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Old 09-01-2017, 04:33 PM
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iPac iPac is offline
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Your Python will hold up just fine. No worries.

First up, someone mentioned the Python was specifically made to handle 357mag pressures. That's not exactly true.

The modern medium framed Colt was the E frame, and designed for the 41 colt and 38spl cartridges. That's all it ever was until Colt realized their folly of ignoring the 357mag round. So they took the E frame and gave it special treating to make stronger. The result was the I frame Colt 3-5-7, then shortly after the Python. The only difference between the two frames is the firing pin location and the heat treating, all other parts are still largely compatible.

As long as you shoot standard pressure ammo, problems will not arise for a long time. By design, the only part that should require attention after high round counts is the hand, which is still easily serviceable today. However, start shooting over pressure loads and watch you gun begin to wear apart.

The only exceptions to this reliability would be a poorly built factory example, or a used example already with issue. Once you get into '70s production and beyond, poor factory builds are very possible, and of course almost all Pythons on the market are used. So there is reason to be cautious. However, when properly built and properly examined for quality before purchasing, they are a great and dependable guns.

The only other caution I have against "strength" is on later Pythons that got the newer cylinder assembly, so '76 and newer. I just don't feel the new assembly holds up well to magnum loads, and I will never buy one with the newer style. There is a reason why Colt switched their smaller D frames to the newer cylinder assembly in the mid '60s but NOT the magnum I frame. I firmly believe the only reason they eventually did adopt it in the I frame was to allow quicker production at a cheaper cost, as it wasn't coincidence this change took place right at the beginning of peak production where half of all 650K Pythons produced were made during a 7yr period. ('75-'81)

Last edited by iPac; 09-01-2017 at 05:00 PM.
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