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

rwsmith

rwsmith

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I can get a model 29 for less than $1000. Do the Colt Pythons really perform better than other Colts, or any gun for that matter? They cost now around $2000. Or is it just the mystique and the fact that they aren't made any more. (One of Colts bigger mistakes when they threw their customers under the bus).

I first saw a picture of a Python in a Field and Stream back in the '60s when I was a very young teenager. The looks of it turned me off because it appeared that they set out to make a bad *** ed looking gun with the vent rib that also gives the illusion of the gun being bigger toward the muzzle. I thought it was pure hype then and I still do. Just wondering how good they really are compared to an old S&W 686. The trigger on mine is like silk in DA and crisp in SA. Personally, I'd rather have mine than a Python. What do ya'll think?
 
If you want a Python and can get one at 2000 dollars grab it. Online they go for twice that much.

Apples and oranges when you say Model 29. Model 27 is where you make the comparison, and I prefer the Model 27, but I'm a S&W devotee!

And, yes, I'll take my 686s over a Python, too. Pythons are a cult thing - uninteresting to me even though I admit that they are pretty.
 
I prefer the trigger , action and price of a K, L or N frame S&W .357 over the Colt Python but thats me.

The Colt is collectible and seems prices have dropped a bit in the last few years so shop wise, In SE Florida I do see Pythons occasionally popping up in the $1400 to $1600 range for clean shooters no box or docs.
 
On the plus side..

I read that they are very accurate and a finely fitted and finished top end gun. But that going out of time thing bothers me. Back when I was a kid, it was just the looks that turned me off.
 
Back in the early 80's,they were only selling for less then $130.00 over a new model 27.They were not out of reach price wise for most shooters.However the cool factor of the full lug and vented rib,was not enough to push a lot of guys towards them.Primarily due to hearing stories of timing issues with heavy use of magnum rounds, this was enough to make some guys pass. ( myself included ).Funny thing is now that the pythons are almost all but unobtainable for most,there seems to be a constant denial regarding the lockworks by those who own them. My personal LGS had been a colt warranty center and was constantly tuning Pythons.Magically in today's world they have somehow become as strong as Rugers.????????....I really wish I had picked up a couple back in the day to have in the collection now.
 
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Pythons are definitely a fine pistol. Colts seem to be fragile compared to
S&Ws. Across the board the Python is about equal to a 19. The 19 will
edge it a bit on durability. When you go to L frame you definitely have a
Python beat. When you jump to N frames there is no comparison. The
Diamondback is the same way in comparison to J, it doesn't come close.
The Colts have that deep blue and do tend to be slicker out of the box.
A steady diet of magnum loads in a Python will beat it loose. I had the Colt
bug for awhile, and had several, offed them to buy S&Ws. Wish I had kept
them to sell now.
 
Yes, my '75 colt Python 357mag/6" barrel in that famous colt bluing was awesome. The fit and finish, plus the colt craftsman did one heck of a job building it. The action, and accuracy was flawless. I shot all kinds of magnum loads, even hotter reloads and never had a problem.
I think it's one of the finest quality 357 magnums out there. I wish I never traded it.
I would like to get it back.

I like my rugers in 357magnum for strength. Any ruger magnums are very strong my sbh & rdh in 44mag proved that. There's no side plate screws to come loose. There isn't much in ruger revolvers history wise. This is where colt and S&W take over.

S&W m19 are noted for shooting themselves loose on a steady diet of 357 magnum loads that drive me to colt Python and a ruger security six in 357 magnum since the mid 70's. It wasn't till 2010 I got into S&W n frames. The 1948 S&W k22 masterpiece target showed me the S&W quality wasn't bad. The pre numbered k38 combat masterpiece and k38 target masterpiece really showed me the S&W old world craftsmanship.

There is A mystique about colts. I like them all but for being strong the ruger is number 1.
 
