There are a few legendary movie guns…guns so famous they could arguably be called the co-stars of the film.
These movies are rare and the list could be argued. One that is readily obvious, however, is the Smith & Wesson Model 29 in the film Dirty Harry.
Dirty Harry made this gun a celebrity. Supposedly throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, anytime the movie re-ran on TV, it would drive sales of the firearm.
At the very beginning of the film, the shootout solidified the firearm in the American mind. As Inspector Harry Callahan, Clint Eastwood delivered a monologue that made the weapon famous.
“I know what you’re thinking. ‘Did he fire six shots or only five?’ Well, to tell the truth, in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?”
We’ve skipped right to the juicy line here.
With that, history was made.
The S&W .44 Magnum would become an absolute legend in the world of firearms.
Today, it continues to hold that spot as not just a .44 Magnum revolver, but the .44 Magnum revolver.
American Steel
The Smith & Wesson Model 29 began production in 1955, and at its time, the Model 29 was the most powerful production firearm in the world. Although by 1958, .454 Casull became a thing, at least for wildcatters.
In 1971, Harry should have described his firearm as the most powerful production cartridge in existence. But that pedantic terminology kind of ruins the flow.
Regardless, .44 Magnum came from special hand loadings of the .44 Special cartridge. The old revolver shooters’ thoughts were, essentially, “let’s just keep shoving powder into these things and make the round fly faster and hit harder.” Love that.
Eventually, .44 Magnum was developed. A new cartridge demands a new gun, and thus Smith and Wesson developed the Model 29.
This modern DA/SA revolver featured an exposed hammer and a swing-out cylinder, and it packed six rounds of the famed .44 Magnum.
Harry’s Model came equipped with a 6.5-inch barrel, which helped the big round gather some speed before it exploded out of the barrel.
This barrel length seemed to be the most popular, but the gun’s been produced with 3-, 4-, 8-, and 12-inch barrels. There are also custom length and Performance Center guns with various options.
.44 Magnum has some stout recoil, but it’s often overblown. Guns like the Model 29 provided a nice, heavy weapon that does a great job of soaking up recoil.
Sure, it’s not a plinker, but any adult can handle one with a little training and practice.
That doesn’t make it a fighting revolver, though.
Blasting Away
Dirty Harry handles the Model 29 like it’s a kitten. He’s a movie hero that can’t be stopped and he doesn’t seem to mind the recoil.
But that’s because he’s not shooting real .44 Magnums. Instead, the gun’s loaded with .44 Special blanks.
A .44 Magnum blank makes no sense, and .44 Special rounds function fine in a .44 Magnum. They share the same type of relationship .357 Magnum and .38 Special share.
The ammo drops in without an issue and provides you with a soft shooter, a shorter alternative to .44 Magnum. It also makes Clint Eastwood look good.
In the scene where he famously shoots it out during a lunch break, we see 1970s handgun craft.
Watch the clip from the beginning this time to see the shootout itself.
He fires one shot one-handed. Then he reverts to a classic slight squat and a shooting position in which he supports his dominant wrist with his non-dominant hand.
Harry seems to aim carefully and place his shots well. Although, old Clint is clearly exaggerating the recoil on the weapon between shots.
The S&W Model 29 is a damn fine firearm, but it’s not a great fighting pistol. Recoil is rough enough, but that aside, .44 Magnum is more likely to exceed the standard penetration standards set by the FBI.
That means it can over-penetrate a potential bad guy and harm another person. Sure, you can download, but then you might as well pack a .44 Special.
Do You Feel Lucky?
Clint Eastwood with the Model 29 during the iconic “Do I feel lucky?” scene
.44 Magnum and the S&W Model 29 made Dirty Harry, and Dirty Harry most definitely made the weapon and caliber popular. In fact, it made .44 Magnum a household name.
The Model 29 from Smith and Wesson continues to be a part of their lineup and is one gun everyone should fire at least once in their life.
Read the original article in its entirety at PewPewTactical.com.
Dont forget the 44 Automag pistol too from 1983 DH movie
Bought one back in the 80s and killed a Wild Boar with it. Fun to shoot but with rubber grips on especially when putting a lot of rounds through it. Gets real painful if you try and keep the gun on target its recoil! Love Hand Cannons and Dirty Harry! Need more Cops like him today!
Probably most suitable for shooting charging grizzlies. It’s a bit too much for cop work. A S&W Model 19 .357 magnum is plenty good for human predators. I carried one for years.
I remember after this move the Smith & Wesson Model 29’s were flying off the shelves. I was in law enforcement at the time my duty weapon was a Smith & Wesson model 19 .357 magnum I knew from experience on the range with my model 19 that as soon as the folks who ran out to buy the model 29 had a few ‘Range Days’ most of them would either put this firearm up or trade it in as it wasn’t fun to shoot a lot of rounds through it and even back then .44 magnum ammunition was still expensive (.44 caliber special wasn’t much cheaper)
Yes it wasn’t long and these barely used model 29’s were for sale cheap. I guess even – Well punk you feel lucky or Make my Day wasn’t enough to keep them and carry them