Model 64/65 hybrid?

[ColdBlueSteel]

Wondering if it's as simple as doing a barrel/cylinder swap to convert model 64's to .357. Is there more to it, is it even possible?

 

[diamonback68]

Wondering if it's as simple as doing a barrel/cylinder swap to convert model 64's to .357. Is there more to it, is it even possible?

I believe the frame for the 65 to handle .357 Magnums is a little beefier. Not sure what it would do to a 64 frame, haven't tried it.
Why not just buy a 65?

 

[RightWinger]

The frame is the same on both guns, just the cylinder would need to be changed (and fitted) and the forcing cone adjusted to fit accordingly. Not sure why you would want to change a 64 to take magnums anyway though, for the cost of doing this you could just buy another 65 almost, and the K frames were never really made to take a full dose of magnums. Stick with the 38's in that gun and it will last well beyond your life. Get an L frame or N frame if you want to feed it a steady diet of magnums.

 

[18DAI]

Possible.....yes. Good idea? No, not in my opinion.

The heat treating is different for the magnum revolvers. There have been some shade tree gunsmiths who converted model 10's and model 64's to 357 magnums, with varying degrees of success.

There were a bunch of 64's chambered in 357 from the factory. These model 64's went to a law enforcement agency in the midwest, IIRC.

I would look for one of these, or buy a 65 and have the ability to shoot 357's or 38's. I would not advise anyone to convert a 64 on their kitchen table. Not safe, again IMO. Regards 18DAI.

 

[ColdBlueSteel]

Well, thanks for the quick replies guys. What I'm wondering is, if there were 64's out there chambered for the .357 were they somehow built differently than the .38's? Like DAI mentioned possible heat treatment of the frames ect?

Ultimatly I was considering the possibilty of swapping a more desirable barrel lenght from a 65 to one of the plethora of cheap 64's out there, while gaining the ability to shoot magnums.

RighWinger, are you saying that I would only have to swap out the cylinder and not the barrel to shoot the magnum loads?

 

[scha]

If you try to insert a 357 round into a 38 Special cylinder it will not go in all the way. The 357 round is about 1/8 of an inch longer than a 38 Special round. You would need a 357 cylinder in order to make a conversion. The barrel dimensions are the same for 357 and 38, but the heat treatment may differ.

Hope this helps.

Steve

 

[jimmyj]

Hi, ColdBlueSteel:
Thank you for posting this question as I was thinking the same question.
How plentiful are Model 65s?

 

[diamonback68]

Hi, ColdBlueSteel:
How plentiful are Model 65s?

Very!
Been a lot of LEO trade-ins lately. Reasonable too.

 

[RightWinger]

cold blue,

You can use the same barrel in theory, but the barrel would have to be adjusted to get the B/C tolerance correct since the new cylinder would be longer.

 

[ColdBlueSteel]

Very!
Been a lot of LEO trade-ins lately. Reasonable too.

Any ideas on where to look for these 65's?

Thanks RW'er. I did envision doing a barrel and cylinder swap originally. Just never knew if there were any real engineering differences in the 64/65 frames.

 

[diamonback68]

J&G recently had a bunch of them for sale cheap.

 

[stantheman86]

No need to ruin a good .38 revolver to convert it to .357, when it is pretty much universally known that in the K-frame .357's, ".38's for training, .357's for carry".

There's always stout +P's out there and also +P+ if you can find it. +P+ will get you pretty close to the lower end of the .357 power spectrum.