Service six .38 to .357

[Spaker]

I recently acquired a Service Six in .38 spl only. I didn't realize it was not the .357 version until after the deal was done, but the price was such that I still would have bought it even if I had known, so I'm not complaining. The gun is a former security company pistol that appears to have been carried a lot and shot little. The finish is pretty rough but it locks up tight and the bore looks good.

I'm a concealed carry instructor and bought the gun so I could loan it to students for the range qualification portion of the class. But now that I have it, I'm liking the idea of having a "beater" pistol that can go with me anywhere and I really wish I could load it with .357.

As I understand from this thread my options are to have the cylinder reamed out to accept the longer rounds, purchase a .357 cylinder, or swap for a different pistol. I paid less than $200 for the gun so I'm not worried about doing anything that will devalue it. I just want to know which option would be cheapest and where I could go to find these parts/services. Any ideas?
Chris

 

[lumbering.buffalo]

Partial thread drift.

Any thought of leaving it a .38 and feeding it the biggest, baddest .38 +P rounds you can find rather converting ot a .357?

 

[Blue Brick]

+1 "leaving it a .38 and feeding it the biggest, baddest .38 +P rounds you can find "

 

[Blue Brick]

P38HS2G
38 Special +P+
147 / 9.53
Hydra-Shok JHP
950/295

 

[Hugh]

I agree with others. Keep it and load it with .38 Spl+P. Here's some stuff Buffalo Bore has:

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l= ... tail&p=108

I realize it's more dollars out of the pocket, but I'd keep it and continue looking for a Ruger Six series in .357 Magnum.

 

[Pete]

Heck,Skeeter loaded .357 power rounds in 38 special brass;it can be (carefully) done!!

 

[old 112]

I have a Police Service Six in 38spl. , and
my recommendation is leave it as is.
My receipes "CAN" give me all the excitement I can handle
in that configuration. But, I tend to reload to MODERN
+P levels, which are comfortble to shoot.

If it is in the budget, that suggestion of aquiring a seperate
revolver in 357 is worth considering.


Regards,
Old 112

 

[contender]

Rather than spend the $$$ on a reaming to 357,,, I'd opt for finding a spare cylinder to use. Quite often,,, these can be had for a reasonable sum,,, and they can often drop in w/o mods at all. Of course you should get a qualified gunsmith to check out the timing etc for safe shooting.
By doing this,, you retain the originality of the gun,,, and create a true convertable to do whatever you need.

 

[Ruger Packer]

I'd just leave as is and use .38 +P rounds.

But if you can find a good cylinder and have a smithy check it over do that. But I would NOT have the original reamed out.

Just my two cents.

 

[Spaker]

Thanks for the replies, guys. Right now I'm leaning toward getting an extra cylinder. I realize I can load or buy hot .38's but the reason I'd want .357 is for self-defense purposes and for that I only want to use normal factory ammo.

I found someone on here who has an extra cylinder and it seems like a reasonable price to be able to use .357 for SD.
Chris

 

[Spaker]

Update for anyone who happens to be following this thread.

I talked to my local smith about dropping in a new cylinder. He said it could be done and he could check over everything, but that there's no guarantee the timing will be correct without some work. Granted, he's no Ruger expert, but I certainly trust his opinion over mine. After the cost of parts and smithing, the project no longer makes sense dollars-wise.

Bottom line, it seems best to keep the revolver as-is and use a different gun if I feel like I need more firepower. And if I decide I absolutely can't live without a service six in .357, I'll sell this one and buy another.

Thanks again to everyone who posted and thanks to the individual who offered to sell some parts. The gesture and advice is much appreciated.
Chris