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  #1  
Old 01-02-2017, 10:32 PM
SuperMan SuperMan is online now
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Default .327 Federal conversion...

Can't remember who the Member is who converted I believe a Model 17 to a 4" .327 Federal...am looking to do a similar project and looking for the smith that he used....

Thanks...Bob
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Old 01-03-2017, 01:47 AM
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Bob,
It might have been me....I used a Model 16-4, a .32 H&R Magnum and had Bowens rechamber the cylinder. fabulous gun.
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Old 01-03-2017, 03:27 AM
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Great caliber, I wish S&W would make a run of these. I still have the 686-4 you traded me a few years ago Terry.
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Old 01-03-2017, 05:13 AM
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Green Frog, I believe. Do a 'search' for him.
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Old 01-03-2017, 08:06 AM
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I'm thinking that Hamilton Bowen did that conversion for him. Bowen no longer works on S&Ws. I had Andy Horvath do mine. I started with a Model 19, a .22 cylinder, and a Model 16 .32 caliber barrel. I'm very happy.
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Old 01-03-2017, 08:09 AM
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The .32 barrel really saves time and money on this conversion as in the past most folks were getting a .22 barrel bored and rifled. Andy mentioned that he could probably just put a liner in a larger caliber barrel to save the wait on the re-bore.
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Old 01-03-2017, 10:29 AM
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Thanks so much for all the information... As much as I love Bowen's work waiting years for a gun is a little much.

..and yes, it was Green Frog's gun that I remember...

Would rather have the barrel rebored even though it is going to take a more time. I like the looks of the protected ejector rod and also the balance of the gun...

Thanks again...Bob
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Old 01-03-2017, 11:42 AM
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Andy Horvath did mine. Be sure and look at the late posts in the thread concerning what I (and others) experienced and pitfalls to avoid. A search for "Model 616" should help you find it.

Froggie
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Old 01-03-2017, 12:46 PM
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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.

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Old 01-03-2017, 04:37 PM
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steelslaver....turning a 53 into a .327 is quite simple if you have a .22 cylinder already fitted to the gun... In this case I spoke to Mr. Horvath a couple of hours ago. Unfortunately there is no one reboring barrels right now so he is going to make one from scratch...rebore the .22 cylinder, refinish and it is done... Gun will be going off in a week or so.

Bob
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Old 01-03-2017, 07:37 PM
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Yes that would be a way to go if you are willing to sacrifice a model 53. The 22 cylinder for those is worth a premium because they are longer than a normal K 22 cylinder by the way. The barrel from the 53 also has some value. What are you going to do with the 22 Jet cylinder?

Just out of curiosity how much is he going to charge for the conversion work? Is he going to install a lug for the extractor or install locks on the yoke.
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Old 01-03-2017, 09:46 PM
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Andy Horvath did mine. I wanted an 8-3/8" barrel but not with the heavy underlug of a Model 16-4. Total cost was ridiculous but I paid for it in stages (bought the cylinder, then the barrel, then had it rebored, etc.) so I didn't take the hit all at once.

The seldom-seen 8-3/8" K32

Range session with the 8-3/8" .327 and .44 Spl

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Old 01-03-2017, 10:37 PM
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On a side note. I would really like to know just how the pros remark barrels that have been converted by lining, or say sever shortening. First how do the remove the original marking. They must couture sand them off. You could fill them by tig welding, but I would worry about weld distortion on a thin barrel. Then restamping. It is pretty difficult to perfectly align and evenly strike individual stamps. I etch my mark in blades when I make custom knives and it would take much to get and use a stencil to make a nice mark in that way. I already have a nice etching setup.
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Old 01-04-2017, 08:41 AM
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Steelslaver,

I don't know how others do it, but the caliber markings on the right side of my donor 617 barrel seemed to be etched (not rolled) very shallowly and Andy just polished them off and replaced them with similar style and depth etching (acid? laser?) with the new caliber and his name to provide great provenance for the work. I posted a picture of the new markings in my Project 616 thread, but will try to shoot a close-up of it when I can.

