Jim Sharp, I agree they are both K frames but the model 10 with the grip adapters and 4"bbl just feels and balances better for me than the 19. The 19's target grips just do not feel right; but I will say that looks wise, fit and finish, the old 19's take a back seat to none.

I've owned my python 40 years. In that time I've had to PEEN the hand(stretch) TWICE to bring it back into time. That was when I was shooting it a lot. Now it mostly sleeps behind the Smiths in the safe.

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S&W Accumulator

19 or 66 all the way!

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Pine_Worker
Ex-LEO, NRA Life

From a vintage Bullseye competition perspective, the Colt barrel was known for it's accuracy at 50 yards due to the twist rate, as stated in the previous text. The 148 g. WC bullet needed the faster twist rate to keep stable at 50 yards. I have heard that the Colt barrels were tapered, and had a slightly smaller diameter for the swagged or cast 148g. bullet. The rate of twist and the direction of twist was different between Smith and the Colt. One is right hand twist and the other was left hand twist. The Colt direction of twist was preferred because the recoil of the pistol torqued into the hand and the Smith Twisted out of your hand in susstained fire. The early Colt barrels and the vent Rib Python barrels were so popular Colt sold just barrels to be put on Smith Frames.
The Bullseye shooters of the 40's ,50's and early 60's used Colts. Harry Reeves shot Colts early on and was the first person to break 2600 and 2650. (IIRC) He used a Colt Match Target .22, A Colt .38(probably a OMM) and a 1911 early on. He later used the Smolt (Smith action with Colt barrel) The records were broken with the Smolts.
As a GENERAL Rule the Colt was known for its lighter and smoother double action pull. But the Colt had a hand fit action that required more skill and more frequency of maintenance than the Smith action,thus its downfall in Bullseye matches. Also the hand fitting drove up the prices in the later years on the Python.
Also the game changed from double action shooting in sustained fire to single action. Using single action only took away some of the advantage of the Colt action. Also the "cockeyed" hammer became popular. Pistolsmiths would cut the spur of the hammer off and lower it and extend it out on one side of the hammer and reweld it. This allowed the hammer to be re-cocked more easily and quicker. It also allowed a more consistent grip on the pistol. Again this increased single action firing.
The polish,smooth action, deep bluing, underlug barrel and the vent rib appealed to many buyers. As I remember Smith did not have a vent rib or underlug barrel in the heyday of the Python.
So the debate comes down to: Do you want a show horse or a work horse? There is room in the barn for both.

Python was Colt's top model. Fit and finish was superb. The 27 was S&W top model, not the 19. There is debate, but as much as I love my 27s the Python wins as far as I am concerned. Jeff Cooper once said "The Python is expensive...it should be."

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No life story has happy end.

Went back and read the posts. I knew what they would say. "I like the S&W action better." Not my experience or anyone I personally know.

As for being delicate, also not my experience. Mine are all fed full power 357 ammo with no ill effects in the past 30 years. I have a 1909 Officers Model Target with the same action as the newer Python. Works as well today as it did 111 years ago.

Best 50' group I ever shot with a revolver. This was shot with the 6" gun I posted earlier. A tad to the left of my 6 o'clock hold. Used full power 125 JHPs for this.

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No life story has happy end.

I currently own a Royal Blue, 6", 1978 Python, bought new and never shot. Someday maybe I will trade it for a few Smiths. I do not own another revolver or pistol with as nice a finish. They were hand fitted and polished in those days. I also have a Python "Shooter". With all the hand fitting and tight tolerances, in some ways, it is like a Ferrari. Takes the right gunsmith to work on them and they tend to end up with timing issues in heavy use, that has to be corrected and requires hand fitting.

My Model 19 is a 6" blue model also and I love it. I would however not shoot really hot .357 loads in it. I do like my 66-2, but again usually only shoot light .357 or regular 38 special loads.

My favorite .357 though is my 6.5" model 27. Not afraid to shoot any .357 load in it, has a great trigger in both single and double action (trigger worked by a local gunsmith) and the finish is almost as good as my Royal Blue Python.

If I could only own one, it would be the 27 as I am more into classic Smiths.

All of these guns, shot from a Ransom rest, shoot better than I can shoot them.

Bob

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Sag Harbor & Manhattan, N.Y.

I do have knowledge of a competitor friend whose 6" Python loosened up badly after years of shooting. Local gunsmiths wouldn`t touch it. He sent it to Colt and was told it could not be repaired. When he asked why, the Colt people told him he should not have been shooting .357 ammo. True from the source. He was and still is a respected gun shop owner.
Now he prefers the L frame S&W revolvers.
Jim

There's a reason the Model 19's on top here.