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It does make you wonder what creates a "cult" following. It could be quality. . .sometimes it is. It might be the "out of production" syndrome. . .that usually has a lot to do with it. You can't buy a new one, and the old ones are getting. . .well. . .old! Kind of used up and wore out. I finally found a minty second generation Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ last week and bought it. It's a cult thing. Quality and rarity played a big role. Now I want another one so I will have two of them. I don't see the quality in the Colt snake guns and have owned a few. . .don't currently have one and don't want one. They just weren't that great when you could go into your LGS and buy a new one. What we have here is a misguided cult following. I will take a 66 or a 686 over any of them all day long. The reason is true quality.
 
In 1974 I was looking for a .357. There were 3 that intetested me. The M28 thw M27 and the Python. I really did like the looks of the Python but I couldn't find one anywhere. This was before the web and cell phones. The M27 was just as alusive. I finally found a M28 6" barrel a couple states away. It is my most shot handgun for over 40 years and btw it cost me $135.00 plus shipping and $30.00 for a factory trigger job. My son or daughter may sell it when I am dead but that is when it will leave me. I think Pythons look great. Cost a bunch to make and some will pay big bucks. Give me a S&W M28 any day.
 
In the 1970s, Mr. Desanza the gun buyer for Gart's Sporting Goods Co. in Denver sold Colo. State Hwy Patrol Pythons for $247.00. Wish I had bought a few of his 99% pythons. He would bring out two or three to let you pick the best. Garts had the contract to furnish the patrol new weapons. I bought my S&W model 29 from Garts. Paid $176.00 for that pistol...going to give it to my son who grew up shooting .44 specials out of it.
 
Back in the 70's I had a friend who carried a Python and it was nice but I felt it was a bit light. I carried a nickel Colt Trooper Mark III with an trigger job that was my baby. Sold it when I changed careers. Now I wish I didn't. But now my CCW is a Model 60 and I love it as much as the Trooper.
 
I had a 2.5" Python made in 1964 in the box with all the trimmings. If fired double action it worked good. If fired by pulling the hammer back it would lock up every now and again. My ex kept it in the divorce. I bought a 27-2 and a 28 and I don't miss her or the Python one bit!
 
No doubt the Snake guns are pretty, but not as tough as a Smith....if you like the dark blue the only thing I have ever seen that come close are the Monson built blued Dan Wesson's and they are as tough as a Smith.

When you can buy 2 or 3 S&W's for what a Python is going for these days, for me they aren't worth the extra cost, but everything I have gets range or field time.
 
Colt Python back in the 70s was desirable and hard to find. They were also expensive at almost $400; a time when I bought a Colt Gold Cup 45 ACP for around $350.
I thought of buying one back then but was talked into getting a Smith model 27 by a shop owner who was also a Smith armorer and told me that the Pythons were notorious for going out of time and wearing out faster than the Smith. No regrets, and still have both.
The vented rib gave the Python that cool factor, and I believe the buyers today of a vintage Python are the shooters who couldn't buy one back then because of cost or availability and can spend a good deal of money on one because they are in a better financial position to do so.
 
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Pythons also last a really long time, because many of them were shot three times before leaving the factory, and have not been shot since. They get patted, buffed, polished, cuddled and kept in climate controlled safes. Some even get shot. I guess when you pay 3k plus keeping them in the safe is pretty smart.
 
Pythons are "pretty". They definitely have a strong following, to generate the fantastic sums for which they are being sold.

IMO, in terms of actually being used as a hunting or defensive firearm, they have no advantage over a S&W M.586/686 or a Ruger GP-100. In truth, I'd rather have a S&W or Ruger than a Python. I had a Python, a 1970s-era 4 in. nickeled, and I sold it. I don't miss it one tiny little bit.

As a collectible, they certainly have value. As an actual firearm to be used...they are ridiculously over-priced. And now, I see the same thing is happening with the Anaconda series.

Tim
 
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