Dirty Harry's cylinder rotation.........

The truth needs to be told, that is not a Model 29, it is not a 44 Mag. It is a Model 25 in 45 Colt. Oh, sure, they had 2 model 29s on the set but all the action shots were with a Model 25. The reason, no 44 mag or 44 special blanks were avaliable a that time. All the hollywood movie makes had access to piles of 45 Colt blanks, all those cowboy movies required them.
 
Scott in NCal said:
The truth needs to be told, that is not a Model 29, it is not a 44 Mag. It is a Model 25 in 45 Colt. Oh, sure, they had 2 model 29s on the set but all the action shots were with a Model 25. The reason, no 44 mag or 44 special blanks were avaliable a that time. All the hollywood movie makes had access to piles of 45 Colt blanks, all those cowboy movies required them.
Click to expand...

Except I believe the movie pre-dated the 25-5? That's what my frequently inaccurate memory tells me.

I doubt they could obtain one of the rare .45 Colts that pre-dated the 25-5.

I'd think it would be easy enough to load whatever blanks were needed. I've read somewhere that they actually had a hard time finding a Model 29, and used a Model 57.

I don't think anybody really knows.

Talk:Dirty Harry - Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games
 
Counting shots was drilled into me during my rookie range training in 1968 and I've done it ever since. The only time I lose count is during LEOSA qualification w/my Glock 17 stuffed w/17 rounds of 9MM.
 
The person in charge of making sure that things don't change from one scene to another is the Script Supervisor. My daughter went to California to be in the movies and to work at that position. After a while she found that it was not a very popular role as you were constantly correcting folks and telling them this and that and most people don't like being told what to do. One must be very anal and observant to make sure that the cigarette in one scene is the same length as the next or that the glass of liquid is not half empty in one scene and then full in the next. If you watch enough movies, you will see these little boo boos from time to time.

In the clip shown, the shotgun ends up 3-4 feet away from the robber after going down and as seen as Harry walks across the street. In the dramatic scene where he is deciding whether to go for the gun it is now mysteriously 6 inches away.

One must also remember that when a scene is shot (no pun intended) from one direction it could be hours or days until the shot is filmed from the other direction. Once looking from Harry's eyes and then looking up from the robbers.

As far as the hot dog, he does not exit the diner with it so he must have left it on the plate. ;)
 
It's a movie , things in movies happen differently than real life. Time warps abound in the film world and things get messed up.
That's my story and I'm sticking with it....just movie magic is all.
 
Scott in NCal said:
The truth needs to be told, that is not a Model 29, it is not a 44 Mag. It is a Model 25 in 45 Colt. Oh, sure, they had 2 model 29s on the set but all the action shots were with a Model 25. The reason, no 44 mag or 44 special blanks were avaliable a that time. All the hollywood movie makes had access to piles of 45 Colt blanks, all those cowboy movies required them.
Click to expand...

Unlikely because 5 in 1 blanks would have been used. They fit 38-40, 44-40 and 45 Colt so would fit in 44 chambers too, I think...

Maybe not.
 
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I heard at the time of the movie smith & wesson sales on the 44 was way down, but after the movie they couldn't keep up with the demand.
 
Olskool , that is an out right lie, just because I went out the next day after seeing the movie and buying a model 29 doesn't make your statement true, or does it? well maybe it's a little true. OK I give up I went out right after the movie and bought a 29, my friend Mike bought a 29, my friend Rich brought a 29, so did Bret and so did John. I guess we proved your point, well played.
 
WHERE DO YOU GET A HOT DOG ON A PLATE?

The HC I know would never leave his weiner unprotected & would have given it to some smoking hot dame/broad then got it back while she gazed at him in awe, with lots of cleavage showing. It musta been a low pg rated shoot. :D
 
Model 29s were indeed scarce as hens teeth after the first Dirty Harry move came out. I saw one in a gun store shortly after and it was priced at $600. I was offered triple what I paid for mine that I had bought before the movie appeared. It was several years before there were enough 29s out to satisfy demand. When those used ones began to show up, they were reported to come with a box of ammo with 44 live rounds and 6 empties!

And yes, they actually used Model 29s in .44 Magnum. One of the guns is in the NRA Museum.
 
Inspector Callahan knew exactly what he was doing. He knew he had fired 5. So he cocked the hammer, bringing up the last live round, then surreptitiously lowered it. Then freaked out the bad guy by pulling the trigger DA, which then brought up a spent round.
 
Looks like he was a bit afraid of shooting that big ole 29 on the set too. Closes his eyes right as he pulls the trigger! HA! It's all good though, love all his flicks and still a hero too me too, I'm 61.
 

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"The truth needs to be told, that is not a Model 29, it is not a 44 Mag. It is a Model 25 in 45 Colt. Oh, sure, they had 2 model 29s on the set but all the action shots were with a Model 25. The reason, no 44 mag or 44 special blanks were avaliable a that time. All the hollywood movie makes had access to piles of 45 Colt blanks, all those cowboy movies required them."

"I've read somewhere that they actually had a hard time finding a Model 29, and used a Model 57."

:)

Please see the links below:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/246070-44-magnum-southwest-bunch.html

5-in-1 Brass Blank Ammunition

The original blanks for .38-40, .44-40 and .45 Colt had the same rim diameter as a .44 Magnum so they would have worked fine (without a great case seal, but they're blanks so I doubt anyone cared :)).
 
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I read somewhere once prior to the movie 'Dirty Harry' there were something like only 2000 mod 29s sold world wide - and post Dirty Harry the number was 200,000 +/-
 
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