It cannot be denied that the Python is very accurate, even with full-powered .357 Magnum loads. There's not much else that I really like about it though. It's not my favorite revolver or even my favorite Colt revolver. The New Service is the favorite Colt here. The Python's over-styled. I don't care for the look, weight or balance of the full under lug (don't care for the L-Frame Smith & Wesson either). Don't care for the vent rib which equates to the soaring tail fins on a '59 Cadillac. The polish job is overrated, at least by 1978 when this one was produced. I don't care for the factory stocks which are plain and cheap-o looking and they have a more fragile finish. Don't care for the grip feel which is cramped somehow. Don't like the double-action trigger at all though the single-action trigger is to die for.

I hold the view that the Python is more durable than current internet gun forum conventional wisdom allows.

This Python suffers from a "slow" barrel, even though barrel/cylinder gap is well within specifications. Any load will be at least 100 to 150 feet-per-second slower than that same load will yield from other 6-inch .357 Magnums kept on hand.

The Python's immediate predecessor, the Colt 3 5 7 is the superior revolver of the two, in both looks and balance.



Pythons aren't rare. There are more Pythons offered for sale on GunBroker at any given time than any other brand or model of revolver, including the Smith & Wesson Model 10 which is as common as dirt. How many Pythons were produced, 600,000 plus? That doesn't qualify as rare, scarce, or even uncommon.

I think Colt stumped their toe when coming up with the Python. Wretched excess comes to mind.

I'd give up the Python long before I'd be willing to let go of the good looking, svelte and handy Model 19.

I have resolved to compare a new Python to my old 19-2.

Can't. Everyone is sold out. Gun range closed, too.

Added to list of future projects.

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I've still got it made.

In my distant past I did a fair amount of trigger work on both. The trigger on a Smith was sooo much easier to get really good. The lockwork of the Colt IMO is much more "fragile" than the S&W. I no longer work on either. I have a 29-2 I did a trigger jpb on many years ago(81) and while the trigger is still good someone bobbed the hammer and thinned the trigger. I have a new TT and a new TH that I can put in it...but have just said to heck with it. I have owned many Pythons and of course Smiths and of course a Smolt/Smithon. I still prefer the S&Ws though... And I have enough parts for Colts to build a few Pythons, Dbacks, Vipers, SAAs etc etc...if I had the frames. Gotta sell all that stuff someday., Yep Pythons are pretty...better?...Nah!!

the Python is Mystical

The Python was made to be the most accurate, highly polished,sexy, and hand fitted Target DA revolver , circa 1955.
Hence the superb single action trigger. There is stacking in DA
that feels different from Smith.It can be 'action jobbed' out for those who care.
The barrel was treated for accuracy ,"the silver ball".
It always was ,and still is ,expensive, and an aspirational item, like Rolex.
It's competition was the Model 27, not the 19.
My namesake 1968 6" Python is the most accurate of any handgun I own,of any type.
My shooter/carry grade 2.5" Pythons are as accurate as any other 4-5.5" barrel handgun I have.

It's heavier than the 19, and more pleasant with 357. A dream with 38Spl.
Fit and finish noticeably different than the 19, look at the trigger and hammer on Bright nickel units.
The 19 after all is a Service revolver, a value/price ratio design.

Old Colts and Smiths get along in the safe just fine.😀

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Snubby revolvers rule.

As others have stated Colt's flagship Python is not a fair comparison to the Model 19 which was really intended to be a lightweight duty weapon.

Some say the Model 27 is the Python's peer but to be a fair you have to compare it to S&W's true .357 flagship... the Registered Magnum.
Both are no more accurate than other far less expensive guns either company has made, but when you buy into the game at this price the Rolex analogy really applies as just like with a Rolex (which in reality is far less accurate than a Seiko Spring drive) you are paying for the name and status applied by collectors willing to pay a premium for that name.

If you want to have a fair comparison to the Model 19 today you would have to offer the shooter their choice ...
You can either have one Colt Python, or three Combat Magnums in any combination of 2.5", 4" or 6" barrel lengths and finished in blue, nickel or SS.

Who does the barrel conversion?

The Colt Python is the Bennie Baby of the gun collecting world. Other than a few low production variations; Pythons aren't all that rare. I think since the 1970 a large majority of Pythons , like Colt and Winchester Commemoratives and Colt SAA, they were bought just as collectors. New in the box guns are easy to come by if you are willing to pony up the dough.

