As it has been firmly established here on
Gunblast.com, as well as other places, I love the Ruger
Bearcat. No other single-action 22 sixgun has the feel, the
balance, and the perfect size as it relates to the cartridge. In
my opinion, only the double-action
S&W "Kit Gun" compares to the Bearcat for
handiness, ease of use, and packability in the field. Still,
while I own several S&W 22 Kit Guns and appreciate them all, the
Ruger Bearcat holds a place in my heart that is uniquely above
all others, and I own so many of them that the guys down at
Brigham Hardware in Dover, TN get a chuckle every time another
comes in with my name on it. Let 'em laugh, says I - as long as
availability and economics allow me to indulge my whims, my
Bearcat stash (I hesitate to call my stash a
"collection" because, horror of horrors, I SHOOT mine)
will continue to grow.
As has also been firmly established both here
and elsewhere, I consider Hamilton Bowen to be among the finest
custom revolversmiths extant, as well as one of the most
important revolversmiths in our history. Not only has he earned
his place in the pantheon of revolver lore for his impeccable
craftsmanship and artistry, but he has been a standard-bearer
for bringing the custom
revolver into the mainstream of shooters' consciousness. Not
one to rest on his laurels, Hamilton Bowen still seeks
constantly to hone his craft, and to offer new products and
services to revolver aficionados who appreciate the very finest.
In February of 2008, I wrote a Gunblast
article on my Bowen Custom Old
Model Ruger Bearcat 22 LR / 22 WMR convertible. Building
that sixgun was quite an ordeal - for Hamilton, anyway, not for
me - my only ordeal was getting Hamilton to agree to doing the
conversion in the first place. I will refer the reader to the
original article for details on that conversion - suffice it
here to say that I am still extremely pleased with that project.
That Old Model convertible numbers among my very favorite
sixguns, and since I received the gun in early October of 2007,
I have never been on a shooting trip where that sixgun did not
accompany me. I have shot it quite a bit, but it still looks
like it did when I received it back from Bowen. At next month's
Shootist Holiday, that beloved Old Model Bowen Bearcat will come
to reside with a far better man: one of my closest friends,
brother Shootist, and
fellow Bearcat aficionado, Terry
Murbach. Thus will Murbach and I further cement the bond
between us that has grown over the years with shared
experiences; campfire tales; civilized sippin'; lead flung
downrange; lies; music; and swapped, as well as gifted, sixguns.
Anyway...back to the subject at hand: the
Bowen Classic Arms "Perfected Bearcat".
After completing the Old Model Bearcat
project, Hamilton made it clear to me that this was a
one-of-a-kind project, and that there would be no more like it
to come from his shop; there was just too much work involved in
the project to justify the prices that would have to be charged,
and it was just too aggravating and time-consuming an
undertaking for such a busy shop as Bowen's.
But the seed he'd planted had begun to germinate in
his mind.
Then, in August of 2008, Hamilton advised
me that he was still mulling over how nicely my Bearcat turned
out, and that he was considering offering Bearcat services as a
standard catalog item. An inveterate tinkerer, Hamilton turned over in his
mind how wonderfully that project had come out, how the shortcomings
of the Bearcat platform could be overcome, and how he could
offer a similar package to other shooters who appreciated what a
fine little sixgun the Bearcat could be. Over the ensuing years,
from time to time I would hear from Hamilton that he was still
thinking about offering Bearcat services, and that the future
might hold the possibility of a standard Bowen Classic Arms
Bearcat.
On October 3, 2008, I received what was to be
the prototype of Bowen Classic Arms' "Perfected
Bearcat", but I was once again sworn to secrecy until
Hamilton decided whether to offer Bearcat services on a regular
basis. Thankfully, I can now tell you what a
great sixgun the Bowen Perfected Bearcat has proven to be,
because now, at last, Bowen Classic Arms is offering a couple of
Bearcat packages on their newly-redesigned
web site.
