Indeed and the diamondbacks to my knowledge are about as sought after as the python, which makes sense since they pretty much look the same.

own a bunch of 27's --- never saw the need to buy a python. 27 all the way.

Back in the mid to late 1970s I was shooting PPC (police revolver competition) and there was a guy shooting then who did excellent work on Pythons. He let me shoot one of his guns and I thought I needed one like it. Took a while to find a 6" snake I could afford on a deputy's pay. After acquiring the gun I had to start saving up again for the custom tune-up. While doing so I shot the Python. Unfortunately that ruined the deal for me.

I can't imagine there's anyone out there who's hand actually fits the Colt's grip. I also couldn't abide the stacking DA trigger on the Python. I shot a PPC match with it just to see how it went and my score dropped about 20%. Yea, I suppose I could learn the trigger but why bother. It just wasn't worth the trouble. Sold the Python and haven't been tempted by one since.

To those who like them, more power to you but they just aren't of any interest to me. The 5" Model 27, or better yet a pre-M27, is the pinnacle of the 357 Magnum revolver development for me.

Dave

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RSVN '69-'71
PCSD (Ret)

It's really hard not to fall in love with a 27-2. I have a 627-0 and a PC 627-5 that I like to shoot but my 5" 27-2's give the Python a run for it's money. The Python really is much closer to a K or L frame as these pictures show.

That's my opinion. Someday I am going to buy a Python, just for orneriness, but I have never been able to do that to date because I just didn't think they were worth the extra bucks. Always ended up buying another S&W.

But there is no denying Pythons are pretty guns - once you get used to the looks of them.

I have to say the gun I own most of is my favorite, 2 M-27's and 14 Pythons.

And ya can buy 2-3 Taurus for the price of an S&W.

You could. But why?? Like taking a kia over a Cadillac.

__________________
Vaya con Dios

I love to look at and coon-finger the Pythons (and Diamondbacks).
But just like you, that stacking Colt DA trigger pull just always turned me off, and I eventually sold them all off (bad $ move it seems now).

not to mention the quality of there firearms are all over the place, specifically with the Taurus PT 92. plus its only about $200 - 300 more for a smith that you KNOW will last you a lifetime

truth be told though I do like the look of the 608 they make that's sort of python like but thats about it.

I actually like the way a Colt triggers 'stacks' or 'stages' Great for bullseye shooting. The Python uses the same 'long' action as the old Officers Model Match target revolvers. Once ya get used to it , ya can 'trigger cock' the hammer and hold it there , to the point of a single action final pull. I can't do that with my K-38. The Smith action seems better for rapid fire 'combat' shooting though. The Colt Trooper Mk.III action was more like a S&W pull.

I also like the Python's stacking trigger for range shooting or self-defense, but the 27 would probably be more suitable for target or competititive tactical matches.

Let's see, what to do?.... Oh, I know; get several of each.

I have to admit that I sold my 27 because my heart is more into the K-frame 19's and 66's.
But I've got 3 Pythons (Blue/4", SS/6", Halliburton Hunter Set) and 3 K-frames (Blue/6", SS/2-1/2", SS/4"), and none of them are going anywhere anytime soon.
It's nice not to have to choose one over the other.

Like most, I like the python for single action and the 27 for double action. The python frame is smaller to carry ccw, but with the proper holster either will work. I am confident with either.

Doc

I owned a 27-2 6.5 inch and an 8 inch Royal Blue Python at the same time in the early 1990's and I own an 8 3/8's 27-2 now. The Python had the glossiest finish and smoothest S/A trigger of ANY handgun I've ever owned. However it also had a shorter than average cylinder and showed pressure signs before any .357 Magnum I've ever owned too. The 27-2 6.5 incher was more accurate and much easier to shoot D/A. I sold them both to raise money for camera equipment when I started an new job. That Colt brought me $750 in 1993, but would be worth $1300 today. I got $350 for the 27, but it was in less pristine condition.

I'd love to have them both back, but I'll NEVER pay the $$$$'s a Python is commanding these days. I'll enjoy my second 27-2 and be quite happy. ( The 586-4 ain't bad either!!)

I am not a expert at anything, but in haveing to wear a revolver on my humble securitys jobs for over 35 years I owned or was issued every popular 357 you can name. S&Ws in 66-3, 27-2, 28, 19, 586, Colts in old style troopers, several pythons, officers model match, offical police`s and a ruger speed six.
The biggest consideration for me was weight. That and bulk of grip and barrel length is a huge factor in packing them on hundreds of 16 hour shifts.
My biggest favorite of all of em was a old model colt trooper 357. I went to the service offical police grips on them too. It has the same action as the python with less weight without the enclosed ejector houseing and ribbed barrel. The N frames are overbuilt and heavy in 357. The 586 was in the same league as the N frame. Now I also liked the ruger speed six, but not as much as my old colt troopers. I still own a 27, 66-3, and two pythons. Here are two of my old colt troopers. One is in .22lr to practice with. I had stupidly sold my 357 I carried forever, but allenframe sold me this nice nickle one in .38 special a couple years ago. Thanks allen!

