Do you the a Ruger Top Break Bearcat would sell?

Well, at least one.

I'll get right on it!

I'd prefer a top break GP100

There were any number of small frame .22 Top Breaks made, Iver Johnson, H&R, H&A, some small enough to hide in the palm of your hand. Market for a new Top Break. Don't know if there really is a large market for any thing bigger than the NAA. People talk about them but how many people would rush out and buy one? I might buy a NAA just because, but not any thing larger. I think my Model 63 is the cats meow as far as size and accuracy. Of course that is just my opinion and I may be way off the mark.

I can't say I'd be first in line for one, but I do think it's a reasonably good idea.

It seems like a common complaint I have heard about the Bearcat is the extraction. I often hear it is more irritating than a Single Six; the smaller size makes it an arduous task.

The top break format would go a long way towards addressing this.


I'm not sure if they would sell a boatload of them, but from being around this board and a couple of others the whole "bring back a small and handy top-break .22" thing comes up enough to where I believe it would hold it's own. As a comparison, the new Shopkeeper - while cute as a button - seems to be an answer to a question nobody really asked and is reported to suffer even WORSE from the whole arduous extraction issue of the original Bearcat. Yet Ruger saw fit to make them a standard catalog item. So when you look at it that way... why not?

That's my 2¢, anyway.

I'd like to see a swing out cylinder and double action on a Bearcat, along with adjustable sights.

But then you don't have Beartcat anymore, you have a S&W, H&R or IJ revolver .

.. or simply the newer Ruger SP101 in 22LR, which I would prefer instead.

I think the price is the trouble,
mebbe Taurus could come out with an affordable price point
they could make a range of calibers

Yes.

Get them to make some open tops while your at it.

(double post)

JohnKSa said:

... but I do think that if a manufacturer could make good quality, durable top break revolvers, they would sell a lot of them.,,

Click to expand...

Ask S&W how that worked out for them. Lots of folks said they would buy one if produced. In reality, not many followed through.

Wouldn't mind seeing some manufacturer offer something like that (small frame topbreak), but right now I'm still quite happy with my S&W Model 34 Kit Gun.

billdeserthills said:

I think the price is the trouble,
mebbe Taurus could come out with an affordable price point
they could make a range of calibers

Click to expand...

I would buy a top break Bearcat from Ruger. I would pass on one made by Taurus. Ive learned my lesson with Taurus revolvers. Never again.

My pride and joy...

These H&R Sportsman are more the size of a single-six than a bearcat. The old holster came with it, and I think it's for a single-six. They sure shoot nicely, though. Double action is heavy, but smooth. Single action is AMAZING! This one dates to ~1937.



All said and done, I'd love a top-break bearcat. Heck, I'd just like a bearcat!

2000-2002. Schofield Model of 2000.

Historically the S&W top breaks died as soon as there was a Hand Ejector to replace them in the market.
The last of the .44 Double Action top breaks took 13 years to sell, all frames manufactured before 1899 but still cataloged until 1913.
The .32 Safety Hammerless took 26 years to move 37000 units, the .38 safety Hammerless 33 years to move 41500 units.

Topbreaks are cool, but I don't see a market for one, at least not at S&Ws price point.

North American Arms attempted to market a small .22 magnum topbreak, it was discontinued with few produced. http://www.gunblast.com/NAA-BreakTop.htm

I think top-breaks would be more popular if they didn't have an inherent weakness, the top-break. Of course that wouldn't matter in a rimfire but it probably explains why everyone turned away from them so quickly when the hand-ejector became available.

Problem would be cost, which is why NAA stopped selling their prototype top break.
A shame, because I would have bought one, but the price got stupid high quickly.

I have always wanted an HR Sportsman 999. I remember going to Big 5 as a kid and drooling over those. I wish someone would make a nice affordable topbreak. I wouldn't even be opposed to a polymer framed version. It would be light, handy, and easy to care for.

Just IMHO, I think that a small top-break .38 Special 5-shooter with auto eject and speedloaders would make for a neat carry package.

Mind you, I wouldn't shoot it a lot, and never with jacketed bullets...but viable...oh, yes.