Colt's Pythons: Then & Now
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ม.ค. 2023
- Colt's Python is one of several "snake guns" produced by the company throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century, and in recent years, the company has re-introduced these iconic revolvers in a new guise. The old guns, which started production in 1955, continue to be incredibly popular among collectors, and the .357 Mag.-chambered Python tops the list as the ultimate example of Colt's mid-century revolver line. Watch this segment of American Rifleman Television above to learn about these iconic wheelguns and see what Colt's doing today.
"Sometimes collecting will go into fads. Over the past few years, for some reason, the Colt 'snake guns,' the Cobra, the Viper, the Anaconda, these are just going crazy on the collector market," said Garry James, American Rifleman field editor. "Probably the most popular one is the Colt Python, and for darned good reason, because the Colt Python very possibly the finest production revolver ever built in the United States. It's considered so by many experts, including Jeff Cooper, and who am I to argue with Jeff?"
The first generation of Colt Pythons were built in such a way so as to require a great degree of hand-fitting and finishing of components, and while this made them one of the most attractive and capable revolvers of its era, it also cost a great deal in its time. New-production Colt Pythons retailed for $125 in the late '50s, which is the equivalent of $1,350 in 2023. New Smith & Wesson revolvers at the time cost considerably less.
"The funny thing about the Python is that they didn't have a long, intensive development program," said Mark Keefe, editorial director. "It was essentially the guys on the floor making guns trying to come up with a match target revolver, and they used mostly existing pieces and parts. They caught the genie in the bottle, because the gun they created was really was one of the finest-looking handguns ever made and also one of the finest-handling."
As the 21st century dawned, so came the twilight of the Colt Python. Skilled craftsmen who were instrumental in the building and finishing of these revolvers retired and passed away, and because of this limiting factor, the availability of Python revolvers was hit-or-miss. Finally, in 2005, the original Colt Python ended production. That wasn't the end of the Python story, though, because in 2020, Colt's Senior Vice President Paul Spitale led the company in a rebirth of the gun. Though it looked like the Pythons of old, the new gun featured revamped internals that made it more reliable and easier to shoot than the earlier design.
"It's always difficult to re-issue a classic," said Brian Sheetz, American Rifleman editor in chief. "There are all these comparisons made, some fair, some unfair, but I think the 6" Colt Python was the quintessential large, heavy, beautifully produced, sweet-shooting, double-action revolver of its day, and I think Colt has done a great job of re-capturing a great deal of the mystique of the originals."
To watch complete segments of past episodes of American Rifleman TV, go to americanrifleman.org/artv. For all-new episodes of ARTV, tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EST.
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Hello, I'm from Germany and I have a Colt Python from 1966. It was my first gun what I've bought and i would NEVER, EVER sell this one. I have a really expensive manufactured gun in .44 Mag as well from the best german manufacturer, but the Colt is always my favourite. If you put it in your hand, you feel the knowlege, the love and the detailness what the "Gun-master-builder" did to this gun. Myself shoots around 8000 shots and its always brand new, cause I clean it after every shooting. I love it and it's always the best for all time.
Thanks you Colt for this gun, i hope it's going on and thank you USA to make it possible.
Greets from bavaria/munic to all python lovers in the world
Phil don't ever sell it. Is your 44magnum a Korth? Those are sweet but very expensive I have a Ruger super redhawk 44magnum.
Thank God for CZ
If you shoot a 357 dont forget your earplugs if you do you wont need them the second time
Very very awesome gun. If I would live in us it would be my carry gun. Love it.
Don't get me wrong I respect the new Pythons, but aesthetically I prefer the older and blued versions. I have yet to own either, but I've owned many other Colts. I just love that old blue and wood.
...I orefer the blued Pythons to the new polished SS...
Colt announced blued pythons at shot show.
The new ones top barrel is bulkier then the bottom and the old ones weren’t like that the barrels were the same size.
Very few Pythons were in LEO holsters either b/c cops couldn’t afford them or the jurisdiction couldn’t afford them. City cops carried a .38 while most state & county cops carried magnums. My issued weapon was a S&W Model 15, but as a detective it was a Colt DS.
My dad has an original python that he bought for "investment purposes" it absolutely kills me that he has a beautiful gun like that just sitting there as a paper weight (hypothetically)
Yup, I could not own a gun that I would not shoot. Guns were made to be shot.
