I just traded for this piece which seems to have 2 digit serial nbr. I am told it is a model only made a couple years in the 1980s. Condition is near perfect with only tiniest wear at muzzle each side. Any info appreciated, folklore, opinion, rumor, value, questions, etc. Thanks ---

There was a special run of 200 Model 29-3s made for Lew Horton in 1985. It was called the "44 Combat Magnum" and featured a 3-inch barrel, blue finish, round butt, and contoured wooden stocks with finger grooves. The serial numbers were in the ABL2900 range.

S&W changed to an alpha numeric serial numbering system in 1983 and started with AAA0000 ( the last N-prefix serial number was approximately N960000).

It is hard to tell exactly what Model you have, but it could be a Lew Horton 44.

Bill

Bill, thanks. Your description covers this one but the number is AL000xx. I saw one offered in an auction pretty much the same but with smooth cylinder. Mine has the usual grooves. Robert

Robert...Your serial number dates your revolver to around 85 and I believe you have one of the Lew Horton 44s. You will enjoy shooting it with light loads or 44 Speicals, but full house 44 Magnums are quite punishing. I owned one of Lew Horton guns in 85 and kept it for about a year before trading it.

Bill

Bill, Thanks again.
I can imagine it with full house .44 Mag. I have a Nightguard .357 8-shooter - not a fun gun to shoot. I bought because I was afraid of it in .44 Mag.

Here is the one I posted the question about. I have about $900 in trade in it. Its a keeper in any case.


Comments ?

Looks like an all original Lew Horton Model 29-3 to me. Nice 44.

Bill

beautiful gun...i picked one up earlier this year...they are a lot of fun!

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I can attest to that! I have a 29-3 3" as well and I thought I almost broke my thumb from the recoil shooting mildly loaded 44 mags after 2 rounds. I'm sure the wood grips played a large role with that. Things improved after switching over to some Hogue rubber grips but I'll probably reserve the heavy loads for the SRH Alaskan.

I fired a cylinder of factory 240's with the wood combat grips and immediately put a set of Pachmyer's on it afterwards. Made full house loads a little more manageable. Silvertips are downright pleasant with the Pachs.

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You do what you are.

I have a 629 similar to yours...3" barrel and finger-grooved combat grips...that I think is also a Lew Horton gun. It is a little -- ahem! -- challenging to shoot with 240-grain loads but it's also very accurate, balances well, and has the best factory trigger I've ever felt on a S&W revolver.

Congratulations on your acquisition...I hope you enjoy it!

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My apology for revisiting a long dormant thread, but I want to confirm that the third edition of the SCSW presents information that is somewhat contradictory. On page 201 the info for product code 101224 indicates a Lew Horton run of appx. 5000 in 1984-85. Two pages later, under the 'Product Codes and Features by Year' section, product code 101224 suggests a run of 200 in 1985 for the 3" blued Combat Magnum.

Can anyone else offer additional info, perhaps as a result of lettering one of these rare revolvers?

I lean toward Doc44's interpretation [always a sound bet] for strictly personal reasons as the owner of one of these magnificent machines, but the editor in me wants to know for sure.

Perhaps enough of us can offer evidence to settle the matter...I'll drag mine out of the safe and post a partial serial number if you will.

How 'bout it?

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Good question. Got a good deal on a 29-3 (ALA94XX) and would like to know how many were made. The price made me lean towards the 5000 production number.

I know this is an old thread, but did anyone figure it out ? My serial is ALB97xx if that helps, confirmed Lew Horton, 5000 or 200 ? Thanks

If memory serves me right, there were a total of 5000 n frames made for lew Horton. This consisted of model 29...629...24...57.I believe Doc has provided you with the right count of 200 being in the 29"s.

Thank you very much. This sounds good to me. I have been trying to figure where the #200 came from for about 2 weeks now for my new to me L.H. 29-3 3". I do not have the books to check and verify, but would this mean the balance of 4800 N frames to L.H. would be divided up by the remaining models of 629,24 & 57 ? Would be nice to know how many of each of these other models of that production were made. Seems the less of the model the higher collectability ? I recovered the box today from the original owner. Now my quest will be for the correct set of combat grips since he custom fitted this set to his hand.

I have the exact same gun with the original RB combats. The finish is "challenged". Somehow the gun got pitted on the exterior and someone "painted" a black finish on it. It almost looks like stove blacking. I found a set of Sile rubber grips that fit my small hands much better than the combats. Shooting 240 grain full power loads is rough with the combats. About two cylinderfuls is my limit pain wise and pocketbook wise.
If I can ever take the time to figure out how to take and post good pictures, I will do so. This gun came from the estate of a retired officer from my agency and I have $300 in it. The SA pull is fantastic and the DA is good, but a little heavy for my taste. I will most likely sell the RB combat grips and maybe attempt to strip whatever the black stuff is off of it. I would rather have bare steel that that. BTW, the SN is ALB 52XX. Is this one of 200 or one of 5000? Probably doesn't matter in its current finish condition.

