Bearcat?

I owned one for a time and it gave no problems. I sold it because it's size made it difficult to shoot well.

Had had a couple. They were accurate, fun to shoot and very handy. I found that both of mine would foul up quicklt, about 30-50 shots, before the cylinder would bind hard.

I only have experience with my Shopkeeper version. It is very accurate for a 3" barreled revolver. However, it is hard for me to shoot accurately due to the small size and small sights.

My Bearcat is really simply a plinker. I figure that the Bearcat with the 4.2" barrel and adjustable sights could make a fine kit gun, if it fits the shooter's hand well enough.

Below is an old target with me resting my hands on a trash can shooting at 10 yards and tilting my head back to get the sights in focus in my progressive glasses. The Shopkeeper really laid in the first four shots, then I changed my grip and the last two shots went low. You really have to learn what grip the gun likes and how that positions your trigger finger, in my experience.

This is very difficult for me to repeat with this gun. But if you like a challenge, I believe the Bearcat is capable if you can adapt to it.

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JCooperfan1911 said:

Does anyone own and operate a Ruger Bearcat .22? How do you like it? Is it accurate? Thinking about buying one.

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That's one more picture of my wife, "Barbara the Ground Squirrel Slayer," with her 2 Rugers (a Ruger Bearcat and a Ruger American Rimfire) over on our friend's ranch last week. There are thousands of ground squirrels over there this year, and we just use our handguns for the ones that are close - 20 yards or less.
At any rate, Barb has had her Ruger Bearcat since shortly after Ruger came out with stainless Bearcats with adjustable sights. It's never given her a bit of trouble other than the cylinder holes (the chambers) might be just a little tight - because she has trouble getting Winchester Power-Points (my favorite ground squirrel ammo) to fit. So Barb just uses Remington Yellow Jackets - a Remington Yellow Jacket really makes a mess out of a ground squirrel.
And to answer your question, yes, it's very accurate - for Barb anyway. Even I do okay with it, and I'm not nearly as good with a handgun as my wife is.
Barb carries her Bearcat cross-draw style in a beautiful little pancake style holster from Leather Creek Holsters in Gainsville, Georgia.

From the standpoint of having both;

Bearcats are sweet, made in the old tradition of machinework. That being said, they are best suited for small hands due to their small size. Figure a bit over $500 to put one in your hands.

The newer Shopkeepers are just irresistible, but running close to $1K makes it a tough decision.

The TALO birdshead Wrangler is very nice, shoots easier, and is less than 1/3 that price.

Kookla said:

Had had a couple. They were accurate, fun to shoot and very handy. I found that both of mine would foul up quicklt, about 30-50 shots, before the cylinder would bind hard.

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.308 Norma said:

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. . . It's never given her a bit of trouble other than the cylinder holes (the chambers) might be just a little tight - because she has trouble getting Winchester Power-Points (my favorite ground squirrel ammo) to fit. So Barb just uses Remington Yellow Jackets - a Remington Yellow Jacket really makes a mess out of a ground squirrel . . .

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Yep, tight chambers seem to be common in Ruger single action rimfire revolvers, including my Bearcat. I guess we could call them "match cut", but it's worth polishing them to go longer between cylinder cleaning, IMO.

Conelrad said:

The TALO birdshead Wrangler is very nice, shoots easier, and is less than 1/3 that price.

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When one wants to step up to Single Six size frame and cylinder. But if one wants a single action smaller than a Single Six yet bigger than a NAA mini revolver . . .

Bearcat.

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Pic borrowed from the web long ago.

i had a ruger bearcat shopkeeper and have a regular bearcat.

the shopkeeper is a mechanical work of art, but too small for me to shoot much or well, (clearing spent rounds with its shorter ejection rod was a particular hassle) so away it went.

the bearcat shoots much better, and way much better with oversized target grips (came with my used pre-transfer-bar-safety model that ruger converted & spiffed up gratis. i have never seen these target grips in the wild).

neither one had/s any malfunctions.

i have both ruger wrangler versions, which are great for the price but seem bulkier than the bearcats (photo shows otherwise, doesn’t it?). the wrangler is a better range toy for a higher round count, the bearcat is easier on the hip to carry awhile, an excellent trail companion. i prefer plowhandle over birdshead grips, but b.h. grips on the 22lr (low recoil) wrangler are okay to me. the wrangler is way better than a heritage roughrider.

like all ruger single action revolvers used bearcats are good deals: built like a brick outhouse, low (single action) round count, excellent warranty work.

Fun little guns. I used one to plink and used it for new shooters with one round in the gun at a time for a slow intro to firearms. Sorry I sold it but money talks at the time.

My wife has one I bought her for Christmas decades ago. It is a neat gun and they shoot quite well.

I’m a big fan of the bearcat, it carries well on the hip and is a great little plinking gun. I have yet to take any game with it, but I’m dialing it in with some hollow points to give small game hunting a try this season.

Dad bought 2Bearcats in the early 1960s. One for him and one for his dad. I inherited grandpa's in the 1980s. Shoots great and it's a fun fun. It's small which is perfect for smaller shooters or walking the woods with ratshot for snakes. Makes for a good kit gun too. You'll love the old or new rerelease of the Bearcat.

Conelrad said:

From the standpoint of having both;

Bearcats are sweet, made in the old tradition of machinework. That being said, they are best suited for small hands due to their small size. Figure a bit over $500 to put one in your hands.