As for cost, I itemized that in the original thread as well. If I had been required to write a single check for a turnkey job, I could probably never have afforded it, but by carefully shopping myself for the barrel and cylinder and using a gun I already owned as the donor, it wasn't such a big pill to swallow all at once.

I too heard that Delta Guns was no longer available to do reboring... Andy wouldn't even talk about sleeving a barrel for the high pressure of a 327 FM, but my e-friend "crank" on the Cast Boolits Forum built one using a technique similar to the one you describe. If anyone is interested I'll try to post a link to that thread. I'm thinking that the full (to the threads) diameter barrel "liner" would be about as strong as the regular barrel, but I'm not as confident about the liner (per discussion with Andy Horvath.) I've heard there are some other folks doing reboring, but nothing definite yet.

Froggie

Last edited by Green Frog; 01-04-2017 at 10:24 AM. Reason: Correction and additions
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Old 01-04-2017, 10:28 AM
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I was relatively lucky on my build but I was flexible on barrel length and contour. After following Green Frog's build I started searching for components. I found the .22 cylinder on Gunbroker really cheap as the seller had listed it 3 times without selling. Then an 8 3/8 Model 16-4 barrel popped up on eBay and I ponied up the BIN price to save the time and expense of the re-bore. I'm sure the barrel also saved me a ton of money on the conversion as fitting a barrel is a pretty straightforward task for a smith like Andy. I also sold the 19-3 barrel and cylinder for a decent price on eBay. I've just picked up a 4" 16-4 barrel and paid a heavy price for a .22 cylinder for the next build. Just looking for a shooter grade 19 to start the next one. This one will be a woods/carry gun so no expense on aesthetics.
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Old 01-04-2017, 12:03 PM
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This is probably a stupid question, but is the mod 16 32 H&R mag's cylinder strong enough to handle the 327 pressures?

The max pressure spec between the two is huge, the 327 is about double.

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Old 01-04-2017, 12:24 PM
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The steel in the 32 H&R cylinder is the same steel used in all S&W regardless of caliber, so there is no problem with that. I seriously considered reaming my 16-4 for 327, but decided not to. I worked up loads for the 32 H&R with a 100 gr. Hornady STP that exceeds 1200 fps, and that fulfills whatever I need to do. (And it exceeds 1000fps out of the 1 17/8" barrel of the 431PD). If I need more I'll use a bigger caliber.
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Old 01-04-2017, 01:28 PM
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Thanks for the answer. That is what I figured but I did not know for sure,

I requested a Smith to make a 616 for years and there must not have been any interest.
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Old 01-06-2017, 07:38 PM
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...well...there was a change in plans. After posting this question over on the Single Action Forums one of the members suggested I contact Jack Huntington as he is reboring barrels... Called him two days ago and yes the project could be done with the original .22 Jet barrel and .22 rimfire cylinder.

The estimate to make the new barrel from the first smith plus complete refinishing was go to be $750. For Jack to do the whole thing...$450.

Because I had to replace the barrel several years ago, the burned out barrel will be used for the conversion. This means at some later date the gun could be returned to .22 Jet by just putting the second barrel and Jet cylinder back on the frame. The only thing that can't be replaced of course is the .22 rimfire cylinder...last Jet length .22 rimfire cylinder I saw sell on eBay was $800.

Although this basically wrecks a rare first year of production .22 Jet with a rimfire cylinder I am doing this for a reason... I have had this gun since about 1974. I had been looking for a Jet for some time with zero luck. One day my best friend and I were at Ivanho's Gun Shop in Watertown, Ma. I was not allowed to go in at first as my friend wanted to get me a birthday gift. All of a sudden he comes out waving his arms for me to come in...and there was the Jet I was looking for complete with the rimfire cylinder....I bought it on the spot for I think $160. It was my only .22 handgun for almost 20 years. It killed all manner of small game the longest shot being a starling at 90 yards sitting on a tree branch...

