PRICE CHECK! S&W 629 Classic Hunter

[qballwill]

Grab it!

They're great revolvers and accurate too.

Not to be a wet rag, but IIRC, this is a Classic Hunter.

I bought it when they were new, had it hard chromed.

I believe it was Shooting Times that had a contest to name it and Classic Hunter was the winning contribution.

Yours might be a Classic, just not a Classic Hunter.

Not so, classic hunters didn't have adjustable front sights. The one this thread is talking about matches the classic hunter description perfectly.
From SCSW 3rd •The .44 Magnum Classic Hunter: Model 629-1 or 629-2, 6-shot unfluted cylinder, 6”full-lug barrel, .500”target hammer, .400”smooth combat trigger, pinned black ramp front sight with white outline rear sight, Hogue soft rubber combat grips on a square butt frame (five were manufactured with an adjustable front sight), “AVZ”serial prefix. Product code 103616. 5,000 manufactured in 1988. •

The product code on the box is also the one for a classic hunter.

 

[Rahjerz]

629-1 Classic Hunter

Bought this from the original owner, says he didn't shoot it and I haven't shot it. Box, Docs, unopened cleaning kit and S&W paper. Really a fine gun. Wouldn't take less than $1200.00

 

[629shooter]

Ok guys, I jumped on it. I'm mailing the money order off at lunch.

Good call!

 

[AveragEd]

Twig, your gun is a 629 Silhouette. That front sight is supposed to be able to be set for the four yardages used in silhouette competition. The unfortunate decline in popularity of that sport resulted in the discontinuance of those guns, which were also made on the 6" L-frame platform.

Ed

 

[CWH44300]

Snapping twigs gun is a 29-3 classic hunter. Here is the original write up on it.
The 629 classic hunter is a different animal, both are very nice.
If I came across an original first run 629 classic hunter in the box for $720, I'd pull a muscle going for my wallet.
To the op, great score!

 

[Snapping Twig]

Thanks. I recall that being the case.

I am a bit confused about the fixed sight also being called a Classic Hunter.

Mine is from the second run, the first were sold before they hit the dealers shelves and I had to pre order mine to secure it.

I was a hair away from buying the 686 version, but got outbid some years back.

 

[qballwill]

Thanks. I recall that being the case.

I am a bit confused about the fixed sight also being called a Classic Hunter.

Mine is from the second run, the first were sold before they hit the dealers shelves and I had to pre order mine to secure it.

I was a hair away from buying the 686 version, but got outbid some years back.

So I missed the part of your post that said yours was hard chromed. I have been scouring my SCSW looking for a 629 that matched yours. If I would read more carefully, I would have noticed yours was originally blued. So I copied this from the SCSW under the model 29 section.
."•The Classic Hunter: Lew Horton Special, Model 29-3, 6-shot non-fluted cylinder, 6”full-lug barrel, adjustable four-position front sight, white outline rear blade, blue finish, Hogue rubber combat grips, N target frame, square butt. Product code 101230; 5,000 manufactured in 1987. ANIB $ 650."
But a majority of the classic hunters in both 29 and 629 versions were ramp sights.

 

[klw629]

I have a 3 inch Classic Hunter (629-2)made in 1988 that is one of 3200 so there were different barrel lenghts of the Classic Hunter.(5000 6 inch 2500 8 3/8.) Pics are not working.

 

[moralem]

Is there such a thing as a classic hunter in other calibers. I am looking at a model 686 that the seller says is a classic hunter. What makes a model a classic hunter?

 

[qballwill]

Yes, there is a 686 classic hunter. I think the only common thing that a classic hunter has between models is the unfluted cylinder and full lug barrel.

 

[AveragEd]

The 686 Classic Hunter looked like a normal 6" 686 except they had an unfluted cylinder and a black ramp front sight. Most came with the aftermarket Hogue MonoGrip without S&W emblems (WHY???) but some, like mine, had S&W checkered target stocks.

Another oddity aside from the Hogue grip used is that regardless of the grip or stocks with which they were shipped, they all had the same product code. The box labels did not specify anything about "Classic Hunter," just that the gun had an unfluted cylinder.

Finally, I've always wondered why they called the gun a "Hunter" and then fitted it with that sight package. Hunting is one application where a red ramp/white outline sight package or anything with color on it would have been much better.

Ed

 

[BongoBoy]

Grab it!

...

...and they could have called this one the Pig Plugger Professional--I'd still want one...real bad.

Absolutely beautiful, whatever the heck it's called.

 

[CH4]

[QUOTE If I came across an original first run 629 classic hunter in the box for $720, I'd pull a muscle going for my wallet.
To the op, great score![/QUOTE]

Yep, we'd both sitting in physical therapy!

 

[moralem]

Yes, there is a 686 classic hunter. I think the only common thing that a classic hunter has between models is the unfluted cylinder and full lug barrel.

Thanks for the info, I am looking at a 686 classic hunter and it has an unfluted cylinder, but I am unsure of the sights. I will probably check it out this weekend and see if I can negotiate the seller down from their asking price of 750.....no box or papers. I was thinking 675-695 if he will budge.

 

[july1952]

I have the 686-3 Classic Hunter and the 629-2 Classic Hunter. The 686 was my first S&W revolver and my first handgun. Bought it new in 1989 for $399; bought the 629 (used) from a fellow member of this forum about 10 years ago for $425. They are permanent pieces of my collection.