Question S&W 315 Nightguard Conversion ?

[BlindJustice]

I'll get to my question I just want the responders to know
waht this newly announced this month, line of S&W Revolver's
common features are:

S&W on the web site has a separate section on it's Revolvers front
page, a section for the new Night Guard(NG) line.

Night Guard Features include
Scandium frame, Stainless Steel (SS) Cylinder
Two Piece/Shroud over SS 2 1/2" barrel -
Black Matte Overall finish
Front ramp sight w/Trigium dot
Cylinder & SLide Extreme Duty fixed rear
Pachmayr rubber grips

MOdels
N-Frame
329 NG 6 shot .44 Magnum
327 NG 8 shot .#57 Magnum
325 NG 6 shot .45 ACP/Auto Rim
L-frame
396 NG 5 shot .44 Special
386 NG 7 shot .357 Magnum
& one not listed with the rest of the NGs
it is listed in Medium Frame Revovlers area
along with the 386 NG & 396 NG
K-frame
315 NG 6 shot .38 Special +P

So, the Ngs all have corresponding Stainless and/or Scandium
framed revolvers in the S&W catalogue, past or present.

THe 315 NG has no 3 digit counterpart since the K-frame
Stainless is the 67 - so they named it after the Model
15 K-38 Combat Masterpiece .38 SPecia of carbon steel
construction The correspondinng models to the 15/67 are
the 19/66 in .357 Magnum.

Question" COuld the 315 NG be converted to .357 Mag. by
A) swap out the cyllinder and replace with the 66 cylinder?
oh, and give it a matte black finish for the NG look.
or B) coutnerbore the stock cylinder by 1/8th inch so a .357 Mag
will chamber.

I don't care to shoot full house loads in a 315 at 24 oz empty
weight, I have a model 60-15 3" Bbl. .357 Mag. that I prefer to
shoot .38 SPecial +P 125 gr. SPeer Gold DOt JHP as well as having
a source of .38 Special non +P rated @ 1,000 FPS

I have 500 new cases of Starine .357 Brass as well as 250 Leadhead
158 gr. SWC - I'd like them loaded up to be about 1000 FPS
sort of a soft mag. load but comfortable in the 60 as well as
comfortable in my other .357 Mag. a 686P 4" Bbl.

I want the 315 NG to have a K-frame centerfire and if it were
chambered for the .357 Mag. I wouldn't have to worry about grabbing
the wrong ammo. The SPeer +P is kinda pricey so I
was going to buy some Gold dots for the other 250 Starline
brass

SO, could a 315 NG be essentially turned into a 319 NG?

Opinions/Experience shared ?

 

[rcmodel]

I have never even seen a Sc K-Frame, let alone done any measuring on one.
So anything I could say would be a WAG.

But I would seriously doubt a Model 66 cylinder would be a drop-in fit!

At a minimum, timing, head-space, end-shake, and barrel / cylinder gap would have to be fitted / changed.

That would most likely require the barrel to be removed to be put in a lathe.

And S&W's new method of barrel installation with the inside rifled tube torqued inside the outside shroud is, I understand, next to impossible to take apart with normal gunsmith tools.
(S&W factory uses a special rifled barrel mandrel that grips the rifling from the inside)

Could it be done?
I would never say it couldn't be done.

But I don't know who you could find able & equipped to do it.

rcmodel

 

[BlindJustice]

Thanks for the explanation - This Night Guard line
must be the first Scandium K-frame.
HEc if I do get a Night Guard I oughta get a 325 NG
as I have a bunch of .45 ACP in stock and the Full Moon
clips as well as .45 AR as well.