I hunted, shot and fished with the friend who found that gun for me for just short of 40 years...until he passed away... The gun just wasn't getting used as a Jet anymore and I have a bunch of .22 revolvers... But I am now shooting a lot of .327 Federal so this way I can still use my longest held handgun and remember all the great times I had with my friend whenever I do...

Bob

ps..gun shipped today...

Last edited by SuperMan; 01-07-2017 at 11:04 AM.
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Old 01-06-2017, 08:04 PM
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I know that this is a little off topic but do you gentlemen see anything wrong with reaming the cylinders deeper on my 31-1 so it will chamber .32 h&r mag instead of just .32 s&w long. Thanks , Jim

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Old 01-06-2017, 08:59 PM
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Superman, it's your gun, your wishes should be followed. FWIW, I would probably do the same thing if I were in your situation. If you are really concerned about keeping the factory 22 RF cylinder so you can totally reverse your steps, you might look to Hamilton Bowen and see whether he will still provide one of his "blank" K-frame S&W cylinders. IIRC, they were extra long for the purpose you have in mind.

As an aside, I used a standard length Model 617 cylinder for Project 616, and it has just the needed length to accommodate my extra long 327 Fed Mag loads with a long nosed 125 gr bullet cast from the NOE 314008 mould. The COAL brings the flat nose of the bullet to within 1/8" of the front face of the cylinder. It would be useless to give you my load data as I am using up my stash of a long-discontinued Hogdon surplus powder, but you can develop a similar load using Accurate 9 extrapolating from the starting load they give for the 115 grainer.

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Old 01-06-2017, 10:49 PM
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Thanks GF..an interesting thought. The only "problem" with that is cost... I'm sure Mr. Bowen doesn't give the cylinders away and then one also has to get all the internal parts...then chambering and bluing... But as you say it would preserve the serial numbered to the gun .22 rimfire cylinder. It may be worth a call to Mr. Huntington to see a} he can obtain one b} cost c} added cost to the conversion.

One thing about using the .22 cylinder is it will be serial numbered to the gun...

I'm loading for three .327s right now.****ger 3" SP-101, Ruger LCR and a 6.5" Freedom Arms 97. Using an Accurate Molds 31-120S that is running 1400 fps from the FA.

.327 addiction is as bad as Four-T-Oneitus....

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Old 01-06-2017, 11:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smokingozzy View Post
I know that this is a little off topic but do you gentlemen see anything wrong with reaming the cylinders deeper on my 31-1 so it will chamber .32 h&r mag instead of just .32 s&w long.
I've had it done to my 30 and 31. They're strong enough to handle the 32 H&R Buffalo Bore +Ps, and everything less. It simplifies reloading to use H&R brass for everything (I also have a 432PD.) It also lets me shoot more powerful stuff without overloading 32 Long cases - and having to worry about where they might end up.
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Old 01-07-2017, 01:19 AM
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Hamilton Bowen built mine for me using a circa 1953 pre-Model 15 5-screw K frame, a late Model 17 cylinder (so the heads could be recessed like all good Magnums!) and a new old stock barrel in 8-3/8" for a Model 16-4. It's fitted with a vintage Buehler mount and 2x Leupold Scope. It's a tack driver with anything from .32 S&W through Long, H&R and .327 Mag.
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Old 01-07-2017, 10:41 AM
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Nice gun Chris!!

With all these people making gunsmiths rich doing .327 conversions one would think that S&W would get the hint...

If Smith brought out a 5" 627 PC 8 or 9 shot I'd be first in line...IL or no IL... But the original K-frame would be the perfect vehicle for the .327...

Bob
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Old 01-07-2017, 11:07 AM
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Quote:
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With all these people making gunsmiths rich doing .327 conversions one would think that S&W would get the hint...
You'd think. But . . .

