{"id":328136,"date":"2022-11-05T17:00:14","date_gmt":"2022-11-05T23:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/?p=328136"},"modified":"2023-05-24T15:02:44","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T20:02:44","slug":"dirty-harry-and-the-smith-wesson-model-29-revolver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/dirty-harry-and-the-smith-wesson-model-29-revolver\/","title":{"rendered":"Dirty Harry and the Smith & Wesson Model 29 Revolver"},"content":{"rendered":"

I admit to being a total Clint Eastwood fanboy. I haven\u2019t watched all his movies, but I\u2019ve seen a bunch, and can\u2019t think of a single one that I didn\u2019t like. Westerns, war movies, gritty thrillers, or a quirky comedy, I\u2019m always up for an Eastwood film. Eastwood has played some iconic Hollywood characters, but perhaps none more so than San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry<\/em> franchise.<\/p>\n

\"Clint
“Dirty Harry” Callahan may be Clint Eastwood’s signature role. (clinteastwoodarchive.blogspot.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eastwood is the quintessential Hollywood tough guy. The cold stare through squinting eyes; the grim reaper-like drawl; and lines like \u201cGo ahead, make my day.\u201d That line gained icon status before the Dirty Harry<\/em> sequel Sudden Impact<\/em> was even released. I saw the movie right after it opened, and the audience said the line with him because of the TV previews. Fun stuff indeed, but the Dirty Harry<\/em> movies, including Sudden Impact<\/em>, are anything but lighthearted.<\/p>\n

\"Clint<\/div>\n

\u201cDirty Harry\u201d Callahan<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dirty Harry<\/em> premiered in 1971. Eastwood plays Harry Callahan, a San Francisco Homicide Inspector. We meet Callahan mid-career when he\u2019s already a jaded veteran of too many grisly murder scenes. His partners generally don\u2019t last long. Seems they\u2019re either killed or wounded serving alongside the unorthodox Callahan, who seemingly never met a crime that couldn\u2019t be solved by the judicious application of a .44 Magnum slug<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Harry\u2019s tough guy routine often puts him at odds with his superiors, whether it be his lieutenant, the police chief, the district attorney, or even the mayor. But he gets results. When the hard jobs come along, Dirty Harry gets it done.<\/p>\n

\"Clint
Harry Callahan after taking down some bank robbers. (lastmovieoutpost.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dirty Harry<\/em><\/strong> the Movie<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t lump Dirty Harry<\/em> with mainstream action movies. It\u2019s gritty, violent, and sometimes disturbing. I classify it alongside the original Charles Bronson Deathwish<\/em>, which I found difficult to watch at times. Don\u2019t expect a happy ending. Murder is ugly, and it affects Callahan deeply.<\/p>\n

Dirty Harry <\/em>was widely criticized for Callahan\u2019s loose cannon tendencies. He brazenly violates suspect\u2019s rights, though his reasons do seem justifiable, whether he\u2019s killing a would-be rapist chasing a woman with a butcher knife or torturing a serial killer for a kidnapped girl\u2019s whereabouts.<\/p>\n

Film critic Roger Ebert called the film\u2019s message \u201cfascist,\u201d although he gave it three out of four stars. Other critics loved it, while another called it \u201cdisgusting.\u201d Steve McQueen turned down the title role because it was \u201ctoo right-wing.\u201d Burt Lancaster and George C. Scott passed on playing Callahan because of the character\u2019s violent nature. It was Paul Newman who recommended Eastwood after declining the role himself.<\/p>\n

\"Andy
Andy Robinson is intense as the serial killer Scorpio. (actoroscar.blogspot.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The plot follows Callahan\u2019s pursuit of Scorpio, a deranged serial killer who taunts the mayor and the police. He demands money in return for not killing more innocents. Scorpio is loosely based on the Zodiac killer, who terrorized San Francisco in the mid-1960s. Actor Andy Robinson\u2019s portrayal of Scorpio was so convincing that he received death threats after the movie\u2019s release.<\/p>\n

Dirty Harry<\/em> holds up well over half a century later and was selected in 2012 for the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The National Film Registry preserves films deemed \u201cculturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Scorpio's
Scorpio’s firearms case with a modified Arisaka Type 2 Takedown Paratrooper sniper rifle and an MP40 submachine gun. It’s what all the cool serial killers are carrying. (imfdb.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dirty Harry is Still Eastwood<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The film\u2019s seriousness doesn\u2019t mean Eastwood isn\u2019t Eastwood. One thing that makes him so great is his delivery of classic movie lines that are repeated over and over in pop culture. For instance, I say \u201cRight turn, Clyde,\u201d a lot. And almost everyone gets the reference. If you don\u2019t for some reason, you really should watch Eastwood\u2019s classic Every Which Way but Loose<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The famous line from Dirty Harry<\/em> is actually several sentences long and he says a version of it twice while pointing that big Smith & Wesson Model 29 at a perp:<\/p>\n

I know what you\u2019re thinking: \u201cDid he fire six shots or only five?\u201d Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I\u2019ve 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\u2019ve got to ask yourself one question: \u201cDo I feel lucky?\u201d Well, do ya, punk?<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Clint
“There’s one thing you’ve got to ask yourself: ‘Do I feel lucky?'” (imfdb.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Classic stuff, and speaking of .44 Magnums, let\u2019s take a look at Dirty Harry\u2019s<\/em> signature blaster.<\/p>\n

Harry Callahan\u2019s Smith & Wesson Model 29 Revolver<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One thing about Callahan, he likes his firearms big and bad. No .38 Special<\/a> or 9mm<\/a> pistols here. As far as Harry is concerned, bigger is better. Callahan\u2019s sidearm is the now-iconic Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver chambered in .44 Remington Magnum.<\/p>\n

\"Smith
The Smith & Wesson Model 29 Revolver with the 8 3\/8-inch barrel. (imfdb.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I say \u201cnow-iconic\u201d because Dirty Harry<\/em> made it that way. The gun wasn\u2019t even being produced in 1971. Eastwood contacted Smith & Wesson\u2019s Bob Sauer to acquire a couple of Model 29s and they had to hustle to meet the request. Smith & Wesson\u2019s Fred Miller assembled two guns from parts they had lying around and sent them to Eastwood.<\/p>\n

Only two barrels were available, so the movie\u2019s two guns have different barrel lengths. The script originally called for a 4-inch barrel, but Dirty Harry<\/em> uses Model 29s with 8 3\/8-inch and 6 \u00bd inch barrels. Both appear in the film.<\/p>\n

\"Smith
The Smith & Wesson Model 29 Revolver with the 6 1\/2-inch barrel. (imfdb.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dirty Harry<\/em> was a big hit and Smith & Wesson was inundated with orders for the out-of-production Model 29. The gunmaker quickly brought the revolver back and it remains available to this day, thanks to Harry Callahan. Modern versions have a 4 or 6 \u00bd inch barrel. If you want to be like Eastwood, you have to get the 6 \u00bd. It\u2019s just a thing.<\/p>\n

Smith & Wesson Model 29 Revolver Current Specs<\/strong><\/h3>\n