I have a stainless steel S&W Model 64 kit gun. It's chambered for .22 LR of course, 6 round cylinder. Would a gunsmith be able to rechamber this gun to .22 Winchester magnum? The cylinder has enough length and seems pretty beefy.

Anyone heard of this being done? Was this model offered in .22 WMR?

Meant Model 63, not 64. Long day.

Rechamber - yes. But remember that the barrel diameter of 22 LR (.222") is a little smaller than the barrel diameter of a 22 Magnum (.224") - and S&W tended to use smaller diameter barrels than most makers for their 22 LR guns. Have you tried trading for a model 651 - the same J-frame S&W design but chambered (and barreled) for 22 magnum. All of these guns can be hard to find, so I know it isn't exactly easy, but it might be cheaper than rechambering and re-barreling your model 63.

I don't think so. Paco Kelly has reamed countless 22 LR handguns to 22 Mag for so many years that he probably lost count. I wouldn't cut loose the Mod 63 at all. If you access Sixgunners.com, you may ask the webmaster, Jim Taylor if you can get archival articles that Paco Kelly has written in the past.

Another option, is to have a 651 cylinder fitted to your 63.

Contact a S&W repair station for this.

Jim Wisner