Model 29

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Thaddeus Beauregard said:
It's seen in the football stadium scene with Scorpio in Dirty Harry, and also shown on the Magnum Force movie promotional poster so it would have a more imposing look. There may have been more appearances of the 8 ⅜ as well, but I don't remember.

Movies often don't make sense.

It's discussed here:
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/dirty-harry-and-the-smith-wesson-model-29-revolver/
Click to expand...
Not be obtuse here but I'm still not buying what the article is saying. I'm going to pop in the B-R and take a peek. At the moment I'd say the stadium shot is forced perspective but I could be wrong. I'm quite good at that actually. lol. I'll report back with my findings.
BTW thanks for taking the time to find that shot.

update: I just looked at that scene and I'm sure it's 6.5. The profile of the longer bbl. would look quite a bit different than the 6.5.
I can see where people could mistake the two from that picture though. If I had a 8 3/8 I could do my own test but mine are 6 and 6.5.
Rick
 
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'79 Magnum GT said:
Not be obtuse here but I'm still not buying what the article is saying. I'm going to pop in the B-R and take a peek. At the moment I'd say the stadium shot is forced perspective but I could be wrong. I'm quite good at that actually. lol. I'll report back with my findings.
BTW thanks for taking the time to find that shot.

update: I just looked at that scene and I'm sure it's 6.5. The profile of the longer bbl. would look quite a bit different than the 6.5.
I can see where people could mistake the two from that picture though. If I had a 8 3/8 I could do my own test but mine are 6 and 6.5.
Rick
Click to expand...
The IMFD also concurs that the 8 ⅜ was used in some scenes. I also saw a show featuring a movie armorer who also stated that both barrel lengths were used in the DH movies. The 6.5 was definitely used the majority of the time.
https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Dirty_Harry
The football field scene pic I posted shows the gun mostly from the side. Even though there is a bit of forced perspective, it isn't as dramatic at that angle and there looks to be too much barrel forward of the ejector shroud to be 6.5 to me.
 
Funny how S&W couldn't hardly give them away before the movie, after it you had a year wait if a gun store would even put one on order. People were paying even more money on the secondary market. I couldn't afford the 3 hundo let alone the 5 and six guys who had them wanted.
 
Thaddeus Beauregard said:
The IMFD also concurs that the 8 ⅜ was used in some scenes. I also saw a show featuring a movie armorer who also stated that both barrel lengths were used in the DH movies. The 6.5 was definitely used the majority of the time.
https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Dirty_Harry
The football field scene pic I posted shows the gun mostly from the side. Even though there is a bit of forced perspective, it isn't as dramatic at that angle and there looks to be too much barrel forward of the ejector shroud to be 6.5 to me.
Click to expand...
Ok, I'll take your word for it.

Rick
 
hkcavalier said:
Get the 29-2 and put whatever grips you'd like on there. I lucked into a couple sets of factory presentation grips for my N frames.

M2EKx3B.jpg
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You have my Holy Grail gun :)
 
llowry61 said:
Funny how S&W couldn't hardly give them away before the movie, after it you had a year wait if a gun store would even put one on order. People were paying even more money on the secondary market. I couldn't afford the 3 hundo let alone the 5 and six guys who had them wanted.
Click to expand...
I think the D&D Bren 10 is another good example of the power of the entertainment industry when it comes to relatively obscure firearms popularity. Had it not been for the TV show, "Miami Vice", I doubt there would be such high prices on the Bren 10 pistols that were produced before D&D shut down.
 
The 6.5 Inch 29-2 would be my choice, hands down - price is reasonable, if indeed in E / E- condition. Target stocks were not numbered to the gun, so for about $150 you will get it to wear the appropriate ones. You need to first narrow down the year it was made, and then you can get the period appropriate grips - most likely football, but may or may not be with diamonds.

From the 29-3 I think the 10 5/8 and the 3" Lew Horton RB variants are worth owning as they did not come out until 29-3s. For any other barrel length you would be much better off with 29-2 or earlier. There are other - full lugs, non chamfered cylinder variants but they move away from the classic M29 looks.

Good luck and post a picture if you get it!
 
Speaking of stocks and the football stocks specifically... did any of the later production 29-2s ever come with speedloader cutout stocks?

The reason I ask is I have an as-new 29-2 that I believe was made in 1980 - 81 timeframe and it came with some very plain wood on its stocks. I recently found some with beautiful wood that I bought, but it has the speedloader relief. After I bought them, I read that the speedloader style didn't get introduced until 29-3 in 1982. Then I read contradictory info elsewhere that some later -2s may have had the speedloader style. Wanting to stay period-correct, I was hoping that I don't have a combination that never existed, even though I still have the original football stocks if I ever decide to sell it and need to retain it as original.

What say the collective on this? I hate to shift the topic, but maybe this is still considered on-topic.
 
I could be wrong, but I'm thinking that S&W started putting speed loader stocks on the Model 29-3 somewhere in 1983, early production 29-3's got leftover 29-2 football stocks.
 
