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A Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel in 12 GA

Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel, Factory new in box. 12 GA - Picture 2

Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel, Factory new in box. 12 GA - Picture 1

Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel, Factory new in box. 12 GA - Picture 3
Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel, Factory new in box. 12 GA - Picture 4
Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel, Factory new in box. 12 GA - Picture 5
Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel, Factory new in box. 12 GA - Picture 6
Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel, Factory new in box. 12 GA - Picture 7
Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel, Factory new in box. 12 GA - Picture 8
Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel, Factory new in box. 12 GA - Picture 9
Berika Arms Model FLN, Lever Action, 4+1 Tube Fed, 18.5 Inch Barrel, Factory new in box. 12 GA - Picture 10

 

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Dirty Harry’s Hogleg — S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum BY WILL DABBS

Smith and Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum right profile

“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 kind of lost track myself. But being that 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?”

Will Dabbs shooting the Smith and Wesson Model 29 revolver
If ever there was a firearm that should receive title billing in a movie, it was the Smith and Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum used in Dirty Harry.

Words can be powerful. Nations go to war over words. People fall in love over the turn of a phrase. Words can be frivolous, powerful, dangerous or inane.

These particular words, likely penned by the legendary John Milius and spoken by Clint Eastwood in character as Dirty Harry Callahan, are some of the coolest ever captured on film.

But for a remarkable turn of fate, they could have been uttered very differently.

Dirty Harry defined Clint Eastwood’s career. Harry was originally supposed to be played by Frank Sinatra. The role was also offered to John Wayne, Burt Lancaster, Steve McQueen, George C. Scott, and Paul Newman.

They all passed on the project citing its excessive violence. It was on the strength of Newman’s recommendation that the producers offered the role to Eastwood.

If ever there was a firearm that should receive title billing in a movie, it was the Smith and Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum used in Dirty Harry.

The synergistic combination of Eastwood’s inimitable presence and the Model 29’s unparalleled power created an enduring cinematic icon.

At a time when the Age of Aquarius threatened to castrate American virility, Dirty Harry gently reminded the world that we Americans were still the baddest boys on the block.

Smith and Wesson Model 29 with multiple boxes of ammunition and target
The Smith and Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum is capable of fine combat accuracy.

Origin Story

Elmer Keith was the father of the .44 Magnum.

In the early 1950s, Elmer began experimenting with the .44 Special cartridge to produce something more powerful, and therefore better suited, for big-game hunting.

Once he devised the round, he approached Smith and Wesson and Remington about producing a gun to fire it.

The S&W Model 29 first drew breath on December 15, 1955, and was offered for retail sale a month later with an MSRP of $140. That’s about $1,280 today.

The S&W Model 29 evolved through 10 different sub-variants between the mid-1950s and the present.

The gun has always been popular, but the 1971 release of Dirty Harry made it difficult for dealers to keep them stocked.

While the pistol and cartridge have been subsequently eclipsed by such beasts as the .454 Casull and .500 S&W Magnum, in its day, the .44 Magnum was indeed the most powerful production handgun in the world.

The Model 29 starts with a carbon-steel frame and includes a fixed red ramp in front and an adjustable rear sight.

The single-action/double-action trigger is wide and comfortable, sporting the same slick greasy mechanicals for which Smith is justifiably revered.

The 6.5-inch carbon-steel barrel gives the gun an overall length of an even foot.

The Model 29 has been produced in a variety of barrel lengths, but this one was Harry’s.

Smith and Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum with loaded cylinder open
The Model 29’s greasy smooth action makes reloads fast by revolver standards.

The cylinder, frame and barrel are all beautifully blued, while the unpretentious walnut grips exude a timeless American power vibe.

There is just something mystical about the synergy of all these graceful lines that causes an inevitable surge in serum testosterone. Just gazing upon it will make your heart race.

Range Report

Question my manhood if you must, but I do not find running the Model 29 .44 Magnum to be a particularly enjoyable experience.

The Model 29 will push less energetic .44 Special rounds as well, and those are indeed fun. Full-power .44 Magnum loads, however, peg my fun meter in fairly short order.

The greasy, smooth, double-action/single-action trigger should hang in the Louvre as the very physical manifestation of mechanical art.

The gun’s particulars such as the cylinder release, ejector, cylinder fit and sights are the embodiment of ballistic perfection.