The "basic" package, catalog #BC01,
is available for both blued New Bearcats
and stainless New Bearcats,
and is in most cases also applicable to steel-framed
Old Model Super Bearcats. Old Model alloy-framed Bearcats
need not apply. The BC01 package includes a basic
set of mechanical and cosmetic upgrades: the action and trigger
are tuned for ultimate reliability and crisp, smooth action; a
Belt Mountain No. 5 style base pin is fitted to tighten the fit
of the cylinder, to allow for easier grasping, and to improve
appearance; a Bowen steel ejector housing is added to improve
balance and appearance; and finally, the front sight blade is
serrated for a greatly improved sight picture in all lighting
conditions.
The Bowen Classic Arms "Perfected
Bearcat", catalog #BC02, is likewise available only on
steel-framed guns. The BC02 package includes everything in the
BC01 package, and adds the following enhancements: the wonderful
pre-War S&W style rear sight, fully adjustable for windage
and elevation; simple contoured front sight base with pinned-in
blade (choice of serrated ramp, Baughman ramp, or Patridge
blade); top strap beautifully modified in the style of the old
S&W M&P sixguns; and rebluing of blued guns.
As nice as the basic Bearcat package #BC01
is, the Perfected Bearcat package #BC02 is definitely the way to
go; if you've never handled a custom Bearcat with a really good
set of adjustable sights, there's just no way to tell you how
much difference it makes. Both packages are affordable, with the
BC01 package surprisingly so; the price of the Perfected Bearcat
package is naturally higher, but still very reasonable
given the amount of work involved.
My Perfected Bearcat is beautiful; if
anything, it's even a bit nicer in appearance than my treasured Old Model custom Bearcat. The frame on the Old Model Bearcat is
aluminum rather than steel as on the Super Bearcat and New
Bearcat, so the original Bowen Bearcat lacks the subtle frame
reshaping of the Perfected Bearcat. The satin finish on the
original Bowen Bearcat is as beautiful in its own way as the
nicely-done blued finish on the Perfected Bearcat. The front
sight base on the Perfected Bearcat is longer and ramped, with a
more streamlined and modern appearance than the original's.
Finally, the hammer on the New Bearcat has a wider spur than
found the Old Model; the New Bearcat hammer gives a "Baby Super
Blackhawk" appearance that I've always found
appealing.
I do prefer the lightweight Old Model Bearcat
frame to the slightly heavier steel-framed versions, but even
the steel-framed Bearcat weighs only 24 ounces, giving up a mere
7 ounces to the alloy-framed Old Model Bearcat. Bowen's steel
ejector housing adds a couple of ounces to the overall weight of
the package, but the slight balance shift to the muzzle, as well
as the improvement in appearance, is well worth it. Bowen had not
yet developed a source for steel ejector housings at the time my prototype was
built, so mine bears a factory aluminum unit. Bowen is now
producing steel ejector housings in-house, in both blue and
stainless, so availability is no longer an issue. Incidentally, he
also offers these ejector housings for sale on his web site;
they are designed for the New Bearcats, but will fit most Old
Models as well.
Also, at the time my
prototype was built, Belt
Mountain Enterprises was not yet making their great No. 5
style base pins for the Bearcat; my Perfected Bearcat wears one
of the first No. 5 style Bearcat pins off the line, sent to
me by Kelye Schlepp of Belt Mountain. Bowen's catalog Perfected
Bearcat package features this excellent and beautifully elegant base pin
as a standard component.
Shooting the Perfected Bearcat was a
pleasure. I always have a good time shooting any of my Bearcats,
but a wonderful custom Bearcat with such greatly-improved sights
is truly a ball to shoot. The older I get, the less I am able to
do with such rudimentary sights as are on the standard Bearcat,
and being able to actually get some match-grade accuracy out of
those little sixguns is just a lot of fun. I've shot many
different types of ammunition in this little Bearcat since I
received it; accuracy has always been good and function perfect.
