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Old 01-27-2009, 10:25 PM
john traveler john traveler is offline
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A direct swap-out of a K frame magnum cylinder for a non-magnum one would not work because the .38 Special cylinder is shorter than the magnum cylinder, and would leave the b-c gap at some unacceptable 0.150" or so.

Reaming out a .38 Special cylinder to .357 Magnum is an old idea sometimes tried by "bubba" type gunsmiths, and is a poor idea. The amatuer reaming seldom leaves an acceptable chamber finish, and the end product is unsatisfactory: a gun capable of firing magnum pressure ammunition that was only designed for half the chamber pressures. There may or may not be heat treat differences between a .38 Spl frame and a .357 frame, but who wants to find out if it will hold up? Not me.

In my 30-something years of gunsmithing, I've encountered a few converted guns. In latter production N frames, the conversion did not seem to cause any problems (Outdoorsman and Heavy Duty models), but in K frames (M&P and Combat Masterpiece models), rough reamed and bulged chambers were fairly common. It is not a recommended practice, since factory .357 guns are readily available.
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