Bearcat?

[chicharrones]

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.

View attachment 1079357

That 3.5" barreled blued Shopkeeper is pretty much my favorite looking Bearcat of all time.

 

[chicharrones]

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.
View attachment 1079234

Shopkeepers hold and shoot similar to small grip snub nose revolvers. In fact, the Shopkeeper's grip is larger in circumference than this old school Charter Arms .22LR, which is like many old J-Frames of any brand.

View attachment 1079896

 

[CajunBass]

I used to have a Bearcat back in the day. It was a fun gun that I managed to scare the poop out of a few squirrels with. I never hit one, but that says more about my shooting than it does the gun. Those little rascals just won't stand still like those paper targets.

I had a really nice holster for it that I got from Ruger. The entire package (gun and holster) could only be described as "cute." No other word ever semed to fit.

Would a Single Six make more sense? Probably but if that's the case, get both.

 

[BobWright]

The Bearcat fits into the category "better than no gun at all." It a fine example of old style fit and finish, cute to view, fun to shoot at times. But for real accuracy, small game or serious plinking, a Single Six or even a Uberti Stallion or similar gun, is a better choice for a serious .22 revolver. For hunting, even an adjustable sighted Single Six is a better choice, especially with a .22 Magnum cylinder in place.



Bob Wright

 

[Tacoma]

I had a bearcat some 20 years back. It was a cool little gun but I just never loved it. I'm not sure if it was the rudimentary sights or the small grip frame size/shape ( or both) but I had trouble getting minute of beer can accuracy out of it beyond 20' or so. (Your results may vary) These days I use a SW 63 for those "kit gun" applications that the bearcat was intended. It's still small but I find I can shoot it better given the FO sights and grip options.

 

[MtnHiker]

The Bearcat fits into the category "better than no gun at all." It a fine example of old style fit and finish, cute to view, fun to shoot at times. But for real accuracy, small game or serious plinking, a Single Six or even a Uberti Stallion or similar gun, is a better choice for a serious .22 revolver. For hunting, even an adjustable sighted Single Six is a better choice, especially with a .22 Magnum cylinder in place.

View attachment 1080286

Bob Wright

Spot on. I have a SS bearcat. I like it. My wife loves it ...so technically I had a bearcat that still lives at our house. For people with small or weak hands they are great.

Personally I like a 5.5 SS Single Six better.

 

[Coyote3855]

My grandson likes the one I gave him.

 

[Seedy Character]

I had line. Fun plinker.
I prefer my Single Six.

 

[ThomasT]

I wanted a Bearcat after I saw my first one. But I never bought one. I did find a S&W model 34-1 Flatlatch with 4" barrel in a pawn shop for $250 OTD and bought that. It weighs the same 24oz as a Bearcat and its a shooter. Its almost like the bullets are laser guided. So that old model 34 scratches my kit gun itch.

But if I ever found a deal on a Bearcat I would buy it just because its such a good looking little gun. And who doesn't like a single action trail gun?

 

[halfmoonclip]

Have had one for fifty years, and haven't shot it in an eon. Neat little gun, but a 43 is a better answer, as is the flyweight 317.
Mine is a Super, with the steel frame and the alloy, brass colored trigger guard. Never had it retrofitted with the transfer bar ignition.
Moon