My first 432PD (6 shot Airweight Centennial in 32 H&R) had problems out of the box and went back to the factory, where it was promptly declared unrepairable. They had no 32 caliber anythings to offer as replacements, but I told 'em I'd wait as long as it took for them to make some more, and laid out to several representatives the current state of prices for S&W guns in 32 H&R and 327 on the used market. They said nothing doing, I had to take something from current inventory. (Ended up with a 686+, which is sitting my my LGS consignment case, unfired.)

I can only conclude that S&W sells more 642s than they can make now, and that they see no net benefit from changing the machinery or expanding production lines to offer anything different. I was lucky enough to find another 432PD on Gunbroker. But when my wife decided she liked shooting it, and finally got her concealed carry permit, I ended up getting a Ruger LCR in 327 as a replacement, hammerless carry piece for myself. After looking for another 432PD but realizing that finding one would just be a **** shoot. The Ruger arrived within a week after my LGS ordered it, and while it's not a S&W it still makes a pretty nice carry piece. I would have willingly paid $250 more for a S&W Centennial in 327, which they made for a while but which now fetch well into 4 figures on the rare occasion when they come on the market.
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Old 01-07-2017, 12:43 PM
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It is your gun and I respect you right do make it what you want. I am far from a purest and have done my share of modifications. I just wanted to point out the problems and costs of doing conversions as opposed to just laying out the cash for a factory gun. I also realize that 327 mags are not on S&Ws do do list. A shame really.

Best wishes and enjoy your 327.

Plus, thanks for the posting costs and especially the heads up on a place that will do do a rebore to another caliber. Might come in handy.
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Old 01-07-2017, 01:05 PM
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Oh on the etching part of marking things. Etching metal isn't that hard. You can use a low powered 12v battery charger for a power source. I have a variable DC power supply though. You can make a crude stencil with electrical ttape. But, good ones take a real stencil. You can make your own with the right equipment, but this guy Knifemaker Logo
will custom make you a great stencil.
Tape it on the surface flat and smooth, then you connect the positive side of the power source to the piece and the negative side to your etch pad. I use a nylon one that has a copper plate fixed to it covered with felt, but some guys just hook the negative clamp to a the pad on a Qtip. The Qtip is slightly wet with etching solution. I started out using salt water, but you get better results with regular etching solution available here. Etching Supplies - Etching & Engraving - Knife Making Tools. Any way slowly wipe the wetted pad across the stencil for about 30 seconds and it will remove the metal from the stencils open areas. Practice on a couple pieces of practice metal to get experience and find the depth you want.

Here is my etched mark on a custom knife

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Old 04-19-2017, 07:07 PM
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...well it's back....







The take off second barrel and original Jet cylinder...







Came out really nice... Was a little more money than estimated because the Jet rounds (well over a 1000) had super heated the forcing cone area so the shoulder on the barrel had to be cut back so the barrel could be further turned in...

Will be shooting it soon.....

Bob

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Old 04-19-2017, 07:44 PM
Muley Gil Muley Gil is online now
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Very nice. I had planned on doing the same thing a few years back, but the funds went elsewhere....

I was going to do a 5" barrel with an extra .32-20 cylinder.
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Old 04-21-2017, 08:48 PM
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Heck that came out nice. Somehow I missed this thread. Had Andy Horvath make me 2 in .32 long for a DAO league we shoot at the club. The first was made from a K-22 and made with a 5" barrel. The second I got back last October, it's a 32 PPC gun without the rib using the adjustable sights on the model 15 that I used. Also with a 5" slab sided bbl. both are more accurate then I can shoot. Just bought a 16-4 with a 4" bbl that I may have Andy ream to .327. Had all the parts to build another one in .327 but bought the 16-4 instead. The .32 caliber is a cool round. Also have a T/C Contender with a 6 1/2" bbl in 32 mag.

