What would you think of.................

[Greeenriver]

A ruger Bearcat converted to a 5 shot 32H&R Mag???   Maybe with an octogon BBL??  I know that the bigger Rugers have been converted to some realy awsom calibers in 5 shot form, how would this work with a Bearcat??  Is it possable and if so, can anyone recomend a gunsmith capable of doing the work.  Some idea of what it would cost would be ok, too.

Selling my firstborn son to pay for it ain't an option, as he is long moved away and has his won family, but I maybe could work something out for one of the grandkids.


Why???  'Cause I havn't seen one and don't have one.


Greeenriver

[kid_couteau]

Not bad at all

But for me I would prefer a Ruger stainless bearcat in 22 mag

Kid

[44 Man]

We'll have to wait for Lloyd to jump on here, but I'm sure he told me that one of his custom gunsmiths has offered that option.  That would be cool!  44 Man

[Lloyd Smale]

Linebaugh can do it. Costly though. Just like with my single six 41 special you have to keep in mind the fact that theres just as much work as there is with a 500 and even more because you have to convert them to centerfire. So dont look for one much under 2 grand.

[Greeenriver]

Thanks for the replies, pards.  I think the idea of a 5 shot 32 Mag on a bearcat is realy a great sounding idea, but NOT Two Grand of an idea for me!!

However, if I happen to hit the Lotto tonite, Monday I'll be on the phone to Linebaugh for a pair of them with octogen bbl's.  Being on a fixed incom, they'll have to wait till Luck shines on me, LOL!!!!!

If someone has had this done before, or knows someone that has one, I sure would like to see a picture of it.  I think the little guns would make a GREAT pair of carry guns under a vest in a double shoulder would be excelent for plinking with cowboy loads, or even 32S&W or 32S&W Longs.  As I currently load all of the above and have brass for them, I'm sure they would get lots of use.

Oh well, it was just an idea that hit me last nite.  Again, thanks for the replies.

Greeenriver

[Lloyd Smale]

find yourself a blued .32 vaquero single six. Fit up a aluminum grip frame. round but it. find an aluminum ejector housing and cut the barrel and ejector rod and housing to 4 inch and youd have yourself almost what you want at for alot less money. Most of it can be done yourself if your handy. It would make a real sweet little gun and if you wanted it real trick send it to clements and for under 200 bucks hed fit it with a s&w ajustable rear sight

[44 Man]

Good idea Lloyd!  I had a single six .32 that was cut to 3 1/2" with shortened ejector and round butted.  Slick little gun!  As with so many of my guns in the past, it got traded off to fund another project.  Hope I don't have to do that so often any more.  I really like the guns I own now!  44 Man

[Greeenriver]

find yourself a blued .32 vaquero single six. Fit up a aluminum grip frame. round but it. find an aluminum ejector housing and cut the barrel and ejector rod and housing to 4 inch and youd have yourself almost what you want at for alot less money. Most of it can be done yourself if your handy. It would make a real sweet little gun and if you wanted it real trick send it to clements and for under 200 bucks hed fit it with a s&w ajustable rear sight

I have a couple of the Single Six's in 32 Mag. with fixed sights now.One stainless Birdshead and one Blued CC standard grip, both with fixed sights and 4&5/8 in bbl's.  They are one of my sets of Cowboy Action Pistols and have the Marlin rifle to go with them. I realy would rather have fixed sights on my pistols than the adjustable.  Just personal preference.  Of my two, the blued one is lighter than the SS one, and it often findes it's way into my belt as a CCW gun, loaded with Federal Personal Protection JHP's.  I just realy like the way the little Bearcat sets in my hand. Now that you mention it, I may just round but it and not worry about the extra 5/8 in of bbl. That's not much of a job and it would make the two feel more the same. 

Thanks for the idea, it won't be a Bearcat but it will be MUCH less money.

However.................after I check my Lotto numbers, maybe getting a pair of the Bearcats done will be an option.  LOL!!!

I wonder why the Bearcat has never been offered in 22mag??  Anyone know??  I think I read about a few being converted, does this work??  And is if just reaming out the cylinder??  .25acp would be another option for them.  Reloadable and semi-rimed case it would make a nice plinker, but not much gain over the 22lr.  I wonder how a round lengthened to the same length as the 32mag baised on the 25acp would work out?

