Is It A Lou Horton?

[2sharp2]

Sorry I forgot to take a picture. I was at a gun show today looking at a S&W M629-1 Stainless with a short barrel 2 5/8" or maybe 3" didn't have a ruler. It had the rounded walnut grip with finger grooves. A smooth trigger and a red insert front sight. I think it had 3 screws but did not count them. Here's the deal, it was on a regular blue plastic S&W box. It was not priced. Seller told me it was a "Lou Horton" and only 300 were made and that's why he priced it at $1,400.00. I asked if he had any documentation of it being a Lou Horton...answer NO.
It was in like new condition, did not look to have been fired or at least not much.
The serial number on the gun was AWD 0062
From what I can tell ANCxxxx should be the letter prefix. But I don't know for sure.
Thanks for your help, hope it is enough info.

 

[SAFireman]

They are all made at the S&W factory. Lew Horton only sold them....

You can call LH Distributing and find out of they sold it, but it won't make any real difference in the price. FWIW - it sounds over priced. The magnum snubbies are nice, but don't over pay based on who sold it.....now, if Elvis owned it, that'd be different.

 

[Retired W4]

Lew Horton made 8000 629-1's in 1986-1987, not 300.
Distributed!! not made.

 

[varmint243]

I wouldn't take the word of a gun show vendor about anything.
You better know your stuff forwards, backwards, inside and out if you are going to wheel and deal on stuff at the gun show.
Caveat Emptor is the phrase of the day at the gun show.

 

[Retired W4]

I wouldn't take the word of a gun show vendor about anything.
You better know your stuff forwards, backwards, inside and out if you are going to wheel and deal on stuff at the gun show.
Caveat Emptor is the phrase of the day at the gun show.

My partner and I set up at most of the Atlanta gun shows and I am all about the truth and full disclosure of what I know. We are not all shisters.

It is true one should know what you are getting into when buying anything, especially guns. I have personally seen vendors trying to take advantage of unsuspecting buyers, and it is a shame.

 

[Retired W4]

I took my LH 24-3 to the range again yesterday and it is one of the sweetest shooting guns I own. A lot of people treat them as safe queens but they are built to shoot!!

 

[b_san]

Lew Horton made 8000 629-1's in 1986-1987, not 300.
Distributed!! not made.

Lew Horton claims they distributed 5000, I know S&W sent out more though so that may account for the extra 3000. Regardless, it's not easy to find one in good condition with box etc. for much less than the price in the first post. But just for the gun (as that one comes in a plain box) it's a couple hundred too high IMO.

 

[2sharp2]

Thanks for the response. Would it have come in a regular Blue plastic S & W box? I did call Lew Horton...closed on Saturday's.
I didn't care either way if it was a Lew Horton or not but I really liked the pistol sadly I did not have enough cash on me to make him a serious offer. It was in great condition but I also thought it was priced a little high.

 

[Nightowl]

I don't think the plastic boxes showed up until the 90s, maybe even mid 90s. My 629-3 shipped in a cardboard box.

 

[k20350]

Thanks for the response. Would it have come in a regular Blue plastic S & W box? I did call Lew Horton...closed on Saturday's.
I didn't care either way if it was a Lew Horton or not but I really liked the pistol sadly I did not have enough cash on me to make him a serious offer. It was in great condition but I also thought it was priced a little high.

i have a very nice Talo 3" 629. I paid around $900 new OTD. You can find them. Gun shows are for people with more money than brains anymore. If you need a new purse, cheap chinese scope or some beef jerkey around here gun shows are the ticket. Sorry to the guy who arranges them above.

 

[CH4]

FWIW, my confirmed LH 629-1 3" has serial # ANCXXXX. Did it have the factory combat stocks? I believe the serial # you list may be for the 3K S&W released - same gun, but not distributed by LH. Either way that gun doesn't usually command $1,400, especially without the blue cardboard box and all the goodies contained therein. With factory combat grips it's a $900-$1100 gun - in California.

 

[dotdsd334]

1 piece cardboard box for the 629-1...

Paid $1450 for my NIB 629-1 about 4 months ago

 

[majex45]

I have a 629-1 Serial number BBA0829 with a 3 inch barrel & round gripframe with the original wooden finger groove grips. See avatar where it is wearing Pachmayr grips. According to Supica the LH guns were prefix ANC. Is mine an over-run to the LH production sold direct by S&W or did S&W make some more when they saw how popular the LH guns were? Does anyone also know how many of my type were made & when? I cannot find the BBA prefix in the serial number listing in my copy of Supica (second edition).

 

[CH4]

1 piece cardboard box for the 629-1...

Paid $1450 for my NIB 629-1 about 4 months ago

WTB: 610-2 3"

That's very good to hear!

 

[Erich]

Seller told me it was a "Lou Horton" and only 300 were made and that's why he priced it at $1,400.00. I asked if he had any documentation of it being a Lou Horton...answer NO.

Sounds like a really great gun - and the price strikes me as high.

I am forever amused at how some sellers want to assign mystical meaning to Lew Horton's imprimatur. I managed a store in the late '80s and sold piles of S&Ws we bought from LH . . . I even still own one (a 3" "Model of 1989" 625-3). The reason one mentions a distributor is to convey information to other cognoscenti - when I say that I have a TALO New Vaquero birdshead .45 ACP, the guys on the Ruger boards know the set of features I'm talking about. Same with my Lew Horton gun: back in 1989, the store owner would say, "Hey, call Larry and get more of those 5" Lew Horton .45s; these old guys can't get enough of them," and I'd know what he meant. Some LH ideas were great (and sold and sold and sold), and others were dogs (remember the "El" series treinta-y-ocho Supers that languished in their Shotgun News ads for years?).

I'm tickled when I hear of a seller saying, "Oh! And it's a Lew Horton gun!," as if that adds some value to the piece. Makes as much sense as playing "Dollar Poker" with the serial numbers to see which gun is worth more . . . "This gun has three eights and two ones in its serial number! Dead Man's Hand - that's worth a $500 premium."

I hope you can get the great gun, though - and I'm glad you're not going to let him snow you on the value.

 

[ladder13]

As SAFireman said, alls you have to do is call LH.

And I agree with Erich, and others, it's really not that much of a big deal, but some like to hear LH.

I'd buy the same model non LH gun just as fast if I wanted same. Would not pay any premium.


"This gun has three eights and two ones in its serial number! Dead Man's Hand - that's worth a $500 premium." "

That's funny.