Show Posts
1
The Dirty Harry Films / Re: Dirty Harry's Pistol
« on: April 14, 2005, 12:19:19 AM »
I respect Walt's opinion. I'm a big 2nd Amendment advocate and supporter of gun-owner's rights, but would never impose my desire to keep and bear arms on somebody who didn't want to. For the same reason, I don't show or "share" my guns with people whom I know are uncomfortable around them.
I think a lot of it has to do with education, and what one is exposed to. I was exposed to guns at a fairly early age by my father. He was hardly a "gun nut," but he was a very responsible gun owner, who drilled safety into my head so that it became second nature. I learned to respect firearms instead of harboring an unreasoning fear of them. I shot numerous types of guns as a boy, the result of which was that by the time I went into the military I was already a capable shot and subsequently won ribbons for pistol marksmanship during my stint in the Navy.
Shooting is fun! I recommend it to anybody. I've known many people who wanted nothing to do with guns until they finally got onto a range and actually did some plinking, and they loved it! And speaking for myself and the other shooters I know, when we're down at the range banging away at targets, we're not pretending that we're shooting somebody. The thought of using deadly force against another human being is horrifying to most shooters. The shooters I know don't even hunt animals for sport. But we also know that if a situation ever arose where we were required to defend the lives of our friends and loved ones, we have the skills and mental preparedness to do what needs to be done. You can call 911, but the tragic truth is that unlike Harry Callahan, real-life police are rarely able to stop a crime in progress. All they can do in most cases is clean up the mess afterward and try to catch the guys who did it. That's not an option that appeals to me.
In many cases, just having a gun is enough to deter a crime. I know this from personal experience. Years ago, I was driving home from an afternoon of shooting at an outdoor gun range. I had a Smith & Wesson model 25 in my car, which was almost identical to Harry's model 29 except that the 25 was chambered for .45 colt longs. (A great big, slow-moving bullet that's darned fun to shoot and has minimal recoil.)
On the way home, I spotted a rusty white van pulled off the side of the road in the opposite lane. Two young girls were on the sidewalk with their bicycles. They looked about 12 or 13, and had stopped for some reason. In front of the van, confronting them, was a skanky looking long haired dude in a dirty tee shirt. And at the very instant I passed by, I saw the guy reach out and lunge toward one of the girls!
I immediately pulled across the road and off the shoulder about 15 yards behind the van. Grabbing the gun, I climbed out and headed in their direction. The gun was not loaded, but I figured the mere sight of it would be enough to scare him away, and it was: he took one look at it, went white, scrambled into his van and burned rubber while I made a mental note of his license plate. In the meantime, a middle-aged couple had seen the whole thing, had pulled off the road, and were dashing across the street to see to the girls.
The husband approached me. I gave him the license number of the van and kindly asked him not to mention my involvement to the police, as I didn't want to be charged with brandishing a weapon in public. We shook, and I hopped into my car and sped away as they called the cops.
I wasn't trying to be "Dirty Harry." I didn't want to shoot anybody. The gun wasn't even loaded. I just wanted to make the scumbag stop what he was doing. He probably would've taken off regardless of whether I'd had a gun or not, but judging from the look on his face when he got a gander of the S&W, I'm convinced that the mere appearance of that big-bore handgun was a decisive factor.
So that's my true (absolutely true!), firsthand account of how the mere presence of a gun helped to stop a potential crime.
But this string isn't really about that, and I apologize for getting off point.
What I'm interested in is hearing more comments about the S&W model 29 (as opposed to the 629, which isn't really the same thing), from other "29" shooters and owners such as QuiGonFishing, gwb.pt deux and Big Al, all of whom have owned this classic revolver. And I'd love to see more photos! (Forget Internet porn: I'll take pictures of a model 29 over naked photos of Pamela Lee Anderson anytime, sick puppy that I am!)
I've been shooting my 29 about once or twice a week since I've bought it, and I've fallen in love with this gun.
