Wheel-Gunner
New member
Hey guys,
My oldest boy turns 12 this summer and I am going to get him his first pistol. I am strongly considering the timeless Bearcat. Ultimately I want to get him a single action 22 revolver.
I was out looking at Bearcats today and there are a lot of them sitting on the shelves, both used and new. So if you guys could provide some insight and/or factors I should consider, that would be greatly appreciated.
Blued or stainless. Although I prefer a blued revolver, I am thinking that the lower maintenance of a stainless finish might be better for a 12 year old. Mind you I will be instructing and monitoring him on how to care and clean. I came across some older blued Bearcats with the brass trigger guard and I really liked it. I looked at 6 between two different shops and none had the transfer bar upgrade. To me this is a bit of a concern. Should it be? Easy to send in to Ruger? Cost and turnaround time? Overall thoughts on finish?
Adjustable sights or fixed. All of the used models I looked at were 4" with fixed sights. I started thinking that with a 4" barrel it might be better to have adjustable sights. My experience with the sight accuracy of a fixed Ruger have been mixed. I feel like fixed sights might be better on the 3" "shopkeeper" instead of the 4". Thoughts? Shopkeeper a better option than the regular for a 12 year old?
Is there another make/model I should consider? As always, I appreciate everyone's thoughts and insight.
My oldest boy turns 12 this summer and I am going to get him his first pistol. I am strongly considering the timeless Bearcat. Ultimately I want to get him a single action 22 revolver.
I was out looking at Bearcats today and there are a lot of them sitting on the shelves, both used and new. So if you guys could provide some insight and/or factors I should consider, that would be greatly appreciated.
Blued or stainless. Although I prefer a blued revolver, I am thinking that the lower maintenance of a stainless finish might be better for a 12 year old. Mind you I will be instructing and monitoring him on how to care and clean. I came across some older blued Bearcats with the brass trigger guard and I really liked it. I looked at 6 between two different shops and none had the transfer bar upgrade. To me this is a bit of a concern. Should it be? Easy to send in to Ruger? Cost and turnaround time? Overall thoughts on finish?
Adjustable sights or fixed. All of the used models I looked at were 4" with fixed sights. I started thinking that with a 4" barrel it might be better to have adjustable sights. My experience with the sight accuracy of a fixed Ruger have been mixed. I feel like fixed sights might be better on the 3" "shopkeeper" instead of the 4". Thoughts? Shopkeeper a better option than the regular for a 12 year old?
Is there another make/model I should consider? As always, I appreciate everyone's thoughts and insight.
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