I’m late to the party. I just heard of Dark Winds a couple days ago. As soon as we finish up Bosch 3 we’ll check it out.
Dark Winds and the .44
- Thread starter SGT ROCK 11B
- Start date
I hit Gallup, NM in 1980 with the NMSP and stayed until '87. At the time Navajo Police mostly carried a hodge-podge of weary BIA-provided 38 M&Ps and a few M-19s; few had personal weapons. Things have changed for the better since. Their vehicles and radios were worse than ours at the time, and ours weren't good until they changed the state constitution to allow us to keep narcotics forfeiture assets.
Those of us who actually worked a lot in Indian Country (mostly Navajo, but also Zuni, Acoma, and Laguna) agreed that while Hillerman wrote good stories, he must have spent lots of money buying beer for locals and trying to get secrets out of them. There was clearly high beer Bravo-Sierra-ing that made it into his pages.
Those of us who actually worked a lot in Indian Country (mostly Navajo, but also Zuni, Acoma, and Laguna) agreed that while Hillerman wrote good stories, he must have spent lots of money buying beer for locals and trying to get secrets out of them. There was clearly high beer Bravo-Sierra-ing that made it into his pages.
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I carried mine in the early 80's. Carried it with a cylinder full of those Remington mid range 240 grain LSWC. They were supposed to be around 1000 or 1100 fps muzzle velocity if I remember correctly. The speed loaders were Reminton 240 grain hollow points.
Sometimes people would notice it and say, "Man, that's a big gun. What is it?" I'd smile and thell them it was a S&W M27 .357 magnum. No way to tell in the holster.
I started carrying it when policy in the department changed and we went from ignoring vans (most likely selling drugs to people) to confronting them and telling them they had to leave the area. I hated doing that. No way to know how many people were in the van or how many guns were in there with them.
Yeah, a relative of the Chief had been arrested for possession or selling prior to my start there and his policy after that was to ignore the selling of drugs in the area. Odd place to work sometimes. Quite often where a person came from determined what we did with them. Some officers handled that by just not arresting anyone.
Sometimes people would notice it and say, "Man, that's a big gun. What is it?" I'd smile and thell them it was a S&W M27 .357 magnum. No way to tell in the holster.
I started carrying it when policy in the department changed and we went from ignoring vans (most likely selling drugs to people) to confronting them and telling them they had to leave the area. I hated doing that. No way to know how many people were in the van or how many guns were in there with them.
Yeah, a relative of the Chief had been arrested for possession or selling prior to my start there and his policy after that was to ignore the selling of drugs in the area. Odd place to work sometimes. Quite often where a person came from determined what we did with them. Some officers handled that by just not arresting anyone.
I'm enjoying the series, but having read all of Tony Hillerman's books (a lot of them more than once), I'm constantly noticing where the series deviates from the novels. Oh well. Still better than 98% of what's on.
As a deputy in the late 70s I carried a 4" model 57 with midrange handloads with the old Speer 3/4 jacket 200 grain SWC/HP for a while, eventually switching to a Colt Government Model .45 ACP.
As a deputy in the late 70s I carried a 4" model 57 with midrange handloads with the old Speer 3/4 jacket 200 grain SWC/HP for a while, eventually switching to a Colt Government Model .45 ACP.
Rodan
Member
Finally finished Season 3 tonight. They are really departing from the feel of the Hillerman novels, and while the basic plot points are there, the major characters are recognizable in name only. To some degree, you have to accept that in tv/movies, because faithful adaptations like Bosch are few and far between. George RR Martin and Robert Redford having cameos in the first episode was entertaining. I'm not a big Redford fan, but he was also a producer on the early Hillerman movie adaptations, so credit where credit is due. Gotta love Bernie's Highway Patrolman.
Season 3 had a lot more continuity and editing errors than the previous 2 seasons as well. People switched guns in cuts, some closeups were obviously molded 'stunt' guns, and guns moved magically from holster to hand to holster in some shots. A camera was visible in a mirror in one scene, and during one entire sequence in the "fever dream" episode Leaphorn magically becomes left handed because they flipped the image. Lazy filmmaking... and some pretty lazy writing as well, lots of anachronistic language.
I really want to like this series, but I hope they don't just phone it in again for Season 4. Hopefully the writers will stop trying to be too creative and just look to what Hillerman wrote.
Season 3 had a lot more continuity and editing errors than the previous 2 seasons as well. People switched guns in cuts, some closeups were obviously molded 'stunt' guns, and guns moved magically from holster to hand to holster in some shots. A camera was visible in a mirror in one scene, and during one entire sequence in the "fever dream" episode Leaphorn magically becomes left handed because they flipped the image. Lazy filmmaking... and some pretty lazy writing as well, lots of anachronistic language.
I really want to like this series, but I hope they don't just phone it in again for Season 4. Hopefully the writers will stop trying to be too creative and just look to what Hillerman wrote.
The retired gunsmith, whom I respect, was S&W trained, regularly placed in California police pistol back in the day, taught some name smiths at Trinidad, and worked in the right place at the right time. Reaming a 29 cylinder to .45 Colt would have made sense for the prop department. But mostly, I know and believe him. There were several movies made. He did not say for which one.
Mostly, I appreciate the work he did on my pawn shop 5” 27 find. He really knew his way around a Smith. His name has come up in this forum before.
THE PILGRIM
Member
Jimmy bought his 29 from Kleins?
I heard that was a good source of MILSURP Rifles!
I heard that was a good source of MILSURP Rifles!
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I only worked with one man who qualified one and carried it on duty with 240 grain SJHP magnums. He was built like a fire hydrant with a couple of pythons for arms. Short, stocky and a badass. I worked Private Security back when most of us were sworn in by a Circuit Court Judge as Special Police Officers...since they didn't have enough money for big Sheriffs Departments locally. Company owner only let a few carry anything other than 4 inch .38/357 revolvers or 9mm Semis. You had to carry with the same ammo you used so most carried .38 SJHP rounds. I carried a S&W Model 28 6 inch and then a Python 6 inch with Remington or Winchester 125 grain SJHPs. Had to qualify with 95% or better to carry the hot magnum loads.
Finally got into AMC+ to stream DW-S3. My cable provider includes this streaming service in the package, I'm cheap, I refuse to pay, I prefer to keep that money for ammo.
Someone mentioned the generous lack of continuity from scene to scene. BTW, I've only watched the first 3 episodes of S3. In the first episode, Border Agent Bernadette (that's her name right?) was searching the white van. I swore she had a 4" Python. It was stolen from her. She was issued a new sidearm by the supervisor, it looked like a Smith. In a later episode, the stolen revolver was "returned" to her, it was a Smith.
Someone mentioned the generous lack of continuity from scene to scene. BTW, I've only watched the first 3 episodes of S3. In the first episode, Border Agent Bernadette (that's her name right?) was searching the white van. I swore she had a 4" Python. It was stolen from her. She was issued a new sidearm by the supervisor, it looked like a Smith. In a later episode, the stolen revolver was "returned" to her, it was a Smith.
Rodan
Member
That was one of the incidents I noticed... when she first gets out of her car she has a Python (586?? It was blue and had a full underlug). It magically changes to a Highway Patrolman in a following scene before being stolen, and it's an HP when returned.
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