Prodigious recoil notwithstanding, the gun shoots better than do I out to 50 meters or more.

Technical Specifications

Smith and Wesson Model 29
Caliber .44 Magnum
Barrel Length 6.5 Inches
Overall Length 12 Inches
Weight 47.7 Ounces
Capacity Six Rounds
Sights Red Ramp/Adjustable Rear
Finish Blued
Grips Wood
MSRP $1,169

Denouement

The classic blued Model 29 with its Dirty Harry-esque 6.5-inch barrel is currently offered on the Smith and Wesson website with an MSRP of $1,169.

Adjusted for inflation, this is about what they cost back in 1956. You don’t typically buy one of these massive wheelguns to really shoot much.

Most of us just stare lovingly at ours. Simply hefting the thing will reliably give you the tiniest little twitch to your eye and sprinkle a little gravel in your voice.

In a pinch, it will also likely blow a man’s head clean off.

Performance Specifications

Smith And Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum

Load Group Size (Inches) Velocity (Feet Per Second)
Federal 240-Grain Hydra-Shok 1.25 1,387
Federal 280-Grain Swift A-Frame 1.25 1,127
Federal Fusion 240-Grain JHP 0.5 1,462
Hornady 240-Grain JHP XTP 1.5 1,643
Hornady 225-Grain FTX 0.6 1,433

*Group size is the best three of four rounds measured center to center, fired from a simple rest at 15 meters. Velocity is the average of three rounds fired across a Caldwell Ballistic Chronograph oriented 10 feet from the muzzle.

 

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40 Million Americans Refuse To Comply with Biden’s ATF Pistol Brace Rule ~ VIDEOS by Gary Marbut

AmmoLand Come and Take It Tee
File Photo

I have seen various estimates of the percentage of pistol brace owners who have complied with the new BATFE rule that deems braced pistols to be subject to prohibition or registration as Short Barreled Rifles (SBR) under the National Firearms Act (NFA).

The most defensible estimates seem to be around 2.5% compliance. The most generous estimates come in near 8% compliance, while other estimates come in as low as .6% (yes, 6/10ths of one percent).

Nobody really knows for sure, but whatever numbers you believe, it seems apparent that there is wholesale noncompliance. This just proves the old adage that stupid laws breed disrespect for the law.

We know that just over 250,000 braced pistols have been registered as SBRs. The Congressional Research Service estimates(embedded below) that there are between 10 and 40 million pistol braces in private ownership in the U.S. Suppose half of the high number, or 20 million, is correct. Suppose half of those owners have become compliant by destroying their braces, surrendering them to the BATFE, attaching a 16″ upper to a braced lower, or other means. Yeah, right. That’s a stretch.

Given the remaining pool of 10 million brace owners and 250,000 who registered SBRs is what gets us to about 2.5% overt compliance.

That gets us to 97.5% NONcompliance. Thus, stupid laws simply breed disrespect for the law. In this situation, this breeding makes mosquitoes look slow and unsuccessful.

What? Not concerned as long as you are allowed to possess your over-and-under shotgun for bird hunting? Just wait for the administrative rule change declaring your favorite fowling or trap and skeet gun to be a trench gun and, therefore, a “destructive device” subject to felony prosecution for possession. Need only your bolt-action rifle for deer and elk hunting? Watch as those are administratively declared to be “sniper rifles” and suddenly quite illegal to possess.

There is a reason why this fight over pistol braces is essential and why the BATFE’s ability to turn millions of lawful gun owners into federal felons with the stroke of an administrative pen is an unacceptable hard crossing of a double-yellow line.

It will be interesting to see how this wholesale noncompliance with the BATFE’s pistol brace rule plays out. That and magazine capacity, semi-auto function, “safe storage,” mandatory insurance, forced reset triggers, key cards, bump stocks, [firearms ID cards, pistol purchase permits], and more. Stay tuned. It is getting spicy.

Best wishes,
Gary Marbut, President
Montana Shooting Sports Association
www.mtssa.org
Author, Gun Laws of Montana
www.MTPublish.com

Congressional Research Service Handguns, Stabilizing Braces, And Related Components


About Montana Shooting Sports Association

The Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA) is the primary political advocate for Montana gun owners. For more information, visit: www.mtssa.org.

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