Good guns! Got a first year (3 digit) Colt .357 , which is the Daddy of the Python.

I guess I have owned and fired too many 27s, 28s and 686 S&Ws for too long! A Python has a strange looking grip that doesn't fit my hand, and on top of that, the ventilated rib is cheap looking to me. I just like old Smith and Wessons!
Dick

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Did they make any pre 1980 colt troppers that looked like the old python feral or atleast close to it?

Not that I know of. In the '80s , they did have the Trooper Mk.V. Had a vent rib , but not a full length underlug.

Yes, kind of. The lawman and mark whatever had a ejector houseing and a SOLID rib, not vented and tapered. The action was redesigned and they have a shorter grip frame. The action was less complicated but not as nice as the python. They were more similar to a model 19. I had one or two many years ago but just turned them over.
Here are my two pythons. By the way I found the same holsters will fit the troopers, pythons, my m&p and the 66. I also have a 5" 27-2 and a m&p. Forgive me if I am boreing with repeat pictures. I belong to several sites and cant remember which I posted where on similar subjects. Let me add, I agree the large target stocks on the python or troopers are less comfortable than smiths are for me too. However the goodyears on the python shown feel just great. They are flatter. I am ordering some faux ivory from Boon tradeing company that look good. I will try them out and report back. Check out this picture of them. The mustangs on my 2 1/2" feel great too.

http://www.boonetrading.com/Grips-C11.jpg

I used to have a Python many years ago, along with a Diamonback in .22 LR, but regrettably I sold both of them. After reading this thread I decided it was time to get another Python, so I bid on this package on GunBroker and won it. It was made in 1978.

Definitely the 27. I had a Python for years and shot it extensively; I had a 27 for a while as well. Finally got rid of them both. I have since picked up another 27; I have not a Python. I prefer the trigger in the 27 and I don't care for full underlug barrels once they get over 4".

I don't like the Python grips either, but I never keep stock grips on any of my guns, the stocks go in the safe and I'll get after market grips and shape em to fit my hand. Someone actualy said that the Python did not lock up with the hammer back, that is funny, and someone else said the Python looked cheap, that too is funny. I love my Smiths, that's not right, I love all my guns, but saying dumb stuff about another gun just because you don't like it, or think it is to expensive, well, that's just dumb. Here are 3 of my favorites, though far from the most expensive.

I am headed that way............

Let me say I think they are both great guns. However when looking at them both today I would by two Smith 27s and go home happy.

I have a friend that likes $5 cigars, he says he can buy three boxes for what I pay for one, that's fine, I don't smoke that many cigars, but when I do, I want it to be one I like. I prefer quality over quantity, hell some of the folks are buying taurus, by that same logic. I like my Smiths, but price plays no part. The reason the Python cost as much as it does, is because people are paying that much for em. They are one of the finest production revolvers ever made.

My dad always told me I had "champangne taste and a beer wallet" - and he was right...so I have to go with the Colt's Python as my personal favorite...

I love Smith N-frames (have owned nine - currently am down to three) and have owned two 3 1/2 inch Model 27's (still have one, nickle in presnetation case LNIB)...but my four Pythons are my personal favorites, I even lucked out & scored a well used but not abused 3 inch Python circa 1963, got it in 1993 or so for $450...those days are long gone!! My other three include a bright stainless 4 inch and two 2 1/2 inchers from circa 1977 (one blue LNIB & the other nickeled after years of holster wear had stripped most of the blue - but it's a tight gun with no pitting & the nickle looks brand new - it was done before I bought it & was very fairly priced)...I'd have trouble parting with any of these...

anyway, glad to see I'm not the only closet Colt guy here on the S&W forum...I enjoy the company here better so I don't even bother with the other forum...(never even joined) and S&W is rich with history and made some great revolvers in the 20th century...

I've bought and sold several M27's. The 5 screw version, and the -2 I own now I'll never sell. I've only owned one Python. I don't shoot it, just take it out and admire it from time to time.

Over and over folks mention the "stacking" of the Colt trigger. I must be doing something wrong because when I shoot my Colts I roll through the DA pull and never notice this effect.

I think ya'll are pulling the trigger too dang slowly. Don't be so hesitant. Pull that trigger like ya mean it.

Out in the desert one time my buddy shot a number of handguns with disappointing results. He's not a serious target shooter but was doing particularly bad that day, missing drink cans at 20 feet all day. Handed him my 6" Python and he let rip at an empty soft drink can set out at about 25 feet. Shooting DA he hit it with the first 3 shots. The last scored at a range of about 60 feet after the can was flipped farther away by the first 2 hits. Don't tell me a man can't shoot a Python.

