Are Colt Pythons that good.......

Most of the Colt revolvers have seen substantial price rises over the last ten years. I don't have a Python but I do have a number of Colt revolvers built on exactly the same E or I medium frame - a 3-5-7, a couple of early .357 Troopers, a couple of Officers Model Match, an Army Special and a couple of Official Police (.38 and .32-20). The 3-5-7 was the direct predecessor of the Python. All have been fired by me a great deal, and they may well have been fired even more by their respective previous owners. None has ever exhibited the greatly feared timing problem.

The Colt E and I frames differ only in that the E frame has the firing pin on the hammer while the I frame has the firing pin in the frame. The I frame came about with the .357 Magnum. These frames are actually somewhat beefier than the S&W K-frame as they were originally built for the larger .41 Long Colt cartridge.
 
The trend here is familiar to other threads of this nature...Pythons are fine revolvers but their reputation is impossible to live up to. I owned a LNIB 6" Python and it was a royal blue beauty! Very nice in all regards except the trigger stacked a bit. Let it go for some more S&W's.

No regrets...the K and L frames suit me better.:)
 
Are Colt Pythons that good.......
Click to expand...

At the risk of lighting the powder keg fuse.... no.

A long time ago when Pythons were affordable, I preferred the Model 27. I don't see where the 27 takes a back seat to the Python. In addition, the two have a completely different trigger feel in double action, and I much preferred how a S&W pulls through than the Python. The finish was a toss up. The 27 and the Python both had excellent blueing.

I will readily admit the Python is a fine gun. But I think it is over hyped.

I think the 27 at the time was built with more care than the 586/686, so the Python was probably somewhat better than the L frames. The finish was definitely better on the Python. But I'd still take the L frame over a Python because of the double action feel.
 
A 1978 vintage Python lives here. It's action is not superior to the 1954 vintage 3 5 7 that also lives here. For that matter it's no better than the 1957 Officer's Model Match or even the 1954 vintage Official Police. A 1925 Army Special in .41 Long Colt has the superior double-action trigger pull over the rest of them whether E or I frame.

I like owning the Colts and enjoy playing with them at the range. I don't even believe they are as fragile as internet rumor suggests. This Python's held up just fine to nothing but full-powered .357 Magnum handloads.

The best .357 Magnum revolvers on the planet are the N-Frame Smith & Wesson Models 27 and 28 ... just in case anyone is wondering.
 
If you put a Python vs m19 up for a round count of full house
357 mag loads, you would have pretty much a tie, as far as shooting loose. That might not be true when it came to lock work.
The Colt will give up the ghost first. I shot the Pythons a lot, but
with WC target loads, the same way I treat my S&Ws. I did shoot
a Diamondback loose feeding it Winchester Western 158gr Police
because I had got a deal on a case of it. It doesn't make sense
to me to take a precision piece and wreck it to target shoot with
magnum loads.
 
My first revolver, a S&W model 19-3, was issued to me in 1974. Came to love the looks and action on the model 19, and the other S&W revolvers. After going through the S&W armorer's schools, and serving as one of our department's armorers, I got to know the Colt service revolvers, including the Python, on the inside.

I always admired the deep, highly polished bluing/nickeling and fit of the Python. The action, not so much.

On the inside, and from a repair and parts replacement standpoint, the internals are a nightmare.....especially when compaired to the S&W K and L series revolvers. Just a whole lot more fitting required, parts were always very expensive and not always readily available, and the gun was much harder to disassemble and re-assemble for me.
Maybe just me, but from the standpoint of an armorer, the gun was hard to work on. Still is. Colt didn't offer an armorers class for their revolvers either.
Major differences in terms of the design of the action itself, particularly of the mainspring/trigger return system, and with regard to "carry up" (or lack thereof with the Colt) make the S&W superior in every way, IMHO.
 
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My wife bought me a 6" blue one in 1980......I still have it....Shot it a lot early on.....Had to TWICE remove the hand and peen it to get it back in time......I much prefer my K's & N's for .357's....Never cared much for the L frames with the exception of my 686 mtn gun.......My son is a Colt fan/collector.....Like others have said....He mostly fondles/wipes "em" down and they live a life in the safe seldom if ever fired....
 
I've had two 1970's era Pythons and sold them off years ago. They are very nice guns and pretty to took at, but for accuracy I'd choose a Model 14; for combat shooting I'd take a Model 19.
 
