I have a 649 J frame .38 Spcl. its a 5 shot as you all know. Are there any 6 shot cylinders that I can swap mine out with that anyone knows of?

also, If my gun cannot shoot .357 Ammo, how would it be possible to do so after having the Cylinder bored out by one of the Gunsmiths who do this?

I had heard that the guns that shot .38 Spc. only had shorter barrels than the ones that shoot .38 and .357 .
Not that I am particularly wanting to shoot .357 with this gun.. lol I was just wondering. I would like to be able to shoot 9MM with it though, then I wouldn't have to buy the .38 ammo which is more money.
And I would only need to buy 9mm and .380 for my three hand guns.
Thanks!

There will never be a six-shot cylinder, geometry prevents it.

Also, the cylinder itself is likely too short to accommodate every commercial 357 round, especially with heavier bullets. They would actually protrude out the front of the cylinder.

You might find a gunsmith that would ream the cylinder, but it's unwise to do so due to pressure concerns. Same goes for 9mm.

The only possible exception to all of this would be if you happen to have a M649 built on the new J-Magnum frame. I believe a few were made in 38 Special. If that was the case then what you ask might be possible.

What is the dash number and serial number of your gun?

__________________
~ S&W aficionado in training ~

thanks. I was wondering how these guys do this to their .38s and make them shoot all those different ammo. esp. the .357 because i always heard that the 357 being longer wouldn't fit in the cylinder... but then again aren't there little j-frames that do shoot both?

__________________
my short signature.

Yes, there are, it's called the J-Magnum frame, which was introduced in the '90's. It's larger.

I'm trying to find out if you have one.

Dash number and s/n?

__________________
~ S&W aficionado in training ~

cool...its a 649 no dash, I was told it was from the 1980's.. I wanna say 85 or 86 but im not positive.
serial# ALA1246

thanks!

__________________
my short signature.

Here's a 649 in 357.
As we have discussed in several thread, J Frame recoil with the 357 is a little brisk.
Mine is loaded with 38+P.
If you want a 6 shooter in 357, you can move up to a K Frame 13, 66, etc.

Attached Images

IMG_0029.jpg (89.6 KB, 25 views)

__________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER

yeah I cant imagine what its like to shoot .357 from such a small gun... I basically would like to shoot 9mm though. the .357 or +P would be a nice option to have lol..

__________________
my short signature.

Set your hand on a table, pick up a carpenters hammer, then swat yourself in the hand. You've just shot a J frame magnum.

__________________
Matthew 5:9

Owch! lol...

__________________
my short signature.

I own only one "J" frame, a 649-2 (38 special). IMO, it's the best of the breed.

Agreed, I have a pair of 649 also

whats the "-2" mean?

__________________
my short signature.

A no dash is pre J-magnum. Forget about converting to .357, you have the old frame. Not only is it physically smaller, it's not beefed up in critical high stress areas like the J-Magnum.

The product code for a standard 2-inch variation from that era was 103751. Based on the s/n the most likely ship date is in the range of....

July - September 1985.

__________________
~ S&W aficionado in training ~

It designates an engineering change. Each time there's a change that number goes up -2, -3, etc. on guns with model numbers made after 1957.

You're wanting to do something your gun can't do.
No conversion to .357 Mag.
Converting to 9mm is not practical.

Trying to make your gun shoot all three calibers is a pipe dream.
You want to shoot .357s & .38 Specials, get a gun chambered for the .357 & you can do both.
You want to shoot 9mms, get a gun chambered for 9mm.
Denis

Ok good to know... Thanks!

__________________
my short signature.

Yeah.. its not that important. it just would have been cool to have it shoot 9MM this way I wouldn't need to buy .38 for it lol

Just went to Walmart @ lunch time today and snapped up another 400 rounds of 9MM... it just would have been more convenient. No biggie.

__________________
my short signature.

.38 will be more fun to shoot. I need to start handloading.....

I thought of that too... It would be something to do while sitting in front of the TV at night. lol except Id have to worry about my dogs eating the powder and Bullets, their motto is: Everything is either food or a chew toy!

__________________
my short signature.

Perhaps a bit of a stretch but if you're really serious about a 9mm revolver consider the Ruger LCR in that caliber.

Rich

Yeah I agree... its no biggie. Plus now that I think of it, for the price of getting the work done just to shoot 9MM, it would be more fun to go buy a new gun! lol

__________________
my short signature.

Taurus makes or did make a J Frame size gun that was 6 shots but 38 special only.

nice... but I'll just stay with my little Stainless steel 5 shot. lol i keep it in the night stand with two speed loaders and a nice sharp Ka-bar. hopefully it will never have to come out lol...

__________________
my short signature.