Wow ! It would sure be nice to be able to buy your combat grips. Will you sell them to me and if so how much do you want. just let me know here or on the private message. Those grips would put mine complete back to stock Thanks !

Let me figure out how to send you pictures of them. They are in perfect shape except a very slight marring at the very bottom of the grip half. It is felt more than seen. I will have to decide on a price as well. I think they look a heck of a lot better then the gun in its current state. They don't fit me at all and it is better for someone to have them that has a nice looking N-frame to show them off on. I'm glad that the stocks didn't suffer the same fate...

To clarify. Lew Horton distributed 200 of the 29-3. And had 5000-8000 or so runs on the 624,657,629 3 inch guns.

Thank for this info and your time to research this matter, I like this way better.

Thank you for the information. Too bad the finish on my gun is trashed. Only 200 made....wow!

Where did the difinitive answer come regarding the number produced regarding product code 101224?

Product Code 101224 has conflicting information in “The Book”…

In the Model 29 CUMLULATIVE Listings section is says: “Lew Horton Special: M29-3 Combat Magnum 3” barrel, contoured wood grips, adjustable white outline rear sight, red ramp front sight, smooth combat trigger, semi target hammer. Product Code 101224. Approximately 5000 manufactured 1984 – 1985. ANIB $700.”

The Book contradicts itself a few pages later in the Product Code and Features table as it lists: “101224 3” Blue RB 200 Mfd. For Lew Horton, 1985.”

Another member (minermax) called Lew Horton a few days back and a fella (Earl) there said it it was ~5000. This number is consistent with the detailed write up on the 101224 product code in the Book.

If there is additional information that lends credibility to the numbers posted in the product code table (i.e. 200) for this revolver please post. I'm sure there would be other readers interested in learning more however I don't think this mystery (5000 vs 200) has yet been solved.

I agree on the above. I was only stating the confusion in the above posts about mixing model numbers within the Run count. I have seen a bunch of 29-3 lately and it would seem if they were that rare and that low of a production. You wouldn't see as many.

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Thanks for the clarification, Sir.

I'm a few months behind this one. Sorry. My father passed away in the woods hunting deer in 2012. Lights out. Just like that. If only I can be so lucky. To the point now. We had always shared a love of hunting and guns. I was fortunate to receive his S&W .44 Mag. I did a little research initially and determined that it was part of a "special run or order" for a particular distributor. The name L. Horton, is it, comes to mind. It is a model 29-3 with an original 3" barrel. It has the front blade site with the red rectangle in it. SN#ALB54xx. So now I am most certain that this revolver is one of only 200. My dad was so particular about care of his guns, had he not had a massive cardiac event, I'm certain he would have set his rifle against a tree before he went to the final hunting ground. As it were, he fell right on his rifle. So you see the fine specimen of Smith & Wesson I have before me is near perfect. In my eyes anyway. I'm certain it's been fired. Dad was a shooter. And believe it or not my mother used to shoot full Magnum loads. Impressive for a smaller lady. And she shot it better than dad he claimed. The grips are the original contoured combat grips with the finger grooves, and an S&W medallion inset on either side. No scratches in the wood and the finish is superb. The blueing is not faded anywhere. It looks like a beautiful blue mirror with what I would call the faintest trace of handling marks. Near the cylinder release. Almost as if a dusty finger was working the release. Making faint almost invisible surface lines. I hesitate to call them scratches. The blueing is fine and the metal is fine. Just good old telltale use marks I guess. The only noticeable mark is around the rear of the cylinder from it not quite being timed correctly. Or someone playing roulette spinning the cylinder before closing it. I plan on keeping this gun. But it's value might change how I use it. Gun stores and "salesman" will undervalue anything if they think they can get you to part with it for a song. I was planning on carrying it hunting as "last chance bear and cougar defense" while hunting. But from what I read in the forum, this being one of 200 would most likely make it valuable. I would appreciate any positive input as to what it might be worth. I just might have to get a different animal defense gun to carry in the woods. Many thanks!

Guess I posted one too many. Darn "smart" phones. One addition, it does have the adjustable white outline rear site, the smooth combat trigger and the hammer has raised texture. Not sure of the proper term. Thanks

Hole Punch,

If it were mine I would baby it to death, but I'd still shoot it and carry it in a holster that protected it well (like a flap holster). There are lots of Lew Horton limited runs. They're cool and the name and scarcity adds value but IMHO they're not museum pieces to be set on a pedestal. They're just like any other S&W - made on the same lines, with the same parts, by the same guys. They were just spec'd different by the distributor. AFAIK there's no magic "foo-foo" dust inside'em.

I just picked up the gun you are talking about... a "Lew" 29-3 with combat magnums. 3-inch N-frames are always in demand. You could easily get $1200 on an online auction... but don't sell it. My wife's dad's gun went missing after his death but before probate. We would kill to have it. You can't put a value on something like that.