My Recently Acquired Model 16-4

[McShooty]

I have never had a K32 Masterpiece or a Model 16, although I have probably envied them as much as anyone. I have kept my eyes open but never got the money, the motivation, and a gun in my basket at the same time. So I have done without but haven’t worried much because I have other interesting Smiths, too many to shoot in fact.Then one day last year this gun was listed on GunsInternational. I had noticed that 16-4s had been increasing in price and impressively so. This one was listed for $1199. That caught my eye but the gun was not a high condition example. It had some finish wear and was wearing Pachmayrs, which is OK but I like wood better even though I knew original wood would be hard to find and too many bucks. The owner had also switched the front sight for a red insert ramp and had filed on it so it looked funny. I held off although I thought the price would not be bad for a good shooter. Eight days later it was still listed so I bought it. I have not been disappointed. The gun functions perfectly and the trigger is very good in both modes. I switched the front sight back to the original partridge type and I found a pair of Hogue wood combat grips on EBay for much less dough than 16-4 original grips would have cost. They are not equivalent to the originals, but I really like them.

A short, cold-day trip to the range was successful. The 16-4 is a very good handgun with all of the excellent characteristics we expect in a Smith and Wesson revolver. If there is any criticism it is that, with the 32 caliber and the full lug barrel it is quite heavy for a K-frame. Doesn’t bother me because I shoot mainly from a rest. I was able to keep to two-inch groups at twenty yards, not too bad for my eyes and trigger finger, but the gun will do better. I will post some range results in a later entry in this thread.

 

[huthike]

Nice find at a good price. I’m still on the lookout for a 6”. I like the grips, too.

 

[Kingspoke]

S&W 16-4 .32 Magnificent Magnum

Congrats! Great shooting! I love the fact that the barrel weight allows you to shoot the hot rounds with impunity!

 

[McShooty]

A Couple of Groups for the 16-4

The day I took the gun described above to the range was an unusual one, about 50 deg. in December, with sun and little wind so I was able to get at least some shots off with no discomfort. The discomfort comes when you try to get ammo. I had a box (50) of Black Hills 85-gr JHP, and some Federal cast semi wadcutters. Checking the online merchants shows that almost every 32 load is out of stock. I do handload, but I didn’t have any H&R Mag loads made up yet. Anyway, the picture shows two groups shot at twenty yards with the Black Hills JHP. The targets are set off in 1-inch squares. My thanks to the Missouri Conservation Dept that provides these targets for free at all MCD Shooting ranges. Each target is a cyliderful - six shots. The left one has a horrible flyer; quite a trigger jerk there. Of the remaining five, four are in a little more than an inch. On the right hand target five of the six are in about an inch and a half. I won’t be bragging about these but they are good enough to keep me interested in the gun. I do not have a picture, but I tried a couple groups with regular 32 S&W Long, Sellier & Bellot 100-gr lead SWC, and it seems that load will be more accurate than the Black Hills JHP. I wish I had more to show you but that will have to wait for warm spring days. In the meantime I will try to cook up some promising handloads.

 

[CH4]

Congrats!

Hard to find piece at a fair price. The original grips aren’t hard to find, just hard to pay for, at $200 to $300 a set.

I am fortunate to have a nice 4” that I need to show more attention to.

Enjoy!

 

[GBertolet]

I purchased a 6" one earlier this year. Mine, including shipping was $1650, which I thought was reasonable, as I lost bids on Gunbroker, where several nice 16-4's, finally sold in the $2100 range. Mine appeared to be shot very little. It has become one of my favorite revolvers. I noticed the cylinder throats, and bore to be unusually tight. .308 for the bore, and .311 for the cylinder throats. I shoot cast bullets exclusively, so bullet size adjustments were needed. I put a Dawson F/O front sight on my revolver also, saving the unaltered factory patridge blade. I mostly shoot 32 long cartridges in mine. A good plinking cartridge. I don't think you went wrong, for what you paid.

 

[tlawler]

Very nice! They are like hens teeth. I was chasing one down for over a year before I had the funds at the same time that I was up in the area where the guy lived. I got lucky that no one else went after it. Mine was $1500 with box, tools, paperwork, and original grips. It’s one of my favorite shooters and makes it to the range with me nearly every time I go. Being a hand loader really helps out with the .32 H&R mag cartridge. So far, I’ve not had to rely on any factory ammo. One of my favorite loads is a 90 grain HBWC over 3.4 grains of W231.

 

[Green Frog]

Put the gun down and run away as fast as you can. The 32s are more addictive than heroin! I bought a S&W Model 16-4 and a Buckeye Special Ruger Blackhawk with 32 H&R and 32-20 cylinders when they first came out then foolishly tried to escape by selling hem a year or so later. A decade or so later I began to weaken by bringing home a couple of I frame 32s. Then I started having the infamous Project 616 built in 327. While this was in progress, Ruger released its short lived Blackhawk 327 Eight Shooter, so of course I bought one of those on closeout. Next came building a Model 16-3 homage and buying a replacement for the Buckeye Special. Most recently a long-sought Model 631 showed up. The 32s of all sorts just seem to pass through here regularly.

It's a disease and an addiction, and some of us have it so bad we revel and wallow in it. Apparently it's contagious as well. Just look at the way it has been spreading on this forum alone!

All that said, if the disease seems to have taken complete hold on you and you have no way to go but down... WELOME to the MADNESS! We have a lot of threads going on across all modern three revolver age groups as well as the ammo and reloading forums. In addition there are several active discussions going on about all the time over one the Cast Boolits Web Page.

Green Frog

 

[jcelect]

16-4

Here is my 16-4! The pic makes it look pretty good but it has a few miles on it! I bought it from a friend who had Andy Horvath chamber it in 327 Mag.
This gun will shoot better than I am capable of! I would not do this to a collector's piece but if you have a gun that is finish challenged it makes a very versatile gun and a lot of fun to shoot!

jcelect

 

[NavySCPO]

Here is my 16-4! The pic makes it look pretty good but it has a few miles on it! I bought it from a friend who had Andy Horvath chamber it in 327 Mag.
This gun will shoot better than I am capable of! I would not do this to a collector's piece but if you have a gun that is finish challenged it makes a very versatile gun and a lot of fun to shoot!

jcelect

You are so Lucky! That's the Perfect 32 IMHO. I have tried (with no success) for years to locate a Model 16 at a reasonable price just so I could have it slightly bored to chamber my favorite cartridge, the 327 Federal Magnum. 90% the power of a 357 with about half the recoil, hard not to like!

Congratulations, that's a sweet revolver!

BTW I am the proud owner of a K32 Masterpiece, so I'm not all that sad.

 

[dobegrant]

Congratulations,that is really nice.