Inspector "Dirty Harry" Callahan (Clint Eastwood) returns with his ".44 Magnum", a Smith & Wesson Model 29 with a 6 1/2" barrel as his famous sidearm in the film. In the film, Callahan's .44 loads are in fact .44 Special, and not Magnums. He notes so by stating "It's a light Special. This size gun it gives you better control and less recoil than a .357 Magnum with wadcutters." Granted, in this context, the dialogue could have meant that he used a 'light' .44 Magnum cartridge, possibly reloaded by himself; however, with a commentary by director John Milius in the 2008 DVD release of the Dirty Harry series, he states that the "light Special" line was in fact a mistake in the script.
The film marks the first time Callahan loses his trademark weapon, having surrendered it to Lieutenant Briggs (Hal Holbrook) near the end of the film, and presumably destroyed in a subsequent car explosion where it was left behind.
The four motorcycle cops of the "death squad", Officers John Davis (David Soul), Philip Sweet (Tim Matheson), "Red" Astrachan (Kip Niven) and Michael Grimes (Robert Urich) carry 4" Colt Python revolvers, as do just about every other officer of the SFPD. During the police shooting competition, Davis lets Insp. Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) try out his Python, in which he deliberately misses a target to analyze the slug with a ballistics microscope. At the end of the film, Lt. Neil Briggs (Hal Holbrook), using a Colt Python, confronts Callahan after losing his Model 19 Snub as well. In the film, the guns are shown capable of having a suppressor attached by sliding it onto the end of the barrel. Almost all revolvers have a gap between the barrel and cylinder which allows gases to escape, as well as sound, meaning they cannot be effectively suppressed. The device shown in the movie also seems to be attached to the weapon purely by friction between the barrel and the long side arms; it seems fairly likely that the first attempt to fire with it in place would shoot the device off the end of the gun were it actually trapping propellant gases rather than simply being a functionless barrel extension.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingColt Python with 4" Barrel - .357 Magnum.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA closeup of the officer's Colt Python as he executes the criminals at the beginning of the film.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAlbert Popwell returns for his second role in the Dirty Harry series, this time playing a pimp who is pulled over the day after he kills one of his own prostitutes. His bribes prove useless against the officer, who quickly executes him by shooting him five times - once in the neck and four times in the chest. Notice the squib and fake skin on his neck used to show the first bullet's impact.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe officer smacks a suppressor on to his Colt Python before killing Lou Guzman. A silencer like the one shown here would be ineffective in real life.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe suppressed Python is used in the parking garage during a confrontation.Error creating thumbnail: File missingDavis fires his Colt Python during the police shooting competition.Error creating thumbnail: File missingCallahan runs a cylinder through Davis' Colt Python. Note that here you can clearly see a flash of escaping gas between the cylinder and the frame, showing why the suppressor would not be effective.Error creating thumbnail: File missingOfficer Grimes (Robert Urich) fires his Colt Python at Callahan's car.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLt. Neil Briggs (Hal Holbrook) with a Colt Python, confronts Callahan after losing his Model 19 Snub.
A Smith & Wesson M76 submachine gun is seen used by one of the "Death Squad" officers to kill a large number of underworld folks at a swimming pool party.
Trivia: Anyone who owns a copy of the DVD may note this scene is called "The Dead Pool" in the scene index, a play on the fifth installment in the Dirty Harry series, The Dead Pool.
During the plane hijack, the two hijackers use Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolvers as their weapons. When Insp. Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) infiltrates the plane disguised as a pilot, he knocks out one of them and uses the gun to kill the other hijacker as he flees. Another Model 10 is seen in the hands of a robber during the Cost Plus stakeout scene.
When Insp. Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) and Insp. Early Smith (Felton Perry) are assigned to the stakeout mission in the Cost Plus, one of the robber holds a sawed off Double Barreled Shotgun with exposed hammers on Smith before the robber is shot by Callahan. During the shootout outside Frank Palancio's (Tony Giorgio) place with the police, one of Frank's men uses a hammerless double-barreled shotgun, also sawed off. Due to continuity error, the gun fires off three shots from only two barrels.
One of the robbers during the stakeout scene in the Cost Plus uses a Beretta 951. A thug during the shootout in Frank Palancio's (Tony Giorgio) hideout, the shotgun-wielding thug tries to draw a Beretta but is killed by Officer Davis (David Soul) before he can fire off a shot.
One of Frank Palancio's (Tony Giorgio) thugs fires on the SFPD officers with an M1 Thompson before being killed by Insp. Callahan (Clint Eastwood). Another also fires on Callahan but it is harder to see and he is killed quickly.
One of Frank Palancio's (Tony Giorgio) retrieves a Browning Auto-5 from the stored weapon before the shootout with the SFPD. It could also be the Remington 11 or the Savage 720, both of which are near identical clones by those companies.
Frank Palancio (Tony Giorgio) uses a Winchester 1897 to shoot an SFPD officer through the door of his hideout and spark the shootout with the SFPD. Another one of his men uses one as well.
The uniformed cop in the break room during the stakeout in the Cost Plus is seen using an Ithaca 37 shotgun while watching the robbery through the two-way glass. During the shootout with Frank Palancio's men, Early Smith uses an Ithaca with an 18" barrel and blade sights.
Lt. Neil Briggs (Hal Holbrook) holds Insp. Callahan (Clint Eastwood) at gun point with a Smith & Wesson Model 19 Snub while in his car. He loses it in the car chase scene when Callahan overpowers him and throws it out of the window.
The room at the police station used for Ballistics Analysis has a vast array of guns, many of which are obscured from view or are too difficult to identify.
