Testing Dirty Harry?

As for the original post. The big question would be do you use a .44 mag as clint's character refers to or a .357 mag which is what he is holding at the time?[/QUOTE]
I was shocked!! Did a quick 'google' search and took a close look at a few photo's form the show. A critical exhamination of the most famous of those photo's where Harry is pointing at the bank robber laying on the ground, it sure looks like a 6 1/2" model 29 to me. The barrel is straight whereas on the same frame .357 Mag, 27 or 28, the barrel is swaged, unless, don't tell me it is a model 19???????????? :confused: If so, I'm shattered!!:redface: :( :redface:
 
I do not think that a 44 mag could blow a head clean off especially at the range that our hero was pointing the big gun ( was it a .44?)

For me, Harry's language and demeanor was more impressive than the big gun. Imagine if Harry was a CNG geek saying something like, "I'm shootin a 240 grain jacketed hollow at 1180 feet per second, but I am not sure what it actually chronos at, but it should produce 740 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle!
 
I've seen lots of cattle head shot with 22, 30/30, 32 sp, 303 brit, 30/06, 410, 20 ga, 12 ga slugs and even a 45/70, but while some of the exit holes were impressive none even completely cracked the skull, I doubt a pistol round would completely remove a head.
 
No way a 44 mag would take your head clean off, the round just isnt big enough. It will do a lot of damage, especially with a contact shot to the head, but it wont take it off. A shotgun on the other hand will usually be much more devestating. Often, in suicides, the complete obliteration of a head is caused by a shot to the mouth, ie. the gun is in the persons mouth at the time of firing, when this occurs the expanding gasses create great pressure and once the projectile begins to penetrate into the back of the mouth, the gasses exert their pressure at this weak point. Then they "blow out" the entire region. The same effect of expanding gasses can be see with contact shots to the side of the head. Depending on the power of the weapon, the expanding gasses will often blow holes through places such as the forehead, nasal area, cheeks, etc. even though the actual projectile never touches these areas.
 
Johnn Peterson said:
I was shocked!! Did a quick 'google' search and took a close look at a few photo's form the show. A critical exhamination of the most famous of those photo's where Harry is pointing at the bank robber laying on the ground, it sure looks like a 6 1/2" model 29 to me. The barrel is straight whereas on the same frame .357 Mag, 27 or 28, the barrel is swaged, unless, don't tell me it is a model 19???????????? :confused: If so, I'm shattered!!:redface: :( :redface:
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At the end of one of the films they talk about the .44 magnum. Apparently they used 2 of them. I believe the director received one and Clint received the other as keep-sakes of the film.

So, I guess they were, in fact, .44 magnums, the most powerful handguns in the world :D
 
kent23 said:
At the end of one of the films they talk about the .44 magnum. Apparently they used 2 of them. I believe the director received one and Clint received the other as keep-sakes of the film.

So, I guess they were, in fact, .44 magnums, the most powerful handguns in the world :D
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Whew. Now I feel better. When I went to the movie, having just recently acquired my first 44 Smith, I was looking forward to picking holes in the shooting. If there were any shooting errors, they were few. The 44 Smith, 9mm P-38 and .458wm shooting effects all looked pretty realistic.
 
Apparently Clint went shooting with the .44 magnum so he knew how to make the shooting look realistic. Man, after seeing that famous line I wanted to go out and buy a .44 magnum! But no, a BFR in .458 Winchester Magnum caught my attention. :D

Even though I suppose it's safe to assume it would never 'blow someone's head clean off' I'd still like to perform this test using a simulated medium - again, anyone got any suggestions on what I could use to simulate the skull and bone material?

- Dave.
 
*resists the urge to make a very immature, politically incorrect joke at the mention of 'coconuts'*

Alright, uh, hee hee hee... that's a great idea! I suppose I'd have to use the whole thing, including the green outer rind - or are you talking about just the hairy, brown inner shell?

If I drilled a hole in it to drain the coconut jelly and then filled it with ballistic gelatin, would that be cheating, though? Even a small hole could compromise the integrity of the shell.

- Dave.
 
Johnn Peterson said:
As for the original post. The big question would be do you use a .44 mag as clint's character refers to or a .357 mag which is what he is holding at the time?
Click to expand...
I was shocked!! Did a quick 'google' search and took a close look at a few photo's form the show. A critical exhamination of the most famous of those photo's where Harry is pointing at the bank robber laying on the ground, it sure looks like a 6 1/2" model 29 to me. The barrel is straight whereas on the same frame .357 Mag, 27 or 28, the barrel is swaged, unless, don't tell me it is a model 19???????????? :confused: If so, I'm shattered!!:redface: :( :redface:[/QUOTE]


Well I'll be ####ed! I clearly remember a show on tv where the director had mentioned that At the time of filming they could not find a suitable model 29 so they used a 357. I just googled it and it turns out they used a model 57 .41 mag.

