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Old 01-03-2017, 12:46 PM
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steelslaver steelslaver is offline
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I looked at making a 327 before I decided to just buy a 16-4. Here is a couple facts and thoughts. I have converted 629s to 45s, made a K frame 22 Harvey Kay Chuck, a model 28 into a 41 mag, and a couple other projects. All work very well, but, I have the equipment, the time and like to work on guns.

Finding a K 22 cylinder isn't easy. I got lucky and found one for $150. Ended up using it to make a 22TCM cylinder for my 22 Harvey Kay Chuck. Anyway I am always looking for cylinders and your going to be lucky to find one for less than $200. A reamer is about $130 although you could rent one for about $70.
Cylinder minimum of around $250 without labor

Decent adjustable sight K frame is going to be around $400 min.

Barrels. I looked and searched to no avail. I am sure they sometimes appear, but unless you get luck I bet it would be over $250.

If you get really lucky the parts and pieces would run $900 with no labor. Even with a barrel and only having to ream, assemble, fit and adjust, you will be real luck to get it done for say $300 labor.

So, $1200 for the gun if you get lucky. You can buy a 16-4, rent a reamer and have one for not much more. I found a very nice 4" 16-4 for $1500. Most I ever paid for a gun. Could easily ream it to 327 for $70 reamer rental. No machine tools really needed to just deepen the chambers.

There are a couple ways around the very difficult to find barrel. Reaming a K22 barrel. Cost of barrel $150, reamed and recut, then marking filled in or cleaned off and remarked. Bet your talking over $350.

Liner is still going to cost in barrel and liner, drill, install liner and redo markings. plus the forcing cone part of the liner isn't going to have much meat for a high pressure round. I don't like it because of the forcing cone issue. K frames don't have much meat there and either the original piece is very thin or the line to original transition is real thin.

Another way I considered for the barrel. First turn a length of blank down to .540 and thread the end with 36 to the inch threads, so it will go into the frame and slightly past where the cylinder will be. Then take a K frame 38 barrel the length you want (available on Ebay if you don't have one from original donor frame). Drill it and ream it to .500. Then mark the new barrel piece where it goes into the frame. Then turn it down to .5005-.501 on the forward portion with a square shoulder where it goes from .5005 to .540. Then the barrel goes into a solution of kerosene and dry ice. This will shrink it. The frame goes into the oven at say 350f. It expands. Using heavy gloves quickly shove the 2 together. Have a extra length of barrel "liner" that is slightly tapered to guide the start. Should get a shrink fit that will stay forever. The shank that goes into the frame will be full sized and it will all be plenty strong and thick enough for a .312 bore. You would still need to remark the barrel.

Or you could do like Shovelwrench is doing in this thread in the Gunsmith section and make the whole thing from a blank.
K32 build....

Anyway you go at it your going to have either a bunch of money and labor in it. If you have the equipment, skill and tooling and spare time the cost drops considerable. I have all that, but, with the difficulty finding K22 cylinders and especially the barrel part I figured I was better off just buying a 16-4. If I take care of it I can always get my mmoney back.Not being a "name brand" smith I doubt I could get my money back on the cost of a "homemade" 327.

Last edited by steelslaver; 01-03-2017 at 12:48 PM.
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