But as a stopper of predators of the human kind, many leading members of the gun fraternity believe the .357 magnum to be superior to even the big .44. Smith and Wesson's model 29, 44 magnum gained legendary fame and popularity once Clint Eastwood took it to the big screen in his role as Dirty Harry.  For this review I've chosen the Dirty Heather Colt Python,  since even Dirty Harry  cannot the tough and beautiful Dirty Heather when she's armed with what is probably the most accurate, smoothest functioning and stylish double action revolver ever made, the Colt Python.

First produced by Smith and Wesson in 1935 as the most powerful handgun on earth, the .357 magnum was originally designed to give lawmen an edge over a new breed of criminal who had emerged during the Depression years. Prohibition saw the rise of the bootleggers, the predecessors of today's organized crime, who fought raging street battles in Chicago and New York for dominance of the mob. Law enforcement officers often found themselves outgunned by lone psychotic murderers and thieves such as Bonnie and Clyde as well as by tommy-gun carrying bootleggers. This new breed of criminals emerged at the same time as the automobile came into prominence, which gave them unprecedented mobility. The police officer of the era was typically armed with a 38 special revolver firing a bullet only 100 feet per second faster than the .38 long Colt that had failed to stop determined Moro warriors during the Philippine Insurrection just thirty years earlier. Not only did the 38 Special prove to be an undependable man stopper, it also could not be relied upon to penetrate automobile bodies and other barriers protecting the criminals.

The 357 magnum had a slightly longer case than the 38 special and was designed to operate at much higher pressure while firing the same .357 inch diameter projectiles. On paper it developed three times the muzzle energy of the slightly shorter .38 special cartridge. It also chambers and fires the much less powerful .38 Special, a much cheaper round that developed significantly less muzzle flash and recoil, which gave the cop the option of loading up with .38 Specials for target practice or 357 magnums for serious business. The 357 magnum soon developed a reputation for being able to perforate engine blocks and automobile bodies and superior stopping power. But its recoil and loud muzzle blast was considered to be hard to tolerate which often resulted in poor shooting. Inevitably hunters preferring to take big game with a handgun took their 357 magnums afield until reports came in that the 357 magnum had accounted for the biggest game on the North American continent including Alaska's big bears.

 

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