I stand corrected.

The gun used by Clint Eastwood in the filming of the movie was reportly not a .44 Magnum. According to a story related by the studio's prop department, Smith & Wesson did not have a Model 29 in stock at the time one was requested for filming. Instead, they used a Smith & Wesson Model 57 in .41 Magnum.[citation needed] The Model 29 and Model 57 are identical except for minute differences in bore size, chamber dimensions, and exterior markings, none of which are visible in the film.
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Save on the groceries and ammo, pick up a book called "Gun Shot Injuries" by Lagard(sp). It explains why in the case of suicides there is a great deal of trauma to the head - it is actually caused by the propellant gases not by the bullet. Lots of very interesting pictures and text. It was written at the time that the the world's military was moving from black powder to smokless propellants, and from lead to jacketed bullets. X-rays were brand new, and used in several illustrations. Very interesting stuff, but Dirty Harry was being optimistic.
 
wobbles99 said:
I was shocked!! Did a quick 'google' search and took a close look at a few photo's form the show. A critical exhamination of the most famous of those photo's where Harry is pointing at the bank robber laying on the ground, it sure looks like a 6 1/2" model 29 to me. The barrel is straight whereas on the same frame .357 Mag, 27 or 28, the barrel is swaged, unless, don't tell me it is a model 19???????????? :confused: If so, I'm shattered!!:redface: :( :redface:
Click to expand...


Well I'll be f**ked! I clearly remember a show on tv where the director had mentioned that At the time of filming they could not find a suitable model 29 so they used a 357. I just googled it and it turns out they used a model 57 .41 mag.

I stand corrected.[/QUOTE]

In the special features on the DVD it says that they used a mod 29 made from parts they 'acquired' as the mod 29's wernt in mass production yet
 
wobbles99 said:
I was shocked!! Did a quick 'google' search and took a close look at a few photo's form the show. A critical exhamination of the most famous of those photo's where Harry is pointing at the bank robber laying on the ground, it sure looks like a 6 1/2" model 29 to me. The barrel is straight whereas on the same frame .357 Mag, 27 or 28, the barrel is swaged, unless, don't tell me it is a model 19???????????? :confused: If so, I'm shattered!!:redface: :( :redface:
Click to expand...


Well I'll be f**ked! I clearly remember a show on tv where the director had mentioned that At the time of filming they could not find a suitable model 29 so they used a 357. I just googled it and it turns out they used a model 57 .41 mag.

I stand corrected.[/QUOTE]
Oh no!!! The nightmares and flashbacks are starting to return. No Easter Bunny, then Santa may also be a fake and now Dirty Harry & his 44.....:( :( Where will it all end.;) You're right though, I forgot about the model 57, and actually the model 25. They're all close.
 
wobbles99 said:
I saw one like that on TV a little while ago too. The guy didn't live though.

Originally they thought it was a homicide due to the fact that they had spray from one spot in the room (apparently the guy was shot while sitting on the edge of the bed). Then there were bloody prints where he had dragged himself into the bath room and then the body had been discovered in the bathroom with a second spray pattern and bits of the person's head all over. :puke:

Turns out the guy had tried to commit sucide with a 12 gauge. He put it under his chin and pulled the trigger. He blew the front portion of his face off but missed his brain. Surprisingly he was still consious and still able to see.

They figure he crawled to the bathroom and, from what they gather, saw himself in the mirror. He finished the job but this time held the shotgun straight out in front of him this time.

I feel for anyone who has to see, or worse, clean up anything like this.


As for the original post. The big question would be do you use a .44 mag as clint's character refers to or a .357 mag which is what he is holding at the time?
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A couple guys I work with had a similar experience to this, except the guy was still alive when they arrived on scene. Had the whole front of his face blown off. One eyeball was hanging out from what was left of his face. The guy had no jaw left, blood going everywhere. Worse thing is was he was walking around his house and they had trouble getting control of him enough to treat him. Eventually they got him settled down enough to get an IV up and start to transport. The guy died in the emergency dept shortly after. I am glad I wasn't working then...
 
Shotguns are messy. :puke:
It can paint a small room with your skull contents.
A .308 can split the head in half but probably won't take a head clean off.

Let us know how your experiment goes.
 
Yes a hunting rifle or slug will remove MOST of your head if the muzzle is pressed against the roof of your mouth.
It must be the extreme pressure created inside the skull by the shock wave or something like that.
Sometimes flaps and bits are hanging off, or the lower jaw is still intact.
.357 and .44mag Handgun rounds make a big exit wound but no head removal.
There are many people walking around with no face or jaw due to poor placement of the muzzle.
I once shot a grouse only about three yards away that flew up suddenly in front of me.
"Blew his head clean off!"
 
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