The newer Shopkeepers are just irresistible, but running close to $1K makes it a tough decision.

The TALO birdshead Wrangler is very nice, shoots easier, and is less than 1/3 that price.

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Price of the Bearcat is a considerable issue as to why I don't own one. While I have an NAA Minimaster (Black Widow with 4 inch barrel) and have learned the trigger and grip to become accurate with it, the spur trigger is an anathema to accuracy. The Bearcat has a proper trigger and while others have issue with its small size it's nothing larger grips can't help.

If Ruger would make a Wrangler Lite the size of the Bearcat for $200, I'd be all over it. Don't care how much it weighs, it's never going to be as light as the NAA I have, I just want it smaller than what all the other single action rimfire revolvers are and be a good shooter.

Won't even bring up the quality issues Ruger has been having with their revolvers the past few years, but it seems, Redhawk aside, the cheaper the revolver, the better Ruger makes them.

Even though I don't really need any more .22 handguns, I still kind of want (a regular-sized) one. My hands are on the smaller side, so I think I could use it. I'll pass on the Shopkeeper, though...

I used to find the price on them a bit hard to swallow, but I have softened my stance on that in recent years.


I think it would be a nice kit gun. I like the all steel construction. Had a crack at a couple of used ones (one blued, one stainless) for about $450 apiece a few years ago. I wish I would have just bought one then for what I suspect they cost now.

I always wanted one, the Shopkeeper in particular, but I never did get one since I already have a fine plinker that I also cannot shoot accurately because of my meaty clubs.

chicharrones said:

I only have experience with my Shopkeeper version. It is very accurate for a 3" barreled revolver. However, it is hard for me to shoot accurately due to the small size and small sights.

My Bearcat is really simply a plinker. I figure that the Bearcat with the 4.2" barrel and adjustable sights could make a fine kit gun, if it fits the shooter's hand well enough.

Below is an old target with me resting my hands on a trash can shooting at 10 yards and tilting my head back to get the sights in focus in my progressive glasses. The Shopkeeper really laid in the first four shots, then I changed my grip and the last two shots went low. You really have to learn what grip the gun likes and how that positions your trigger finger, in my experience.

This is very difficult for me to repeat with this gun. But if you like a challenge, I believe the Bearcat is capable if you can adapt to it.

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They are cool guns. I have one that was part of the first early 60's production run. I "gave" it to my son for his first revolver. At 16, he has now moved onto a Single-Six and K22 for .22 revolver shooting

TTv2 said:

Price of the Bearcat is a considerable issue as to why I don't own one. While I have an NAA Minimaster (Black Widow with 4 inch barrel) and have learned the trigger and grip to become accurate with it, the spur trigger is an anathema to accuracy. The Bearcat has a proper trigger and while others have issue with its small size it's nothing larger grips can't help.

If Ruger would make a Wrangler Lite the size of the Bearcat for $200, I'd be all over it. Don't care how much it weighs, it's never going to be as light as the NAA I have, I just want it smaller than what all the other single action rimfire revolvers are and be a good shooter.

Won't even bring up the quality issues Ruger has been having with their revolvers the past few years, but it seems, Redhawk aside, the cheaper the revolver, the better Ruger makes them.

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I don’t own one so I can’t speak for their form or function but I want one.

There is a store in the town my brother goes to college at that had a stainless Bearcat bird’s head shopkeeper that I want desperately. I think it’d make a great farm or chore carry gun. It also fits my S.O. petite hands well and she loves it. But to the tune of $800 I couldn’t stomach it. For a little less there is a pawn shop near me with a stainless Bearcat but with the adjustable sights. That ones is like $589. Still kinda pricey and with all the adjustable sights I kinda think it’d defeat the purpose of the small Bearcat.

Damn... now the Wrangler has crept onto my radar...

I find the Bearcat (and Kit Gun) to be dinky and wobbly. My old boss' Police Positive Target was better, but my Combat Masterpiece is the revolver that suits.

The Wrangler seems to be the cheap reintroduction of the Lightweight Single Six; I have not handled one.
I'd go with a basic Single Six; mine is a full custom .38 conversion, very handy.

Gifted my little Shopkeeper Bearcat to my youngest grandson for his 11th birthday last year. It is a fine little shooter with very good fit & finish. i hope he always treasures it like I did.

I love mine, prob my most shot handgun

I carry a Bearcat daily. It is, to me, the perfect "out of the way " gun on my hip. I grew up with one - my mom gave it my dad the year before I was born. 1960. It now belongs to my son.

I had one converted to .22 wmr. The perfect trail/hiking combo. Get one. I'm 6'6", 275#, and can bounce pine cones across the ground with it all day!

When I go to town, I carry something a bit bigger.

Conelrad said:

From the standpoint of having both;

Bearcats are sweet, made in the old tradition of machinework. That being said, they are best suited for small hands due to their small size. Figure a bit over $500 to put one in your hands.

The newer Shopkeepers are just irresistible, but running close to $1K makes it a tough decision.

The TALO birdshead Wrangler is very nice, shoots easier, and is less than 1/3 that price.

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Geez. That's insane money. Ruger revolvers across the board got a huge price hike in the last year or so. Not counting the Wrangler, of course.

Like many folks, I got my Bearcat before the last gundemic inflation period. My little stainless Shopkeeper was found second hand for $468 almost exactly 4 years ago. Still a lot of money for a dinky .22 back then, but it sure looks cheap now.