Most the time its the shooter not the handgun. I don't know of any gun I have tried that turns me into a sharp shooter. It takes practice and learning gun shooting habits. I have used a S&W,Ruger,Colt and even Taurus. If the gun is operating correctly there is not that much difference.

Howard

Fixed it for ya.

(hey, just funnin on ya).

I shot this group with that same Colt. It shoots good for anybody.

That group is in the "8" ring. If you buy a Smith and Wesson the group will be smaller and centered in the "X" ring.


Colt makes a nice gun for people who like looking at guns, S&W makes a great gun for people who shoot guns. I've shot both and nothing about a Python ever made me want to own one.

Very similar to my 99%+ NIB 1978 Python. Bill, for reference what is the serial of your Python?

Have fun and be safe.
Nightshade2x

The group was low because the sights had not been centered, not because the gun can't hit the X ring.

All I can say is the during heyday of "Bullseye" matches the Colt revolvers ruled. They simply shot better than the Smiths.

I havent shot as much lately as I did years ago. However I still own two pythons, two old model troopers, and a 27-2, plus I had a few more years back. I used to experiment and reload quite a bit. I shot off the bench with the competeing guns side by side. From a good rest shooting single acton I belive colts more accurate. I understand the barrels are tapered rifled and they used laser beams in fitting them up. Now in the real world shooting off hand and being used to one or the other action the above probley doesnt make much differance. We all are going to buy and shoot what we like. I have a bunch of both.

I carried a Model 27 for years and knew only one officer in another town who carried a Python. Love the gun but he 27 will always be my choice. Not the 28, but always the 27.

I have always admired the Colt Python for it's workmanship, and always wished that Colt could make Smith & Wesson's. Colt never cut corners on the Python. It's construction was the same as made in 1908, and workmanship was always top notch, whereas Smith continually tried to find ways to cut costs. If the Python was introduced in 1930, it would have been just another fine revolver. But alas, now all the old masterpieces are gone, even the Python. Today's new guns still make you feel good, but none of them take your breath away!

Blondes or Brunettes? Same difference. Something for everyone. And don't forget redheads. And unlike women, it's socially acceptable to have a couple of each.

while some old Pythons are beautiful, they are not the gun a S&W is, IMHO. I have owned a dozen or so Pythons over the years and haven't kept any of them. For one thing, you need large hands for a Python....long reach to the trigger. The last Python I bought new was a 6 inch nickel in 1980. The cylinders were so tight that even using factory wadcutters it required a wooden dowel and hammer to get the cases out of the cylinder, it also was not very accurate. When I sent it back to Colt I found out that their accuracy standards for a Python were 3 inch group at 15 yards....mine wouldn't do that good. After they reamed out the cylinder and reset the barrel/cylinder gap (the cylinder had almost no clearance) I put only about 2500 rounds of mostly wadcutters through it til it needed a new hand! Back to Colt.....never had a S&W this flimsy. I used to wholesale S&W and Colt. I once got a shipment of 12 Pythons....the cylinders would not open on any of them. So much for a supposedly hand-fitted gun. Yes, there have also been some awful S&Ws, but almost any defective Smith can be fixed.....Pythons are poorly under-engineered from the gitgo and that can't be fixed. Let me say, though that I haven't found the same problems with the Colt D frame revolvers: Detective Special, Agent, Cobra, Diamondback even though their lockwork is quite similar to the Python.....can't explain it but that's been my experience with a dozen or so D frames I currently have in the safe.

I like and appreciate the Colts (Pythons especially) but do prefer the Smiths.

6-inch Smith & Wesson Model 27 and a 6-inch Colt Python both reside here and the Model 27 is favored. It's also favored over all other Smith & Wesson .357 Magnums.

The Model 27's single-action trigger gives up nothing to the Python and its double-action trigger is superior to the Python's double-action flavor of "yuck." The tapered barrel Model 27 is one of the most attractive revolvers ever built. The Python an exercise in wretched excess with its full-lugged barrel, vent rib, and "melt" looking polish job. The front heavy barrel makes the Python ill-balanced compared with the way the Model 27 sits in the hand. I don't care for L-Frames for the same reason.

The Model 27 is "the" way to do .357 Magnum over all other revolvers.

I picked up an alternative to the Python's excess earlier this year in the form of the premium Colt .357 predecessor to the Python, a 3 5 7. This model was only produced for a couple of years before Colt jerked the rug out from under it as the top-of-the-line gun by introducing the Python. The 3 5 7 isn't seen all that often. It shares the I-Frame with the Python and is very nice without the vent rib and the full-lugged barrel. Internals are identical. This Python from 1978 is shown with a first-year 3 5 7 produced in 1953.