I had originally replaced the factory grips with the Goncalo Alves grips I bought at the gun show, but today I replaced the Goncalo Alveses with the smaller factory grips and took the wheelgun for a spin at the range. The smaller grips aren't as pretty but they gave me much more control, and I was able to get some amazingly tight groupings all the way out to 25 yards.
This is a magnificent gun, beautifully styled and extremely accurate. Smith & Wesson should rightly be proud of it. It is the most accurate large-caliber revolver I've ever fired. The groupings are as tight as what I used to get shooting my .22 magnum, which was an incredibly accurate gun.
Perhaps because of the "Dirty Harry" movies, most people have tended to regard the model 29, sight unseen, as some kind of unmanageable "hand cannon," but nothing could be further from the truth. It's a sturdy gun that comfortably fills the hand but is not overly heavy, weighing only a tad under 3 pounds. With a little practice, it can be shot one-handed with a fair degree of accuracy. Not for long periods, though. Most folks shoot handguns two-handed anyway, for greater stability and accuracy. And with two hands, the model 29 is an absolute joy to shoot! Especially when shooting specials instead of magnums. (I understand why Harry preferred "light specials" instead of magnums.) I've shot Winchester .44 Rem Mag 250 grain Platinum-Tip Hollowpoints that kicked almost as bad as the 3" rifled lead slugs I occassionally put through my Mossberg pump .12 gauge shotgun, whereas the basic flat-nosed .44 Special LSWC (Lead Semi-WadCutter) target rounds I use at the range have no more kick than a light .38 special or a Hornady .22 magnum.
It's a beautiful gun, and a beautiful gun to shoot! My girlfriend was terrified to shoot this gun until I took her to the range and let her put a few .44 specials through it. Now she's in love with it!
But I'd like to see more pictures and hear more stories from other classic 29 owners and shooters like QuiGonFishing, gwb. pt deux and Big Al...
BTW, at the same gun show where I bought the model 29, I also saw a classic .44 automag identical to the one Clint used in "Sudden Impact," right down to the wooden case. It had never been fired, and the asking price was over $2,000. Guess these things are pretty rare these days...
Kindest wishes to all, and apologies for my long-windedness...
= Jack =
I think a lot of it has to do with education, and what one is exposed to. I was exposed to guns at a fairly early age by my father. He was hardly a "gun nut," but he was a very responsible gun owner, who drilled safety into my head so that it became second nature. I learned to respect firearms instead of harboring an unreasoning fear of them. I shot numerous types of guns as a boy, the result of which was that by the time I went into the military I was already a capable shot and subsequently won ribbons for pistol marksmanship during my stint in the Navy.
Shooting is fun! I recommend it to anybody. I've known many people who wanted nothing to do with guns until they finally got onto a range and actually did some plinking, and they loved it! And speaking for myself and the other shooters I know, when we're down at the range banging away at targets, we're not pretending that we're shooting somebody. The thought of using deadly force against another human being is horrifying to most shooters. The shooters I know don't even hunt animals for sport. But we also know that if a situation ever arose where we were required to defend the lives of our friends and loved ones, we have the skills and mental preparedness to do what needs to be done. You can call 911, but the tragic truth is that unlike Harry Callahan, real-life police are rarely able to stop a crime in progress. All they can do in most cases is clean up the mess afterward and try to catch the guys who did it. That's not an option that appeals to me.
In many cases, just having a gun is enough to deter a crime. I know this from personal experience. Years ago, I was driving home from an afternoon of shooting at an outdoor gun range. I had a Smith & Wesson model 25 in my car, which was almost identical to Harry's model 29 except that the 25 was chambered for .45 colt longs. (A great big, slow-moving bullet that's darned fun to shoot and has minimal recoil.)
On the way home, I spotted a rusty white van pulled off the side of the road in the opposite lane. Two young girls were on the sidewalk with their bicycles. They looked about 12 or 13, and had stopped for some reason. In front of the van, confronting them, was a skanky looking long haired dude in a dirty tee shirt. And at the very instant I passed by, I saw the guy reach out and lunge toward one of the girls!
