Any Bearcat Experience? Specifically the Shopkeeer?

[Orion8472]

I had my local gun store order a Lipsey's Shopkeeper, blued, fluted barrel.

First, the good. More like.....the excellent. The fit and finish was top notch. Fit of the metal and wood grips was extremely well done.

Second, the not so good. The functioning of the revolver was substandard. The trigger was pretty heavy. Removing the cylinder was problematic. The cylinder moved too much on full cock. A lot of revolvers will move side to side slightly [on a varying level, of course], but this one also had some lateral movement....almost like either the base pin was a few microns too small in diameter, or the hole in the cylinder was a few microns to big in diameter. Moving it to half cock and opening the gate, the cylinder seemed "vague", not precise like other SAA style revolvers. In fact,....I found the functioning to be either on the same level or maybe even a bit worse than the Heritage products.

I did not purchase it. Quite bummed out about it because I was really wanting the tiny birdshead. It felt AWESOME in the hand and pointed well. If it had the typical Ruger quality, I would have had it in my collection.

What has been your experience with the Bearcat [any style/model]?

 

[Haxby]

Don't know if I should even say, because mine was quite a while ago.
22/22 mag conversion model. It wasn't good. Not accurate, just accurate enough to tell that the fixed sights didn't point to where it hit.
Traded it off (before it was recalled) toward a great S&W.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Almost every new production Bearcat (including the Shopkeeper) I have fondled have shown excessive cylinder gap.

 

[Orion8472]

Cylinder gap of the one that came in wasn't too bad,.....but opening the loading gate and setting it to half cock,....it doesn't have the smooth and precise movement and lockup. I hope to see another example of one soon so I can see if it has the same issue.

And I have to say it again,.....the trigger pull was pretty heavy. But before the hammer is back, just manipulating the trigger caused a clicking as you pulled the trigger back.

 

[CraigC]

My stainless New Bearcat is a fine shooter and a constant companion. It took several hundred rounds to grow accustomed to the smaller grip but now, no rodent within 50yds is safe.

 

[rswartsell]

Craig C knows his revolvers, especially single actions. That being the case I cannot disagree. Personally however, my experience is that they are well made guns but on a frame that is too small even for my small hands. I viewed them as a premium quality child's/womans's/beginner gun that I never could adapt to truly comfortable shooting.

Craig C succeded where I failed in adapting to a diminuative revolver frame.

 

[CraigC]

It's definitely a challenge to get a consistent grip on them! Single actions are the most sensitive to grip variations in the first place and when the grip frame is that small, it's tough to do consistently. For that reason, I wouldn't even bother with the Shopkeeper.

 

[Wil Terry]

ALL three of my Ruger BEARCAT sixguns shoot quite well indeed. The STOREKEEPER/SHOPKEEPER/FILECLERK shoots amazingly well,out to one hundred yards, and handles like a champ. It'll take down 4" plates all day long and is not all the ammunition sensitive.
The other two BEARCATS, a blue Super, and an old lightweight 22LR/22MAG convertible shoot every bit as well with their favored ammunition.
And so it goes...

 

[murf]

rswartsell,

with small hands and the "pinky under the grip" hold, you shouldn't have a problem shooting the bearcat. i have a medium sized hand and that hold works well for me with the bearcat. as with any single action pistol, a good follow-through is very important for an accurate shot. i just hate to see a frustrated shooter miss out on shooting such a fine weapon.

as craigc and will terry have said, the bearcat is very accurate (with the right ammo). my favorite challenge is knocking over bowling pins at 70 to 90 yards. hint: ya have ta hit em high to knock em over.

luck,

murf

 

[Orion8472]

As it turns out, another gunstore had one of the blued/flutted shopkeepers. It was exactly the same as the one from the other day. Half cock, gate open, the feel of the cylinder was rough.....and initially, it wouldn't turn until I backed it to the stop. For something that runs ~$530, it should be MUCH smoother than the two I've felt.

 

[murf]

sounds like a timing problem with that particular gun. there are lemons everywhere. don't let one lemon sour your opinion on the company. ruger, imo, is the best.

murf

 

[Orion8472]

murf,....no sour here. Ruger does make really good revolvers. Have for many years..........like the 1958 Single Six I have. Took it to the range today and if I am practicing good marksmanship fundamentals,...I can get about a dime or so grouping at 7 yards.

 

[bannockburn]

Orion8472

Your Single Six is the same year as mine! Great little single action .22. I like the new blued version of the Shopkeeper, (always have had a thing for "miniature" guns), but don't know if I want to spend that kind of money on something that I'm probably not going to use all that much.

 

[Orion8472]

Nice blueing on yours!

This is mine with some aftermarket grips [I still have the black plastic that came on the gun].

 

[bannockburn]

Orion8472

Sweet looking grips! My gun was a gift from a very good friend of mine and had some really cosmetically challenged grips on it (the original plastic ones were cracked and broken). After years of looking I finally found a pair of factory grips that fit my gun perfectly.

 

[Orion8472]

Nice! And finding grips to match the frame can be tough to do! Well done, sir!

 

[Skunkeye]

I have one of the original stainless Shopkeepers (the serial number dates it to late 2012, so it's probably from the first batch made for Lipsey's), and it's rock solid and well-built. Shoots like a dream, too. I bought it used, so I don't know if it came from the factory like that, or if the previous owner had any work done on it, but it appeared to have had very little use when I got it.

I'm saddened to hear that Ruger's quality may be slipping on the latest run of these, or maybe a bad batch slipped by QC, because they're awesome little revolvers.

 

[LoneGoose]

My new-ish Bearcat does have a heavy trigger, but works well and shoots good. I think I'll do something about that trigger weight.

 

[bubba in ca]

I have a 15 year old blue. It leaded the barrel horribly at first but seems to have worked itself out. All tight and working fine.

 

[Apple a Day]

I've got an older "New" model. It's a lot more accurate than I was expecting and it's smooth. I just wish someone made some chunkier grips for it.

 

[Kookla]

I had a regular bearcat, but traded it off. It was very accurate, though not a shoot all day at the range type of gun. After about 50-75 rounds, the cylinder would bind and would need to be cleaned. At the time, I was more into shooting a lot and gravitated towards .22 auto pistols. I should have kept the bearcat.

I have large banana hands- stand over 6'6" and resemble a cross between an orangutan and frankenstein. I didn't have any problems shooting that little bearcat accurately. I did have to concentrate more and get more in the zone.

 

[denster]

Bought a shopkeeper new this year. It did have a slightly rough feel out of the box but that cleared up after a few hundred cycles. B/C gap is right at .005. You do really have to pay attention to trigger control. More than accurate enough with most ammo. Took a little bit to learn to rotate the cylinder against the ejector rod so it catches the mouth of the case and gets it clear of the cylinder but it is pretty much second nature now. Will not tolerate over thick rims so it really hates Remington ammo. It will lock up with any rim thickness over .0475 but then so do both of my sp101 .22s. In my opinion a bit over priced but fun to shoot and easy to carry.