Guilty as charged he said with a smirking grin:

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Here is a 44 special mixed bred.
Second model frame mated to a third model barrel.
1922 mfg returned to the factory in 1946 for the barrel
change and refinish.
Shot it today....94 years later still prints very good.

Thought I'd post a picture I took today of my two Models 24-3, to go with a future article on the breed!

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

This thread makes me sad. I was an idiot and sold my Lew Horton Model 24.

Just have these pics to remind me that I'm a moron...

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- Jeff

Don't feel bad. We've all done it. I get rid of all pictures, though, erasing as much evidence of when I was dumb. The bad memories are enough. I posted here a year or so ago about possibly selling my 4 incher but was talked out of it.

LOL. I've done it too may times.

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- Jeff

Thank goodness my 24-3s have 3" and 6" barrels.

A few years back I was real tempted to pick up one of these as it was a steal.

But my love for 45ACP won.

Hey now, I resemble that remark!
C. Scott

I have a real nice 4 inch 24-3 in the classified section if anyone is interested.

44 specials are rad.

24 3"


and a 624 3"

I have a M24 44spl 1950 target with the 4" barrel and magna stocks - its been shot a lot but well taken care of.
SN#S511xxxx

A 2 year old thread and I post under my brother Buff's post. Pretty cool.
The M24 4" that I now have is the one he mentioned in the above post.

That is 99% Condition. Just beautiful Vette!

wow! True works of art.

Just bought a model 24-3 { 6.5 " } with the 3 T'S, original box and paperwork three weeks ago on Gunbroker. Very pleasantly surprised at the outstanding overall condition in every way....not to mention a excellent shooter .

Against my better senses, I recently purchased this unfired original 4" Model 24-3. I had been looking everywhere for a 4" Model 24 or 624 shooter grade when I stumbled onto this gun locally. I know these are not super collectable, but they sure are hard to find in this kind of condition. My question now is...Do I shoot it? Or, is it best to keep it NIB since it has made it this far?

I'm thinking I should keep it NIB for a while and keep looking for something as a shooter. Anyone on here have a good user grade 4" .44 Special they would consider selling?

Attached Images

	Smith Model 24-3 4 inch b.jpg (63.8 KB, 289 views)
	Smith Model 24-3 4 inch a.jpg (71.4 KB, 283 views)
	Smith Model 24-3 4 inch h.jpg (70.9 KB, 287 views)

Shoot it, take care of it, and enjoy it for a lifetime.
They are great revolvers.

IMHO--THIS IS ONE ONE OF THOSE THOSE THREADS THAT REQUIRES ONE HUGE OVERALL "LOVE" BUTTON......

EACH AND EVERY REVOLVER PICTURED WAS A BEAUTY......

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

They are about as good as it gets....

Back in the 1980s and 90s I had a FFL. When the 24-3s/624s started coming out in the mid-1980s I ended up with all six of them in blue and stainless..at the time I only had one .41 Magnum, a 1980 vintage 57 4"...

The last gun I carried on duty with Dallas PD was the 3" 24-3. I could shoot it just as well as the longer ones and balanced just so much better...was also a lot faster out oif the holster. I was a dealer for holster maker G. William Davis at the time. He made up several of his excellent duty holsters in 3" for me.

Unfortunately in the early 1990s I found that the .41 Magnum just did things better and more accurately for me than the .44s did and they all went down the road. My best friend has the 3" 624 I had and still shoots it once in a while...

.44 Special is just about perfect...never too little, and never too much....

Bob

I only have a 4" and a 6 1/2" 24-3. My 3" is of the stainless persuasion.

Attached Images

	100_2196.jpg (101.1 KB, 29 views)
	100_1940.jpg (138.1 KB, 39 views)

I have a couple 44HEs 2nd & 4th, a LNIB 24-3 4", and the very awesome lil 696! I sold the 624 LH!

