What was intended market for Lew Horton 24-3

[bushmaster1313]

Anyone have any good info (or an educated guess) on the intended market and use of the 3" Lew Horton 24-3 back in the early 1980s

Was the idea to sell a relatively unique low volume item that would become an instant collectible or were they meant to be used, and if so by whom.

 

[epj]

I'd vote for the collectible scenario.

 

[Capt. F.]

I don't own a LH 24-3 but do own a LH 624 -3.
Don't know what the thinking was but whoever's idea it was proved successful.
I bought mine as soon as they made the announcement because of the "coolness" factor.
Mine's no safe queen, it gets used. They're actually fairly concealable in a pancake holster and accurate at reasonable distances as well.
I don't try to make a magnum out of it, loading the "Skeeter" load exclusively.
And with the beasts we have in the woods here in Maine, I definitely don't feel under gunned when I'm out and about.
Pic of mine resting with it's little brother, my 66.

 

[jaymoore]

I bought one new with the S&W holster (LH) and carried it a bunch! Still have it. Definitely not for it's "instant collectors' status". Old .44 Specials were much harder to come by then versus now. And the new .44s were cheaper. Got a new 6" 24-3 a little later on, when money came available.

 

[murphydog]

These were made during the mid-1980's resurgence (at S & W) of the large frame .44 Special, made in blue/nickel/stainless and in a variety of barrel lengths. I imagine they started out as guns to shoot but the collectors must've been excited about them as well, eventually.

 

[jaymoore]

At the time you couldn't hardly give away a 29-3. Folk were bemoaning the decline of S&W even then. (I heard a lot of that whilst working my way through school as an employee in a busy gunshop.) The "serious" collectors wouldn't hardly touch the "numbered models".

 

[7shooter]

A friend who is a retired correctional officer let me shoot his 3 inch 44 special . Fun soft shooting revolver.

I asked him to adopt me so I could inherit it. He declined .

 

[Laketime]

It was for concealed carry of a non magnum big bore back when revolvers ruled the market. A .44 /.41 magnum was added for woods carry soon after.

 

[Truckman]

Until recently I had two of them...Then some smooth-talking city slicker convinced me that a 3 for 1 trade would be to my advantage...At least it wasn't my NIB example, and I still have the 4" SB 24-3 to keep it company...I'm such a sucker......Ben

 

[cmj8591]

When these came out, Skeeter Skelton was talking up the 44 Special all over Guns And Ammo. That sort of flamed a demand. The only 44 Special, regular production gun at the time was the Charter Arms Bulldog. Colt SAA's could be had from their custom shop and some of the Italian makers were making SAA knockoffs. As I recall, Smith reintroduced the model 24, which started the ball rolling. Lew Horton came up with the 3" variation that was made to their specs. At the time, S&W would make a run of any variation of any of their guns if you bought 1000 units. Horton was famous for doing this, not just with Smith but with all of the major manufacturers. When Smith came out with the 624 about 1985, Horton did the same 3" variation. I remember that they really weren't that popular. My LGS got one of the original 24, 3" when they first came out. They came with a pancake holster that I think was made by Don Hume. That gun sat in his display case for a couple of years I think. I'm sure he ended up fire saleing it just to make space. Hindsight is always 20/20 but I wish I could get into the wayback machine with a fist full of Benjamin's'.

 

[Casual Smith Nut]

The intention was to make a bunch of S&W enthusiasts want them 30-40yrs later down the road. LOL

 

[6GUNSONLY]

The intention was to make a bunch of S&W enthusiasts want them 30-40yrs later down the road. LOL

If so, it was a howling success.

I have the 4" and 6.5" 24-3s, and really wanted the trifecta but my stingy side has kept me without a 3" version so far. But I'm pretty happy with my 4" gun, easily in my top 3 favorite sixguns. Not much you can't do with it.

 

[silverstateS&W]

The general intention of "distributor exclusives" was also to encourage a dealer to do business with a particular distributor in order to get that model (and more down the road) also to maybe make another 1-2% over a standard gun. In reality it was often a challenge to get a particular dealer to open a new account , given the inflexibilty of some.

 

[cmj8591]

The general intention of "distributor exclusives" was also to encourage a dealer to do business with a particular distributor in order to get that model (and more down the road) also to maybe make another 1-2% over a standard gun. In reality it was often a challenge to get a particular dealer to open a new account , given the inflexibilty of some.

Lew Horton had a retail store in Framingham, Ma. in the 80's. I remember going there and lusting after some of those "exclusives" that they had lined up in their display cases. There were some beautiful guns there. I don't remember any of the LGS's around me in those days who didn't have an account with LH.

 

[CH4]

I am not sure why LH created the 24-3, but it's deep blue finish and tapered 3" barrel are sexy; he was definitely a visionary with great taste. Nevertheless, since I already have 2 LH 3" 629-1s, I wasn't in a big hurry to grab one.

Interestingly, after dinner this past Valentine's Day I convinced my lady we should stop by the Bass Pro in Vegas. I was kinda shocked to find a pristine 3" 24-3 with combats sitting forlornly in the used gun section. With a final price of $783 I damn near tore my rotator cuff getting my wallet out. It's now aptly known as the "Valentine's Day" gun.

 

[spin132]

Apparently I was part of the "intended market". [emoji4]

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[Valmet]

I've always had an affinity for the 4" Model...

 

[flintsghost]

At the time all the N frame 3" revolvers started coming out, gunsmiths who worked on revolvers were doing a lot of business rounding the square butts and shortening the barrels. I know at the NRA convention in Denver, the local 300 gunsmith service showed a 3" round butt to the S&W people at their booth. It was the first one they had seen. He had already done a couple. Then it took hold and other smiths started doing them and it seemed that every month this or that Gun magazine had a new article on one. Shortly after that S&W brought out the stainless series of 629 and 624's. Pretty soon here came the 624 no dash and the 629-1 with a 3" barrel and a round butt. These were the original Lew Horton versions. After the stainless the blue versions followed. That's my recollection. I have a 624 no dash, a 629-1 and a 625-3 that are all 3" barrels and I shoot them regularly. They are all handier than their longer barreled versions and carry well. I've had two 657's but I didn't like either of them with 3" barrels better than their bigger cousins. The cartridge is great but the gun is heavier and doesn't balance as well in my opinion. I believe that S&W then started the mountain gun craze after the 629-2 did so well with the tapered barrel and round butt. The mountain gun was the thing that slowed down the 3" barrel craze. That's my opinion based on what I remember.

 

[bushmaster1313]

Great info
Thanks
I have some extra ammo that I bought for an old .44 special revolver that is now semi-retired and I have been looking at relatively newer guns in that chambering.

 

[Jimmy4570]

The only real downer is that they never did thise with a 3 1/2" tube...