I currently own 15 pythons and have fired about 5 of them but only shoot 1 of them regularly. I also own 4 686's. I am more of a collector than a shooter but I do shoot and I like revolvers. I think the python is a prettier gun and while Smith can do a nice job of bluing, the royal blue finish or a bright stainless finish on a python is a thing of beauty. Now when it comes to shooting I prefer the dbl action of the Smith and the Single action of the Colt but shooting both ways I would say I prefer the Smith a little bit more. I am pretty accurate with both. I don't like shooting full power 357 magnum when punching paper so I dont really worry about wearing out my guns.
 
I own a Colt Python made in 1968 and IMO the trigger action is all the hype says it is. The trigger is noticeably better than many other quality revolvers. Is it worth what I paid for it? $2000+ To me it is. Is it the best revolver made I couldn't answer that but it sure met my expectations. That and the value will probably keep going up faster than many other revolvers that are possibly just as good.

To me it is like many things......if you have the money then get what you want. If it isn't to your liking then you can resell it without much of a problem. I plan on keeping mine. It is a darn good beautiful gun.
 

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Bought a beautiful 6" blue 1980 Python in 2012 for 1900. No box or docs. 98% plus. Tight as a drum. Had always wanted one. (I was 60 at the time, and could afford it.) I live in central California.
The action in DA was unbelievably smooth with no stacking and light.
I have at least 10 N-frames and some Ks.
I shot all my DA 357s with the same loads at the range one day. The Python wasn't any better than my Smiths.
Such a pretty revolver, but realized I would never carry it or shoot it much.
Sold it for 2400 last month.
I don't miss it. I can say I had one.
Nice revolver, but not for me.
 
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Reading the other posts it appears that as with most everything, individual reactions vary, yes, no, maybe, sort of. I had a 6" Python, got it for a really low pricelong ago, posted before about this. Had it for many years, but it never tripped my trigger. Maybe I was never able to live up to the Python's accuracy potential, and it was larger, longer and heavier than I need a revolver for? Other than up close and personal, I use a rifle or shotgun, so again, maybe me? 😕
Traded it for something else, actually two, and a lot of ammunition, so my needs were resolved and a clear conscious! Can't say the same for other trades I have made! 😩
However my son was not happy with my trading it off, but that isn't a first! 😉
 
I have 4 Pythons and I believe the action is the smoothest of any revolver I have ever shot. That beeing said I don't think they are worth the high prices they have been bringing. I bought all of mine several years ago for under $900 each.I have also noticed the price on Pythons coming down, at a gun show last month I saw 3 for around $1800 one of them had been priced at $2700 at the previous show.So I would be very reluctant to pay to much for one
 
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Pythons

Years ago I shot lots of "bulls-eye" & PPC ( production class revolvers; neither altered nor customized ) on several squads. Many Colts and Smiths were in use, but the most popular combo was to use a Python in single action due to its fine let-off. But most of us used the Model 15 Smith in double action events because of its superb balance and robust yet butter smooth action. :)
 
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Colts are "okay" I never liked the way they fit my hand, and the triggers were awful, so avoided them over the years. Now, if you want something that looks like a python, but is more S&W like? Go with one of these!!!
 
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I do own a Colt Python made in 1961 and a Diamondback made in 1984. Shooting the Python is great. It is well made and made in a time that this was the toprevolver of Colt. It shows. I love the sight of it. The trigger is as silk. It shoots great.But there are almost no good spare parts for the Python availeble overhere.

The Python is for that reasson in my collection. I do shoot still the Diamond back it is a nice .22lr revolver. I do shoot paper targets so I do not use .357 magnums that much. I use .38 special in my trusty model 681.

OK when you twist my arm.

I prefer the 681. It is more durable than the Python. But hee. It is an product of 1955. It was then a very good revolver. It is still now. But the development of other good revolvers has passed the Python.

I love my Python and is absolutly not for sale. But i shoot my 681.
 

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I have a 4" Python my dad bought brand new in 1972 as a deputy. My uncle had it for a long time and killed several deer with it. She has a lot of holster wear but still shoots fine. Sent it off this summer to have the timing gone over since it was going bad. So it had 44 years of pretty hard service with 95% of rounds fired being magnums. She is like brand new now, but I mainly just shoot full wadcutters through it now. Don't get me wrong I have owned and still own L & N frame smiths, and I love them too. I like the double action pull of the S&W better, but the single action pull in my Python is better. The L frame smith and Python are more similar in size than a K frame. I believe the Python would out last the K frame with magnum rounds. Although I still feel a K frame smith is the best feeling revolver ever made.


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