Early, unmodified Bearcat for son's first revolver?

[.455_Hunter]

Greetings,

I have been looking at Bearcats for my son's (almost 10) first revolver for SUPERVISED shooting. To say the least, I have less than impressed with new production examples, with most exhibiting grossly large cylinder gaps and general looseness. A LGS has a very early example (1964) that has been lightly used for about the same price as a new unit. The gun is very tight, but still has the original non-transfer bar set-up.

Is such a gun suitable for more advanced shooters only, or is load 1, skip 1, load 4, cock and ease down on empty chamber OK for a 10 year old to master?

Does Ruger charge to shipping/fitting of a transfer bar? Do they return the original parts?

Should I just look for a nice used "New Bearcat" that checks-out OK?

Thanks for your comments!

Hunter

 

[IWAC]

Simpler is better, and the single action platform is a very good beginning place. But, skip the complicated stuff of leaving one empty and carefully lowering the hammer on the empty cylinder. That is an accident waiting to happen, even for an older shooter, imo. Ten-year-olds tend to forget!

I've had 3 Single Sixes, and I like the newer lockwork much better. If they make a set of lower-effort trigger springs, you might consider them. I've tried the one leg off the post trick, with not much observable difference, and the "poor man's trigger job", with little success.

The Wolff (I think it was) springs I put in my SS made a very noticeable difference, and I figured out how to replace the hammer spring without taking the revolver apart. Probably the Bearcat would be the same.

Good luck, and enjoy teaching your son how to shoot! Best of all, let him have fun!

 

[kanook]

I learned how to shoot on a 3 screw Ruger. The first time I tried to load a New Model Ruger I thought it was broke because of No half cock.

So if you know how to load the 3 screw properly, why not teach your son how to do it first?

 

[Coogs.]

To the best of my knowledge Ruger does pic up the shipping both ways and they do send you the old parts back. The list the whole process at Ruger.com. Coogs.

 

[murf]

I would get the old model bearcat. your son is young enough to learn the basics of gun handling, to know why this particular gun is handled special, and to deal with people in a business setting.

in a couple years he might be too busy chasing girls and being "ten foot tall and bulletproof". my son started dove hunting with me at seven. never too young to learn the correct way to handle a firearm.

murf

 

[.455_Hunter]

Thanks for your input!

I already own a nice original three-screw Single-Six with LR & Mag cylinders, so "hammer on empty chamber" is definitely in his future, just was not sure about starting off that way.

 

[rcmodel]

Might as well teach him to do it sooner rather then later.

The older guns need to have the hammer cocked and lowered after loading anyway to prevent getting the turn ring on the cylinder.

Load one, skip one, load four, then finish cocking the hammer and lower it on the empty chamber is the proper way to treat a single action.

Never lower the hammer from half cock.

rc

 

[dogmush]

Just a thought here:

This wouldn't be a carry gun. He said supervised shooting at (one assumes) a range. Why not just half-cock, load all six, full cock, shoot all six?

I have some older SA revolvers, so I get the idea of skipping one, but unless he picks up SASS stuff later, is this really a thing? My SA's all go unloaded to the range, load, shoot, unloaded home.

Why skip a chamber on a gun you are going to imediately shoot?

And get the older bearcat. That's a sweet gun to learn on.

 

[Tallball]

Great choice! I learned on a Ruger Single Six. I recently got a SA 22 (Italian) for my daughter to learn with. It is an older one and I am not 100% sure it's drop safe, but since she won't be carrying it anywhere, I am not concerned.

 

[rcmodel]

Why skip a chamber on a gun you are going to imediately shoot?

no reason.

Other than if you are going to teach a kid how to use a Single-Action, you should teach him the safe way to do it.

He won't be a kid forever, and one day may start carrying it fully loaded if that's what he was taught.

rc

 

[Iggy]

I bought a Single Six in 1961. I carried horse back, on motorcyles, you name it, we've done it.
Never even heard of the modification until about the year 2000. Figgered if I ain't killed myself with it yet, I'm probably OK.

My Mom and I got my Dad a Bearcat for Christmas, the year they came out.. He carried it around in his pickup until he died 5 years ago.
I gave the Bearcat to my Son. When he had a son, he gave it to him. So far so good.

 

[CraigC]

Might as well teach him to do it sooner rather then later.

The older guns need to have the hammer cocked and lowered after loading anyway to prevent getting the turn ring on the cylinder.

Load one, skip one, load four, then finish cocking the hammer and lower it on the empty chamber is the proper way to treat a single action.

Never lower the hammer from half cock.

Exactly! The Bearcat is a fine choice and I would not have it converted. Teach him how to operate it correctly and it will become a very good habit.

