I may have a candidate for steal of the year. There is a pawn shop across the street from where I work, that I pop into every so often to see what they have. Never anything good, plastic semi autos for the most part. Until late Thursday afternoon.
I went over there on a whim a few minutes before they were set to close, since we were very slow at work ourselves. Behold, there was a 3 inch S&W 624 with combat grips in the case. I couldn't believe it. My grail gun with a price of $799 on the tag.
I looked it over pretty well and went back and forth a couple minutes with the owner on offers. My last offer was $750 cash and he said it was a very tempting offer, and he would think about it. I told him I'll be at the door when he opens the following day. As warned, I went back yesterday morning to really look it over again. He took the $750 cash OTD, and he also threw in a hard case he had lying around.
After we agreed on the deal, he told me that it was taken in on pawn, not as a sale, from a resident of a neighboring small city and the owner never came back for it. It had been, unbeknownst to me, sitting in the case a couple weeks until I came along.
I shot an e-mail to Lew Horton, but they advised this was NOT a Lew Horton gun. The serial number is ALUXXXX. If anyone has an idea if this came from another distributor, or was just an overrun put out by S&W and can give me some info I'd appreciate it.
I just got done giving her a nice bath. Enjoy the pics everyone (I know, cloudy days and cell phones don't make great pics).

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Very nice. Yea you stole it. The grips can bring a small fortune. Great pistola

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No gold. Only lead. Bobby

Very nice. Not only because it's what it is but you mentioned also a grail gun for you.... and at a good price to boot. Congrats.

I'm green with envy at your find Beauty.

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John

Don't want to rain on your parade, but take a look:

Model 624 Recall and "F" stamp

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"I'm your huckleberry"

My best pawn shop score was a 1006 for $318. I think this one trumps me. Maybe someday.......

Congratulations!

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Judge control not gun control!

During the last 10 days I have asked Lew Horton about a 3"29-3 that's on a GB auction and advertised as a LH gun plus a 624 and 29-3 here in Texas.

All three are not from LH.

"The models were our exclusives for some time. Towards the end of the runs, S&W sold some to other distributors. Your guns apparently are some of those".

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

Thanks, Watson....I did some research on this forum Thursday evening and there were a couple threads that had the actual serial number ranges involved. My serial number isn't in the affected range.

Very good find.

Concerning the 624 recall. This is interesting info: Shooting with Hobie

I have read the original article and believe the serial numbers are correct.
Your ALUxxx should be good to go.

That looks like the exact quote I got in my e-mail yesterday from them, StakeOut.

I didn't care that the guns were not from LH but the inflated prices were the deal breakers in all 3 cases.

I was really looking forward to having a nice 3" 29-3 or 629-1 with the combats but it wasn't to be.

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

I got mine late last year for $950. I managed to snag an original BLW-624 holster here on the Forum for $100. Even though yours isn't a Lew Horton, it'll shoot just the same.

It's quite a chunk of steel!

I can't believe you walked out the door the first time!

Very nice score!! I like really like mine. I paid a touch more and mine came with the newer style flat side combats.

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Don't You Ever Wash That Thing

I do believe the cops need to be called in on this one! There has to be a case of grand larceny here somewhere!

It looks really good. It would be great if it had that hole up by the cylinder release. LOL you know I am kidding so don't point that 44 at me.
You got a really good deal. I have yet to see a pawn shop gun that was worth their price. All I have seen was rode hard put up dirty guns with a pristine price to boot. Well I lied, I did see one. It was a Dan Wesson 357 that looked like new for $350. I wish now I had bought that one.

I have two of them, both LH's, but only matters(to me at least) if you're selling. I'm not paying extra for the same gun essentially.

Congratulations!

TRUE......A LH isn't worth a nickel more.......Smith made "em" LH only sold "em"..........

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S&W Accumulator

I see this as pegging the BS meter. In my experience, S&W NEVER reigned on an exclusive deal. When S&W did the 24-3 they then came out with the 624 or vise-versa and never released a "dedicated exclusive" gun that was the same as the specials.

I know they did sell off some of the extra barrels & cylinders of the exclusives on occasion. Are you saying this gun is a std factory release with the barrel being changed after market?

Whether the gun was sold by LH, or a different distributor, means absolutely nothing. Same exact gun, but many folks will simply not believe it and pay extra money for a LH. A fool and his money...

Not all of us pay more for Hortons.......it is just a novelty to have that differentiates the gun thats all. Here aremy two Hortons acquired awhile back........

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Went on a 44 special jaunt a few years back. All started with a 624 with the 6.5" barrel. Then the 24-3 with 3" barrel and finally the 24-3 with the 4" barrel. Great bunch of enablers on this forum. All kidding aside you'll love the 624 and the 44 special cartridge. I paid $750 down from $800 about 5 years ago for my 3" 24-3 so you did well. The really funny thing is that I have not seen either model 624 or 24-3 for sale at our local gun show since getting mine. Same for the Persian 98/29 long rifle in 8mm mauser that I bought for $500 years ago. They only made so many of either and when they are gone they're gone. Enjoy your 624 they are fun to shoot. Stock up on some Starline brass,dies and cast bullets and you should be good to go. Finding factory ammo is like finding rocking horse poop. Frank

The "word on the street" back at the time the 3 inch Model 624 was sold, and of course we all know what that word is worth, was that Lew Horton contracted for X number of 624s 3 inchers made to their specs, but they couldn't sell them all. S&W then sold the balance they had made through their normal distributor network.

It seems unlikely now but the stainless steel 624s of all 3 lengths weren't hot sellers, unlike the blue 24-3s had been just a couple of years earlier. It had a lot to do with the 24-3 being the first new S&W .44 Specials since 1966 and that the 24-3s were manufactured in numbers determined ahead of time, 7,500 longer and 5,000 shorter, and thus were "instant collectors items." S&W largely made the 624 to satisfy what they thought would be demand unfilled by the 24-3, with no limited number to be made. That kind of took some of the shine off of the "exclusivity" the 24-3 had. The 624s sat in the dealers shops for quite a while sometimes.

I've never seen hard numbers, but I don't know if the 4 and 6-1/2 inch 624s even were made in as large a number as the 24-3s of the same length (7,500 total). They were harder to sell.

I actually went through the safe this evening and forgot I had one of these longer 624s as well. How can you not love the .44 special caliber.


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Gorgeous revolver!!! Great price too. Congrats!
Passed on a $600 (boxed, w. Combats) one just like it at a gun show a few years ago (because i already owned a 3" 24, and went there looking for a 625). Still kicking myself for passing on that.

You can't go wrong with a 625 either......

Congrats on getting that one. Not a LH, who cares.
But I believe the steal of the year goes to the pawn shop. They probably robbed the poor guy that pawned it.

Nice revolver. I got this LH 624 in a trade...... for a Beretta 92FS a few years back.

That 92 must have been engraved and gold plated and belonged to royalty. Otherwise you stole that one too.

The guy wanted the 92 more than the 624.

I would say you definitely have a point there, bamabiker.