Converting 27-3 to 41 Mag?

SquarePizza · Jan 24, 2020

I have a 27-3 that my grandfather bought me when I was 16. The problem is, I honestly don't shoot a 6" 357 at all. I only shoot guns that I can conceal/carry.

But I do love my 657 PC with the 2 5/8 barrel. A lot. So much so that I would really like to own a longer barreled 41 to see what she can really do. However, now that I am married, dropping 900-1500 on a new toy is a thing of the past.

Which has me thinking about a swap, allowing me to still keep my first pistol, but in a caliber I enjoy more.

Numrich has titanium 357PD cylinder assemblies with the new style extractor for under a hundred bucks, and I can sometimes find 4" model 58 and 57 barrels on ebay.

Parts wise it looks like swapping could be a cheaper way to go.

Is it possible? I do not know if they new style cylinders/extractors are the same dimensionally as the older style ones.

stansdds · Jan 24, 2020

Parts might be cheap, but gunsmiths who know what they are doing with S&W revolvers are not. If you can part with it, just sell the 27-3 and look for a Model 357PD with a 4 inch barrel. If you really want to see what the 41 Magnum can do, I'd recommend looking for a Model 57 or 657 with a 6 inch or longer barrel. You will get more velocity and a longer sight radius with the longer barrels.

series guy · Jan 24, 2020

None of the parts necessary are drop in. Never sell the 27-2 that your grandfather gave you. Now is the time to be patient. Save your money and buy a Model 57 when you can afford it. Don't ruin a family heirloom.

kraynky · Jan 24, 2020

series guy said:
None of the parts necessary are drop in. Never sell the 27-2 that your grandfather gave you. Now is the time to be patient. Save your money and buy a Model 57 when you can afford it. Don't ruin a family heirloom.

I agree with SG above. I don't know your age, but I will tell you from experience, ties to your families history will become more important to you as you get older. You'll very likely regret selling and/or modifying a family heirloom some years down the road.

I don't understand not liking to shoot 357 magnums just because they are too large to carry. I actually have more "range guns" than I do CCW weapons myself. I think if you tried some different loads you might find that niche that you do enjoy.

My only .41 magnum handgun right now is a Ruger Blackhawk, but I would love to have a 57 or 58 to take to the range myself.

However the 27 is your gun to do with as you wish, and as you can afford. But I also think that as you get older, you'll start to enjoy the milder magnums too.

Be sure and keep us updated (with pics) as you work your way through your chosen path. Best of Luck!

SuperMan · Jan 24, 2020

Been there done that and it is an easypeeze conversion...

Mine started as a rusted/pitted 27-2 5". Shot well but I don't shoot .357 very much and wanted a slim barrel 5" .41... If the cylinder had been in better condition I would have just had it rechambered and rebored to .41 Special to keep the 27 short cylinder look.

I did however have a Model 58 cylinder from a parts kit I had purchased off ebay. My local Smith smith spun off the barrel, sent it to JES to be rebored, fitted the new cylinder and when the barrel came back shortened the barrel shank and cut a new forcing cone. He is a factory trained LE armorer and this was a no brainer for him.

Model 57 and 58 cylinders come up for sale regularly on ebay and GunBroker. I saw a 58 for sale just a few days ago on ebay for I believe $100.00. Your gun being a -3 however, I'm not sure if a recessed cylinder can be fitted to your gun but I don't see why not.

If you are a reloader think about just having the gun rechambered and rebored to .41 Special. Jack Huntington of JRH Precision can do that easily... The only wait is for the barrel to get rebored...it is usually several months. He did a .357 Uberti Cattlemen conversion to .41 Special for me last year and it is a VERY accurate shooter...

Unless one has a collector grade LNIB 27 it is a great base gun for a .41...

Pictures are of the 27 before the conversion...I accidentally erased the pics of the completed gun and haven't taken another...will try to soon...

Bob

ps...in rereading your post, if you wanted to just swap out cylinders and barrels instead of reboring, yes that can be done...there may be some fitting of the cylinder required however. Would start calling around your area to see if there are any competent revolver smiths in your area who can do the work for a reasonable price...

WC145 · Jan 24, 2020

My opinion is that you should keep that 27-3 as is in memory of your grandad, plus they literally aren't making them like that anymore. You're making a conscious choice to not shoot that gun because you don't carry it, you might considering taking on some range trips just because you have it and 27s are such great shooting revolvers.

If you want to convert something to .41mag find some N-frame beater and have at it. I used a bubba'd 28-2 that I bougth out of the lassifieds here for a .41mag conversion using one of the 357PD cylinders from Numrichs and a 4" M58 barrel. I sent everything to Mark Hartshorne and he ut the barrel to 3", made a new front sight, fit the cylinder and barrel, replaced the rusty rear sight, bead blasted and blued it. It's a great shooting and carrying gun now but I would never have considered doing that work to a nice 27. I only did it with the 28 because it wasn't shootable in the condition it was in, had rust and pitting, and had already had the barrel replaced with a 6" barrel that had been cut down to 4".

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Converting 27-3 to 41 Mag?

SquarePizza

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stansdds

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series guy

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kraynky

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SuperMan

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WC145

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