Why not just half-cock, load all six, full cock, shoot all six?

Habit. I shoot tens of thousands of rounds a year through traditional single actions. I ALWAYS load them the same. It's a good habit to be in and there's no good reason not to do it this way. Do it the same every time and it will become doctrine. Not something that has to be thought about first.

 

[silicosys4]

I would recommend a bearcat,
But I wouldn't recommend one for unsupervised shooting without a transfer bar right off the bat, I'd let him practice on a gun with one for a bit, then take the next step to a true SA.
Simply because young boys are rough and do all sorts of things that could cause a gun to come out of a holster, maybe even forget to have the hammer on an empty chamber.
and that's exactly how a friend of mine accidentally shot himself in the hand with his bearcat.

Supervised range use and plinkin only? They are great child size guns for that.

 

[Fremmer]

Would the transfer bar prevent the gun from firing if it is dropped on the ground?

 

[rcmodel]

That's what transfer bars do.

The hammer can't touch the firing pin unless the trigger it pulled to push the bar up between the hammer and firing pin.

So the hammer can 'transmit' the impact through the bar to the firing pin.

If the trigger isn't pulled back, the transfer bar is below the firing pin, and the hammer hits the frame instead.

Rc

 

[birdshot8's]

something to consider when explaining the empty chamber to 10 year old:

Several years ago when I was a detective, I was called to a scene where a 10 year old, shot and killed his 5 year old brother. Dad kept a loaded Super Blackhawk in his bedside nightstand. Dad had shown the ten year old how to let the hammer down on an empty cylinder. The problem with giving the ten year old this knowledge, was Dad forgot to explain when the gun was cocked, the hammer would fall on the next loaded cylinder. The 10 year old was showing his friend the revolver, cocked the hammer and at about 5 feet shot his brother who was laying on the floor watching TV. Very sad

an aside, The Blackhawk had a transfer bar. The empty cylinder was not even needed.

 

[Fremmer]

I would consider a ruger just for the transfer bar in case the gun is dropped.

But I'm clumsy; YRMV. Maybe the bearcat is fine.

Hard to pick a gun for a kid.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Well, the Bearcat has a new home...

Looks unfired, 36XX serial number (1960), slight handling dings for $449.

Action, loading gate and ejector rod were gummed-up with dried factory preservative, so I gave it a heavy bath in Gun Scrubber last night and a re-oiling.

Pic from the shop...

 

[CraigC]

I would consider a ruger just for the transfer bar in case the gun is dropped.

Not an issue if safety precautions are followed.

I learned on a traditional single action at 12yrs old and never had a problem with five beans in the wheel. You get in the habit and that's exactly what it becomes, habit.

10yr old shouldn't be shooting a firearm unsupervised anyway.

 

[murf]

congratulations! let us know how it works out.

murf

 

[danez71]

On one hand I see what others are saying.

On the other hand I couldn't ever hand my kid a gun with a known safety recall.

You could always teach him the work around loading sequence after sending it back to Ruger.

Think hard about teaching your kid to ignore a mfg's safety recall.

One day he will be old enough to drive.... or maybe not because of that deciscion.


Flame me if you want fellow THRs. It's irresponsible plain and simple.

 

[dogmush]

It's not a recall.

Ruger just changed the design.

Just like older 1911's weren't recalled by Colt when they changed the design to series 80.

 

[danez71]

Ok... not a recall... but it's a known Safety issue that Ruger will gladly take care of for free.

I don't see any justifiable reason to hand that gun to a kid that's just learning.

Again, you can always teach the work around loading sequence after its been sent back to Ruger.

YMMV.

 

[CraigC]

On the other hand I couldn't ever hand my kid a gun with a known safety recall.

It's not a recall. It's a safety modification brought on my lawsuits filed by people who did something stupid and wanted Ruger to pay for it.

Handing a kid an unconverted Old Model Bearcat would be no different than any of the plethora of Colt SAA's, various percussion models, not to mention Remingtons, Spiller & Burr, Leech & Rigdon, Starr, Rogers & Spencer or the myriad replicas of same. In fact, there are more traditional single actions on the market that need to be carried with the hammer down on an empty chamber than not.

By your logic it was "irresponsible" to teach any kid to shoot with a single action revolver before 1973.

 

[Hookeye]

My dad got a Bearcat for my sister way back.
It shot like crap.
I had a single six 3 screw, in .22 mag (5th grade). It shot very well.
Another old Bearcat we tried also was a poor shooter.
IMHO they were trapline guns (dispatch critters) only.

However, some folks report that their old ones actually shot well.

Dunno if Bearcats less accurate or we got into two funky ones.