The Smith & Wesson Combat Magnum was never treated that way. Most were bought as working guns. Pre 19 and pinned and recessed Model 19s on any given day aren't all that easy to find. On some level a high condition early 19 is a rare gun but it doesn't have that oh I have to have one thing going for it like the Python.

One other thing about the Python that has always bothered me, this might make some mad but so be it, I never could get passed the polishing job done on the 1970 and later Pythons. Sure they are bright and shinny but there is hardly a flat surface to be found on them. They look like a bubba re-blue with waves and such. I'm sure it was just a matter of the soft buffing wheels used but it shows a certain lack of craftsmanship and care.

BTW 3rd Gen Colt SAA suffered also. Honestly it is like Colt thought nobody shoots these any more, heck they never even cock them, who cares if the timing is off brand new from the factory. Poor fit of a trigger guard and rounded frames whoops they will buy them anyway.

Of course that is just one old cranky guys opinion. I'll keep my 19s and let the suckers pay through the nose for the Pythons. Of course like Bennie Babies don't be surprised if someday the market bottom drops out for the Python.

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Bill Bates

I used to shoot NRA Bullseye as have probably several here. I've owned a Smith Model 19, circa 1978, and it shaved lead so badly I got rid of it right away. I shot a 6" Colt Woodsman MT, an Officer's Model Match both in .22 and .38(very accurate), a Colt Gold Cup and a Smith Model 41 (also very accurate). All nice guns and I still own them except for the 19. But the most accurate handgun I ever fired is a 6" Colt Python with Elliason target sights and when I shoot Winchester or Federal 148 grain Match wadcutter loads in it, that gun is spooky accurate. The finish is the deep royal blue everyone talks about. MOdel 19 equal to the Python? In my book, no way, nohow, not on its best day. Not even close. The 27 comes a lot closer.....

Model 19 vs Python? They are not even close too the same thing. How would you compare a Ferrari to push lawn mower. Larry

Ever paid to fix a Ferrari?

Call me crazy! I brought my first 19-4 at Texas Stadium in 1979. Take it out of the sock drawer every couple of months and wipe her down and admire her. She's so pretty that after 41 years I've never puller her trigger.

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RW
SWCA #3479

you know,they talk about the Model 19 cracking in the forcing cone,but if you look at the Python`s,its the same size,if not smaller

You are crazy.

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No good deed goes unpunished.

It doesn't matter what you do there is one thing that doesn't change. It cost a little more to go first class. Larry

I agree with many above that the better .357 Magnum S&W/Colt comparison is between the Model 27 and the Python. I won't say which is better, but I believe they are both some of the finest revolvers ever to roll off their respective factory lines. The Model 27 and its predecessors/descendants are my FAVORITE handguns of all time. I love the barrel length options, the finish and there is something about the checkered top strap that just moves me in ways that no other gun can. Not a huge fan of the full underlug on the Python - but it sure looks cool...

Here are a couple of Mid-1970s 6"ers for comparison:

Model 27-2 on the top/Python on the bottom:







Maybe one of the reasons that I like the Python is because it took most of the King gun company Super Target special features and incorporated them as standard features. Here's a 1930's 6.5" Outdoorsman Super Target for comparison.







... and in conclusion, if you have to carry a .357 Magnum every day, all day long, it is hard to beat the Combat Magnum (Model 19, Model 66), as it is light (but heavy enough for .357 Magnum recoil), has a great trigger, and also is one of the nicest looking revolvers around. When I do carry, this well-used, ported 19-3 is the one that is generally strapped to my waist...

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Decades ago, I saw the writing on the wall, and today I have a safe filled with Pythons, Anacondas, HK P7s, and even Detective Specials. All of them have appreciated much better than my company 401K, or even gold bullion.

All the night stands of my house, and my entire family, however, are filled with SW no-lock revolvers. Each has their purpose.

Having owned neither I have no dog in this fight but you all might find this review interesting, lock, and all.

I had an 8" Python that I bought soon after getting into IHMSA silhouette shooting. I first fired it in a match at the old Goliad, Texas silhouette range. When I finally got to the rams, the rear sight elevation was already near the top range of the screw. With a belly hold, I was still shooting low. I finally connected on the fifth ram, with the good help of my spotter. There werent many .357 bullets that were heavy enough to knock over those 50 lb. rams, so I just rang it. Long story short, I had to hold nearly all the front sight up to even hit the rams at 200 meters! I tried it in a few other matches that year, but eventually sold it for something else. I'll give you an example of how tight they are built, tho. At CTSA range in New Braunfels, Texas, I shot the first five chickens, and loading for the second five, I could not shut the cylinder. I'm thinking "Oh, great!". I had to forfeit those five targets as I could not get the cylinder closed in time to shoot. I took the gun off line, and there were 3 or 4 crushed grains of 2400 powder between the crane and the frame. That little bit kept the cylinder from closing. I knocked them off with tip of a screw drive, and got back on line. I had always known they were built to close tolerances, but that proved it to me.

