24-3 is a K frame??

[sheep.dog]

I new to s&w revolvers so pardon me if this is dumb.....I am super confused, as I thought that the 24-3 was a n frame revolver. Upon picking up some N frame pachmayr wood grips i found they were to big. Now i see that there is a letter K inside a cirlce stamped on the grip frame of the revolver, does this mean its a k frame?? something special going on here? its a 3" barrel if that matters.

any info would be cool. thanks.

 

[S&W Fan]

You are correct, the 24-3 is a N frame. The cirle K could be an inspector's mark, I'm sure a more informed member will be along to say exactly.

 

[Dennis The B]

The 3", Model 24-3 is a round-butt revolver. Is it possible that you have grips for a square-butt revolver? They would have a gap in back of the grip.

 

[sheep.dog]

no they are round butt grips.

 

[H Richard]

The model 24-3 is a "N" frame, and in 44 Special. There is no K Frame made in 44 Special.

This is a 24-3 3" RB, (with Rd to Sq grips fitted).

 

[75Vette]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the 3"er takes K frame grips. I've got a copy of the ad that Lew Horton ran when the gun was introduced and mentioned it used K frame grips and came with a holster as well. I'll post it later when I get home. I haven't tried to change out the combats on my 624, why?

 

[tmichael]

The 24-3 3 inch is an N frame, with K frame grip. If my memory serves well, I believe the 624 3 inch is in same configuration...

 

[Retired W4]

This is all good information for me. I recently acquired a Lew Horton 24-3 and the combat grips do not feel that good in my hand. Now I know what to look at for a replacement.

H Richard, are those Ahrends?

 

[75Vette]

Here's a copy of the Lew Horton ad. Don't look at the price or you might get queezy.

 

[sheep.dog]

thanks for the info guys, no wonder those n frame grips were to big.... i am not crazy after all.

 

[TenTea]

Mystery solved.

Cool ...and free leather!

 

[rbmac52]

The 24-3 3 inch is an N frame, with K frame grip. If my memory serves well, I believe the 624 3 inch is in same configuration...

This is simply incorrect. The round butt combat grips on the Lew Horton 24-3 3" and the 624 3" guns are NOT K frame grips. They are for N frame round butt guns exclusively. If you don't agree with this, try taking a pair of these grips off one of these guns and try them on a round butt K frame. They won't fit because they are not the same size.

 

[Coaltminer]

+1 what rbmac52 said. N frames are bigger. K and L frame grips will interchange, round for round, square for square unless you can live with some unsightly clearance.

 

[sheep.dog]

This is simply incorrect. The round butt combat grips on the Lew Horton 24-3 3" and the 624 3" guns are NOT K frame grips. They are for N frame round butt guns exclusively. If you don't agree with this, try taking a pair of these grips off one of these guns and try them on a round butt K frame. They won't fit because they are not the same size.

I'll have to disagree, the N frame pachmayr i tried on my 3" 24-3 were too big. after the info i got here i got a pair of pachmayr K's and they are perfect.....

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

Rubber Stocks may be a different story.I know that if you put K Frame RB Factory Combat Stocks on a N Frame RB the top of the back strap will not line up.They will look like this:

image by alex1961m, on Flickr
(Photo credit to Haris1)

As opposed to this:

image by alex1961m, on Flickr
(Photo credit to Haris1)

 

[75Vette]

Alright, this one's got my curiosity going. I got out the 624 3" and pulled off the combats and tried the UMs that came on my 696 (L Frame). Would not fit. I then tried a set of grips from my 3" 629 Talo ( N Frame) and they fit like a glove. I don't now what was being implied in the old ad from Lew Horton, but it's an N frame through and through.

 

[tmichael]

I must have two frankensmith's?

I will repost once I pull the 24-3 and 624 out of the safe and try out the different size factory Combats on both...

 

[k22fan]

"Arf, she said." 75Vette, I like your taste in females.

Sorry. Back to the topic.

As I recall things, Lew Horton's 3" round butt N frames were inspired by well publicized custom snubs. There were no round butt N frames so people laid round butt K frame stocks on their N frame, traced around them, then filed off metal below the level of the side plate. A very nice $10 set of gun show N targets was rasped down and sanded. Many gun rag articles described them as converted to K frame round butt. Lew Horton jumped on the bandwagon with adds which probably never actually claimed K frame stocks fit.

Over the years a few rubber and plastic grip manufactures claimed their grips fit both N and K frames. Most used compromise dimensions. One of Crimson Trace's laser models included a space filler for the top of K frame back straps. The OP wrote he found rubber K frame grips that fit. He must have found one of the compromise grips.

P.S. Yes, after finding no guns worth buying I used to bring back very nice $5 or $10 Target stocks from most gun shows as souvenirs.

P.P.S. timichael, You posted while I typed. I owned a Lew Horton 3" 24 during the 1980s. Is my memory that bad or have you not experimented swapping stocks?

 

[sheep.dog]

Well i tried some Jay Scott round butt K frame magnas and they did not fit correctly so they are now in the classifieds. I'll try some n frame magnas next.

 

[gunguy56]

24-3 is a K frame?

I bought a Lew Horton S&W 24 back in the 1980s....I remember the advertisement at the time saying it was a N frame with a K frame grip..wish I still had it..still have the blue cardboard S&W box with all the papers...might sell the box and docs..PM me if interested..