Optimal mods for a "bugout bag" Ruger Bearcat?

[ThomasT]

Oh I bet I can load a swing out cylinder faster than you can go around the cylinder kicking out empties one at a time and replacing the cartridge. But since this is about a gun for the bug out bag and how to make it lighter in weight the NAA I posted was just a lighter in weight less expensive option.

The NAA's offer very little utility compared to a Bearcat. One could easily keep the stewpot filled with a Bearcat but there's not much small game hunting one could do with a 9oz revolver.

The NAA does exactly the same thing the BearCat does. It shoots a bullet. And if keeping the stew pot filled and offers a level of protection I am sure the NAA will do the job. The BC may be a little easier to shoot due to the larger size and it does hold one more round. But I didn't get the impression from the OP that this was about a defensive gun since its carried buried in a bug out bag.

This was a suggestion based on the fact the OP wants to be able to shoot 22 and maybe one 22 mag round. The NAA with both cylinders will weigh less than the proposed modifications to the BC and cost less to boot. But don't worry. I have no delusions the OP will take my suggestions so its a moot point. Now have a good day.

 

[CraigC]

Oh I bet I can load a swing out cylinder faster than you can go around the cylinder kicking out empties one at a time and replacing the cartridge.

Been there, done that, on the clock, the DA is only faster on the load if you have speedloaders. Without speedloaders, the only advantage the DA has is in ejecting all the empties at once.

 

[Naphtali]

You'll need to reconsider.

As y'all may have seen in my other thread, I'm about to make the leap and customize some Rugers! My 10mm "M1877" idea was at the top of the list, but just this week on GunBroker I got a Buckeye Blackhawk in 32-20, and already it has a date with Hamilton Bowen for Bisley-ification, so we're on a roll and I'll see it back to me sometime next year.

At the same time I was asking Clements about Bearcat mods, and got on his waitlist for a .327 Federal Bearcat. However, since I now have an awesome .32 coming in (eventually), I'm less-inclined to spend the big bucks for a tinier equivalent, but I love my stainless Bearcat so just might make more reasonable mods to it. I've always thought of my Bearcat as an ultimate "bug out" gun (though I emphasize I'm not a 'survivalist' kind of guy) since it's tiny, ammo takes up little space and is bone-common, gat itself is nearly indestructible, etc.

Here are my thoughts:

• have Clements do the whole tune-up on the action, leave the sights fixed but maybe add some paint or tritium for visibility.
• Replace the steel grip frame with one of the old aluminum ones for weight? Maybe anodize it a neat color?
• Either take the current steel cylinder and lighten it as much as possible with heavy fluting and a BP chamfer, or else have a new cylinder made and see if it can hold more than 6 rounds, and also how light it can be made. If we get really crazy, are there people I can send the original cylinder too and then can make me an unchambered one in aluminum, scandium, titanium, or some other such lightweight exotic metal?
• In whatever case, have the cylinder chambered for .22 WMR, so that allows me to carry a much more powerful cartridge in barely more space than a .22LR.
• Here's the clever brainstorm that hit me: if I rechamber to WMR I can't (safely) shoot LR anymore, unless I carry around a whole spare cylinder which kinda defeats part of the "ultra-compact" purpose. But what if I got a cartridge adapter for WMR to LR, and then used Blue (non-permanent) Loctite to firmly affix it to one chamber? That way I could carry 5 shots of WMR ready for defensive use, but one chamber of LR so if I saw a groundhog or a quail I could free-wheel the cylinder to the marked chamber and pot-shoot it? And in my go-bag I could pack even more ammo since I could store .22 Short and CB for the smallest game.

I know it seems like a lot, but on the simplest level, based on Clements' prices (and I already own the Bearcat): http://www.clementscustomguns.com/bearcat.html

Action job- $185
.22 magnum conversion- .22LR cyl rechambered to .22 Magnum, cal. designation removed from cyl. and remarked 22M on face of cyl. Firing pin protrusion maximized, gun is testfired for function with 3 different brands of ammo, forcing cone and crown checked and recut if needed at owners discretion with extra charge added for this service- $195 Not available for OM Bearcat

If I want to get fancier lightening it up and making it look cool:

Remove rollmarkings from cyl.- $50
Flute above cyl.- $100
Add blackpowder chamfer to fluted cyl.- $70
Scollop recoil shield- $125

So just the .22 WMR conversion would run me $195 and then $28 for a chamber adapter, so no reason not to do that. Going deluxe (except for the crazy idea of having an exotic-metal cylinder made and sourcing an old grip), it would run me $725 in Clements-work (plus shipping and FFL fees).

