When did they make a convertable bearcat?
November and December of 1993. Approximately 1,000 New Bearcat Convertibles were shipped. In January of '94 Ruger began receiving reports of "bad timing" on the Magnum cylinders. Hah, yeah, right...... the yahoos were fanning the guns and a "short stroked" hammer would still force the firing pin into the very edge of "not quite yet to battery" .22 WMR cartridge. Bullets striking the end of the barrel were sending copper jacket fragments out in many directions. MY THEORY and only my theory.
The early convertibles were made using what ever left over OM Bearcat parts they could. The OM cylinder rollmark dies were used on a few guns then a nice, fresh die was obtained. The older grip medallions were used up and were then replaced by a smaller version of the "current" silver eagle style. As is normal with all Ruger convertibles, the cylinders were marked with the last three digits of the gun's s/n, however some inconsistent markings have been observed.
The three, consecutively numbered Convertibles shown below contain combinations of the characteristics described above, making all three "different".
flatgate
PS I forgot to mention, Ruger issued a RECALL for the .22 magnum cylinders, offering a cheque for $40 for each returned cylinder. About 300 cylinders were returned, making that short run of convertibles real collectors' items!
