Did Dirty Harry shoot 44 Magnums?

[FROGO207]

After watching a couple or three Dirty Harry movies I found myself in possession of both a 8 1/2" 29 and a 44 AMP pistol. Sold the AMP a few years later regrettably but still have the no dash 29. Added a few more 44's since then too. It's agood thing they didn't use a Korth.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

My neighbor and i were out shooting today. He bought his 29 along. I ran a few cylenders of ammo though it. He has the long one.

 

[.308 Norma]

The "light special" im assuming is referring to 44 special loads.... But a clear and very recognizable sonic boom comes at the end of each report...the boom, then the crack of the whip sound. As far as I know, 44 special is entirely sub sonic.

It's a movie.

 

[PapaG]

I loaded some 38 HBWC's backwards, many years ago. I don't know how fast they were, but they would blow a hole in a bank of red Virginia clay, that you could put your fist into. (Out of a 4" Model 19) It was good to know, just in case I was ever attacked by a bank of red Virginia clay.

I like Magnum Force best of all the DH movies.

Back in our commercial loading days when cops carried 4" 38 specials and a few had Chiefs Specials (pre 36) or Cobras or even the Charter, we were talked into loading the 148 hbwc backwards for the boys to carry off duty. Don't know if they ever shot anything live but I shot one rabbit and one groundhog. Big hole through the rabbit, hog got away.

 

[Palladan44]

It's a movie.

Yup. And were analyzing it as best we can, for fun.

 

[bigpower491]

A man's got to know his limitations....................................

 

[Hal]

Back in our commercial loading days when cops carried 4" 38 specials and a few had Chiefs Specials (pre 36) or Cobras or even the Charter, we were talked into loading the 148 hbwc backwards for the boys to carry off duty. Don't know if they ever shot anything live but I shot one rabbit and one groundhog. Big hole through the rabbit, hog got away.

Which pretty much tells you why, since wadcutters have been around for so many years, none of the "big three" ever thought to load one backwards as the ultimate in defensive use....

Just like so many of the ninny crowd today forgets the word "illegal" precedes the word "immigrant".......a lot of people tend to overlook the word "controlled" before "expansion" is necessary.

I found the WC thing out by shooting rats with a .20 cal/5mm Sheridan pellet loaded backwards in my Blue Streak. Loaded the right way, the rats dropped like a stone. Loaded backwards, the rats ran away after I hit them.

 

[__steve__]

The character, Callahan, used 44 special JHP

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Which pretty much tells you why, since wadcutters have been around for so many years, none of the "big three" ever thought to load one backwards as the ultimate in defensive use....

Just like so many of the ninny crowd today forgets the word "illegal" precedes the word "immigrant".......a lot of people tend to overlook the word "controlled" before "expansion" is necessary.

I found the WC thing out by shooting rats with a .20 cal/5mm Sheridan pellet loaded backwards in my Blue Streak. Loaded the right way, the rats dropped like a stone. Loaded backwards, the rats ran away after I hit them.

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Callahan's reasoning for using a .44Magnum versus a ".38" was reasonable - in a big metro area, a crowded city, using a weapon that would ricochet off of a car windshield or auto body was a definite negative and a legal liability. The .357Magnum was designed to shoot through steel bodied cars and tempered glass windshields - which is why Callahan says the .357 is, "... a good weapon," but the bigger, heavier .44 - Special or Magnum - would do the same without the "bark" of a .357. It's just a movie and sometimes reality is stranger than fiction but two world wars and decades of criminal law enforcement have shown the .45ACP, .44-40WCF, .38-40WCF (basically a 10mm/.40cal) are plenty of pistol for close encounters of the worst kind. Callahan's right about not wanting bullets careening around where an innocent by-stander could get hurt. But, that conflicts with the "crazed cop" image the producers were trying to portray.

 

[Hal]

The character, Callahan, used 44 special JHP

I'm not really positive & I'm sure someone would be quick to jump it it if I'm wrong - - - but - - I don't think there was such a thing as a .44 special jacketed hollow point back in 1970 when Dirty Harry came out.
Maybe some .44 magnum rounds, but, I'm pretty sure all they made back then in .44 special was the 246 grain round nose lead.

I don't recall seeing anything else on the shelves until about the time S&W picked up that ammunition company - Anton of something like that - later into the 70s. I have a couple rounds of that stuff laying around the house. That was lead hollow point though, not jacketed.