What Dirty Harry meant in the movie

[Big Boar]

Just read four pages here of an old thread about the wrong interpretation of what Harry's comment meant at the range. When he said he uses " a light special." "With a gun this size it has no more recoil than a .38 with wadcutters."
What he meant was at the range and combat coarse only, that's why he made the comparison comment to wadcutters... Where as when we go to the range and use .38 wadcutters in our 357's , we also use .44 specials in the big magnum,,, at the range. That's what he was referring to only. He said In the first movie,,,, "357's a good gun but seen their bullets bounce off windshields,,, no good in a city like this." So yes Harry was loaded for bear out on the street as those heavy recoil scenes depicted.

 

[1KPerDay]

kay

 

[Jim Watson]

Jeff Cooper said the WORST thing about a Magnum revolver was that you could practice with Special loads and be unprepared when called on to shoot full power.

 

[Swing]

He said In the first movie,,,, "357's a good gun but seen their bullets bounce off windshields,,, no good in a city like this."

The quote from Magnum Force, the second film, is "A 357 magnum is a good weapon, but I've seen 38's bounce off of windshieds. No good in a city like this."

 

[Shaq]

Just read four pages here of an old thread about the wrong interpretation of what Harry's comment meant at the range. When he said he uses " a light special." "With a gun this size it has no more recoil than a .38 with wadcutters."
What he meant was at the range and combat coarse only, that's why he made the comparison comment to wadcutters... Where as when we go to the range and use .38 wadcutters in our 357's , we also use .44 specials in the big magnum,,, at the range. That's what he was referring to only. He said In the first movie,,,, "357's a good gun but seen their bullets bounce off windshields,,, no good in a city like this." So yes Harry was loaded for bear out on the street as those heavy recoil scenes depicted.

The actual quote (IIRC):
"Light special. I find I get better control & less recoil than a 357 Magnum with wadcutters."

It actually doesn't make much sense; he's just saying lines he was given. The writer probably isn't a gun person; just throwing out words to sound knowledgeable. A light 44 Special load is rather wimpy but I doubt it would recoil less than a 38 Spl. wadcutter. Maybe if the gun was really heavy.

After all, it's just a movie...entertainment.

By the way, if you want to see a glaring screw up in "Dirty Harry," play that scene after the bank robbery shootout with those two suspects. After Harry says his "I know what you're thinking...did he fire six shots or only five" bit. The suspect says "I gots to know."
Watch carefully as Harry cocks the gun, then when he pulls the trigger, the cylinder turns. It's really obvious in slow motion. Of course, no other revolver's cylinder turns when you pull the trigger on a cocked hammer.

And a really funny one in "Magnum Force." Play that scene when Harry is dismantling his mailbox to defuse a bomb. Watch the background carefully & you'll see a passenger on the streetcar waving to the camera crew.

 

[RX-79G]

I believe what the line is supposed to mean is:

"Light special. I find I get better control & less recoil than a 357 Magnum with .44 Special lightly loaded with wadcutters."

 

[WC145]

Wow. Speculation on what a movie character really meant when the actor recited a scripted line during filming. Seriously?:banghead:
It was a movie, nothing in it has any special meaning or application, it was written 40+ years ago to entertain a targeted audience demographic, the dialogue isn't meant to make sense or have any special underlying messages about the real world effectiveness of one caliber over another.

 

[Big Boar]

Actually the lines were completely correct for the situation. At the range one has got wadcutters in his 357 Harry's got light loads in his .44 ,,, I have both guns and do the same thing for control and accuracy.... Doesn't everybody?

 

[RX-79G]

Wow. Speculation on what a movie character really meant when the actor recited a scripted line during filming. Seriously?:banghead:
It was a movie, nothing in it has any special meaning or application, it was written 40+ years ago to entertain a targeted audience demographic, the dialogue isn't meant to make sense or have any special underlying messages about the real world effectiveness of one caliber over another.

Why click on thread? Why read it? Having read it, why respond? Just to make people feel stupid?

This is a discussion forum. We're not curing cancer, guy.

 

[Deaf Smith]

If I'm not mistaken, Dirty Harry used blanks.

Deaf

 

[AlfonsDeWolf]

Sorry, but the gun used in the movie was a model 57....a .41 Mag

 

[Carl N. Brown]

^^ Oh, you meanies, crushing my delicate illusions!



