What to do with Bearcat #2

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Project355

Project355

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I ended up getting two stainless New Bearcats in a convoluted going out of biz deal. One I'd like to keep stock, the other modify. Ideas? .22mag? Sights? Birdhead conversion?
 
I have always sort of thought that a Bearcat in .32 caliber, either S&W Long or .32 Magnum would be a neat gun to have. Sort of Old Western flavor, little gun in a reloadable cartridge chambering.

Even neater would be carbon steel and nickle plated, with mother of pearl grips.

Bob Wright
 
Rimfire to center fire....beyond my tooling at the moment, but i agree it would be nice.
 
If I had the cash I would convert it to 327 li ke this one. But that’s going to cost a lot.

 
I love the idea of a .32 Bearcat, and if I was well healed I have one.

However, due to keeping the ejector rod housing and the barrel extension to cylinder pin "shield" overlap*, I'd rather have a lower cost .22 WMR Bearcat for myself. Adding adjustable sights would be a good thing for a .22 WMR Bearcat, too.

*Not sure what to call that, but it's designed to keep blast and burnt powder off the cylinder pin.
 
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That would be called the cylinder bushing area on a SAA, but Ruger's are integral with the cylinder. Its just a way to fit a cylinder to a frame. That is, the back of the cylinder is made with the "star", and its position (fore and aft) are more or less fixed. So.... you'd fit the cylinder at the front end. Then you'd either face the cylinder front, or trim the barrel's forcing cone area to get the "gap" right. Of course, if the gap was too large... you'd have to set the barrel back a thread and then trim. The part you describe is not really a "shield".
 
Project355 said:
That would be called the cylinder bushing area on a SAA, but Ruger's are integral with the cylinder. Its just a way to fit a cylinder to a frame. That is, the back of the cylinder is made with the "star", and its position (fore and aft) are more or less fixed. So.... you'd fit the cylinder at the front end. Then you'd either face the cylinder front, or trim the barrel's forcing cone area to get the "gap" right. Of course, if the gap was too large... you'd have to set the barrel back a thread and then trim. The part you describe is not really a "shield".
Click to expand...

Cylinder bushing, thanks for that.

What I'm trying to get at is from what I've seen on the .327 mag Bearcats is the cylinder is lengthened to barely fit into the frame and the integral pronounced cylinder bushing is thin if present at all. Plus, the barrel extension is fitted nearly flush to the frame. So any blast (and fouling) from the cylinder gap makes its way directly to the cylinder pin. Seems like a recipe for shooting only a few cylinders between cleanings, but that's probably okay considering the felt recoil a .327 magnum Bearcat probably would likely generate.
 
chicharrones said:
Cylinder bushing, thanks for that.
.... any blast (and fouling) from the cylinder gap makes its way directly to the cylinder pin.
Click to expand...

Really, its about the same. There's usually "some" endshake, just so things will work when some fouling get in there. I presume your thinking that there's a more tortuous rout that the gasses and fouling need to take if the bushing were much longer, as well as the part of the barrel sticking thru the frame. I'm sure that in some extreme case you're most likely correct. I think some of the old 44 Special S&Ws had really short cylinders and longish barrels protruding. Seemed like 3/8 inch or more from memory. But from the stock Bearcat cylinder length to what that .32 looked like... I think its safe to say that's splitting hairs. If you look at an 1860 Army or a Walker, they're fit really close like that .32 Bearcat... and those are black powder. Doesn't seem to cause an issue with those on the base pin. Cylinder fronts get all crudded up way faster. ;)
 
Project355 said:
Really, its about the same. There's usually "some" endshake, just so things will work when some fouling get in there. I presume your thinking that there's a more tortuous rout that the gasses and fouling need to take if the bushing were much longer, as well as the part of the barrel sticking thru the frame. I'm sure that in some extreme case you're most likely correct. I think some of the old 44 Special S&Ws had really short cylinders and longish barrels protruding. Seemed like 3/8 inch or more from memory. But from the stock Bearcat cylinder length to what that .32 looked like... I think its safe to say that's splitting hairs. If you look at an 1860 Army or a Walker, they're fit really close like that .32 Bearcat... and those are black powder. Doesn't seem to cause an issue with those on the base pin. Cylinder fronts get all crudded up way faster. ;)
Click to expand...

Funny you bring that 1860 up. My 1860 fouls the base pin so quickly that by the 5th cylinder full I have to assist cylinder rotation by using my hand. It's best for me to just to pull the barrel and cylinder off and clean it up after the 4th cylinder worth has been fired. Of course, that's not smokeless powder causing all that fouling. :D

On the other hand, my .22 LR Bearcat usually has issues fouling the chambers to the point that ammo won't load deep enough to allow the cylinder to rotate past the tight tolerance portion of the recoil shield. Even after I've polished the chambers, loading ammo in my Bearcat gets stiff after maybe 7 to 10 cylinders worth, depending on the ammo used. No matter, it's still a really fun little gun. :cool:
 
Keep the distinct bearcat grip. Or send it to me when you replace it! Im fitting what will be a polished stainless birdshead on a Wrangler right now.

Story used to offer a 17HMR barrel and cylinder for single sixes. Always wanted one when 17HMR was hot.

Or 32 H&R. Its shorter than 327, but still has plenty of pop. Or go old school with 32-20. Not sure on its OAL though. The 32H&R single six i have is a fun shooter.
 
20201128_202247.jpg
Somebody ask for a snapshot?

Forty serial #s between 'em. Long story on the aquisition, but it was my best option at the time to take these two beauties, come out ahead.

It was just about "buy one, get one free"!
 
Thanks. One had to visit the mothership for xfer bar refit. Only took a week. Still aint shot em.
 
If I had two Bearcats I think I would keep one stock and rechamber the other one to .22 Magnum, shorten the barrel to 3", and reshape the grip frame to a round butt configuration.
 
I'm very tempted to rechamber one in .22mag. Cylinder and Slide will do it for about $120ish. That's not too bad, as to do it correctly, one must remove a bit of "lip" from the back of the cylinder as well as do the chamber ream itself. Ruger has changed the frames on New Bearcats recently, beginning with the adjustable sight model. That model is an easy shape and contour to birdshead. The non-adjustable sight model is no so easy, and to do it correctly, the index pin hole must be welded up. In either case, you have to have the serial number engraved someplace else before the work begins. Both of these Bearcat's have stainless ejector rod housings too. I don't know if Ruger made the change, or if these were specials.

Or.... I suppose I could just use one as trading fodder, but I hate to. The Bearcats are really a neat little revolver.
 
Project355 said:
Both of these Bearcat's have stainless ejector rod housings too. I don't know if Ruger made the change, or if these were specials.
Click to expand...

From what I know, Ruger started using stainless or blued steel ejector housings on their Bearcats and Single Sixes about the time that Ruger started putting the barrel rollmarks under the barrel. For the little Bearcat, the barrel is so small in diameter that the rollmarks don't quite make it all the way under thanks to the ejector housing.
 
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