Just for the record, 8 3/8" 29s are used in a couple of movies - albeit esoteric movies - the most fun is Hickie and Boggs - Robert Culp (who carries the 29) and Bill Cosby who carries some kind of long barreled New Service or Official Police.

A neat feature is the driver for the Mob is Bill Hickman, who drove the charger in Bullitt and was one of Pattons drivers in Patton.

Culp at one point, after a gun battle in a football statium, says "I've gotta get a bigger gun!" - I'm sure he had fun.

Another I recal is a weird movie called Corvette Summer (don't waste your time) - but a big guy whose name I can't recall asctually weilds two of them - but he only shoots at flying pest IIRC - only wathced it once while I was in college and regretted paying the $1 for it even then ;)

Riposte
 
The LGS still has both of these.
the 29-2 has pachmayr finger groove grips. Some holster wear around the muzzle. A very small amount of pitting around the top of the grips. they did remove grips so I could see underneath.(895+tax )
the 29-3 finish is excellent and it has what I think are the original target grips(995 + tax)
Both seem very smooth single/double action.
I left without buying, still trying to decide if I should buy and which one if I do.
 
pabicyclist said:
The LGS still has both of these.
the 29-2 has pachmayr finger groove grips. Some holster wear around the muzzle. A very small amount of pitting around the top of the grips. they did remove grips so I could see underneath.(895+tax )
the 29-3 finish is excellent and it has what I think are the original target grips(995 + tax)
Both seem very smooth single/double action.
I left without buying, still trying to decide if I should buy and which one if I do.
Click to expand...
Just make sure you get at least one,
Rick
 
pabicyclist said:
The LGS still has both of these.
the 29-2 has pachmayr finger groove grips. Some holster wear around the muzzle. A very small amount of pitting around the top of the grips. they did remove grips so I could see underneath.(895+tax )
the 29-3 finish is excellent and it has what I think are the original target grips(995 + tax)
Both seem very smooth single/double action.
I left without buying, still trying to decide if I should buy and which one if I do.
Click to expand...
The simple answer is to buy both of them!
The pitting on the 29-2 is a bummer, but pitting under rubber grips happens as the rubber holds any moisture to the surface of the steel. Buying correct stocks for the 29-2 would cost another $150-$200, so that may be a consideration.
 
pabicyclist said:
The LGS still has both of these.
the 29-2 has pachmayr finger groove grips. Some holster wear around the muzzle. A very small amount of pitting around the top of the grips. they did remove grips so I could see underneath.(895+tax )
the 29-3 finish is excellent and it has what I think are the original target grips(995 + tax)
Both seem very smooth single/double action.
I left without buying, still trying to decide if I should buy and which one if I do.
Click to expand...
Seems like a coin toss. I personally like the P&R magnums a lot more as they are better looking but if the pitting around the top of the grips bothers you, you may want to consider the 29-3. Some muzzle wear around the muzzle is not atypical, so this is just honest wear...I would say prices are fair for what you describe, bear in mind you will need $150-200 for a proper pair of TS if you get the 29-2.
 
Yaworski said:
Many years ago, I had a conversation with Roy Jinks about the Dirty Harry guns. He told me that the 8 3/8" versions were used in the shots looking up the barrel.
Click to expand...
I can understand why they would do that as it would make the muzzle appear to be much larger in comparison to everything else in the scene. Forced perspective.
 
Thaddeus Beauregard said:
No, it was a M29. Eastwood personally contacted S&W to get the gun used in the film. There were actually 2 M29s used, the most common being the 6.5" barrel version. An 8.375" barrel version was also used. You can see ".44 Magnum" on the barrel in this screen shot:
Click to expand...
You did.
 
model70man said:
Call me crazy, but I distinctly remember reading in one of the gun magazines years ago that Clint Eastwood actually used a Model 25 in the movie because of the availability of .45 Colt blanks. I don't think there were many .44 Magnum blanks available at the time.
Click to expand...

There was a popular myth that the guns were either .45s or .41 Magnums because the 29 was in short supply. This myth was the motivation for the aforementioned conversation with Roy Jinks. He assured me that the guns shipped to Stembridge were Model 29s.
 
OP-I had a 4" 27-3 as part of my little 27 collection (all barrel lengths, all -2's except the 4") and it was a fine gun. True, not P&R but it had the great 27 trigger and the fine finish. So if you just want a high quality shooter it might be the way to go.
 
Love my 29-2 but if I didn’t reload to 44 special velocities I don’t think I would shoot it much.
 
kennyb said:
I bought my 29-2 new in 1976 (still have it) I thought I paid a fortune...$350.00
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I bought mine new in summer of 1971, just before Dirty Harry came out. I paid $250? - I forget exactly - in a presentation case . Seemed really expensive compared to Model 14's. I got in just under the wire, because the price jumped to $335 - $350 just after the movie came out in late 1971.
Ah, memories........
 
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