On movie lines I trust Internet Movie Database IMDb better than my memory (1971, 1973, it's been 45, 43 years?)

Magnum Force (1973)
Officer Phil Sweet: What kind of a load do you use in that .44?
Harry Callahan: It's a light Special. This size gun it gives you better control and less recoil than a .357 Magnum with wadcutters.

And they have two versions of the "feel lucky" quote:

Dirty Harry (1971), to bank robber:
Harry Callahan: Uh uh. I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?

Magnum Force (1973), at the end of the opening titles:
Harry Callahan: This is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and it could blow your head clean off. Do you feel lucky?
.44 Magnum: BOOM!

 

[jmr40]

Sorry, but the gun used in the movie was a model 57....a .41 Mag

Urban legend. He used a model 29 in 44 magnum.

You may have to zoom in a bit to read it, but it is clearly stamped 44 magnum on the barrel.

 

[Mr.Revolverguy]

Kind of Urban Legend kind of not. I watched an interview where the director of the movie stated they had a hard time getting a 44Magnum when they first started shooting the movie so they used a 41magnum. But all of the popular scenes the movie is remembered for there was definitely a 44 magnum used.

 

[Barry the Bear]

Kind of Urban Legend kind of not. I watched an interview where the director of the movie stated they had a hard time getting a 44Magnum when they first started shooting the movie so they used a 41magnum. But all of the popular scenes the movie is remembered for there was definitely a 44 magnum used.

John Milius was the writer although uncredited of the first film and the writer and director of the second film, he has stated that it was always the .44 magnum model 29. I have the entire dvd collection with his interviews included.

 

[Jim Watson]

There was one version of the Dirty Harry scarce .44 Magnum legend that said the S&W shop assembled a prop .44 on a .41's frame for the show.

 

[reddog81]

I'm pretty sure deaf smith's answer is correct - blanks... It would be logical to assuming light loads at the range and full power on the streets but there really is no "correct" answer. The director, writer, actor could all have different interpretations of the wording used and those interpretations can change over time.

I've heard the story about a .41 frame before and that doesn't really make sense. The 29 and 57 use the exact same frame. The only difference is the cylinder, barrel, and stamp on the frame. There is no such thing as a model 57 frame unless it's stamped Mod-57.

 

[Barry the Bear]

Gonna have to concur with Reddog, the shop had to use spare parts to make two pistols for the movie. One with the 6.5 inch barrel and the other with the 8 and 3/8ths barrel for close up shots I believe , but the model 57 and even others before have stated the model 25 were never used on the set as have been confirmed by both Smith and Wesson workers and the director/writer of the first two movies.

 

[JTQ]

Shaq wrote,
The writer probably isn't a gun person; just throwing out words to sound knowledgeable.

Barry the Bear wrote,
John Milius was the writer although uncredited of the first film and the writer and director of the second film, he has stated that it was always the .44 magnum model 29. I have the entire dvd collection with his interviews included.

Milius may not have been a gun expert, but he sure was a gun guy.

Here's a video on the gun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvWm8gbZtwI

 

[Big Boar]

I can say 29's were so scarce then I sent my 357 model 28 (four inch) out for the cylinder bored and a .44 barrel liner installed. Then hot loaded specials to where had a flame out the end of the barrel, that was my "Dirty Harry" gun.

 

[LivingTheDream]

Let's Talk Physics

If it takes a lot to get it moving, it will push back.

A lighter weapon will recoil more than a heavy one.

It takes more to deflect a heavy object than it does to deflect a lighter one.

Take it for what it's worth. Shoot the biggest weapon you can handle correctly.

 

[Old Fuff]

This discussion is centered on a fictional movie, and a script probably written by writers who were clueless about which end of a revolver the bullet came out of. Hollywood represents the least authoritative source of reliable information about guns one can get. They rank about even with the urban-based, mainstream news media.

Why concern yourself with trash when far better sources of information are available? :banghead:

 

[buck460XVR]

So yes Harry was loaded for bear out on the street as those heavy recoil scenes depicted.

.....and he was still able to hit a moving target, shooting one handed while on a dead run.....and never did his .44 mag rounds over penetrate and hit any of the multitude of innocent bystanders. Fictitious movies.....don't you just love 'em?

 

[MrBorland]

+1 Old Fuff.

And since the OP got their question answered, and anything beyond this point is likely to go off-topic, I'll go ahead and close this one now.