We'll need a range report with the .327 and 32 long used. Do you reload?? Your gun looks like a mini N frame and the diamond grips finish it off. Enjoy what you made and shoot the heck out of it, both mine are bucket list items. I'll be showing off both tomorrow at the NE OHIO Bunch, Larry
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Old 04-21-2017, 09:44 PM
SuperMan SuperMan is online now
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Jebus...yes, am in my 51st year of reloading...

The .327 is now loaded just one way, an Accurate 31-120S with 8.5 grains of AA-7...1400 fps from a 6.5" Freedom Arms...

Did however just buy some 85 grain Hornady XTP bullets as I happened upon a Ruger Single-Six birdshead/stainless .32 H&R Magnum. Also have a 3" SP-101 that shoots high with the 120s so will try the 85s in it also...

I lmost had Andy do this project but he said he had to make a new barrel for it and I wanted the original configuration which is why I went with Jack... Can you post a pic of your guns?

Thanks..Bob
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Old 04-23-2017, 09:19 PM
SuperMan SuperMan is online now
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Got a few minutes to shoot the gun after an IDPA match this morning... It was noon on a south facing range with the sun shading the targets so I only fired 24 rounds to see where and how it shot...

First round I touched off low in the circle and the rest I aimed center of circle...




After the SA group fired three groups DA with the rear sight cranked all the way down...




Extraction of the cases with the above load was difficult the first cylinder full...by the 4th cylinder they were sliding smoothly out...

So far so good...Bob
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Old 04-23-2017, 09:30 PM
SuperMan SuperMan is online now
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..and the rest of the story about this 53...

Back in 1974 my best friend and I stopped at a gun shop in Watertown, Ma. named Ivanho's. My friend made me sit in the car because he wanted to get a birthday gift for me. I was reading something and when I looked up my friend was waving his arms to come inside... We had been shooting/hunting/camping together for four years and he knew I was looking for a Model 53...that were about impossible to find at the time. And there it was like new no box and with the extra rimfire cylinder... It was a 1961 first year of production 4-screw.

At the time I had a 18, 19, 29 and 49...that is it... Was in college so the budget was tight. My friend's only .22 was a ACE conversion unit that was none too accurate so he bought the 18 from me since I didn't have a need for more than one .22.

Except for owning a Ruger Standard Model for a year or so in the 1980s the 53 was my only .22 until I started teaching shooting in 1991...so it got shot a lot.. And well over 1000 .22 Jets. Killed starlings, crows, jacks, cotton tails, squirrels, skunks, armadillos and even one pheasant.

The three most memorable shots with that gun were:
Walking with my girlfriend in a quarry area a flock of starlings landed in a tree 90 yards off.... At the shot the one I aimed at rolled over, hung by his feet upside down for a few seconds and then crashed to the ground...

And not far from where I shot the starling there was a sand pit. Just after sighting in the scope I was about to leave and a pheasant came into the pit and hid behind a bush. All I could see was the head and just estimated where the body was...at the shot it jumped into the air only to crash land with a broken spine... Was about a 30 yard shot...

A few years later while Jack rabbit hunting with the girlfriend who was now my wife, a 5' water moccasin stopped to sun itself between stock tanks while hunting on a ranch in Texas. Using the Jet with a 1.2X Bushnell pistol scope put a round in his head at 60 yards braced on the door frame of the Land Cruiser...

The gun was used in the couple hundred NRA pistol classes I taught... Finally one day while cleaning the gun I could feel a loose spot in the barrel just ahead of the frame... Fortunately a friend knew a guy with a bunch of 53 parts one of which was a barrel...and it was a period barrel with the sight base attached to the barrel rib...so it was an exact replacement...

..and then in February 2010 the day after we had made most of our yearly hunting plans, the friend who had found for me, the guy who I had hunted, shot and shared campfires with for 40 years died of a heart attack... There has been an empty spot inside me ever since..

