The Dirty Harry Gun!

[S.B.]

Hard to understand the reasoning behind their cost. What with the endurance package being implemented several years after the Dirty Harry movies coming out. Some rumors have it that the Dirty Harry guns are prone to having their cylinders back up upon being fired?
Still, some guys would rather sit and watch old movies and play with guns than actually go to a range and shoot what they own.
For me, anyway, I'll take a Classic or Mountain Gun instead of possibly wasteing money on something that may have a problem.
My $.02. OK, let the flames begin.

 

[magnummitch]

THE ONLY REASON that D. H. Callahan carried the S&W 29.. was that it was the Most Powerful Handgun on the Face of the Earth! THESE DAYS, it's time for an Update Movie! It always amazed me, that, for me- a guy that has the Nick-Name "Magnum Mitch" (I'm NO expert- but have owned at least 9 .44 mags and more .357's-Mostly S&W 'N' frames) how; in Movies- They can fire large caliber revolvers in , say, a tiny motel room- Then whisper: "Do you feel Lucky?"
In the NEW Dirty Harry Film- Our Hero carries a Maximum Length, Maximum Loaded- 5oo Magnum!!! He enters the 'Hotel FleaBag' and kicks in the door... The BadGuy jumps out of the bathroom window, scrambles up the fire-escape (one floor up), and into another bathroom window, much to the concern of the old lady in the shower. He peels of the wet shower curtain, as he runs out into the hall-way above. He runs down the hall,takes a right,and into the stairwell. He passes a man with his arms full of groceries;He runs past the man and out into the hall(now TWO floors up from where he started! The groceries fall, as cans roll down the steps. Meanwhile; Harry, not moving a muscle (except to lift an ear-muff, to listen carefully for the thudding of the Del-Monte and Campbell products... Casually points the gun toward the cieling, and...

FIRES!!! He then removes his goggles, takes off the ear-muffs,coughs up a few chunks of stucco.... and pulls a Dust-Buster out of a 2nd shoulder holster and proceeds to vacuum a lot of plaster and dirt off of his jacket. The Badguy, is of course, dead as a door-knob: Despite being 3 floors up & down the hall!
I've not really had the inclination to actually BUY the 5oo Mag, but WOULD like to SHOOT one! But for true 'practicality'; The old Pinned & Recessed Magnums are not all that scary, by aaaaaany means, to shoot. They can fire .44 Special and other lighter ammo, and often, cost much less than their newer counterparts (that goes for ammo,too). I'd GLADLY trade the stupid lock for a pinned barrel, a recessed Cylinder,and 4 or 5 hundred dollars.
I recenty bought a 'Beyooteful' N-series Model 29, 6" barrel for $525, with a buncha X-tras. Be patient,shop around, ask around, and if you don't find a nice 29, It'll find you!
With the current economy, I'd think that the .44's'd go to market before the 'N' frame .357's- that can fill in for a more 'ECO-nominal' .38 special.I'd get an old 29 in ANY barrel configuration, long as it's healthy... Happy Hunting!- Signed-"Older pinned & recessed, Mainly 'N' Frame, .357/.44 Magnum Mitch"

 

[chevypilot]

Is the 629 just a stainless version of the 29?

 

[triaxle]

I saw that movie 26 times

 

[jj2am44]

Originally posted by chevypilot:
Is the 629 just a stainless version of the 29?

Basically yes.

 

[mtgrs737]

In the movie, Briggs makes Harry unload the 29 and asks for all three of the Dade speed loaders he has in his coat pocket then tosses the ammo out the window. He allows Harry to keep the empty 44.

 

[COULT D]

Originally posted by NFrameFred:

Originally posted by leejack:
In Magnum Force, Harry does make a comment to the 3 rookie cops about using 44 special.

Yeah, but what most people miss is the context - he's talking about the load he uses in the department competition in the "Hogan's Alley" course. From every thing else I've seen in the films, he supposedly carried full magnums - a cylinder load and two speedloaders in his jacket pocket.

The writer of Dirty Harry John Milius talks about the scene in this YouTube clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jicw94_aXiQ

John Milius brings a "shooters" viewpoint to his writing and says Clint Eastwood did not deliver the "line exactly as written". Since he was not the Director, the scene as played sounded good enough. He was not on set and he chalks it up to that's the way it goes in Hollywood.
The line should have went {paraphrase} "I use a light magnum round for better controlability."

 

[fyimo]

Here's mine

Model 29-2 with 6 inch barrel.

 

[McGivern]

AMC is showing the Dirty Harry movies starting tonight (Mon. 2-23)and showing one each night all this week. Enjoy!!

