Smith and wesson. 32 cal.???

[1coolcat]

I love my 4" 617, and 686..and would love it if Smith offered that gun in the. 327 Federal.. Obviously I realize that is a ruger cartridge but it would be the perfect revolver for me..and I have my love for ruger.. I just prefer to shoot Smith

I know this is a crazy question but could a model 686 be converted to a 327 by changing out the cylinder and barrel.. And no other changes..
Could this be don't by the home gunsmith by hand.. Or are machines need..
I would think the cylinder would be no problem but timing the barrel would be the tricky part.. But could be done at a reasonable price
And thoughts on this

 

[Green Frog]

I can't believe I missed this question last week, and I also can't believe nobody has responded in seven days!

There is a typo/auto "correct" in your second paragraph, "Could this be don't by the home gunsmith..." to which the answer is "Probably not." You would have to sleeve the chambers and reline the barrel, certainly doable, but not in the average DIY shop. I'd want a minimum of a good lathe and probably a vertical mill to tackle it.

I've had two guns converted to 32 (one 32 S&W L and one 327) but used K-frame donors and rebored K-22 cylinders. Unfortunately L-22 cylinders don't seem to be available. The L-frame barrel is probably heavy enough to have lined without issue... but I wouldn't tackle the job as a DIY.

In previous discussions in my 32 caliber projects, the idea of a factory made 327 Fed Mag has been broached, and I think it was viewed favorably, but there seems to be no interest from Springfield. More's the pity!

Froggie

 

[series guy]

Reading Green Frog's posts cost me a lot of money........but I now have two K Frame .327 Federal Magnums that are really accurate and fun to shoot. Not cheap by any standard but then it's pretty satisfying shooting a custom built firearm.

 

[peyton]

I might be in double dog house trouble for saying this, if you want a L frame S&W in .327 forget about it. If you want the 327 caliber in a revolver similar to a L frame, look at the Ruger SP101 or GP 100.
We the fans of all things 32 and 327 magnum lament S&W's refusal to recognize there is a huge market for these revolvers.
Now with searching these forums especially for post by Green Frog you can find a wealth of knowledge, along with the wealth we all spent chasing our dreams.
If you have to have a S&W buy a model 16-4 and have the cylinder reamed to accommodate the 327 magnum. Several of us have done this with great results.
Good Luck

 

[Green Frog]

Reading Green Frog's posts cost me a lot of money........but I now have two K Frame .357 Federal Magnums that are really accurate and fun to shoot. Not cheap by any standard but then it's pretty satisfying shooting a custom built firearm.

You're welcome, but don't you mean .327 Federal Magnum?

Looks like you did it the "easy way" by reaming a couple of Model 16-4s, didn't you? Looks good to me!

Froggie

 

[Green Frog]

I might be in double dog house trouble for saying this, if you want a L frame S&W in .327 forget about it. If you want the 327 caliber in a revolver similar to a L frame, look at the Ruger SP101 or GP 100.
We the fans of all things 32 and 327 magnum lament S&W's refusal to recognize there is a huge market for these revolvers.
Now with searching these forums especially for post by Green Frog you can find a wealth of knowledge, along with the wealth we all spent chasing our dreams.
If you have to have a S&W buy a model 16-4 and have the cylinder reamed to accommodate the 327 magnum. Several of us have done this with great results.
Good Luck

Peyton, I didn't say it couldn't be done, only that it wouldn't be an amateur DIY project absent a well equipped machine shop. Since I was fortunate enough to get an eight shot 327 FM based on the full sized Ruger Blackhawk, I know that a big gun in the caliber is still appropriate. I know a lot of folks look at the numbers starting 32 and think "little gun" but if you put it in the proper platform, the Fed Mag doesn't take a back seat to many cartridges you can fire with one hand.

The stainless Blackhawk in 327 is a stud hoss by all measures, and similarly a 327 version of the 686 would be equally impressive. A seven shot Model 686+ would be my choice if I were having one built, but alas I'm probably too old and worn out to begin any such new endeavors.

Froggie

 

[Sevens]

I love conversions and creations and all of these are fantastic... but if you consider the difficulty in tracking down parts, the difficulty in getting a hold of a quality craftsman AND the time associated with his work and the expense of all of this, it makes just as much sense to simply find yourself a S&W Model 16-4 and ream the chambers.

You can get mint or nearly so 16-4's for under $1,500. You can find great condition 16-4's for less if you keep your nose to the grind stone.

If you are a .327 Federal shooter, you are either a handloader or have a high budget for ammo. If you are a handloader, you can really hot rod .32 H&R for performance far beyond it's SAAMI spec without even reaming the chambers of a 16-4.

 

[H Richard]

I haven't reamed the chambers of my 16-4 yet, and may not ever do it. I'm not unhappy with a 100 gr XTP at over 1200 fps, and that same round in 32 mag does in excess of 1000 fps from either of my J Frame 432PD or 431PD with 1 7/8" barrels. And, it is not uncomfortable to shoot, even in the airweights.

 

[series guy]

Neither of my .327s (corrected original post) were done the easy way. The 8 3/8 gun started life as a 19-3 and the 4" gun started life as a 14-3. I found the 16-4 barrels on ebay after years of watching and they weren't cheap. Without a good source for barrel reboring it was the path of least resistance. Then .22LR cylinders were sourced to be reamed. Andy did his usual flawless work and I'm a happy shooter.

 

[steelslaver]

I didn't ream my 16-4 cylinder either. But i did ream a K 22 cylinder and fit it.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

There are tinkerers and mechanically skilled people on this site who put my meager mechanical skills to shame, but I am boring and if I want a gun of a given caliber, I buy a gun of that caliber; so that all the parts are at least designed to be safely up to the task.

 

[series guy]

If you can buy a K Frame in .327 Federal Magnum then you know something the rest of us here don't. If a K Frame can handle .357 Remington Magnum then .327 Federal shouldn't be an issue.

 

[cgt4570]

Here's a link to my .327 custom thread from 10 years ago. Hamilton Bowen assembled mine.

My new pre Model 16-ish .327 Magnum by Hamilton Bowen!

 

[Green Frog]

And of course 3 years after that, I had Andy Horvath build a 4" stainless version for me and called it "Project 616."

HOUSTON RICK, you can be sure I checked to see that "the parts are... up to the task." Ugly as it is, I value my face (along with my hands, vision, etc) far too much to hold a hand grenade and set it off. I'll say here though that if I really want to push the envelope with a load I put it in my other 327 FM, a Ruger Blackhawk. Now there's a stud hoss that is the definition of stout!

Froggie