It's Raining Lew Horton's

[Airboss]

Friday last week I owned no Lew horton Smith's Today I own 4 and I only planed to buy one.Went to pick up the 3"Lew Horton .45LC I bought last week on Saturday.Then as I did not have any .45LC Ammo at home went by a gun shop and found another one in .44Special,so ok I brought it home also.Today I go to my FFL's to pick up two Smiths I just bought off the internet,one is a 640 .357 and when I get home I look it up in the Smith Standard Catalog as it is ported and the guy I bought it from never said anything about it being ported,Its a Lew Horton Limited addition.Then I run over to my gunsmiths to get a sight blade replaced on a 625 21/2" custom and my smith says"oh you really like these don't you?and of course the answer is yes he said well you ought to go look a Pawn Shop close by.I Saw one in there yesterday.Off I go and its another 3" 45ACP 625 Lew Horton for $337.00 out the door.
this has been an unusal 4 days! Maybe its the Moon.hehehe he NEED NEW SAFE!!!!

 

[SPG]

DAMN, I hate when that happens. Few years ago, I had a similar experience with too much free cash, ( temporary!!) and S&W PC guns...:banghead: :banghead: SPG

 

[Prodigalshooter]

Damn! I was at the gun show Saturday and there was a 625 .45ACP 3" barrel in one guy's case for... ready?... $750 and it wasn't even a Lew Horton special!
I really envy some of the prices I read about on the forums, they sure don't get that good in this area.
Good for you though, at least somebody is getting good deals!

 

[clem]

Last week a peer says: "I've got a S&W .44Mag, 3" bbl, blued for sale, are you interested?". Heck ya!
So the next day he brings in a S&W .44 Mag, M29-3, 3" bbl, blued. I get it for $300.00.
I'm told later by one of the other guys, (who lives & dies S&W), that with the adjustable rear sights, red ramp insert and the round butt, that the pistol might be a Lew Horton.

Please educate me on the Lew Horton thing, and if it is a Lew Horton, how many did they make?

 

[Airboss]

Lew Horton

What model 29 do you have -3 -4 -6 ect. and the SN: I may be able to help but if I can't the the folks at the S&W forum will be able to

 

[Airboss]

Lew Horton

sorry I did not see you had said it was a 29-3 Sounds like a Lew Horton if it is there were only 200 made.check over at the S&W Forum they can tell you for sure

 

[BluesBear]

I have heard two different numbers for the Lew Horton M29-3 3" Lew Horton models... 500 or 5000. I know that S&W made more than one run of them. My first one was from the second batch.

Clem lew Horton is a BIG distributor. They had/have S&W make entire runs of special handguns just for them. It was they who specified the round butt on the N frame. The only way to have gotten an original M29 3" or M57 3" or M24 3" was from a dealer who had gotten it from Lew Horton.
IIRC Lew Horton's was soley responsible for the reintroduction of the M24.

I believe a few other distributors had some made in stainless.

Davidsons does the same thing now with Ruger single actions.


By the way I am again actively looking to buy a good example of any .41 mag, .44 mag or .45 3" blued Lew Horton S&W as long as it is NOT ported and does NOT have the full underlug.

 

[Airboss]

Lew Horton

According to the Smith&Wesson Standard Catalog There were 200 29-3 Lew Horton's made

 

[BigG]

Glad you've been able to scratch your itch re: short bbled Smiths.

I had one of the old Mod 29 RB, 3" when they were released. It shot well and had nice smooth wood for a S&W but I went back to my 6 1/2" and 8 3/8" Mod 29s. Don't know the - No. since it was before I became conscious of the differences between Smiths but it was no pin and no recess as far as I remember. The bluing was not that "candy apple" blue they used to put on the Mod 29s of yore. I hate getting old/seeing things change, don't you?

 

[Echo23TC]

Pictures, dammit!

I am INSANELY jealous of you, Airboss. I recently discovered a lust for short barrelled N-frame Smiths, with Lew Hortons at the top of the list. If you have the capability, would you post pictures of your new acquisitions so that I can drool on my keyboard?

 

[Airboss]

Short barrel Smiths

I can only give you 3 as the latest one a 625-4 45ACP is at the smiths to get the Front sight replaced
1.S&W 640-1 .357/38 Special Mag Comp-Power Port
The other two are in the Thread Sat Shopping
they are a 24-3 3" .44 Special and a 625-7 3" 45 LC

 

[W Turner]

Hey Airboss, I wouldn't go around bragging too loud about all these short barreled N-frames, Tamara's addiction to these is well known...

 

[Airboss]

She is the one that inspired me

 

[clem]

I've sent off to Smith & Wesson the request to get the history on the revolver. What ever happens I'll let you know.

Thanks, everyone, for the info provided.

 

[Jonesy9]

I miss Lew Hortons, used to go to that shop with my dad when I was little and even up until high school when they moved out of the downtown area to a more commercial location. When they went wholesale only it was a sad day. I was lucky enough to get a tour of their warehouse a couple years ago, I coulda played there for hours

 

[clem]

It's a Lew Horton!

Update:

I got a letter from Mr. Roy G. Jinks, Smith & Wesson historian, today. The revolver is "one of 5,000 special order for Lew Horton which was shipped to them on 11/04/85". Cool, now I'll bring it back up to "new condition" and enjoy it.