What Is So Special About a Lew Horton Gun?

[finesse_r]

I keep seeing guns that are referred to as Lew Horton's and they typically sell for from $100 to $400 more than the very same gun that is not a Lew Horton gun? In models like the 624 the only way to tell a Lew Horton gun from some of the other 624's is to call Lew Horton or S&W. Besides putting his name on them what does he do to warrant such a premium?

 

[Number1gun]

Nothing..for the most part. They are a distributer. They often ask Smith, Ruger, xxx? To make a limited production run on xxx? With features not normally available in the factory stock version. Different grips, sights, checkering, blah, blah. Some are quite unique others are, well, Meh.
Pretty much all the manufacturers will do a limited run for any one that makes the deal worth while for them. I would think in the current climate you will see less limited runs. Just because the factories are trying to catch up with regular stocking items.

 

[feralmerril]

I thought the lew horton guns were different than standard production in combinations of features available. Also they are from the perfomance center. Perhaps there were over runs that were put in dealerships that didnt go through lew horton. I have this 66-3.

 

[elm_creek_smith]

I have this 66-3.

Sweet!

ECS

 

[Erich]

You know, I was working in a gun store 25 years ago when the LH guns really were rolling hard and, as others have noted, they were just a distributor that had S&W make them up certain runs of guns with features they thought would sell.

I think the perceived "big deal" of Lew Horton started on boards like this one where people started noting for precision's sake that such-and-such gun they were showing off or selling was a Lew Horton edition. After a while, people who didn't know what that actually meant (and why should they?) misunderstood that this meant the guns were somehow premium.

Such are the vagaries of the marketplace. Uninformed consumers often move price points just as much as informed consumers.

 

[P&R Fan]

It's because he spells his name "Lew".

You know, like a fancy restaurant called the Big Hog Buffet "Centre", instead of "Center".
Makes it kinda snobbish.
Jim

 

[daveyc]

they have some different features than stock guns and also are much more limited.

 

[old bear]

Uninformed consumers often move price points just as much as informed consumers.

Sadly this is becoming truer and truer on a regular basis.

 

[LimaCharlie]

This is my Lew Horton special 1911. I bought it because I liked the fit, finish, and the engraving for a good price. I called Lew Horton for information. It is from late 2006 and is one of fifty made. It came with simulated ivory grips. I added these grips from Sarge's Grips.

 

[handgunner356]

I wouldn't pay much extra for a Lew Horton unless it was one that had unique features. Unfortunately Lew might run 500 of a certain model and sell it out fairly quick so S&W will run 500-1,000 or more afterwards. A lot of the Performance Center guns start out at Lew Hortons but later on are offered through other distirbutors.

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

There are a lot of things that make a Lew Horton gun special,Here are a couple of old ads:

(Thanks to Smithnut for the vintage ads)

 

[Gunhacker]

Today the original uniqueness of Lew Horton Guns has been diluted by the establishment of the Performance Center, and S&W trying to cash in on the success of some of the overwhelming sucessful LH editions by adding them to their regular catalog (at one time of another) and making a slight adjustment to the features , such as fluted versus non-fluted cylinder or square butt versus round butt, to "distinguish" them from the Lew Horton edition that it was copied from.

And it's not just Lew Horton, that S&W spun off cataloged item from. RSR which is another large S&W distributor that commissioned special editions, RSR was responsible for originally coming up with the 945, which was subsequently adopted as a performance center cataloged item.

I think there are early Lew Horton limited editions deserving the premiums attached to them, such as the 3" bbl M24-3 .44 Special that never became a S&W "knock off", but the Performance Center johnny come lately Lew Horton editions... not so much, they don't differ enough from what's already being made.

 

[Pilgrim]

 

[Mack]

I think there are early Lew Horton limited editions deserving the premiums attached to them, such as the 3" bbl M24-4 .44 Special that never became a S&W "knock off", but the Performance Center johnny come lately Lew Horton editions... not so much, they don't differ enough from what's already being made.

I believe you mean the 24-3, but S&W did make a "knock off" version, the 624. They made it out of SS because they had an agreement with Lew Horton about the production numbers and changing the material was a way of getting around this. Funny thing is LH did not take delivery of all the contracted 24's, demand was not that great so S&W sold the left overs to others which is why you need to call LH to confirm a 24 is one of theirs.

 

[rburg]

OK, Feral, tell us about the holster! Who made it? Pretty nice.

 

[S&WIowegan]

Lew Horton S&Ws are not necessarily Performance Center produced. They usually have features that are non-catalog, i.e. ports, comps, unfluted cylinders, etc. They are usually a limited run and eventually claim a bit of scarcity value.

Some of LHs most famous S&W runs were 2500 686 snubs in the 1980s and very large runs of N-frame snubs in both blue and stainless, i.e. 24, 624, 57, 657, 29, 629.

They also made a career out of bringing highly polished Colt .38 Supers with names like El Jefe which went immediately to Mexico. These guns are showing up regularly on GB.

 

[feralmerril]

RBURG, thats a el paso. I bought it new at a gunshow shortly after I bought the gun back around 1988? Its for a K frame 4". Seems I remember giveing $50s? for it. At the same time I bought a cimmeron thunderer in 3 1/2", the gun fit that, and this. At least there was no six month wait. I think its the 1930 austin model with the string loop option and has floral engraveing.
Classic Carry Holsters

 

[Gunhacker]

I believe you mean the 24-3, but S&W did make a "knock off" version, the 624. They made it out of SS because they had an agreement with Lew Horton about the production numbers and changing the material was a way of getting around this. Funny thing is LH did not take delivery of all the contracted 24's, demand was not that great so S&W sold the left overs to others which is why you need to call LH to confirm a 24 is one of theirs.

Yep... that was a (typical for me) fat finger on my part, embarrasing too when I have one of those puppies.

Thanks for posting that ad... $299.97 wow, sounds dirt cheap, which I'm sure wasn't the case in 1984.

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

And $20 for the 3" N frame holster,They sell for 5x that now.

 

[flundertaker]

Sadly this is becoming truer and truer on a regular basis.

I will admit to being part of this phenominon(sp?). The "problem" isnt entirely with the uninformed, however, it also lies with a lot of "you guys" who perhaps initially just collected and held the really rare and collectable guns like the RMs and 5 screw pre model stuff. It seems now more are also hoarding up stuff that was never all that collectable but now has become so. Things like model 28, 19, anything P&R triple T, etc. So in order for anyone, such as myself who is admitely late to the dance, to get in on the action we have to be willing to pay more. Yeah, it means you have to pay more to add to your already sizeable collection but it also means that same collection is worth more as well, if you were willing to part with any of it, which probably wont happen.

Please understand, I am not condeming those who have been collecting for years (I am actually kinda jealous) but rather simply stating that the price of admission for those of us who would also like a piece of the action has gone up. If it didnt those of you with many already would keep buying them up from fellow collectors. Its only when they get outside the established circle do many of us get a chance to own a classic revolver. Yeah, we may pay more than we should but isnt that really just the market dictating the price?