Smith and Colt combined

[josephthreedogs]

Yikes that's pricey! If you're interested, Craig Maraviov in Woodland, CA still builds Smolts. I have to say though that the barrels are getting a bit tough (and expensive) to find.

I found and ordered Colt Python barrels from Gun Parts Co. two days ago, at a fair price.

 

[Landpimp]

dreamer.....

I paid $400 I think, cant imagine it worth more than 500-1000,unless someone just has to have one

didn't notice the name of the forum... guess these were all pre-1980.

On a side note, the ones that are left sure are pricey:

S&W Custom Model 19 Revolver : Revolvers at GunBroker.com

 

[keithherrington]

Will a Python barrel fit a S&W 586. All the pictures I see have them on K frames, but will they fit an L frame as well?

 

[29er]

Will a Python barrel fit a S&W 586. All the pictures I see have them on K frames, but will they fit an L frame as well?

Yes. I have one rebored to 44 which will go on a 586 along with a 5 shot 44 spl cyl.

 

[RABULL]

Here is my Smolt that was built by the Bill Davis Custom Shop of Sacramento, CA. I had it built to carry on-duty as a Deputy Sheriff back in 1980... I still have it but when I returned to work at a City Police Department it was replaced as an on duty handgun by a Colt 1911 Gold Cup National Match .45ACP...

As D1911 mentioned, according to Bill Davis, the Python barrels had a bit tighter bore and faster twist. If you will also remember at the time, S & W had not come out with the Model 586 yet so if you wanted a heavier barrel than the fairly slender Model 19 6" barrel this was one way to do it. Also Bill Davis was a premier Gunsmith at the time and when you combined the Davis custom tuned S & W action with the Davis installed heavier Python barrel, in my opinion, it was the best revolver available if you were carrying a .357 magnum revolver. If you added a custom Hoyt breakfront duty holster it was as good as it got in 1980 law enforcement......

 

[55.2Napco]

Answer for RonJ

Hi Ron,
I just checked and the bottom of the forcing cone does have a flat spot, but I can't tell if it was original. If you want I can take a shot of it.

Pete

 

[josephthreedogs]

I would like to buy one of these S&W Colt pistols if anyone has one for sale or trade.

 

[Frank237]

I bought a 6" blued Python bbl years ago with the hope of building a M-19 hybrid. NEVER got around to it. Used to shoot a 6" Python in Police revolver course Matches (NOW I'm dating myself!) many years ago and it shot better than A K-38. I think they simply have better barrels.

Also had a 4" Smolt for a few years that shot well, carried nicely, etc. Only thing was it was nickle...a finish I have never cared for...so sold it.

Until the L frames came out with their underlugs these hybrids were the only way to go if you wanted a bit more wt, or a different balance on your K frame target gun.

FN in MT

 

[Nightowl]

Way back when I was shooting PPC, there were several shooters from Texas, DPS or Rangers, that shot Pythons that were tuned by Reeves junkind (Spelling ?). One of those guys was named Billy McElroy, I believe. He was about 47 or so when I shot next to him. He was later an NRA Board member. A really nice guy. They shot so well, but the action was deifficult to tune as well as a Smith. I would guess that the motivation was to make an easily tuned PPC gun with the heavier, better shooting Colt barrel. Word was that the Colt barrel was .356 rather than .357, and more accurate than the Smith. Around this time, Ron Power built some k38s with a cut off cylinder and barrel extending farther back into the frame to shorten the jump of the wadcutter bullets. All this led up to the 1" PPC barrels and Aristocrat ribs with sights that could be adjusted for neck hold at both 25 and 50 yards. The Smolts did not have that much sight adjustment, making them old technology. At least that would be my take on the process.

I still think they have the best features of both the Smith and Colt, as well as grace and beauty.
Never was lucky enough to stumble on one.

 

[westcoast362]

Mine was built by Bill Davis Custom Shop of Sacramento, CA. It is a M-28 with an eight inch python barrel. It is hard chromed and it looks exactly like stainless steel. It has some nice touches like trigger stop screw, ball detent for the cylinder lock up, and magna porting (which I don't think was needed). It is one of my favorite guns.

 

[one eye joe]

Other than the " freak " factor, do these hybrids shoot any better than a finely tuned version of either of the donor guns ? They are something to see, however. Very interesting and beautiful weapons...........

 

[D1911]

I found and ordered Colt Python barrels from Gun Parts Co. two days ago, at a fair price.

Do you have any contact info for them??

 

[josephthreedogs]

Do you have any contact info for them??

Try this link.
Welcome to Numrich Gun Parts Corp.

 

[Wickahoney]

Mostly built from the early to lates 70s by guys in LEO circles. I've read that "Target" guys liked it because of the Colt barrel. We liked them because of the weight forward and well frankly because not every guy on the department had one.

I still have my 4" blued one made in 1974.

We called them Smolts out here in the northwest.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

...several ways to combine a S&W and a Colt

 

[bronco45]

The Colt had a different twist barrel and would stabilize target loads to a certian degree better than the Smith barrel. However, 99 % of the shooters couldn't take advantage of that subtle difference.

What was really nice was the heavy bbl. The L Frame Smiths killed the conversions of> Smythons, Smolts and Cougars, (Ruger SSs and Python bbls)

They had a great "coolness" factor, that the L Frames couldn't touch. It was kind of like owning a Hamilton Bowen DA, kinda.