Roger, respect your dad, he appreciates fine workmanship more than bang, bang, someday U may understand. :)
The old that were made from 1955 through 20 years were works of art, smooth as silk extremely accurate for the pure joy of Bullseye shooting one day when your dad is gone, take the gun out with some good target loads and you’ll have a piece of your father with you
The supposed fragile nature of the Python is much more myth than reality. Everybody has heard about it, but when you start digging you will find very few that have ever seen it. I know that my own 1964 Python is still in perfect order. Fifty-nine years of service and still counting isn't exactly fragile. I doubt the plastic pistols of today will manage that.
Brian, Appreciate your wise reality check on Colt reliability as opposed to myth. I nominate you myth buster of this comment section. THE REAL JERRY MORAN
The plastic pistols of today will easily outlive a Python round count wise. The original Pythons did not live up well to continued diets of .357 magnum
The little parts in them wear easily damaged by people cowboying the cylinder could buy 5 glocks (which I don't like whatsoever) for the cost of an old python
Excellent video on the history of the Colt Python. I have a 1986 Python I bought new back then and still have it. In the mid 80's to mid 90's, I used it for police bullseye competition. Shot mainly 38 special wadcutters through it and some 357 loads. Still shoots great and have not had any timing issues. With proper care it will last a lifetime.
Shooting .357 magnum a lot will ruin its timing.
I think so too
If you think , that shooting a lot of Hot .357 loads through a path and will ruin it. Just shoot your hot 357 loads and a model 27 or 28 smith and Wesson.
If you think , that shooting a lot of Hot .357 loads through a path and will ruin it. Just shoot your hot 357 loads and a model 27 or 28 smith and Wesson.
Colt's Python / Great content. Thank you. cheers 🥂 🥂 BRPC Nevada
Now colt needs to make them more affordable.
The 3 Must have Colts to own are the Model P, or Single Action Army, the 1911 and the original Python in blue, nickel or even stainless. I might try one of the new ones but they can't be the same as the first ones. The Diamondback is a very close runner up.
I found the new trigger system to be pretty much identical to the original Python. I own a '70s Python that I purchased new. For most of my life that was my only handgun. A couple years ago I purchased one of the new King Cobra guns. If I understand correctly it has the same trigger system as the new Python. It required no adjustment to the way I pull the trigger. It "stages" like my Python. Of course my finger is trained to use it that way... pull, hold, and pull to fire. After some years it becomes instinctive. Not that huge of a gun. I have a S&W 629 and it is substantially bigger. The Python is still small enough to concealed carry if you need to. Really an "ideal" size to power ratio going for it. The workers of a previous generation had no special magic. The excuse that "skill" died and retired is a sign they had p-poor management.
I would agree with you regarding the old vs new trigger/action. I have 4 original Pythons and three new Pythons in each barrel length. I like the new Pythons as they're great shooters. I will always have a deep affection for the old models especially when I think about the hand work that went into producing them.
Your 629 is an N-Frame revolver in .44Mag/Special. How does the Python compare to an L-Frame S&W 686 in .357Mag/Special?
"Skill" dying was/is a real thing. They came out with the Python in '55. By the late '60s quality was already dropping. Partly due to company production management & partly due to skilled workmen labor. Both by-products of our "leaders" selling US manufacturing industry out to China. Thank Kissinger & associates. If you want a pride of manufacture Python, find one made in the '50s.
They not only went up in value the dollar has lost its buying power
It's called inflation, blame the federal reserve.
I’m waiting on Colt to reissue the blued Python
Done
I'd sure like to see the blued version come out
Penultimate = next to last
Colt’s blue onion dome is the highlight of the Hartford skyline. It’s where all the magic takes place.
@@parallax3dI'm sure it will be turned into apartments
Great video....but who shoots a revolver with their thumbs pointed forward ?
Back when I was a young man in the late 70's the Python was a good bit more than say the Smith & Wesson mod 19. So being a young man of modest means I quite often bought the Smith & Wesson because of price. A few years later when I was making more money I started to buy Pythons. I do prefer the Python but Smith & Wesson especially considering it's price point at the time was a real contender and made a quality product. I have bought some of the new 2020 Pythons but only one new 686. The hole for the key or whatever just isn't cool to me so even though that 686 is a very nice revolver I do prefer the new Python even though I am paying maybe $600 more for the Python versus the 686!
I have a Colt Mark 5 Trooper I bought in the 1980's. It looks similar to the python. I love it and will never sell it. What is the difference between the two ?
Best colt python old handguns.
I found one at a gun show today that had a ‘v’ stamped where the plunger thing that ejects the brass when your done shooting rests. Honest outlaw said a ‘L’ is what to look for cause those are the updated models that got rid of the issues but what does the ‘v’ stamp mean and is it worth the $1,350 price tag?
1350 price tag means it's probably new production. New ones are fine and supposedly are more robust
The old-type PYTHON is Gun-smith of hand-made Gun. (^^)
"Penultimate" means next to last, not the best.
