am

Nice!! Rob does excellent work!

Mine ain't as pretty but then Rob didn't make it ... I did. But it works.

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Scott Tschirhart · Post by **Scott Tschirhart** » Sat Jul 15, 2023 8:59 am

I think I might make a front pocket holster for it. Looks like it would work just fine.

JimT · Post by **JimT** » Sat Jul 15, 2023 9:18 am

Scott Tschirhart wrote: ↑Sat Jul 15, 2023 8:59 am I think I might make a front pocket holster for it. Looks like it would work just fine.

I did that. Carry it in my pocket when I am mowing or watering or whatever I am doing around the property.