As this is just an excersize in thought, anyone got any ideas on this??  Straight walled casses seam to work better in revolvers than bottlenecked ones, I hear, but the 32-20, 38-40, and 44-40 have all worked well in handguns.  I would think the 25acp would even be safe as a 6 shot in the Bearcat frame.  Anyone got any thoughts on this??  Just a passing thought now, for conversation.

Greeenriver

[oso45-70]

Greenriver

I think i can see why it would cost so much, Seems to me  that the diameter of the 32 cylinder would be too large for the bear cats frame with out one heck of a lot reworking. I think the idea is good but it might be better like Lloyd said. Find a good framed 32 and cut it down to suit your self. There are plenty places you can pick up parts . I have been thinking of doing this to one of my long barreled 32s my self. Good luck sir..........Joe...........

[Lloyd Smale]

I know a few guys that have had .22 mags made up but to do it right you about have to have a new cylinder made for the proper specs for a mag. Im sure you could get by with just reaming but if you want real accuracy you need to have the chamber and barrel dimentions right and ruger compromized when they made the convertable single sixes so they would work fine with either but not great. The single six the way it is is just to small for any caliber conversion without opening up the frame and building a new cylinder. Agian i know a 25acp will work on a single six frame. A freind has one in 380 auto which sounds like a weird gun but you have to remember that a 380 is nothing but a shrunk 45acp and the acp has allways give steller accuracy. His .380 will blow one hole groups at 25 yards. 6 shot with a single six and your about maxed out at 32 mag go any bigger and you need a 5 shot cylinder and thats where the big bucks come into play. 41 special is about it in a 5 shot single six. Ive seen 44 specials even 44 mags and 45 colts that have been built on them but i sure wouldnt expect them to last long with steady shooting. Even if you can make a cylinder to take the abuse the frames will stretch or fail. Hell ruger even had problems with the .44 mag on a old model .357 frame. Heres my take on the whole deal. I love custom sixguns and like them to be something differnt but theres a limit as to what make sense. Both in strenght and cost. My little 41 special single six is a neat gun. It fits in your front pocket and has enough power for deer hunting. But in this day and age of fancy alloys you can pick up a titanium framed DA from smith or that other DA manufacturer That starts with a T (and so does turd) that are just as compact and lighter yet and will do the same job for half the price. A few guys that know me hear know that i dont bat an eyelash at spending 2 grand on a custom sixgun but even i wouldnt spend 2 grand on something with the limited usabilit of a 5 shot bearcat that basicaly wont hunt anything bigger then the .22lr it allready comes in. Id like to do a custom bearcat someday. It would still be a .22lr though. Id just like to have one with an adjustable sight and maybe casehardened with some stags on it. But its on the far end of my custom want list. I love shooting them with the grandkids but just dont grab one enough for woods bumbing. Anymore when bumbing the woods with a .22 i tend to grab the 4 inch 22/45. Dammed thing is such a tackdriver!

[Lloyd Smale]

ill make one more suggestion hear. If you want the alitimate .22 or even .32mag buy yourself a FA 4 inch gun. Ive shot a few customs in these calibers and especially when it comes to a .22 your going to dump alot more money into getting one that shoots like a Freedom arms gun then if you just bought one of theres off the shelf

[Greeenriver]

Don't get me wrong, I realy like my little Bearcat and I cary it a lot around the place here.  Same thing with my Single Six's in 32mag. I was just thinking out loud, I gess.  I had heard about some Bearcats being converted to 22mag, and was thinking out loud about a 5 shot one in 32mag.  That  looks to be out of my price range untill I manage to hit the lotto, so I gess I'll just roundbut the standard handle Single Six I have now and leave it at that. 

I like the idea of a Bearcat in 25acp, or even a lengthened 25acp case, just to have one for plinking that is reloadable.  I had a machinest that was going to convert a lever action 22lr to 25acp for me a couple years ago, but he split in the middle of the nite one Saturday nite with the bill collectors hot on his trail, so that idea has been put on hold for now.  Realy, a 22lf will do anything that a 25acp will do, but I've often wondered what the ctg was capable of in a good strong gun insted of the little pocket autos it's usualy chambered in. OH well, I gess it's just an excersize in thought, not practicle to do, but fine to wonder about.

Thanks for all the replies, you guys have been helpful and I do thank you all.

Greeenriver(The Lotto thing didn't work out Friday nite, and neather did the Saturday nite drawing, but I'm ever optimistic.)