I have '27's, 19's, 66's, 586's 686's, 28's, 65's, 13's and even a couple of Ruger 6 series.There is nothing that shoots like my Pythons.

I'm with ya on this one. One done on a Model 19 (sadly sold it), and my latest one on a Model 66:

I think the first theory can be safely buried. The Python was designed and marketed as Colt’s premium revolver from the get-go and was considered a “Ferrari” back in the 1970s when I first got interested in guns, at a time when most of the Walking Dead weren’t walking or dead, but hadn’t been born yet

But the Python was still affordable enough that it was popular with law enforcement where allowed. Interesting piece of trivia: The four CHP troopers killed in the Newhall shooting in 1970 carried two Pythons, one Model 19-2, and one Colt OMM .38, all with 6” barrels and the three .357’s loaded with 125gr. JHP .357 loads. Also showed that the best service revolver doesn’t do any good if your training hasn’t prepared you to hit anyone in a real-world scenario.

I had to have the hand replaced on my wife’s 317 and my 625-2. Both went badly out of time. Parts wear and parts fail no matter the maker.

I’m a big fan of Smith and own several and previously owned a 6” Python. No complaints with either and am currently considering adding another 4” Python.

I was a career Law Enforcement officer in a populous area of California, i worked and shot Competition with the same model 19 4” until such a time as I could get a 6” 19 for competition only. Rarely in those competitive or service circles did one encounter a Colt and rarer yet was the Python. Through the years I gathered a number of SAA Colts but have never had a desire for a Python although I did have a 4” Diamondback until the second time the timing needed correcting...it went South then.

I prefer the early Trooper 357 to the Python and the Model 19. And I have both.

Get a 19, built like a Timex, takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

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Pine_Worker
Ex-LEO, NRA Life

My first duty gun was a 4" 28-2. I never thought that I was missing anything by choosing that fine revolver over a Python. Don't get me wrong; the Python is one pretty piece of engineering, but I never felt that a Colt trigger, even in a Python, was superior to most S&W revolvers I handled over time. I simply preferred the S&W trigger stroke to any of the Colt's. My choice, if I could have found one at the time, would have been a 3.5" 27-2. I still believe that was one of the finest revolvers ever made. Further, I never noted any consistently superior accuracy from a Python over a S&W.

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Dave Frost

I have a M-19 I bought in 1962, $90.00, almost a months pay for an Airman 2nd class. Still have it, still shoots great. Bought a 6 inch Python in the middle 80s. Try as hard as I might it just wasn't as accurate as my m-19. I ended up trading for a M-52 in the box, even up. Haven't regretted it yet.
SWCA 892

Colts put the cylinder in wrong - it turns in the wrong direction.

dont know if this was brought up,but the 19 has a rep for cracking the forcing cone. Whether true or not,the python has an even smaller one,but i`ve not heard of a pythons cracking. Maybe they do, any feedback?

I've heard of the Python cracking the forcing cone, but I can't cite a source for it, or anything about the circumstances. Just something I read somewhere.

On the other hand, I have seen a Model 15 (38 Special) with a cracked forcing cone, so who knows?

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John 3:16 .

I’ve had both, bought new. The 19-2 was 4” Nickel TT/TH .It was my first Duty Pistol and I absolutely loved that gun.

At the time S&W had regional Service Centers and as I drove by one,decided to stop in.

The Gunsmith removed the Grips and side plate screws and slammed the frame down on his wooden table, removing the sideplate.... He removed everything and stoned the parts and than put a W/0 Rear sight blade in....When I asked how much ,He smiled and handed me a S&W keychain with a S&W logo on one side and a Revolver on the other. Good People.


Some years later, I sold it to pay off bills. Mistake. My former T.O.lent me his older Python....

Shortly after, I bought a brand new Python, Blue 4 inch.The trigger was heavy, this was about 1978, and I called Colt asking about it. I spoke to Tom Turner ,who was the Service manager at the time and he advised to send it in. When I got it back, the action was as smooth as butter and I carried it about 10 years, until we transitioned to semi-auto’s. The Colt went in the Safe until one day when my Son wanted to shoot it. When I picked it up and opened the Cyclinder, I heard a snap and looked down to see the Bolt was broken.

