K-frame conversion to .32 caliber

Whisper · Nov 1, 2013

There are several threads in the forum about converting K-frames in .38 or .22 to .32, but none of them have been updated recently, and there are some other threads with references to similar projects.

As I've mentioned in another thread, I want a K-frame .32 and am willing to have one built rather than search for years (and pay thousands) to get an original one. My plan is to convert an older K-frame to .32 H&R Magnum, a caliber with which I have some experience and which I think would be nearly ideal in the K frame.

Would those of you who have done such conversions mind sharing your experience? Given the scarcity of K-frame .32s I am confident I am not the only person interested in such a project.

Particular points of interest:

Did you find a new barrel? Did you drill out a .22 barrel or line a .38? Did you drill out a .22 cylinder or sleeve a .38? Does anyone have any experience with Hamilton Bowen's K-frame cylinders? Does anyone know of other sources for parts?

My plan is to convert a 15-3 to a .32 that looks as much like the original 15 as possible, except that I might put on a gold bead front sight. (I have found a 15-3 that was cheap but that might be too nice to convert, but that's another issue....)

Thanks to anyone who might be able to share experiences or offer suggestions on such a project.

Cheers,
Whisper

Furdog · Nov 1, 2013

Currently have a Model 66 at Bowen for conversion to a 327. I shipped the 66 and a new Smith 617 22lr barrel and cylinder. The barrel will be rebored, but the current production Smith 22 cylinders have "thin ejector stars" and can't be rebored. This requires use of the Bowen cylinder.

My gun has been there several months and I have been advised in the last month to expect an 18-24 month wait time as the barrel rebore work is at least that far behind.

If you want a blue K frame 32, buy a 16-4. They are pricey, but a lot less than building a gun. My 66 needed work anyway, and the wait doesn't matter.

In any case, to build a gun you will have to find a blue 22 barrel to fit on your 15.

Others on this forum have had other gunsmiths convert Model 17 or Model 18s to 32. I think that sounds like a good option.

32s are a lot of fun. Good luck.

samwood · Nov 1, 2013

I would second the suggestion to buy a 16-4 if you don't mind a heavy barrel configuration; it is likely the less expensive option and would retain it's value better.

Several years ago, I had two conversions to 327 federal performed by Hamilton Bowen.

One conversion was a simple reaming of the cylinder of the 16-4 (4"bbl version). The total project cost was about $750; about $650 for the revolver (got $150 for the original grips which don't fit my small hands) with the cylinder ream costing about $100.

For the other conversion I sent Mr. Bowen a well-used model 15-3 and a model 48 (6" bbl) with very little bluing left. Mr. Bowen was looking for a rimfire frame for another project and gave me a very generous credit toward the work he was performing. He sent the rimfire barrel to Clearwater Reboring to be opened to 32 caliber; I don't know if the cylinder was done by Bowen Arms or Clearwater (this was before the newly manufactured cylinders were being sold). Anyway, I believe total turnaround time was about 4 months. I couldn't be more pleased with the revolver or my experience with Bowen Classic Arms.

I got lucky by picking up two relatively inexpensive cosmetically challenged revolvers for the project and got a more than fair work credit for my model 48 frame, I believe my total project cost was less than $800 and I had my completed revolver (K frame 327 federal with 6" standard barrel) in about 4 months time. I think current wait times and cost might be significantly higher for a conversion project.

Here's a picture of it.

Green Frog · Nov 1, 2013

Whisper,

I'm one of the several who have "been there, done that." You can follow the whole procedure in the following thread.

< http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1980-present/260686-project-616-a.html >

All the details you are asking for are there. I'm currently collecting the parts for a blued version in 32 S&W Long and the good news is that all K-22 and Model 17 six shot cylinders seem to have extractors suitable for the project... note that Andy had to do a lot of work on my late style to make it work. As for cost and time, you find the b & c at whatever price you can (the Bowen cylinder costs right at $300 with extractor) then pay Clearwater about $150 to rebore the barrel to 32 caliber. Provide a solid gun and those parts to Bowen, Horvath or a couple of others in this small fraternity, and wait anywhere from 3 to 18 months and there you have it. Was it worth it? Look at my grin!

Froggie

mistergizmo · Nov 2, 2013

I had lusted for a K-32 Masterpiece for years, wanting to use it in International CF and other competitions, but the prices for these guns were prohibitive.

There's no question in my mind that the .32 S&W Long is a blast to shoot. I considered converting a Model 14 no-dash but the overall cost and time steered me away.

I was lucky to find a M 16-4 in .32 H&R Magnum three years ago for just over $700. As you know, the only difference from a .32 S&W-L is a slightly longer cylinder. I replaced the front sight with a Patridge and got some nice combat grips.

Haven't looked back since. Couldn't be happier. Good luck.

Ben_hutcherson · Nov 2, 2013

If you're not married to the 32 H&R, original K frame 32-20s are not too uncommon and are relatively inexpensive in "shooter" condition.