I've said it before, the Colts always looked rather cartoon-ish to me. A lot of the features are accentuated to almost an absurd level. The hammers are really long, the grip frame comes back really far, the grips are enormous. I'm not trying to bag on Colts, because I'm not going to badmouth a gun that another person adores, and the stuff above is merely my opinion. Colt makes a first-rate firearm and I will always think so.

However, I will say that I have heard more first hand accounts from people that I personally know, of their own Colts having timing and durability issues than those that I know who own Smiths. I don't want to start a flame war or offend anyone, this is merely the things that I hear from people that I know who own both. (BTW, put me on the list for a Model 27 in nickel. Thanks!)

If I had to pick one and only one, and they were both NIB, I would take the Python.
Why, because it's the best shooting .357 DA revolver made. In my, not so humble opinion.

To be honest, I'd rather have the Python AND the 27.
Throw in a Dan Wesson, too. I like them a lot.
Since I can't afford a Python, I'm more likely to get a 27.
Although a tuned 586 would be a closer competitor to a Python, since it doesn't weigh a metric ton.

Hell, I just want all of them.
I'm a lifelong Colt fan.
But, I'm also a Charter Arms, Dan Wesson, Ruger, Astra, Smith & Wesson, Taurus, Freedom Arms, and Rossi revolver fan.
I realized I didn't have to like one brand OR the other. I can like them all, except Block.
I have GM, Mopar, Ford, and Honda vehicles.
I don't like to limit myself.

BTW, my buddy had a Llama Comanche 3 .357 that was a sweet shooter. He sold it and regretted it. I wish I'd been in a position to have bought it from him.

Now, for an everyday .357, I'd love to have my old 4" Ruger Speed Six back. The, unknown to me, previous owner had an action job done on it and it was one helluva good shooter.
It had a better/smoother trigger than any other revolver I've ever shot.
Not quite sure how that was accomplished.
Must have been a damn good gunsmith. Must have cost a pretty penny.
I was stupid to let it go, but needed the money for car repairs.

Aesthetics are definitely a subjective thing. I like the looks of Colts, but never liked the looks of an adjustable sight K frame.
Always preferred the 13 to the 19.
Not like that would stop me from buying a 19, but target sights on a combat revolver look silly to me.

On the opposite side of the coin, I don't like the look of fixed sight Ruger Single Sixes, unless it's the 4-5/8" .32 Mag.

See? Very subjective.

But, I'm right and you're all wrong.
Come over to my way of thinking or stop breathing my air, dammit!!
Just kidding, of course.

Buy what you like and shoot the hell out of it.

BTW, the ONLY Colt DA I've ever shot or handled that had timing problems or loose lockup was an old Numrich-converted New Service in .357 Mag. And, to be honest, that gun was designed for and metallurgically suited for 15,000 psi, not 35,000 psi+ loads.
Can't blame the gun.
Much like K and N frames shooting loose from a steady diet of full power magnum loads.
Can't blame the gun for wearing out, due to abuse.

Nowhere else on the internet (or real life) is the Python as belittled as right here on the Smith & Wesson forum- imagine that! Must be jealousy when they see that a run of the mill Python brings 2-3 times what the equivalent 27 does.

__________________
Mark

I'm lucky that I'm a fan of all of them.
I'd like one of each revolver made by every good gun company ever.
The reality is that nobody could beat the Python for it's intended purpose.
Not even the overrated, and butt-ugly Korth.
I wouldn't give you one S&W 27 for TWO Korths.
Unless I was going to sell the glorified Arminius and buy a few more Smiths AND a couple of Pythons.

Funny thing. My 1994 Taurus Model 44, .44 mag has a much better trigger and shoots better than my buddy's 1996 629.
Taurus gets a lot of hate from gun snobs, but I've never had a bad one.
Don't get me wrong, my buddy's 629 is a damn nice gun and a damn good shooter. But, my M44 beats it in accuracy and absolutely spanks it in DA/SA trigger pull.
It has a factory hand fitted action.
Of course, a Performance Center tuned N frame has a little better trigger pull. That may have something to do with leaf vs coil spring and the skill of the smiths as Smith.
It also costs a whole lot more than my M44.

Have had and carried a, 6" model 24 (duty gun) 25-5 and a 25-2. Two, Model 29's and a couple of mod 19's. I regret to this day ever selling my 6" python. A guy forced me to sell it by offering me what I wanted for it. There is just no other lock-up like a Colt. For mass and reliability the N-frame rocks.

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I personally know a retired GSP trooper who had to have his Highway Patrolman rebuilt. Not once, but TWICE.

I enjoy this thread, most of the posters own both pistols, I have 4" blue in both models. Like most of the comments in thread I love both pistols they are different but similar. I am not a long time expert on these pistols but I can not call out one as a particular winner.

I like 'em all. I guess that makes me a big old ho'.