Ruger Bearcat

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Ruger Bearcat
Ruger-New-Bearcat.jpg
Ruger New Bearcat - Blued
TypeSingle-action revolver
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerWilliam B. Ruger
Designed1957–1958[1]
ManufacturerSturm, Ruger & Co.
Unit cost$49.50 (1958),[2] $639 (2020)[3]
Produced1958
  • 1958–1971 (1st issue)[4]
  • 1971–1975 (2nd issue)[4]
  • 1993–present (3rd issue)[5]
Variantssee variants
  • Bearcat, 1st issue
  • Super Bearcat, 2nd issue
  • New Bearcat, 3rd issue
Specifications
Mass
  • 17 oz (480 g) (1st issue)[4]
  • 22.5 oz (640 g) (2nd issue)[4]
  • 24 oz (680 g) (3rd issue)[5]
Length
  • 8.875 in (22.54 cm) (1st issue)[4]
  • 8.875 in (22.54 cm) (2nd issue)[4]
  • 9 in (23 cm) (3rd issue)[5]
Barrel length
  • 4 in (10.16 cm) (1st issue)[4]
  • 4 in (10.16 cm) (2nd issue)[4]
  • 4.2 in (11 cm) (3rd issue)[5]
Cartridge.22 LR, .22 Long, .22 Short, .22 WMR
Barrels1:16" RH[5]
ActionSingle-action[5]
Feed system6-round cylinder[4]

The Ruger Bearcat is a single-action, .22 caliber revolver manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co., introduced in 1958. It is based on the classic Remington single-action revolvers of the mid-19th century.[6] Because of its compact size and frame, it is advertised as being ideal for hikers or campers in need of a .22 LR revolver, or "kit gun".[7][6]

Design[]

In 1974 Ruger patented a transfer bar safety system for their single-action revolvers and discontinued the production of the Bearcat, which was not readily adaptable to the new transfer bar design.[8] In 1993, Ruger brought back the Bearcat as the New Bearcat, now incorporating the transfer bar system.[9] Some time in the early 1980s, Bill Ruger gave an interview to a writer with the Ruger Collector's Association (RCA) and talked about the Bearcat. He said that the Bearcat was the first revolver for which the Ruger engineers developed the transfer bar and that they could easily have made it that way in 1974. They dropped it, Bill said, because of a mistake by the marketing department. When that department sent out the 1974 catalog and order forms to the distributors, they forgot to include the Bearcat. When the orders came back without orders for the Bearcat, they assumed that there was no demand and they dropped it. Today, only old members of the Ruger Collector's Association are aware of the true story of what really happened to the original Bearcat, since that story was published in the Ruger Collectors Journal and is a part of their history.

Variants[]

Bearcat 1st issue[]

The original Bearcat featured a fixed and a square notched rear. It was made with an alloy solid frame and an uncheckered plastic grips that were later replaced with walnut grip. It also features music wire coil springs and a non-fluted engraved cylinder.[4]

Bearcat 2nd issue[]

The Bearcat 2nd issue was marketed in 1971 as an improved version of the original Bearcat, and renamed the Super Bearcat; it featured an all-steel frame rather than an alloy frame.[4][10]

Bearcat 3rd issue[]

The Bearcat 3rd issue, also known as the New Bearcat, is Ruger's reintroduced model which came out in 1993.[5] It features smooth rosewood grips with a Ruger medallion embedded.[4] The New Bearcat also incorporated Ruger's new transfer bar safety system.[9] It was offered with an additional .22 WMR cylinder, which was recalled by Ruger in April 1994 due to a concern the cylinders were improperly timed.[11][12]

In 2002, Ruger began offering the Bearcat in stainless steel.[13]

In 2008, a 50th Anniversary edition was released with gold-filled script and special engravings, with 2,539 units produced.[14]

In 2015, Ruger introduced a variant of the Bearcat with adjustable sights, addressing a longstanding criticism of the limitations of the fixed sights.[15]

References[]

  • Wilson, R. L. (1996). Ruger & His Guns: A History of the Man, the Company, and Their Firearms. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-80367-4. OCLC 33820244.
  1. ^ Wilson 1996, p. 49.
  2. ^ Wilson 1996, p. 50.
  3. ^ "Ruger® Bearcat® Single-Action Revolver Model 0912".
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Peterson, Philip. Gun Digest Book of Modern Gun Values: The Shooter's Guide to Guns 1900 to Present (16th ed.). p. 241.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "The Ruger New Bearcat". Sturm Ruger. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  6. ^ a b "The Ruger New Bearcat Overview". Sturm Ruger. Archived from the original on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  7. ^ Women and Guns. Little River Press. 2006. p. 2.
  8. ^ Quinn, Jeff. "Ruger's New Bearcat". Gun Blast. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  9. ^ a b "The Ruger New Bearcat Features". Sturm Ruger. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  10. ^ Hamm, Bill (22 March 2006). "Ruger Super Bearcat". GunBlast.com. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Ruger Safety Information". Ruger Firearms. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  12. ^ http://www.ruger.com/pdf/newBearcatConvertible.pdf
  13. ^ "Ruger's New Stainless Bearcat". GunBlast.com. 25 June 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  14. ^ Jerry Lee (16 December 2014). Standard Catalog of Ruger Firearms. F+W Media, Inc. pp. 49–. ISBN 978-1-4402-4060-7.
  15. ^ "An Official Journal of the NRA | Ruger's New Bearcat".

External links[]

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