That said, if I get an exotic cylinder made, especially if the cylinder-maker can flute and chamfer it as part of the design, I can deduct $220 from the Clements cost, and deduct maybe another $100 since I can sell the really clean original cylinder, so anything the new cylinder costs up to $320 is a freebie. Any idea who might make such a thing? It doesn't have to be a gunsmith, just anyone who does metal-milling (CNC?) who can scan/mic the original cylinder and copy it onto a different material, provided Clements thinks the new material can handle the pressure. And *big* if, but if the cylinder-reproducer can just scan and copy an (unchambered) cylinder, can I also send along the steel grip and have it copied in exotic metal? I realize a one-off might be pricey, so a group-buy may be in order, but the idea has potential.

How crazy and/or clever is this idea? Even if I just go with the standard Clements package and don't source any exotic parts, $725 is totally doable for my "dream Bearcat" since the donor gun is already money (happily) spent years ago.

 

[chicharrones]

But since this is about a gun for the bug out bag and how to make it lighter in weight the NAA I posted was just a lighter in weight less expensive option.



The NAA does exactly the same thing the BearCat does. It shoots a bullet. And if keeping the stew pot filled and offers a level of protection I am sure the NAA will do the job. The BC may be a little easier to shoot due to the larger size and it does hold one more round. But I didn't get the impression from the OP that this was about a defensive gun since its carried buried in a bug out bag.

From what I could tell, being a bug out gun is just a small part of the deal. The OP seems to have the wherewithal and desire to have a custom Bearcat.

Saving money with the purchase of an NAA likely isn't a consideration here.

 

[ThomasT]

Yep chicharrones the desire to have a custom gun is good. And expensive.

My only problem is my wallet is thin, otherwise I'd own a museum's worth of revolvers.

You wrote that in the thread on "taste of wheelguns post # 28". Not everyone has the bones for a full blown custom. And a ready made gun that will fill the bill for a savings is what I was writing about. You know, just a suggestion. Maybe those aren't allowed here.

 

[chicharrones]

Yep chicharrones the desire to have a custom gun is good. And expensive.



You wrote that in the thread on "taste of wheelguns post # 28". Not everyone has the bones for a full blown custom. And a ready made gun that will fill the bill for a savings is what I was writing about. You know, just a suggestion. Maybe those aren't allowed here.

Right you are. My wallet is different than others. It's been a skinny 11 months in the Chicharrones' household with no end in sight at this time, but that's another story and this isn't my thread.

 

[ThomasT]

Chic I understand all about thin wallets. I am an insurance adjuster and this has been the worst storm year for me since 2009. I had hoped to never see a year like that again but here it is.

I hope the OP gets what he wants with his BCat but I will be surprised if it happens. Not a lot of after market stuff for those guns.

 

[W.R.Buchanan]

NAA also makes the Sidewinder with a 4" bbl. The Black Widow Grip fits directly to that frame and adds a lot of grip to hold onto.

https://northamericanarms.com/shop/firearms/naa-sw-4/

I had a NAA Mini Master .4" bbl. 22 LR for many years. I got it for the same reasons as you want the Bearcat for, but it only weighed 10oz. Since I have other bigger guns to carry with me in the forests i.e. .44's I no longer needed the Mini Master. I wanted a Pug which is the same gun with only a 1" bbl. but couldn't buy one due to CA BS laws. So I sent the gun to NAA for the cylinder latch upgrade and .22 mag cylinder. Then per the owners instructions I cut the barrel to 1" and recut a dovetail for the Front Sight. ( I am a machinist so this wasn't much of a stretch for me.) so I now have a "Pug Master." I also rounded all the corners and sharp edges off the gun and it feels really good in my hands and doesn't snag on anything.

I kept the Black Widow Grip as it is much easier to hold onto the gun with Magnums and now the gun is my "Hideout Gun" in my bug out pack that nobody knows I have. I also have a G23 in there too so this is really a last resort weapon. But definitely better than nothing!

Randy

 

[ThomasT]

Thats a good looking gun W.R. I wish my dad were still alive and still had his machine shop. I worked in it all my young life and have several projects I would like to do if I could just get my hands on a lathe and a mill.

But I am curious. On your Pug Master which is heavier, the grip or the gun? It sorta looks like a grip wearing a gun. Just kidding of course.

 

[farm23]

I like the Bearcat and would like to have one someday. I regularly carry a NAA Black Widow and often take rabbits in my garden when they get inside 25 to 30 feet. I use the 22 mag cylinder and use Hornady CD 45 gr bullets. The key is to practice and to have a gun when the opportunity comes up.