Pythons are great guns; I have owned a few over the years. I just prefer the L Frames (586/686). I currently do not own a Python but I have a 586-4 with 4" barrel and have had several L Frames, all with no problems whatsoever and were great shooters. The ongoing debate about Python's being fragile and going out of time quickly seems to be valid for some people. Also, there are very few Python gunsmiths left and the ones who work on them supposedly have long waiting periods. I would not trust sending a Python back to Colt to be worked on because just my luck they would go bankrupt (again!) and my gun would sit on a table somewhere for who knows how long. Just my opinion for what little value it is.