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Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Hazcat on May 22, 2011, 01:11:05 PM

Title: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: Hazcat on May 22, 2011, 01:11:05 PM
I was just listening to an OLD radio show (Casey Crime Photographer from 1947).  The show revolves around a gun of caliber "twenty nine five".

They never mention the make (it is a handgun) except to say it is a foreign make and was a popular 'ladies' gun.

Any ideas?
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: fightingquaker13 on May 22, 2011, 01:21:50 PM
Are you sure it wasn't twenty five nine, as in a .25 with a 9 round mag which would have been a popular ladies gun in the period?
FQ13
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: Ping on May 22, 2011, 01:32:36 PM
What FQ said makes sense?  ???
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: PegLeg45 on May 22, 2011, 01:40:39 PM
I'm stumped a little.....(no comments from M58  ;)  ;D )

Only reference I found was:
S&W made both a Model 25-9 and a 29-5.
The 25-9 was a .45 Colt and the 29-5 was a .44 magnum.
I doubt either guns are what was being discussed if they were referenced as 'ladies guns' due to the size of the guns....(no offense meant to ladies).
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: blackwolfe on May 22, 2011, 01:52:08 PM
In 1947, I don't think the .44 mag existed yet.  I don't think S&W started numbering their models until the 1950's. so the 25-9, the ninth revision of the model 25 wouldn't have been available yet either.

I don't think it was this either.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5%22/25_caliber_gun_(United_States)
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: PegLeg45 on May 22, 2011, 01:58:17 PM
Yes, you are absolutely correct......the .44 mag was still a few years out of production (1955??). The other (25-9) was around 1989 production...so neither would fit.
That was just all I had come up with on a google search.


Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: Solus on May 22, 2011, 02:04:40 PM
The only cartridge the writer could remember hearing about was a  30-06 and he sort of remembered it was used by men soldiers so he just subtracted 1 from each number and figured it sounded good for a ladies gun  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: CJS3 on May 22, 2011, 02:22:36 PM
It was what the writer put in the script. Accuracy is not required, and the only people listening to the old radio show wouldn't have had a clue.
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: tombogan03884 on May 22, 2011, 03:47:27 PM
CJ is probably right, How often did Dashiel Hammett and Ray Chandler mention "38 Automatics" ?
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: Majer on May 22, 2011, 04:30:14 PM
Tom, both the .38a.c.p and .38 Super are ".38 automatics" and were very popular around that time
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: Hazcat on May 22, 2011, 05:46:57 PM
They talked about the caliber a bit and the hero said that it was a 'foreign' make as the US tended to 'standard' calibers like 22, 32, 38 etc.
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: mkm on May 22, 2011, 05:53:02 PM
.29 inches (29 caliber?) would be a little over 7mm.  Maybe they decided to convert from metric to standard for some reason.

On edit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.62x38mmR (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.62x38mmR)

7.62×38mmR (also known as 7.62 mm Nagant and Cartridge, Type R) is a unique ammunition cartridge designed for use in the Russian Nagant M1895 revolver.

According to the specs, it has a bullet diameter of .295.

Hope this helps.
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: Hazcat on May 22, 2011, 06:57:38 PM
It was supposed to be an itty bitty purse gun, and an automatic (semi).

Starting to sound like a fabrication but they spent a lot of time on it.  It was a major clue in the mystery.
Title: Re: Old handgun caliber question
Post by: mortdooley on May 22, 2011, 07:30:38 PM
 I believe it was a totally fictional gun from a writer who knew nothing about firearms.