On paper, this Bearcat proves how accurate the platform can be.
Sub-2" groups at 25 yards is the norm, and is represented
by the groups pictured: my favorite plinking load (Federal's
36-grain Bulk Pack) printed an excellent 1-3/4", while Winchester's
40-grain Dynapoint load shot even better, turning in
1-3/8". Group shooting was done at 25 yards from a rested
position.
One final upgrade to my Perfected Bearcat was
made by once again calling on Sack Peterson for a set of his
beautiful American Elk stag grips. The fit of these grips is
great, and Sack made the color and bark coverage match very
closely with the grips he made for my custom Bowen Old Model
Bearcat. They look great, they feel great, they are sturdy, and
they are affordable. To my mind, no custom sixgun is complete
without custom grips. I have Sack Peterson grips on several
custom sixguns, and I even bought a set for Jeff a while back. I
highly recommend them.
In my earlier article on the Old Model Bowen
Bearcat, I mentioned our pal Rob Leahy's Simply
Rugged holsters; specifically his Chesty
Puller chest harness, which allows any pancake holster to be
easily adapted to chest carry. As a "full-figured"
shooter, and as a guy who rarely wears anything except bib
overalls, I seldom wear a gun belt; chest or shoulder rigs work
best for me, both from an ease-of-carry and from a comfort
standpoint. Rob is not just a craftsman in leather, he is a man
who USES his guns for everything from daily carry and personal
protection to hunting the biggest and meanest critters around;
his Chesty Puller system is an ingenious way to adapt belt
holsters for chest carry, and offers a comfortable and
affordable way to carry a wide variety of guns using the same
basic rig. Rob even offers adapters to allow
traditionally-styled belt holsters (not just pancake-type
holsters) to be carried on the Chesty Puller rig; using this
adapter, one can use virtually any belt holster with the Chesty
Puller system, making it an extremely versatile and
cost-effective rig. Pictured here is a nice lined Bearcat
holster from Don Hume in
Miami, OK (a gift from a friend, Jim "Warhawk" Nelson)
used with Rob's Chesty Puller adapter system.
For a fancier rig, Mike Barranti of Barranti
Leather, located in Pittsburgh, PA, is the MAN. Mike is a
true artist, and his leather creations are an expression of his
artistic heart. I had Mike make for me one of his Signature
Series "Northwest Hunter" shoulder rigs, with swappable
holsters for either my Texas
Longhorn Arms sixguns (which will also fit large-frame
Ruger sixguns) or my custom Bearcats (which will also fit
standard Bearcats), and he
came through as always, in fine style. Not only did he produce
exactly what I was after, he even surprised me with a bit of
personalized hand-carving on each holster: on the TLA holster he carved a
beautiful Longhorn skull, and on the Bearcat holster he carved a
treble clef (musical symbol) as an acknowledgement of my
rumor-overstated musical ability. This is a gorgeous rig,
comfortable and well-balanced, tough enough to be suitable for
field carry, and I am very proud of it. Mike runs a one-man
shop and is not taking orders at this time due to his large
backlog of work, but he is still happy to give quotes and answer
questions. Do yourself a favor and get in touch with him, he's a
great guy.
With his "Perfected Bearcat"
package, Hamilton Bowen has done just that: taken one of the
greatest little sixguns ever made, and elevated it to absolute
perfection. Have a look at the entire catalog of one of the
greatest revolversmiths ever at: www.bowenclassicarms.com.
Check out Sack Peterson's sixgun grips at: www.sackpeterson.com.
Rob Leahy's Simply Rugged leather line can be
seen at: www.simplyrugged.com.
Visit Barranti Leather online at: www.barrantileather.com.
Turn to Belt Mountain Enterprises for the
finest cylinder base pins made: www.beltmountain.com.
For a wide variety of 22 Long Rifle
ammunition (and other calibers) at excellent prices, go to: www.luckygunner.com.
Boge Quinn