The 4th mode HE (aka pre 24) is the most accurate gun I own.! The 696 is really fun to shoot, very smooth action, & surprisingly ranks up there with my most accurate revolvers! Therefore I have kept the 24-3 4" untouched to this point, while shooting the other three.

I was initially not a fan of the 696 due to the 5 shot cylinder, but it fits the L frame in a very balanced fashion, and is amazingly accurate.

Attached Images

	S&W 24-3 4 LS.jpg (94.3 KB, 18 views)
	S&W 24-3 4 BOX PAPERS.jpg (73.3 KB, 16 views)
	20180401_093040.jpg (76.8 KB, 15 views)
	S&W 24-3 4 FRONT CYLINDER.jpg (52.3 KB, 13 views)

"The “Outnumbered” 24-4 is 'thee' best, strongest, and rarest Mod 24 because it has no lock, but has the strength package of the late 29-4, and only 234 were made!"


The 24-4s are known as the “Through The Line” version of the '12 Revolvers' Ltd Edition from 1990: 6.5” with standard hammer & trigger, Baughman ramp front sight, the endurance package with larger cyl notches & new bolt block, and stocks with speed loader cut-outs on both sides so the engraving on the side plate wasn't covered up.

HOWEVER the original "12 Revolver" sets were produced in a much lesser quantity than the planned 500. The remaining 234 of the 24-4s with the same features as above but w/o engraving were sold and are known as "Outnumbered" guns. The box labels of these 234 'over run' guns were stamped "Outnumbered", per Roy. There are "Outnumbered" versions of the other 11 versions as well.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Not meaning to rain on the parade here, but I had a different experience with a 6.5" Model 24-3. This is just MY experience. I thought I posted this already in reply to this thread, but I don't see it. It must have been another 24-3 thread.

Like many of you I lusted after the 24-3 when I saw Skeeter's article. It took me years to finally find one. Unfired in box 6.5-incher. I snapped it right up and went home with my treasure.

Once I got it home and really looked at it, I was dismayed to find that the frame didn't match the barrel and cylinder. It had a milky blue look as opposed to the black of the barrel and cylinder. I called the most excellent folks at S&W Customer Service and they told me, "Yes, some of those did that in the bluing process. It shows up over time." At least I knew it hadn't been monkeyed with.

I also tried the action. Nothing special for a Smith. Let's face it, when these were made it was one of the low points for S&W quality.
At the range I discovered I could get it sighted in at 25 yards, with the rear sight cranked all the way over. Grrrrrr. The accuracy was nothing to write home about. I had .44 Magnums that would easily top it shooting .44 Special Skeeter loads.

That all sealed it for me, and I passed the 24-3 along to a fellow who had stars in his eyes for a one, and said it would be a safe queen.

Now, here is where the screaming, rending of clothes, and throwing of ashes comes in. The 24-6 is a superior gun - in my humble opinion. I could care less about the lock. I've never had one lick of trouble with one of these S&W locks, and once I install an old-style thumb-release, you can barely see it.

In all other ways I find the 24-6 to be the better gun. I have a buddy with one, and have shot it a lot. An excellent gun all around.

For those who want a 4", look for the 29 Mountain Gun. These can be had under $1000, and are excellent shooters. Again, the ones I have dealt with were superior to the 24-3 in quality. The only downside to the 29 MG is the round-butt frame. I prefer square.

The limited edition series of Lew Horton 3" guns from around 2007 are sweet little guns. Since someone asked above, I think they made 250 of each, in .44 Magnum, .44 Special, and .45acp (the Model 25-14). They were made in both blue and nickel batches, with the thin tapered barrels. Square butt. They have taken a big jump in price recently from what I see.

One thing to keep in mind on the snubbies and the 4" tapered barrel guns, they do flip fast in recoil. Nothing nasty or painful, but they do snap. Of course, I have never shot the 3" .44 Magnum. I have a feeling that one WOULD hurt.

This is just my experience, and I am happy if others have great experiences with the 24-3.

