<< <i>The .41 Mag; a great caliber that was never fully appreciated. A lotta bang for the buck. >>
I agree (and consider this thread hijacked and OT, sorry)
Just for those who believe it was a "44 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world" and "would blow your head clean off" I offer this.
There is some disagreement on whether a genuine .44 was actually used in these movies or not. It is rumored that the actual gun used during filming, was a model 57 (41 Magnum), because of the lack of production M-29's at the time the movie was being made. This could have been pulled off quite easily, for two reasons. The bore sizes of the two calibers are very close. The .44 Magnum is based on the .44 Special, which itself is based on the much older .44 Russian. This cartridge (the .44 Russian) was developed in the 1870's to compete with the .45 Long Colt. The actual bore size of all of these .44's is .429, rather than .44. The .41 Magnum is a much more recent cartridge, and has a bore size of .41, more closely reflecting it's name. The difference between the two bore sizes, is therefore only .019". This is approximately 1/50th of an inch. It is doubtful that most people could tell the difference, particularly on casual examination. There is also the fact that the three top of the line S&W magnum revolvers, are all built on the same frame, and all use the same cylinder, and barrel blanks. Other than the different borings of the barrels and cylinders, the guns are identical. So why might a .41 Magnum been used, instead of the .44? The truth is that, previous to all of the hype generated by the Dirty Harry movies, the M-29, was just plain not popular. The gun was (and continues to be) big, heavy, unpleasant to shoot, and overpowered for defense. It's only real use would be for hunting larger animals, and hunting with a handgun was almost unheard of back in the fifties, and sixties. The Model 29 was always a gun of very limited numbers, bought by a small and specialized segment of the shooting public. At the time that Dirty Harry was being produced, the Model 29 was not even being made. Clint Eastwood has never commented on these rumors, and may not have known himself, what he was firing, so closely do these guns resemble each other. Movie guns are generally specially modified so that real ammunition can not chamber or fire in them, making the distinction between these, very similar guns, even more difficult to determine. Studio armourers handle all firearms, and all blank ammunition. What is known, is that Clint procured an actual .44 so that he could get a feel for what shooting the gun was like, to help him better play his part, but did not use this gun during filming. The gun he used, is said to have been made up specially from extra parts, and repair spares that were stocked by the factory.
I fired a .44 magnum once. I was about 19 years old and a sophomore in college. Now mind you I had NEVER fired a gun before in my life. In my criminal justice class we were given free passes to the police shooting range in case we wanted to go. (The university had some type of things setup with the local police). I took advantage of this since I wanted to see what it was like to fire a gun. The officer gave me the gun and said that it was a .44. I trusted him since I didn't, and still don't, know squat about guns. We went through the training and I finally got the chance to fire it. I pulled back on the trigger and was knocked flat on my ass. lol. I had no idea how much of a kickback it had and was no prepared for it. Everyone kind of laughed, as did I, and my pride was definitely hurt. That's a mighty powerful weapon.
I collect the elements on the periodic table, and some coins. I have a complete Roosevelt set, and am putting together a set of coins from 1880.
coinlieutenant
Posts: 9,305 ✭✭✭✭✭
Comments
<< <i>
S&W Model 29...
He should be shot because that coin is worth about 100$ on a very good day.
siliconvalleycoins.com
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
<< <i>
<< <i>
S&W Model 29...
41 magnum, I think
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>
S&W Model 29...
41 magnum, I think >>
Huh?
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<< <i>The .41 Mag; a great caliber that was never fully appreciated. A lotta bang for the buck. >>
I agree (and consider this thread hijacked and OT, sorry)
Just for those who believe it was a "44 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world" and "would blow your head clean off" I offer this.
There is some disagreement on whether a genuine .44 was actually used in these movies or not. It is rumored that the actual gun used during filming, was a model 57 (41 Magnum), because of the lack of production M-29's at the time the movie was being made. This could have been pulled off quite easily, for two reasons. The bore sizes of the two calibers are very close. The .44 Magnum is based on the .44 Special, which itself is based on the much older .44 Russian. This cartridge (the .44 Russian) was developed in the 1870's to compete with the .45 Long Colt. The actual bore size of all of these .44's is .429, rather than .44. The .41 Magnum is a much more recent cartridge, and has a bore size of .41, more closely reflecting it's name. The difference between the two bore sizes, is therefore only .019". This is approximately 1/50th of an inch. It is doubtful that most people could tell the difference, particularly on casual examination. There is also the fact that the three top of the line S&W magnum revolvers, are all built on the same frame, and all use the same cylinder, and barrel blanks. Other than the different borings of the barrels and cylinders, the guns are identical.
So why might a .41 Magnum been used, instead of the .44? The truth is that, previous to all of the hype generated by the Dirty Harry movies, the M-29, was just plain not popular. The gun was (and continues to be) big, heavy, unpleasant to shoot, and overpowered for defense. It's only real use would be for hunting larger animals, and hunting with a handgun was almost unheard of back in the fifties, and sixties. The Model 29 was always a gun of very limited numbers, bought by a small and specialized segment of the shooting public. At the time that Dirty Harry was being produced, the Model 29 was not even being made. Clint Eastwood has never commented on these rumors, and may not have known himself, what he was firing, so closely do these guns resemble each other. Movie guns are generally specially modified so that real ammunition can not chamber or fire in them, making the distinction between these, very similar guns, even more difficult to determine. Studio armourers handle all firearms, and all blank ammunition. What is known, is that Clint procured an actual .44 so that he could get a feel for what shooting the gun was like, to help him better play his part, but did not use this gun during filming. The gun he used, is said to have been made up specially from extra parts, and repair spares that were stocked by the factory.
<< <i>I'd rather use an AR-15!
USAF Security Forces. That's what I'm talking about.
<< <i>
<< <i>I'd rather use an AR-15!
USAF Security Forces. That's what I'm talking about. >>
(Notice, finger not on trigger, smart E3)
(Notice, finger on trigger, dumb blonde)
<< <i>Tarred and feathered? >>
How about a habanero-extract based enema?
<< <i>Hey Ken, where did you get those pictures? From one of G. Gordon Liddy's calendars? >>
Here!
A rope would be cheaper, quieter, and work just as well if you ask me.
<< <i>A rope would be cheaper, quieter, and work just as well if you ask me. >>
A pistol-whipping would work too.