32-20 ammo isn't as easy to find as 32 long or some of the other straight walled cases, but is out there and it's not a terrible cartridge to reload for either.

I love my K frame 32-20.

Tom K · Nov 2, 2013

Don't be in any hurry. The last barrel I sent to Clearwater for reboring (.357 to. 44) took just over a year. Andy Horvath has been working on my project for about four months, and I expect it'll be at least a couple more. Add in the search for parts at the beginning and we're looking at 2+ years. At least that spreads out the exorbitant total cost over years as well.

But I guess I can't complain as I have another barrel at Clearwater (.22 to. 32) that I will send to Andy along with donor gun and other parts when it gets done.

blue45colt · Nov 2, 2013

My effort along these lines involved using a M19-4 as a base gun & procuring a 4" barrel & cylinder/ejector assy for a M16-4 from Smith & Wesson, sending everything to Jim Stroh for the conversion. This was a few years back, these parts may not still be available from S&W.
The M19 frame will interface and blend with the M16-4 barrel better will a M15. I added a set of Skeeter Skelton style BluMagnum walnut grips & ended up with a very nice Model 19/16...very accurate & fun to shoot.

Jebus35745 · Nov 2, 2013

Clearwater is way behind on re-boring now. Andy did my 17-2 to .32 - 11/2 yrs ago, it took 9 mos. Big hang up was the bbl. Sleeveing is expensive, especially the cyl. Had my bbl cut to 5" to match my 5" ISP pre-14. Very happy with Andy's work, cutting the bbl and adding the Weigand interchangeable front site base added at least 400.00 to my cost. The conversion was 1100.00 with the bbl cut and the gun 500.00. I have a .32 PPC bbl and another worn 17 in the safe and not sure yet if I want another conversion. It should be accurate with the PPC bbl on it. Green frog 616 was at Andy's as mine was getting finished. My converted .32 is very accurate and the Keith Brown Roper grips in exhibition English walnut finish it off. It is a bucket list gun. Good luck having one made. In June I bought a 16-3, a real one. Larry

Tom K · Nov 2, 2013

Jebus35745 said:
Clearwater is way behind on re-boring now. Andy did my 17-2 to .32 - 11/2 yrs ago, it took 9 mos. Big hang up was the bbl. Sleeveing is expensive, especially the cyl. Had my bbl cut to 5" to match my 5" ISP pre-14. Very happy with Andy's work, cutting the bbl and adding the Weigand interchangeable front site base added at least 400.00 to my cost. The conversion was 1100.00 with the bbl cut and the gun 500.00. I have a .32 PPC bbl and another worn 17 in the safe and not sure yet if I want another conversion. It should be accurate with the PPC bbl on it. Green frog 616 was at Andy's as mine was getting finished. My converted .32 is very accurate and the Keith Brown Roper grips in exhibition English walnut finish it off. It is a bucket list gun. Good luck having one made. In June I bought a 16-3, a real one. Larry

That's interesting, I also bought a 16-3 in June, via Gunbroker. http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...-new-merwin-hulbert-s-w-model-16-3-sorta.html

The K32 gun I will have Andy build is going to have a 8-3/8" barrel, as will the .44 Special he is currently putting together for me. I found a new-old-stock Model 17 barrel on GB that is being rebored, as well as a Model 16 cylinder already in .32 S&W Long.

I've bought a couple of donor Model 14s via GB but they turned out to be really too nice to hack up - how often do you hear of someone complaining that the gun was nicer than the pictures showed? But if I can't find a suitable beater between now and when the barrel shows up, one of them will have to be sacrificed.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/wanted-buy/313634-wtb-beater-model-14-15-donor-k32-project.html

Jebus35745 · Nov 2, 2013

Hi Tom, I saw your WTB post and quietly wished you luck. Clear-water was abt 6 mos behind and now they are saying over a year. There has to be someone else re-boring bbl's. My PPC bbl is already a .32, no waiting. Here's some pics of my Horvath .32. Wisper, here's the gun you can have for a cheaper price then an original one. This would have been abt 1200 without the bbl cut. I also believe that this gun would sell for what I have in it. Larry

Green Frog · Nov 3, 2013

Larry,

You can ignore my other post asking about the barrel on your Horvath gun... I see now it doesn't have a full under lug. I'm still smitten by the sheer symmetry of a 6" narrow rib K-32, and now that I have the two major components in hand or coming, I am more determined than ever to build one. I guess I'll just send my barrel off to Clearwater and forget about it for a year or so, unless somebody comes up with another reboring company that does good work in a shorter time frame. At least that way I'll have plenty of time to be looking for the K-38/pre-Model 14 or 15 five screw I need for a donor gun; not too new, not too worn out, but just right!

I missed one back in the Spring @ Green Top in Richmond, VA. I hadn't settled on this project and was still recovering from the outlay for Project 616. Now I could probably come up with the $ but can't find the right gun.

