ruger bearcat

[pastorp]

Anybody shoot a ruger bearcat. Is the grip too small for and adult size hand? Byron

[buffermop]

I use to own one years ago. I did find that the grips were somewhat a little small. I also had a problem with powder flashback when I shot off a round. Got rid of that and bought a Ruger Mark 7. No problems after that.

[TNrifleman]

I have owned a Bearcat for about 10 years and I love that little revolver. I have very large hands but find that the grip on the Bearcat is quite adequate and accomodating. These revolvers are very well made and mine is surprisingly accurate. I've killed squirrels with it. Mine is a great "kit-gun" and gets carried when I'm hunting or "woods-bumming." I'd recommend one to anyone who appreciates fine .22 handguns.

[tcrace]

I love my Bearcat too. 
The grip is not too small IMO, even for large hands. I've been able to shoot mine much more accurately than the 6.5" Single Six I used to own.

[wienranch]

I love mine too.  Got it for my grandkids to shoot when they come to visit, but I really like to shoot it too.  My hands are medium for a man, and I don't have a problem with the grip size.

[pastorp]

Thanks guys. I found one in like new condition on another forum but was concerned about the size. I told the owner I would take it. Wanted something small just to drop in a pocket for walks on the beach.  Byron

[S.B.]

Looks like it would be the perfect size and weight for a kit gun. Grips can be changed to accomadate most size  of hands.

[Keith L]

My gun shop has one and I have looked at it a bunch.  I already have a number of .22 pistols including a Single Six, and don't strictly speaking need one.  But the size and quality appeal to me.  I may just have to get one also.

[pastorp]

Well I picked up my bearcat this afternoon. I like the feel, and I agree the grip fits fine. I wear XL gloves. Lord willing I'll shoot it tomorrow.  Byron

[44 Man]

I have an early model and love it!  (I do have small hands)  But......  I keep wondering what it would be like with a lightly rounded butt and a 3" barrel?   Maybe Mag-na-ported just because and then Metalifed.  Hmmmm.  44 Man

[pastorp]

Got out to shoot the bearcat late afternoon today. It is very light, but if I concentrate on my shooting, it's very accurate. Sights are sure small for my old eyes. I like it.  Byron

[Tom C.]

I have 2 Bearcats, a blued one and a stainless one. The grips are fairly small, and since it is light, it is very sensitive to variation in grip. The sights are also too narrow for me. I took a jewlers file to both and opened the sight notch in the frame. I have a much better sight picture.

[RLS]

I've been debating a BearCat for a year and monitoring this thread for a couple of weeks, finally "pulled the trigger" and bought a stainless model last week...
Shot it some this weekend and having some mixed feelings about the little revolver. I looked at several new BearCats the store had and picked the nicest one, still seems Rugers quality had slipped some since the last Ruger revolvers I'd bought - minor but noticeable tool marks, grip blemishes etc. The trigger will need some break-in / smoothing - not surprising. When I cleaned it up before shooting I'd noticed the cylinders were a bit rough, this was very apparent when I tried to eject spent casings - some were extremely tough to extract! Can a guy smooth these cylinders without changing dimensions & ruining accuracy?
Also noticed during clean-up after shooting that the front sight blade was a bit loose - not enough to effect accuracy & doesn't feel like it'll come free, just enough play to feel with my fingers... I don't want to try to re-pin (dimple) it, is there a decent clear epoxy that'd work (just a drop or two )?
Still think they're cute little guns, just wanna get mine in good working / shooting order.
I shot a few Federal's, CCI's, & Remington's - no real accuracy testing, just sitting & resting on the knees. Nothing stood out yet, hopefully wring it out a bit more this weekend. Any suggestions as to ammo this guns tend to like? Looking forward to putting this gun thru it's paces.
Randy

[Tom C.]

If the chambers are a little rough, you can use something like JB Bore scrubber. It is a mild abrasive paste for cleaning barrels. A little goes a long way. I put it on a tight patch and use an electric drill to polish chambers.
I would put a little red loctite on the front sight. Red is intended for permanent sealing.
When you get to shooting it, you will probably find it is very sensitive to consistency of grip. The grip is fairly small for an adult and that exacerbates things.