Best wishes, Marc

I have a trio of 24-3 a 6 1/2", 4" and 3" lew Horton. People say there are 5" models but I have yet to see one. All three of mine have some of the nicest blue of any S&Ws that I own. My 6 1/2 caught my eye due to the case hardening on the trigger and hammer it's simply outstanding and had to have it. It didn't come with a box and had a set of goodyears on it that I replaced with some Altamont's that fit well and fell nice and it's a tack driver to boot.

Attached Images

PictureID_33.jpg (74.6 KB, 25 views)

A couple of more crawled out.......Some still hiding.
S&W 696 and Rossi 720....Both 3" 5 shot .44 spls.

Attached Images

100_1342.jpg (102.0 KB, 28 views)

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S&W Accumulator

Can I ask a stupid question.
Aren’t all N frame guns the same except for the chambering so Model 29 is the same weight and dimensions as a Model 27 or 24 or are they proportional to the caliber. I really like the .44 special and want to get one as a bear gun with Buffalo Bore ammo but figured I might as well get a 29
as it’s the same gun. Please advise me. Thanks

The weight differences vary in the bore and cylinder size. A 357 has more metal than a 45 and weights a little more.

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Front sight and squeeze

Yes, N frames are all the same size and do vary by weight.

But besides bore and chamber size differences by caliber:

Cyl lengths vary by cartridge length, therefore by more weight difference.

Barrels can vary by weight, for example, except 3" barrel models, the 44/41 Mag and 45 use heavy barrels while the 44 Spl uses a lighter tapered barrel.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

All I can say is I love my 4 incher. I have a set of Ahrends finger grooves on her, and she shoots better than I can shoot her. And I normally prefer longer tubes, but there's just something about this total package!

Mine started out as a 6 1/2", but I always wanted a 4". I found a NOS barrel on Ebay and sent both it and the revolver to S&W for an install. Like it much better now ... with "Skeeter Skelton" stocks ...

Nice looking revolver! Where did you get those stocks?

Outfit called "Blumagnum" they make/made the Official Skelton handle.

No, you can't be stupid in here... It's NOT a stupid question Hammer... I was in the same debacle... I went with the .44Mag version M29, M629-5, and M629-8. All 3 guns, all from very different eras shoot both Full .44Mags and .44Specials to POA/POI with any quality loading. I lost 3-4 Lew Horton M24 bids on GunBrokeMyWallet.com before I realized why not go for a .44Mag version that I could shoot both Specials and Mags out of in my own discretion. I'm glad I did as there I've noticed zero drop off shooting .44Specials out of the (3) .44Mags I have in the accuracy department. Would I love to have an M24 LHS with the bad azz tapered barrel, heck yes! But it's been nice with the M29/M629, 3" barrel route. Go for it!

My son found a 44 Mag cyl and 3" tapered barrel easier than a LH 44M and just put them in his Mod 57.

I like the M24 4" tapered barrel, so found one and 44 Mag cyl which I shortened, and installed them both in another Mod 57. So I have magnum frame and cyl. Plus the option of shooting both 44 spl and 44 mag in a 44 Spl weight gun, (with some limitation on Mag bullet lengths of course but none that I load).

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Here are my humble offerings.

24-3 3” LH
624 3”

Not pictured, my 24-3 3” non-LH, fantastic Trigger work done by Apex Tactical

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	41DE52D0-1DFA-4671-9B30-0884B7AF06F1.jpg (84.5 KB, 20 views)
	34FDA572-33E9-456B-AE1F-D3923F3D7B60.jpg (83.4 KB, 18 views)
	76BD1D9F-F215-4064-94DD-2AD742F3A779.jpg (85.9 KB, 20 views)
	8C290D5A-5AAE-4DF8-BF1A-532E6952FDFC.jpg (83.2 KB, 18 views)
	D4179D39-0D06-4039-8404-59DEE435AD34.jpg (83.5 KB, 16 views)

My previous post of over 2 years ago stated my only .44 Special at that time was my trusty and beloved old CA BD.
Since then I’ve came up with these two... 4" and 5". And pics have been posted before.