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The truth about "Dirty Harry"
offeror
Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
In the first movie John Milius has Dirty Harry talking to the perp about how he's carrying the "most powerful handgun in the world," (at the time) and how it will "blow your head clean off." In the movie MAGNUM FORCE, he off-handedly tells one of the .357-carrying rogue cops that he loads his 629 with ".44 light Specials" because "it gives me better control" or words to that effect. Talk about popping my balloon.... Anybody else noticed that? Dirty Harry shoots .44 Specials! But of course, despite some writer's piece of dialogue, the gun always goes off like a Magnum and penetrates like one too.
- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Comments
Eric S. Williams
Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
"Not as deep as a well, or as wide as a church door, but it is enough."
Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
"Not as deep as a well, or as wide as a church door, but it is enough."
Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
I met John Milius about the time CONAN came out, and he is the "Ted Nugent" of Hollywood, in a way. Certainly no commie liberal. If you want to believe Harry shoots a whole different load for range stress practice, okay, but I was a little put off by the remark. It sounded to me like he was explaining his choice of carry load to the new kid. In fact I was wondering if Milius even wrote the second movie, because it sounded like one of those "trying to be hip but missing the data" Hollywood lines. It's pretty clear that Harry's signature load is the .44 Magnum by all other indications, especially since they go to a Wildey semi-auto in the third one -- that to me was when they went a little over the top. I doubt Specials would even cycle the gun properly. Harry was too much a classic oldtimer to need the upgrade from the revolver, and besides, he looked odd carrying it. I forget what the plotline was that caused him to acquire the Wildey. Oh well.... They certainly didn't take off afterward like the 629 did in the gun shops.
- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Rugster
Toujours Pret
Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
These movies are all fiction, anyway, and most people allow some poetic license to the screenwriters. Even a movie that is fact-based, the story of Sergeant York, had flaws. Will you condemn this show because the movie York used a Luger instead of the actual .45?
"Not as deep as a well, or as wide as a church door, but it is enough."
No matter. All of this is okay because it's entertainment. Milius does have license. But excuse me if I balk when in his dialog for Magnum Force he says that a revolver is clip-fed. I know most people probably don't notice, don't know or don't care. But I do. Hardly an excusable line from the "Ted Nugent of Hollywod".
Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
While I agree some latitude is given to certain police officers re: carry weapon, I do not believe this extends to caliber selection (i.e., you can have .38 Specials in a Colt Detective or S&W Chief's Special, but not .357's in a Python; similarly, you can have 9mm in a Beretta 92 or Sig 226, but not .45acp in a Sig 220). I don't know of a single large-city PD in the country that has not had an established "allowable weapons and ammunition" standard since the 40's, San Francisco included. This standard even extends to selection within allowable cartridge type (e.g., for 9mm, you must use only 115gr ball).
The Romantic poet John Keats wrote a poem in which he attributed discovery of the Pacific to Cortez rather than Balboa. Fact is, he did it because "Balboa" didn't rhyme. Does this historical inaccuracy ruin the poem? Probably not, and that is what we mean by "poetic license".
Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
I doubt Milius would have made dumb mistakes about the guns in his dialog writing, so I imagine the misinformation was written or added by someone else.
As for Sgt York, I think it is a BIG deal that they substituted the Luger for the American sidearm. It mars the movie for me because there was no good reason for the historical inaccuracy and the .45 deserved the credit. I consider that one a big, stupid mistake. There's something foul about York using a Nazi sidearm in that scene, if it wasn't so.
- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
S & W did make a 6 1/2" M-29.
Don't send flowers when I die. Send money now, I can buy more ammo.
Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
Vet
Pack slow, fall stable, pull high, hit dead center.
Eric S. Williams
I am aware that many PD's carry the Sig 220 and other .45ACPs. I meant to say only that officers could not legally carry them unless they were authorized to do so.
Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
If you will blame gun makers for every shooting then blame car maker for every car accident.
Smith and wesson has made the model 29 in four, six and a half and eight and three eights. The made the model 57 the 41 mag in 4, 6, and 8 3/8. Smith later changed the model 29 to a 6 inch. I think this was for ease of manurfacting since they were both N frame guns. I was 16 when dirty harry came out and about the time I became interested in guns. Of course the price of model 29's when thru the roof, suggested retail was 248.00 and 29's were selling for 1.000. Smith was backorded three years! I eventually got all three 4, 6.5 and 8 3/8 for suggested retail,which I still have. Clint used a 6.5 in dirty harry.I believe smith has quit making the model 29 all togather in blue and nickel,which is sad.In march of 1975 shooting times did a article on the model 29 with the model 29 0n the cover I still have 3 issues wrapped in plastic in which I wrapped that month in 75. Needless to say I'm a big fan of the 29. Two of my 29's my dad had to buy because I was not old enought to buy a hand gun.
- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
One of my "favorite" bloopers is the supressor attached to a revolver. Yeah...that'll work.
Mudge the confused
I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!
Edited by - mudge on 08/26/2002 21:08:10
Didn't you notice, it was a Nagant gas-sealed revolver?
"Never let school interfere with your education"
mudge.... Iam positive Smith made the 29 with a 6.5" barrel, I have one. They discontinued the 6.5 in 1979 and went to the 6". Yours is a post 79 gun.
LL,
So this has been bothering you enough for the past two years that you feel compelled to pull the thread out of the archives to comment? [?]
"Strength is the outcome of need; security sets a premium on feebleness." -- H.G. Wells (The Time Machine)
Did you know the members page shows that you have not posted since May 17? You must be posting from the Twilight Zone!
Oh so sorry. I read the post and didnt notice how old it was. Iam sure its NEVER been done before. I truly appologize for annoying you.
"Never let school interfere with your education"
The M29 came with a 6.5 inch barrel until 1978 or 79 when S&W made 6 inch standard on all modela.
The gun in Dirty Harry wasn't a M57. The story usually goes that they substituted the 57 for the hard to get 29 but the 29 wasn't hard to get until after the movie came out. John Millius co-wrote the screenplay and has the gun used in the film (given to him by the studio). It is a blued 6.5 inch M29-2.
I think the line about "specials" meant he used special loads, not specifically .44 Special ammo or loads at that level. Although he did say the loads were lighter and that does sort of blow the whole "most powerful handgun" mystique.
I think the 44 auto in the sequel was an Automag, not a Wildley.
On the guns used by the SFPD, the Model 58 .41 magnum was once issued to patrol officers so maybe the .44 was allowed at one time.
He has to go to work every day,all day and he doesn't get
any respect. He disarms bombs,gets beat up and
doesn't complain.His boss and the mayor don't like him,
but he still get's the job done. Thank god the script is written
in his favor or he'd really be in trouble!
I think you misread (I can't even say "misunderstood"). Again, there is a signficant difference between the kids in Red Dawn and the historical kids you mention, in that the latter lived with war from birth or early childhood, and had been first mentored by experienced partisans.
I quess all those Boy Scout days were not FTX's. I beleave the Hilter youth even had there version of the Boy Scouts as well. It then turned into a "Aryan Race" brain washing down the road. But they never had any formal military training in weapons or tactics. They gave them one Panzerfest and a rifle. Also any kidd caught running away was shot by a officer who stood gaurd in the rear!
The only part I had to say "No Way" was when that RPG hit the cheap looking Hind. In real life it would have burned up on a flash from all the Hydrolic fluid leaks they produce. Even the Afgans would shot flares in the Open Cockpit from above them.
The Wildey showed up in one of the Death Wish series.
SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com the best gun auction site on the Net! Email gpd035@sbcglobal.net
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