 

[akjaeger]

I bought a 6 1/2" 29-2 from an Alaskan State Trooper in 1990. He'd had it hard chromed and some kind of action work done to it. No idea how much he shot it.
Over that long winter I shot over 3600 rounds through it. Of course as I was in my early 20's, they were almost all magnum loads, 250gr SWC over 22.0gr 2400.
By spring time the gun wouldn't reliably rotate the cyclinder when I cocked it single action. I traded it off for a 5" 629 classic, which I probably never shot as much.
Just last week I bought another 29-2, a 5". It's a really sweet revolver, bought for entirely different reasons. This gun won't see very many full house magnums!

 

[sub-moa]

mtgrs737
Member
Posted 22 February 2009 11:03 AM Hide Post
In the movie, Briggs makes Harry unload the 29 and asks for all three of the Dade speed loaders he has in his coat pocket then tosses the ammo out the window. He allows Harry to keep the empty 44.

Actually it's slightly different, Briggs has Harry give up the M29, Briggs dumps the rounds from the M29 on the front bench seat right between them, Briggs then tosses the empty M29 (w/ cylinder open) in the back seat. Only then does Briggs have Harry toss the 3 speedloaders out the window. Always wondered why, once he thumped Briggs, he didn't retieve the loose rounds from the front bench seat, grap the M29 from the back seat and go to work. That is once he killed the first motor cop who was pursuing him by just standing on the brakes before the motor cop could reholster his Python. Yea...Yea...Hollywood

 

[sub-moa]

DUH...

Actually it's slightly different, Briggs has Harry give up the M29, Briggs dumps the rounds from the M29 on the front bench seat right between them, Briggs then tosses the empty M29 (w/ cylinder open) in the back seat. Only then does Briggs have Harry toss the 3 speedloaders out the window. Always wondered why, once he thumped Briggs, he didn't retrieve the loose rounds from the front bench seat, grab the M29 from the back seat and go to work. That is once he killed the first motor cop who was pursuing him by just standing on the brakes before the motor cop could reholster his Python. Yea...Yea...Hollywood

 

[Sky_pilot]

No worries mate. We all enjoyed it and knew exactly what you meant.

 

[John Eilertson]

Take it a bit easy with those "full house" loads in a 29-2. If you want to go semi nuts with that cartridge, buy a Ruger. The Smiths of that era weren't powerhouse guns, but would handle a steady diet of everyday .44 mags--if there IS such a thing. I believe the more recent S&Ws are sturdier. And Specials are virtually a no-recoil treat out of a 29.

 

[T-TAC]

If I might add to this thread. The Endurace upgrades may have also been added because in the 80"s steel silouette shooting became popular.
S&W even offered the 29 with a 115/8 " barrel and a 4 postion adjustable front sight. I'm not sure how the guns stood up. I do know the shooters were using some heavy loads to smack down the plates at a distance.
Durability wise with hot loads the Dan Wesson and the Ruger Super Blackhawk were the ticket. I don't know if you can throw a Super B hawk out of timing from hot loads.
The Dan Wesson also came out with a .454 magnum. This was a .44 magnum case stretched longer to hold more powder for the Silouette guys.
This gun was made for just that purpose. It was huge and would also fire .44 magnums and .44 Specials.
Size, feel, and because of the Dirty Harry movies the model 29 with the 6 1/2 barrel just feels and looks "Right". Feed it mostly .44 Specials and a cylinder or 2 of magnums and it will last a long time.
One of my favorite loads is a 240 - 245 grain lead semi wadcutter. 7.5 grains of Unique and a large pistol primer. Use magnum brass.
This load pushes around 900 to 1000 fps. has more oumph than a special. Doesn't beat on the gun. And is probably the most accurate load I have ever shot.

 

[Snapping Twig]

Hey T-tac, that load you described when loaded in a Spl case is called a Skeeter, after Skeeter Skelton since it was he who favored it and wrote about it in his 44 Spl.

A bit more energetic in a Spl case due to the reduced volume, but just the same, a useful Spl as EK described it.

EK also called it a gallery load.

Just for grins, in a magnum case and using the same bullet, try 7g W231/HP38. Pretty much the same results.

 

[Arisin Wind]

The Dan Wesson also came out with a .454 magnum. This was a .44 magnum case stretched longer to hold more powder for the Silouette guys.
This gun was made for just that purpose. It was huge and would also fire .44 magnums and .44 Specials.

I think you are talking about the 445 SuperMag and not the 454. The 454 is the magnum version of the 45 Colt.