Model 16-4 6” barrel for deer hunting

I plan to use my 4" Model 19, 357 with a cast SWC for deer next year. I'm VERY picky about the shots I take. I've been higher in the tree than the deer is from the base. I shoot small deer for the meat and for ease of processing. Most years I don't even shoot one, I just like being in the woods. A 357 works fine for me.
 
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It always makes me genuinely curious (and not in a jerk kinda way) of how many folks that recoil in horror about altering a Model 16-4 were also hardcore S&W revolver fans from 1988-1992 and also bought or dreamed of buying a 16-4.

I say this because I am certain that this model just did not sell. Of this I am certain, simply because of the piles of them that CDNN and other outfits had of these years later, new old stock, untouched in original box, for chump change.

There have been other models that did not sell and become total dream boats later, but this one just feels recent to me.

I wish I still had an old CDNN catalog. They were practically giving these away like door prizes. And today you see collectors trying to hawk them for two grand.

Friend Sevens, there seem to be two kinds of guns that sell well and collectors want. Of course the ones that have been popular from their earliest production and because of their good reputation continue to be in demand, and perversely a second category, those that were produced in limited numbers and discontinued before they found a niche. This is particularly true of the various K32s (including the Model 16-4) that was introduced with less fanfare than most “new” models and designed from the start to be a limited run. Yes their niche was small back then, but as shooters have come to know them and with experimentation in loading to enhance performance, yesterday’s “ho hum” has become today’s “next big thing”.
Froggie
 
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Not deer legal in Iowa. I would question if it's enough even for small deer.

It is enough for small deer and pigs. I have used it in a Ruger Single Seven and know several others that have used the caliber on bigger deer than just Florida sized ones. It all comes down to the skill of the hunter to be able to place his or her shot accurately with an appropriate bullet. I don’t plan on any Texas heart shots or raking angles. I am not planning on using it on a $15,000 Elk hunt either. This is the mold I will be using for most of my loads
 
I have seen post on forums, and probably this one where somebody is beating their gums about “ it’s unethical to shoot at running game “ Right away I know this individual doesn’t hunt, he shoots.
Also range monkeys that don’t hunt giving their advice on bullets and loads for hunting. I do know I’ve spent to much time tracking foul shoot deer because of poor shots and poor bullet choice.
It happened to me once when I was just starting out. I was sighted for Win 150grSP factory ammo ( REM 742c 30/06 )I ended up with Win 150gr Silver Tips. First shot classic hit, deer was just trotting down game trail. I hit him and he hit high gear. 2 more solid hits, one neck and just missed my first shot by 6”. Deer end up standing in a thicket 200yds from where first hit. I couldn’t see deer or know its status other than it was hit. A blind man could’ve tracked in through 6” of snow. I was giving it time to lay down. Then discovered I hadn’t my other magazine. Lucky for me a buddy investigating the shooting finished it off. The Silver Tips went through like FMJs. Never used them again.
 
I have shot many a running deer while dog hunting in Florida although most usually paused before they crossed a forest road. These were shot with rifles or a shotgun with buck shot. When a deer was wounded it was usually my job to go in the thick stuff since I was the only one with a pistol usually. I ended up jump shooting a lot of deer with an iron sighted S&W 610 10mm. I don’t normally shoot unwounded running deer when hunting with a handgun. Pigs and Coyotes are a different matter
 
I kind of think the .327 had a lot to do with the seeming difficulty buying a 16-4 6" at a decent price. Another one bites the dust.
 
I kind of think the .327 had a lot to do with the seeming difficulty buying a 16-4 6" at a decent price. Another one bites the dust.

When I spoke to Jack about what I wanted done he said he had done a lot of conversions to the .327 Federal. I have noticed quite a few 8 3/8” barreled 16-4s on Gunbroker but they ain’t cheap
 
I kind of think the .327 had a lot to do with the seeming difficulty buying a 16-4 6" at a decent price. Another one bites the dust.

Ding, ding, ding! I think you hit it. Just as the 327 was taking off, everybody but S&W released one or more offerings in this chambering in appropriate frame sizes (note that I exclude the ill fated limited runs of J frames as too small. This is JMHO, and YMMV.) Yes, you can build one for yourself (see Project 616) but that doesn’t explain why Smith didn’t make them at the factory. The K frame was discovered to be good for the 357 Mag in the Model 19 and 66, so the build in 327 Fed Mag in a K frame should have been a no brainer. It wasn’t made out of black plastic though so it was no-go. PTUI,
FROGGIE
 
Why they didn’t do a 10mm in the K frame I will never know
I suspect the diameter of the cylinder would prohibit chambering the K-frame in any caliber larger than 38/357. Even if it was a 5-shot K-frame, you still have to consider the yoke and it's size relationship with the barrel shank and then cylinder wall thickness.
 
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