another San Francisco gunshow surprise - 24-3 Lew Horton!

[northslope]

So - headed off this morning a little before 9AM to get to the Crossroads of the West gunshow at the Cow Palace just south of San Francisco. Not a lot in the way of Smiths to look at today, but lo and behold I did find a minty 24-3:

Serial number is AEJ****; combat grips are in excellent shape; lockup is solid, and there is barely a turn ring on the cylinder. No muzzle wear - only a small 3mm hairline scratch on the cylinder. The dealer was selling it with a nice El Paso Saddlery holster - but it was right-handed (I'm a lefty). I talked him down $50 and he kept the holster - so I got this puppy for $700.

Alas, all the .44 special was gone from the Miwall ammo booth when I got there...

Have been on the lookout forever for one of these ... this is the first one I've ever actually seen in California. More pics when I get it out of 10-day jail! This is the third S&W gem I've found at the comparatively sparse Cow Palace show (previously scored a 547 and a 29-5 in the last year or so).

cheers,
--Neill

 

[gunnut44]

Great looking gun and a great price! I seen one also today at a gun show for a grand and it was not as nice as yours. That is one gun that is on my list to have someday when a nice one comes along. Congrats!

 

[ElToro]

good score. i picked up 2 in one day a few years ago. one at Kerleys and one at the gun store on camden ave in campbell. those grips are worth $100+

sold 1 and traded the other. wish i had one back.

the gun store in Dublin CA ( by americas tire) has 44 spec ammo magtech cowboy if you need something to shoot right away and get some brass. otherwise good (any !) 44 spec ammo is still hard to find these days.

see my post in the accessories thread for N RB grips i have for sale right now.

 

[sw282]

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[sheriffoconee]

Georgia Arms has it as well, again, if your state lets you order it

 

[wheelgun28]

Looks sweet!!

I really like these...

I am drooling on a local one, hoping to be is new owner.....

 

[charlie sherrill]

I saw one at the Kenner,La. gunshow today. I didn't ask the price because I was looking at the 4" 625 (.45 Colt) sitting next to it. I think $700 is a very good California price.

 

[sw282]

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[ElToro]

for the time being we can still mail order ammo in PRK.
as recently as about 3 weeks ago, georgia arms had none and cabelas always seems pricey, but their inventory was limited.

just got 4 boxes of hornaday 180 XTP off GB for 22 a box delivered

 

[Joe in SC]

Northslope, I'm curious about something. In South Carolina where I live we aren't restricted as much regarding handguns as many places are and boy, am I glad to live in such a place! We have public shooting ranges (outdoors) throughout the state maintained by state Wildlife resources, a good many indoor ranges open to the public and also numerous gunclubs with ranges, both indoors and out. Also, lots of my rural friends (outside city limits) shoot regularly on their own property as long as they aren't doing it late at night.

I read alot about the restrictive laws in your state and a few others. In the case of your state and locale, do your have a readily accessable and inexpensive place to shoot or are those places hard to find as dipected in many of the gun publications? Does the state and local laws make it difficult to transport your guns to and fro when going to shoot? In other words is it as bad in the San Francisco area as the media makes it sound?

Just curious. Thanks. Nice revolver by the way and would be a good buy here as well. Nice find.

Joe in SC

 

[northslope]

Northslope, I'm curious about something.

[...]

I read alot about the restrictive laws in your state and a few others. In the case of your state and locale, do your have a readily accessable and inexpensive place to shoot or are those places hard to find as dipected in many of the gun publications? Does the state and local laws make it difficult to transport your guns to and fro when going to shoot? In other words is it as bad in the San Francisco area as the media makes it sound?

Hi Joe - great question. I'm a native North Carolinian - grew up in SW Virginia, so I'm pretty familiar with how generally accepted the gun culture is back there. I sure do miss the gun shows in Bealeton...

In California the restrictions are, generally speaking, more about what you can and can't buy. New handguns imported into the state have to be on a "Safe Handgun Roster", for example. Used or consigned handguns already in CA may be transferred through an FFL + background check & waiting period.

I don't have the statute handy, but CA law does state that your handguns must be locked in your trunk (or locking case if SUV...) for transport. Long-guns may be transported unloaded in the cabin of your vehicle, generally. But the law is written to discourage "truck guns", if you will.

As far as shooting - if you live in an unincorporated area, you can certainly shoot on private property - but there isn't much of that in the Bay Area. However, one of the things I love about the West - is that there are some large swaths of public land managed by the Feds - (BLM) where you can shoot outdoors to your heart's content. The area I go to is ~2.5 hours away or so.

And - there is a LOT of quiet middle-of-nowhere space to make a weekend of shooting in Nevada. I try and spend a few days in the desert after I attend the "Big Reno Show" every year. That's a 6-hour drive from the Bay Area.

(Worth noting, too, is that C&R FFL holders such as my self can buy C&R guns FTF outside the state - we're required the register the C&R firearms by mail upon re-entry.)

As far as commercial shooting ranges; there are 5 within an hours' drive that I can think of.

--Neill

 

[Joe in SC]

Neill, Thanks for taking the time to clear up some misconceptions I had about handgun ownership and shooting in California. We are certainly bombarded by information, both pro and con by the mainstream media (television, internet and print). It is good to get it straight from a source such as this forum (which I damn sure believe over the likes of ABC, NBC or CBS) and more specifically from a member who is in the "thick" of things, so to speak. Admittedly, I did think San Francisco was probably more restrictive than you report. Thanks again.

Joe in SC

 

[sw282]

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[northslope]

Got the 24 bailed out of 10-day jail; here she is with her native combat grips:

...I swapped on a pair of Eagle Heritage 'coke' grips (round-to-square conversion) and ... I gotta say, I love the way they look! They feel great, too.

cheers,
--Neill

 

[DCWilson]

Neill, great photos of a great revolver -- and the price is right, too. I paid a grand over a year ago for one of those down here in SoCal. It came with box and docs, and may not have been fired outside of the factory. I will remedy that one of these days, but so far I have been having fun with .22s, .32s, .38s and some L-frame .44s.

Do you know that as a C&R holder you can get a supplementary document from the California DOJ called a Certificate of Eligibility, or COE? This document lets you take delivery of a C&R gun the same day you buy it, and it also relieves you of the one-gun-every-30-days rule in this state if you are buying through FFL holders. It costs you a few bucks to get it in the first place (mostly for a live-scan fingerprint submission), but it's cheap to renew annually.

 

[northslope]

Do you know that as a C&R holder you can get a supplementary document from the California DOJ called a Certificate of Eligibility, or COE? This document lets you take delivery of a C&R gun the same day you buy it, and it also relieves you of the one-gun-every-30-days rule in this state if you are buying through FFL holders. It costs you a few bucks to get it in the first place (mostly for a live-scan fingerprint submission), but it's cheap to renew annually.

I am aware of this, but it's worth repeating for other CA folks on this board -- thanks for pointing it out!

I haven't gone through the application process yet because I'm still outspending my gun budget allocation even with the 1-in-30 restriction! (Trips to Reno with my C&R don't help)

cheers,
Neill