But the old gun wasn't getting used much but could never sell it... Having a new passion for .327 Federal got me to thinking that since I still had the old burned out barrel and a .22 Rimfire cylinder a more useful gun could be made and since I would still have the "new" .22 Jet barrel that had never seen a Jet round and the original Jet cylinder so anyone who wanted to restore the gun to original could do so...it would be just lacking the rimfire cylinder...

...so now the gun will get plenty of use and I can remember the friend who found it for me..

Bob

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  #35  
Old 04-24-2017, 09:32 AM
Green Frog Green Frog is offline
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Superman,

While you never have to justify (at least to me) building a gun for yourself to use (bonus points if it's a 327 FM) I really enjoyed your story. I believe I still have the original barrel and cylinder for the 66 ND that was the foundation for Project 616, but it's a moot point since I don't plan on ever "de-converting" it, and when I'm gone I'll no longer care! I really like the classic look of that 6" target weight no under lug barrel, and the overall look of your finished gun is spot on... it looks like it came from Springfield that way.

The big question now is where we will be able to get work done to continue this "cottage industry." While suitable barrels show up sporadically, I am unaware of anyone doing a rebore for the project. Cylinders are less of a problem as not only are factory 17/617 cylinders fairly abundant, but the Hamilton Bowen "blank" cylinders are also out there as well. I'm guessing Andy will continue doing his fine work on them even though Hamilton has quit doing S&W conversions in favor of R***rs. No doubt there are other fine gunsmiths out there willing and able to do the same, so the limiting factor seems to be the barrel modification. For those thinking of lining a barrel, Andy told me when mine was done that he didn't trust a relined barrel for the high pressure of the 327, but some less cautious souls may feel differently. I can't really judge on that one way or the other.

Anyway, I want to once again congratulate you, SuperMan, for a job well done. Yours was a project with vision and purpose and you were quite obviously willing to make a commitment to make your dream come to life. Well done, my friend.

Best regards,
Froggie (Father of Project 616)

PS Andy had to make a slightly taller front sight for mine as well... that fast stepping 327 is just naturally going to shoot a little higher; in fact even with 32 S&W Long it's good to have the added range of adjustment.
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Old 04-24-2017, 10:30 AM
Green Frog Green Frog is offline
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Superman,

While I have your attention, would you be willing to
1) share contact info for Jack Huntington, and
2) talk a little more about your "standard" 327 FM load?

If you can't do the former, I'll try my Google-Fu skills and see whether I can track him down, but since you seem to have the best direct line... I never really understood, though. Did he rebore or reline your original barrel? It seems like the still small bore of the 32 should reline OK, but Andy was pretty adamant about not wanting to trust a relined barrel.

As for the latter, I'm using a non-canister (and no longer available) powder similar to AA #9 and a 125 grain bullet from an NOE mould. I've gotten a good supply of the odd powder, but I'd like to have a standard powder as my backup. BTW, if you ever want to use a high performance factory round, the Federal hollow point (with the little bump in the bottom of the HP cavity) has given spectacular results in my 4" barrel and should be even better from your 6" gun.
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Old 04-24-2017, 04:43 PM
SuperMan SuperMan is online now
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GF...thanks you very much....

Jack is no secret....

JRH Advanced Gunsmithing

He isn't doing the reboring but knows someone who can..

Have to run...more tomorrow.

Bob
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Old 04-24-2017, 07:05 PM
jack the toad jack the toad is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Green Frog View Post
BTW, if you ever want to use a high performance factory round, the Federal hollow point (with the little bump in the bottom of the HP cavity) has given spectacular results in my 4" barrel and should be even better from your 6" gun.
Hey froggie, is this the stuff? I've tried it in my reamed 4" 16-4 and really like it.
Federal Premium Ammunition - Handgun
ETA:
My mistake... you said JHP and those are JSP. I must be getting old.
Is the ammo youre referring to the 85 gr. hydrashok PD round?