I sent it back to Colt for repair and a re-blue and The Bill was around 300.... The action was heavy and gritty and the bluing was NOT the Colt Royal Blue....I called and was advised that they were all UAW workers and didn’t have time to talk to customers, Mr. Turner was long gone . I sold it shortly thereafter.

Apparently actual Gunsmiths Competent to work on Colt actions are far and few between.... I’ve got a 1977 DS that’s tight as a tick, no end shake, but it stays in the Safe as there’s no one to send it to if it needs repair.

The 19 is a K frame, fine for .38s and Plus Ps , but not a steady diet of Magnums.... The L frame was and is capable of any .357 factory load.

The older S&W N frame, 27,28, could handle Super Vels all day long, but a bit on the heavy side.

I don’t miss that Python , but I do miss my 19.

When I got on the PD 79 I carried a S&W 27 5" other guys 6" Colt pythons and 4" Colts I out shot them all.

It's all about looks. The Python was beautiful and the Smith was also but maybe not as unique or glamorous looking since the Colt had the vent rib. I remember when I got a perfect condition used M-19 for $200 at a pawn shop for a buddy who was wanting a Colt Python, but the Colt in the same condition would have cost $300 back in about 1980. He was happy with the M-19 but I wanted both. I owned several 19s but never did own a Python.

That's why I prefer German cars. Top performance and they don't break down like Ferraris!


For investment, I'd take the Python. I've owned a number of them over the years, but prefer the S&W design better for shooting.

To me, with the original Pythons being hand-fitted as they were assembled, it might be better to compare them to a Registered Magnum and not a Model 19. I know a retired ‘smith who was factory trained to service Pythons, and what Mike, SChunter says above about the hand stretching and needing some careful peening to fix, this now-retired gunsmith told me about this problem long ago. It was a delicate repair that had to be done right, or the hand would need expensive replacing/fitting. Colt lost me when they suggested that the owners of the vintage Pythons not shoot anything other than 38 Special in their revolvers. I used to own a mid-1960s Python, a 5-digit SN in the original, full hand-fitted era, it was a beautiful revolver indeed which had a butter-smooth action. I never had much fun shooting it, not like I have with a Model 19. Sold it years ago to a Colt collector.

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Geoff. Since 1960.

The only Python I've owned is a 4" model from 1969. It was in fact the first handgun I ever bought, mainly because of "Magnum Force" and (I'm a little ashamed to say) "Starsky & Hutch." I have since owned revolvers from S&W and Ruger, as well as some D-Frame Colts, but your first will always be special. It's admittedly a sentimental choice, but I find it is probably the most accurate revolver I own, and I happen to like the trigger. For some reason, the DA pull settles down my trigger press to be more linear the instant it breaks. I like the model 19, though. I even like the dynamics better than an L-frame. The only model 19 I currently own is a 2 1/2" dash eight. Definitely not cream-of-the-crop vintage as far as a collector piece, but dang if the thing doesn't shoot. But like that collector car, the Python only comes out on perfect sunny days.

I have never wanted a python I always loved the look and feel of the K and L frame smiths. About 2 years ago I picked up a 4 inch Colt model 357 from 1961 the last year they were made. I tell you its a dang spot on gun it is very accurate. It handles all 38s and 357 wonderfully. Also my 1966 Colt trooper 6 inch is the same. I don't need or care for a python when I have them.

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God save the SOUTH

I have 19s, a 586 and a 686 and a Python and an old .38 Trooper. My favorite is the 19, the 586 shoots the best, has the best action(I shoot D/A)
But the Python will always be the purtiest gun, I could make do with it in Single Action.....The best shooter is the 586.

+1!!!!!....
RR

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"Off we go..."

Great post. Beautiful guns.

In 1988 I was hired by a medium size Florida Gulf Coast city.
The armory lieutenant did not have any more "Bottom Feeders" left in inventory at the time so I was issued a 6" blued Colt Python for a service sidearm and a nickeled Colt Cobra for "Off Duty" At the next qualification guess who was "Top Shot ?". The agency forbade .357 ammo on duty, so I carried the .38 special 158 grain LSWC-HP +P ammo. One night one of the officers observed a BOLO white stretched limo that had a wanted murderer as passenger and the limo driver as hostage.I responded as "Back up" I took position at the rear left of the limo. Suddenly the rear limo door flew open and the BG jumped out with a Remington M870.I yelled "Police, drop the weapon" The BG turned toward me, started to raise the 870, and then froze. I glanced down at my Python and observed that the hammer was back just before being released. Unconsciously I had started My DA trigger squeeze as soon as the shotgun began turning toward me. Later in the shift during questioning the BG asked if that officer had been pointing a cannon at him?