Froggie

Jebus35745 · Nov 3, 2013

Froggie, watch Armslist in your area. Actually in the Cleve. Area there is a 15 for sale for 400. Not saying for you to buy this one,never know what ends up close to where you live. I hit handgun and then S&W cause Thats all I'm interested in. Larry

Jebus35745 · Nov 13, 2013

Before this post falls off to no-where, lets see if we can find some more converted K frames to .32 cal. Always interested in .32 project guns, Larry

shovelwrench · Nov 17, 2013

I'm currently looking to pick up a model 64 on the cheap to convert to .32 by using a Hamilton Bowen cylinder and a Green Mountain barrel blank.

The cylinder will cost more then the gun and the barrel combined

I plan on putting a Bomar style rib on it, maybe a rib with Weaver style cuts so I can hang a scope for squirrels when I'm not using it for Bullseye......

Green Frog · Nov 18, 2013

Wow, a 32 PPC gun, right? I thought about that a while back but decided I would get more actual shooting time out of a more "conventional" configuration. Does that mean I wouldn't jump at the chance to play with one? Of course not. In fact, if I can help, let me know, and I'd love to see it (or even play with it) when it is finished. There were a bunch of good potential "donor guns" at Southern Police Supply in Richmond, VA a few months back; they were trade-ins from the Dept of Corrections, IIRC.

I don't know whether Bomar still makes the classic PPC rib, but if they don't, those ribs and similar ones by Aristocrat show up on e-Bay from time to time. Best of luck with your project!

Froggie

Green Frog · Nov 19, 2013

Whisper,

You kicked over this hornets' nest. Are you still on the hunt, and if so how are you progressing?

shovelwrench,

You had the most "intriguing" plan with that heavy barreled PPC-style gun. I'm sure several of us would love to hear more about that one.

Meanwhile, I have now gotten a very early post-War K-22 barrel (K 12XX) and a pristine K-22 cylinder for my proposed next build, an homage to the immediate post-War K-32 to go with the 22 and 38 I already own. I think I'll just go ahead and send the barrel off to Clearwater and forget about it until I can find a suitable donor platform to build on. I'm also thinking of having Andy or someone else talented rebore a K-22 cylinder to 32 S&W so I can make a switch caliber out of my old M&P 32-20. That's a prospect nobody has mentioned.

Froggie

Frank46 · Nov 20, 2013

From reading all these posts it seems as though getting the barrel bored out and re-rifled to 32 caliber with the proper twist. Then getting the gunsmith to fit the barrel (now in 32 caliber) and the new cylinder that has been bored out and then chambered for the 32 cartridge of choice. Plus doing the fitting of any parts, metal prep and refinishing. Surely there are other barrel reborer's out there?. Or is the one mentioned the reborer of choice. I know that these are dream revolvers and each of you have little finishing touches to be done to make it really "yours". Ever thought about getting the barrel bored out to accept a liner with the proper dimensions and twist rate?. TJ's liners as sold by track of the wolf I believed are hammer forged and are said to be very accurate. Not trying to upset an apple cart here but exploring other avenues. Frank

bgrafsr · Nov 21, 2013

Green Frog said:
Whisper,

You kicked over this hornets' nest. Are you still on the hunt, and if so how are you progressing?

shovelwrench,

You had the most "intriguing" plan with that heavy barreled PPC-style gun. I'm sure several of us would love to hear more about that one.

Meanwhile, I have now gotten a very early post-War K-22 barrel (K 12XX) and a pristine K-22 cylinder for my proposed next build, an homage to the immediate post-War K-32 to go with the 22 and 38 I already own. I think I'll just go ahead and send the barrel off to Clearwater and forget about it until I can find a suitable donor platform to build on. I'm also thinking of having Andy or someone else talented rebore a K-22 cylinder to 32 S&W so I can make a switch caliber out of my old M&P 32-20. That's a prospect nobody has mentioned.

Froggie

Hi Froggie:

I did that with my 16-4. I sent the gun to Hamilton Bowen and had him make a .32-20 W.C.F. Cylinder, and another one in .32 S&W Long, and he then fit both to the gun. After all that, I had the original 16-4 cylinder re-chambered to .327 Federal Mag, so now I can shoot four different calibers in the same gun. Works for me.

Jebus35745 · Nov 21, 2013

I've seen Bill's gun and its a totally cool concept. Frank, Clearwater is the re-borer with an awesome reputation. The PPC 32 long gun would be neat to shoot. All that bbl weight should dampen the recoil a lot and make it a good shooter. I have the 32 PPC bbl and the host K-22 waiting. I would cut the bbl to 5" (I seem to like the 5" bbl) and use the Weigand interchangeable from sight base again with the adjustable rear on the K-22. No rib to make it a little lighter. Would make a nice double action only gun for a league we shoot every spring. Froggie, how close are you to building another custom .32? Larry

K-frame conversion to .32 caliber

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