Clint Eastwood is a true living legend. The man has acted, directed, and produced so many films in his lifetime and continues to work, well into his golden years. When you think of Clint Eastwood, is it Dirty Harry or one of his many western personas? With well over sixty movies and television shows, he has seen his fair share of weaponry along the way.
Eastwood started as a background actor but worked his way up to a true American icon of film. From his start, spaghetti westerns on television and the big screen, to current-day pieces, he has had his hands on a multitude of weapons. So many in fact, it is hard to pick just a few to talk about. One thing I won’t spend much time on is his Dirty Harry gun. We all know it; we’ve all seen it and read about it. It is truly a hallmark of what it means to be legendary, whether in function or just appearance. Let’s take a walk through a few other weapons he’s used throughout his illustrious career, shall we?
SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER
One firearm that shows up in several of Clint Eastwood’s Westerns is the Uberti replica of Colt’s Single Action Army. Known by many names over the years (like the Peacemaker or the Frontiersman). The SAA revolver had a 5 ½” barrel and usually had wood, ivory, pearl, or stag horn grips. The unique thing about the revolver Eastwood used was the dark grips which featured a bright, metallic, coiled rattlesnake.
The revolver was first used in the “The Man with No Name” series of movies. It would also be used by Eastwood’s character Rowdy Yates throughout his time on the TV series “Rawhide”. There’s a story I came across stating that Eastwood supplied a lot of his own items to projects so they would be more authentic. This could explain why the .45 would be used by different characters portrayed by him.
The replica is based on the original Colt Single Action Army revolver and was in production from 1873 through 1892. It was chambered in different calibers, but primarily in .45. The revolver featured a 6-round cylinder and weighed over 2 pounds. While it was only in production until the late 1800s, Colt still makes a few of these each year making it extremely collectible. One was even owned by former President Theodore Roosevelt.
SPENCER 1860 CARBINE
In the movie “Unforgiven”, Eastwood (and his costars) are seen using a Spencer 1860 carbine, an early lever-action rifle from the mid-1800s. Originally, the lever-action rifle was chambered in a proprietary load and was developed in 1860 by Christopher Spencer. Given the timing of its invention, it was offered to the US Army during the Civil War but wasn’t adopted as the official carbine during the war. The reasoning? The War Department said it would be a waste of ammunition to allow the soldiers to fire that quickly. It would still be used by soldiers during the war and many pioneers of the West in the years that followed. Notably, it would be used by disbanded soldiers who would be stationed out West, including Custer during the Indian Wars.
The mechanism within the rifle was a rotary magazine in the buttstock that fed fresh rounds into the chamber with the movement of the lever but the Spencer would require the user to cock the hammer before firing. A skilled operator of the rifle could get a fire rate of 20 rounds a minute.
WINCHESTER MODEL 1866
The Yellow Boy rifle was seen in the 1966 classic Eastwood film, “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.” In this film, Eastwood played Blondie, one of the men on the hunt for buried Confederate gold. The Yellow Boy rifle seen in the movie featured a side folding scope and the tell-tale right-side loading gate. The Winchester Model 1866 was an upgrade from the Model 1860 making the new model easier and faster to load. It was also the first rifle produced under the Winchester name.
The Yellow Boy rifle gained its infamous name thanks to the distinctive color of the receiver and would be in production for around 30 years. The rifle is similar to the Henry rifle, with some notable differences. The Model 1866 was available in four different models with three variants: rifle, carbine, and musket options. It was extremely popular in the post-Civil War era when the movie takes place, so it’s a natural fit. Not only that, the rifle has also shown up in many different Westerns since then.
M1 GARAND
Another classic Eastwood film with unforgettable firearms is “Gran Torino,” expressly the M1 Garand. In this movie, Eastwood plays the old curmudgeon Walt Kowalski. He uses the M1 at different times during the film, most notably in his front yard when confronting gang members harassing his neighbors. This firearm fits nicely into the character’s story of being a Korean War veteran. The M1 Garand was used as the primary military rifle throughout WWII and in the Korean theater.
The rifle featured a distinctive loading method with 8-round clips inserted into the action. When rounds were expended, the unmistakable “ping” would be heard when the metal clip ejected. Replacing the Springfield M1903 rifle in the late 1930s, the M1 was chambered in .30-06 and was the primary weapon during its service life for the US military. The rifle was well received as easy to reload and even General Patton was a huge fan of the firearm.
M1911
Another firearm making its appearance in “Gran Torino” is the 1911 pistol. The 1911 has been a bastion in a multitude of films and TV shows. Given Eastwood’s character’s history, it’s natural that he would have one of them in his collection. He is seen with it a few times in the movie, using it to protect one of his neighbors from street thugs.
The original M1911 was produced by Colt for the US Armed Forces and had been used by the military since the First World War. Developed by Browning, but sold and marketed by Colt, the pistol would be used by the armed forces well into the mid to late 20th century. The .45 caliber pistol was proven to be reliable and durable in any situation it was used in. It would be modified from the original version over the years, but the 1911 platform is still beloved by many to this day.
A Man of Many Weapons
Clint Eastwood has had many, many more movies and shows with firearms. His career has shown his knowledge of firearms and, in some instances, parts of his own collection. In the 60-plus years he’s been making shows and movies, he’s provided the viewing public with some pretty iconic and lovely firearms.