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Old 04-24-2017, 07:28 PM
wrangler5 wrangler5 is offline
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That and the Speer 100g Gold Dot are THE most potent rounds I've shot through my Ruger Single Seven, averaging 1420-1430 fps from a 5.5" barrel. They also feel like the most potent, both being hard kickers even in an all steel gun.

BTW, the Speer averaged 1260 fps from a 2" LCR, but is unpleasant enough I won't be shooting any more of it in that little lightweight. I didn't have the nerve to try the Federal round in the LCR, but tried the Gold Dot in the LCR first and discovered its recoil. When I then saw that the Gold Dot was just as fast as the Federal round out of the Single Seven I decided never to shoot the Federal through the LCR. I'll stick to the +P H&R Magnums from Buffalo Bore for carry loads, or maybe some of the less potent 85g factory loads in 327.
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Old 04-25-2017, 08:54 AM
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Superman, here are the pics if the guns I had made from Andy. The PPC I got back from him last October, it has no rib on top. Both front sights are Weigand interchangeable bases. Both guns shoot great. When I picked up the first one, project 616 was at Andy"s waiting for the barrel to come back. The gun with the PPC 32 is a 25-2 Andy cut to 3 1/2" to make a big bore snub. Larry
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File Type: jpg IMG_0347.JPG (151.7 KB, 29 views)

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  #41  
Old 04-25-2017, 01:33 PM
SuperMan SuperMan is online now
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Very nice guns guys...

My load is an Accurate Mold 31-120S and 8.5 grains of AA-7. It is running 1400 fps from a 6.5" barrel. If you want more velocity start with AA-9 or I believe Ramshot Silhouette. I just had a bunch of #7 around and used it.

Think the round with the "little tip" in the bottom is the Federal Personal Defense Low Recoil 85 grain. Believe the velocity in a standard length barrel is 1400 fps. I just bought a couple of boxes of them and shot some from my LCR and they worked well. Picked up some Hornady 85 grain HPs and plan to make up some practice loads for the LCR and the 3" SP-101 I found a few months ago... And try them in a Ruger Single-Six that shot the standard 85 grain .32 H&R Mags very well...

As to making up more .327s, I guess it would be possible to take a Model 14,15 or 19 frame and have a 17, 18 or 48 barrel rebored and cylinder rechambered...

A 7-8 shot S&W Performance Center L-Frame with a 5" barrel would be a hot gun...

Bob
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  #42  
Old 05-03-2017, 08:26 AM
SuperMan SuperMan is online now
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Got to shoot the 53 and SP-101 yesterday...



The Accurate 31-120S is a little too heavy for both guns...at 10 yards much too high...and this is with the rear sight all the way down.



Tried AA-7 with the 85 grain Hornady XTP and is right on the money with both guns. 9.0-9.5-10.0 were tried. At 10.0 extraction was a little firm with both guns so 9.5 grains is top with this bullet. Didn't have time to chrono them. Will be trying AA-9 and H110 shortly... This was 6 of each powder weight at 10 yards. Was mainly checking for pressure and POI not accuracy...




Also have a 90 grain LBT Gas Check bullet to try....

Bob
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  #43  
Old 05-03-2017, 09:12 AM
Green Frog Green Frog is offline
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Keep those cards and letters coming folks! I'm looking at all of your results to use as a starting point for my next round of load development.

Do you find AA #9 and H-110 to be pretty close, performance-wise? Some people have observed that as you get close to top loads there may be a pressure spike to be watching for. I'm guessing that would especially be true with the heavy bullets. If I can find that "Golden Mean" load for my non-canister AA #9 equivalent and the 125 gr NOE bullet, I should be a happy guy, but unfortunately won't be able to pass it on to others since the powder is no longer available. At least others will be able to get close using current #9, I guess.

Froggie
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Old 05-03-2017, 06:42 PM
SuperMan SuperMan is online now
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I have a long history with H110 but have only loaded 10mms since last year with #9...
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