I got a 16-4 in .32 H&R Magnum with a 6" barrel a few weeks ago. It looked to be new, but there was no box, papers, or cleaning kit. It might be a sin to some, but I decided to make a shooter out of it. I wanted one back when they were new, but I was a broke college student and couldn't get one.

The recoil seems to be about as mild as a .22. The gun groups well, but it shoots about 8" high at 25 yards with the rear sight all the way down.

How high should the front sight blade be?
How tall should the rear sight be? (Is that measured from the centerline of the windage screw to the top of the blade? bottom of the notch?)

We shot the gun with Federal factory loads, Hornady JHP handloads, and some cast handloads, and all were 6-8" high at 25 yards. My buddy got an 8-3/8" gun, (no box, etc) and the first cylinder full went into the bullseye. Some guys have all the luck...

I called S&W Monday, and they generously offered to send me a shorter rear sight kit if I would accept one with a white outline. That's great customer service! Thanks S&W!

Can any 16-4 owners take a couple of quick measurements to help me get mine into the ballpark?

I am thinking about sending it off to Hamilton Bowen and having him make a fit an auxillary cylinder chambered for .327 Magnum, but I want to get it shooting to point of aim before I go out on that limb. (Hammerdown has made me really want a "K-.327"!

Rawhyde

I can't help you with the sight question, I never had to fuss to much with the sights on my 16-4. I do know that Bowen would convert the existing cylinder for around $90.00 and it does not require shipping the whole gun. To make a new auxillary cylinder will be a lot higher cost. He has cylinder blanks but then he makes them into the chambering you want and then fits it to the gun. All that work makes the tab climb quickly.

I am leaning towards the aux cylinder because this gun is in such good condition and sort of uncommon. It'll add some cost for sure, but it makes me queasy to modify such a nice gun in a way that I couldn't restore it to original condition easily. If it had the box and papers, it could have passed for NIB.

I purchased a K22 cylinder and will have this converted. I am also leary of changing the orginal cylinder.