Smith & Wesson Model 29 Magnum .44: The World's Toughest Revolver

Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum, or simply Magnum .44 - a revolver, developed in the mid-50s of the last century under the powerful cartridge .44 Magnum. This weapon is very popular, it is loved by directors in Hollywood and creators of computer "shooters". "Forty-fourth" Magnum can be safely called the most famous revolver in the world, it enjoys the greatest popularity at home - in the United States of America. In Latin, the word "magnum" means "large", "large." Magnum .44 fully justifies its name - today it is the most powerful serial revolver in the world.

Initially, the Magnum .44 was created as a hunting weapon. It is believed that the .44 Magnum bullet is quite capable of dumping medium-sized game (such as a deer), but there is information about the successful use of this ammunition for hunting buffalo and even a bear.

However, Magnum .44 even more helped Hollywood producers hunt for record-breaking box office. Thanks to the police detective nicknamed "Dirty Harry", brilliantly played by Clint Eastwood, the .44 Magnum revolver gained wide popularity. There are numerous communities of Magnum fans in the United States .44.

There are several modifications of the 44 Magnums, they differ in the length of the trunk. Despite the fact that this revolver gained fame and popularity thanks to a fictional police detective Harold Callahan, this weapon is not favored by the police and other security forces. Due to its large size, excessive power of ammunition and strong recoil.

History of Magnum .44

The history of the Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum revolver began in 1955. This weapon was developed by the famous shooter, hunter and engineer of Smith & Wesson Elmer Keith under a very powerful cartridge .44 Remington Magnum. Initially, the design of the revolver had the ability to withstand high pressure during a shot. Of all the revolvers of the renowned company, the 44th Magnum has the strongest frame.

The .44 Magnum cartridge was originally designed for hunting. Elmer Keith took the .44 S & W Special cartridge as a basis, which was created in 1907 and worked on it for a long time. After lengthy experiments, he managed to pick up a bullet weight at which its initial speed was 460 meters per second. During the tests, the new cartridge was able to provide bullet energy twice as large as the .357 Magnum ammunition. The management of the company remained quite the results of the research, and decided to begin industrial production of the cartridge. The only trouble was that at that time Smith & Wesson did not have free production capacity for the release of a new cartridge. I had to look for partners.

The release of the patron took no less famous American company Remington Arms, so the patron in the future received the full name .44 Remington Magnum. But the incomplete and most popular - .44 Magnum.

As a result, the .44 Magnum turned out to be slightly longer than the .44 S & W Special, on the basis of which it was created. Later various modifications of this cartridge were created.

The revolver, designed with the .44 Magnum, was named Smith & Wesson Model 29. However, it is often called just the Magnum .44.

Dirty Harry

This weapon for a long time was not very popular and in demand. Only a few hunters and fans of sport shooting bought it. That was until 1971, when the first film about the brutal guy Harold Callahan, a police detective from San Francisco nicknamed “Dirty Harry”, did not come out. This character hated paperwork, and in his work relied more on a huge revolver of 44 gauge than on the wisdom of the criminal procedure code. Callahan was played by the magnificent Clint Eastwood, and Smith & Wesson Model 29 was chosen for the role of his weapon.

After the film was shown, both Clint Eastwood and the Magnum 44 revolver turned into real cult figures for Americans. The 44th Magnum began to be bought up rapidly, which allowed the manufacturer to sell more than half a million units of this weapon of various modifications. It should be noted that before the shooting of the Clint Eastwood film, he practiced shooting for more than a month from the .44 Magnum. Therefore, on the screen, he easily and carelessly controlled with this weapon.

Description Magnum .44

The Smith & Wesson Model 29 is a classic double-action American revolver designed for the .44 Magnum cartridge. Due to the power of the used ammunition, it has a reinforced structure.

Extraction of sleeves occurs simultaneously on the most common principle today: the drum leans to the side, and then the shooter removes the sleeves from the chamber with an extractor.

Magnum 44 has several trunks. Initially, there were three versions of the weapon: with barrels 6½ inches long, 8 and 10 inches long. Later, the “short barrels” were added to them - 4 (102 mm) and 6 inches (153 mm).

Naturally, the weight of the weapon strongly depends on the length of the barrel.

The revolver was originally designed for the .44 Magnum cartridge, but the design of the revolver (lack of a bolt and a magazine) allows the use of other 44-gauge ammunition. For shooting from the 44th Magnum, even black powder ammunition such as .44 Russian or .44 Special is suitable.

The sights of the revolver are open, they consist of a front sight and a rear sight, to which a phosphor coating is applied. To partially reduce recoil, the revolver has a heavy and comfortable handle.

The .44 Magnum has a double-action trigger, and the weapons drum has a capacity of six rounds.

Advantages and disadvantages of Magnum .44

Like any other weapon, the Magnum 44 has significant advantages and certain disadvantages.

The revolver was originally designed for hunting, but sometimes it is bought for self-defense, shooting sports, or just to create a cool image. When buying this weapon one thing should be remembered: the 44th Magnum has a very cool temper, comparable only to the character of its famous owner "Dirty Harry" Callahan.

This revolver has a very harsh return. If you have a weak hand, it will be very difficult to use the .44 Magnum (up to a blow to the head). However, the harsh appearance of the gun can scare the enemy. If not, then one accurate shot will be more than enough. The massive construction allows the 44th to be used even in hand-to-hand combat.

Speaking seriously, the main advantages of weapons are:

• excellent accuracy;
• the possibility of using as a second hunting weapon;
• very powerful cartridge with good stopping and stopping action;
• the possibility of using other 44-gauge ammunition;
• menacing appearance, which has a strong psychological impact;
• high reliability of the weapon.

Of course, the .44 Magnum also has serious shortcomings that need to be considered before purchasing this revolver. The most important of them is a significant return, which easily “knocks out” the hand of an inexperienced shooter. Also, you are unlikely to be able to conduct high-speed aimed shooting from Magnum 44. The sound of a shot is deafening, and a flash can blind anyone. The revolver is very heavy, the lightest version weighs over 1,220 kg. In addition, the 44th is rather cumbersome and not intended for secretive wearing.

It should also be noted that both a revolver and its ammunition are quite expensive. However, the .44 Magnum is not only a weapon, but also an element of an image that is known to be more valuable than money.

It should be noted that the .44 Magnum cartridge is used by other types of small arms. Among them are such recognizable pistols and revolvers as the Desert Eagle, Colt Anaconda and .44 Magnum Ruger Blackhawk. Almost all of them fit the definition of "pocket howitzers".

Magnum Specifications .44