I immediately pulled across the road and off the shoulder about 15 yards behind the van. Grabbing the gun, I climbed out and headed in their direction. The gun was not loaded, but I figured the mere sight of it would be enough to scare him away, and it was: he took one look at it, went white, scrambled into his van and burned rubber while I made a mental note of his license plate. In the meantime, a middle-aged couple had seen the whole thing, had pulled off the road, and were dashing across the street to see to the girls.
The husband approached me. I gave him the license number of the van and kindly asked him not to mention my involvement to the police, as I didn't want to be charged with brandishing a weapon in public. We shook, and I hopped into my car and sped away as they called the cops.
I wasn't trying to be "Dirty Harry." I didn't want to shoot anybody. The gun wasn't even loaded. I just wanted to make the scumbag stop what he was doing. He probably would've taken off regardless of whether I'd had a gun or not, but judging from the look on his face when he got a gander of the S&W, I'm convinced that the mere appearance of that big-bore handgun was a decisive factor.
So that's my true (absolutely true!), firsthand account of how the mere presence of a gun helped to stop a potential crime.
But this string isn't really about that, and I apologize for getting off point.
What I'm interested in is hearing more comments about the S&W model 29 (as opposed to the 629, which isn't really the same thing), from other "29" shooters and owners such as QuiGonFishing, gwb.pt deux and Big Al, all of whom have owned this classic revolver. And I'd love to see more photos! (Forget Internet porn: I'll take pictures of a model 29 over naked photos of Pamela Lee Anderson anytime, sick puppy that I am!)
I've been shooting my 29 about once or twice a week since I've bought it, and I've fallen in love with this gun.
I had originally replaced the factory grips with the Goncalo Alves grips I bought at the gun show, but today I replaced the Goncalo Alveses with the smaller factory grips and took the wheelgun for a spin at the range. The smaller grips aren't as pretty but they gave me much more control, and I was able to get some amazingly tight groupings all the way out to 25 yards.
This is a magnificent gun, beautifully styled and extremely accurate. Smith & Wesson should rightly be proud of it. It is the most accurate large-caliber revolver I've ever fired. The groupings are as tight as what I used to get shooting my .22 magnum, which was an incredibly accurate gun.
Perhaps because of the "Dirty Harry" movies, most people have tended to regard the model 29, sight unseen, as some kind of unmanageable "hand cannon," but nothing could be further from the truth. It's a sturdy gun that comfortably fills the hand but is not overly heavy, weighing only a tad under 3 pounds. With a little practice, it can be shot one-handed with a fair degree of accuracy. Not for long periods, though. Most folks shoot handguns two-handed anyway, for greater stability and accuracy. And with two hands, the model 29 is an absolute joy to shoot! Especially when shooting specials instead of magnums. (I understand why Harry preferred "light specials" instead of magnums.) I've shot Winchester .44 Rem Mag 250 grain Platinum-Tip Hollowpoints that kicked almost as bad as the 3" rifled lead slugs I occassionally put through my Mossberg pump .12 gauge shotgun, whereas the basic flat-nosed .44 Special LSWC (Lead Semi-WadCutter) target rounds I use at the range have no more kick than a light .38 special or a Hornady .22 magnum.
It's a beautiful gun, and a beautiful gun to shoot! My girlfriend was terrified to shoot this gun until I took her to the range and let her put a few .44 specials through it. Now she's in love with it!
But I'd like to see more pictures and hear more stories from other classic 29 owners and shooters like QuiGonFishing, gwb. pt deux and Big Al...
BTW, at the same gun show where I bought the model 29, I also saw a classic .44 automag identical to the one Clint used in "Sudden Impact," right down to the wooden case. It had never been fired, and the asking price was over $2,000. Guess these things are pretty rare these days...
Kindest wishes to all, and apologies for my long-windedness...
= Jack =
