Clint Eastwood's 44 Magnum

[Marshall 357]

I watched Dirty Harry and Magnum Force. At the end of Dirty Harry when Clint goods thru the whole '' I know what your thinking'' line,you get a really good look at his 29,and it as a pinned barrel. When Magnum Force starts Clint is holding his 29 for several minutes and all you see is the side of the gun. That 29 does not have a pinned barrel. I always thought he used the same 44 in all the Dirty Harry movies. Anyone have info or knowledge on the different guns used?

 

[Evil One]

Magnum Force was a movie from 1973, are you SURE that barrel wasnt pinned?


Jim

 

[Marshall 357]

Yep, paused the dvd and zoomed in on the gun.

 

[Evil One]

If memory serves, they didnt make non pinned 29s in the early 1970s.
Actually, I dont think they made ANY non pinned N frames in 1973.

Jim

 

[P&R Fan]

Dirty Harry

If you watch Dirty Harry closely, in the beginning when he's giving the "I know what you're thinking" speech to the bank robber the guy gives up and Harry walks away. The robber says "hey, I gots ta know". Harry smirks, turns around, points the 29 at him, and then cocks it. The guy freaks out and then the camera goes to a frontal shot of Harry and shows him pulling the trigger double action. I notice stuff like that.

 

[HAWKEYE10]

Could you tell if the cylinder was recessed? Don

 

[buck460XVR]

according to the experts, it may have not even been a .44

Dirty Harry's gun is supposedly a Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver, chambered for a .44 Magnum cartridge. In the film, the gun is shown as being capable of sending assailants flying through the air, even when shot from a distance, however, in reality the gun does not produce such dramatic results. Additionally, the .44 Magnum round is not considered to be a practical caliber for urban police force use due to recoil (which makes target re-acquisition difficult) and over-penetration issues, which greatly increases the likelihood of the bullet going through its target and injuring bystanders. The actual gun used on set by Clint Eastwood was reportedly not a Smith & Wesson Model 29. According to a story circulated by a member of the studio's prop department, Smith & Wesson did not have a Model 29 in stock at the time, and so a Smith & Wesson Model 57 chambered for a .41 Magnum cartridge was used. The Model 29 and Model 57 are identical except for minute differences in bore size, chamber dimensions, and exterior markings, none of which are visible in the film. Fans however, have claimed that in a close up at the end of the film, the gun carried by Eastwood is in fact a genuine Model 29 chambered for a .44 Magnum. The close-up clearly shows the markings "44 MAGNU," with the final "M" blocked from view.

 

[Evil One]

The actual gun he used is on display at the NRA museum... its a Model 29.


Jim

 

[BruceM]

There really should be a sticky for this.

John Milius and Doc44 have written about this. All guns used in filming were 6 1/2" M29's provided by Smith & Wesson. No Model 25's or 57's and no 8 3/8" barrels.

So much for Wikipedia and other "experts".

Bruce

 

[PDL]

One thing Eastwood's character admitted in Magnum Force was that he had it loaded with .44 special rounds.

 

[Doc44]

S&W assembled two Model 29-2s from parts for the movie "Dirty Harry" that came out in 1971. The guns were assembled in S&W's tool room as the Model 29 was not in production at the time the guns were needed. Each revolver has a 6 1/2-inch barrel and bright blue finish and was shipped to a distributor in Los Angeles.

For the movie, "Magnum Force", I believe the Model 29 used was a 4-screw gun and has a serial number in the S205000 range or so. I think this is the one on display at the NRA museum in Virginia. There may have been a second gun, but I am not sure about this.

The Model 57 has a 6-inch barrel and is easily distinguished from a Model 29.

At the time these movies were made, all N-frames had barrel pins, as they were not eliminated until 1982.

Bill

 

[Photog]

Another question concerning his M29. I just watched DH again on DVD. In th last scene before he shoots the bad guy, he puts the gun to his side, turns it so the side of the gun is facing the camera. He flexes his right hand to adjust the grip and it sure looks to me like the gun was wearing "coke" grips. You have to watch on DVD and pause it at just the right moment to see the less than a second scene. Just wonder if anyone else noticed that or is it just me!

 

[jj2am44]

There really should be a sticky for this.

John Milius and Doc44 have written about this. All guns used in filming were 6 1/2" M29's provided by Smith & Wesson. No Model 25's or 57's and no 8 3/8" barrels.

So much for Wikipedia and other "experts".

Bruce

Here we go again, Bruce.

 

[BruceM]

"One thing Eastwood's character admitted in Magnum Force was that he had it loaded with .44 special rounds."

In the indoor range sequence, Callahan is asked what kind of load he uses in "that" .44. His reply was "a light special" which gives more control in that sized gun than a .357 magnum with wadcutters. He didn't say that they were .44 Specials.



B.

 

[CT Smith Fan]

Remington did make a "medium loading" round in those days.

 

[jj2am44]

I watched Dirty Harry and Magnum Force. At the end of Dirty Harry when Clint goods thru the whole '' I know what your thinking'' line,you get a really good look at his 29,and it as a pinned barrel. When Magnum Force starts Clint is holding his 29 for several minutes and all you see is the side of the gun. That 29 does not have a pinned barrel. I always thought he used the same 44 in all the Dirty Harry movies. Anyone have info or knowledge on the different guns used?

I'll admit it's hard to tell, but the barrel pin is there.

 

[jhvaughan2]

" His reply was "a light special" which gives more control in that sized gun than a .357 magnum with wadcutters. He didn't say that they were .44 Specials.

Since he was comparing them to wadcutters I always took this scene to mean he was been talking about his range load not his duty load.

The pin is there.

 

[Marshall 357]

Could you tell if the cylinder was recessed? Don

Nope, cant flip the view of the gun! LOL!!!

 

[Marshall 357]

Since he was comparing them to wadcutters I always took this scene to mean he was been talking about his range load not his duty load.

The pin is there.

I can see it! Maybe its time for a HD TV!!!

 

[gunnut44]

Could you tell if the cylinder was recessed? Don

That's a good one Don! I thought it was a Mod 57 he used in the Dirty Harry movies with a Mod 29 cylinder and Mod 27 grips!