OK. I understand the sensation of wanting something to be the best can get you carried away. And for the Phyton this seem to be truer than for any other gun. The Colt Python is a good-looking revolver; however, we cannot look away from the fact that for guns used a lot would go out of timing. S&W, RUGER and Dan Wesson has made and continue to make very reliable revolvers. They do not look too shabby either. Looks are in the eye of the beholder but seems like people really get carried away by the good looks and chose not to see the facts when written on the wall in regard to the old Colt Python. The new production guns I hope will be way more reliable having removed much of the human errors that every old colt would be subjected too since they were hand fitted. Everyone has good and bad days, also the best of best gun smiths. I have a new Production Anaconda, and several 1911's from Colt, and all these are very good and reliable guns. I probably have shot 1500 rounds in the Anaconda. No issues so fare.
Norse Man, Other than decades of misinformation by folks who were beaten by Colts and ignorance of non owners of timing of Colts since 1889, It seems only the Pythons carry the reputation of out of time by firing heavy loads. It was not the first .357 and timing issues did not seem to be a problem rampant with previous Colt .357 models. The relationship of your Anaconda with hand , ratchet, and bolt for lookup are in principle of operation the same. Single pull through of the trigger rotates the cylinder in locked position in alignment with barrel. The old design 1955 did likewise. Please refrain from writing dependability about old pythons. I know of Pythons firing thousands of metallic silhouette rounds that never rendered the gun out of time. Out of time human caused by installed trigger stops restricting trigger rotation. Mishandling of firearm. Tuning without knowledge of mechanical sequence. BTW # 1 out of time are S&W 44’s as the hand thickness is impacted from heavy recoil. Colt timing relies on length of hand. JERRY Moran
Owned mine since November 1970 with thousands of rounds and never once gone out of timing and it's still a shooter, doesn't just sit in a box.👌👌
@@jerrymoran8323thank you for speaking the truth about the Colt Python😊I have been around them my entire life and never once heard about a python going out of time ! Maybe if you cannot afford one now you just bash it sour grapes. Yes they’ve gone up a quite a bit, but look at the inflation of our dollar as well!
@@GbSfODAit is nice to know someone who appreciates a Colt Python made in 1970
Yep! Inflation. Sleepy Joe has kept the printing press for dollars at maximum speed.
I had one kills me that I sold it
I have a beauty paid 350 dollars for it in the eighties it’s from the seventies but not sure what year no box no letter from colt
In the mid 1960s, I started shooing pistols, and my best friend saved up enough to buy a python. At the time, it was said that the pythons came out of the custom shop, and after shooting my friends, I believed that. I was pretty poor, so I never got one.
The turning hand is less beefy and awkwardly shaped
Please make a video showing what you are talking about. Awkwardly shaped? 🤔
How is it the best revolver if it is notoriously weak and goes out of time?
Bcos of movies
"It's the penultimate revolver . . . "
Penultimate means second to last.
It was built on old Bridgeport mill and laves, and hand fitting and deep blueing and polish work of the whole trigger and gun! People cared about the quality and they knew the tricks! So they could charge more for a quality production gun with quality! The old guys died and lost their skills because people left the company!
I'm glad Phil Shreier called it "penultimate". That means he also has a S&W Model 27 - a far better gun. I own both, and for showing off, the Python is prettier, but the Model 27 is the shooter.
Smith most always had superior revolvers least 1900s onward.
Don't know jack about 1800s pistols
1:16 "What does penultimate mean? Like better than ultimate? Yeah that sounds right, I'll say that."
Means next to last
Goober
Why there always have to be snakes. I hate snakes.
At the end of the day the 2020 python is better than the old version I had a 1962 python and my new python and anaconda beat the hands down the original python is great but there was a reason everyone carried a s&w in the day it was because it had less issues the original python was a target revolver not a beat down hammer use abuse duty gun that job was for the dirty old girl on the block the 686
I’m not paying 2700.00 to 3500.00 without a certificate of timing! From colt!
Oh boomer, where are you even seeing these listed that high?
My Colt Python is from the 90s. Suberb gun. However, the gap between cilinder and forcing come seems too excessive. To many burden powder goes through it. Is it some sort of caracteristic from other Pythons?
New Smith & Wesson revolvers are cheaply made
That’s not correct. I get it you (and I) prefer the originals, but the new ones are excellent quality. (I know, I know the key lock….I guess if someone doesn’t want that don’t buy it)
I see they are made to put together fast . The pre locks were more hand fitted which costs alot more to pay a gunsmith . Sleeved barrels are also on the new ones . I will not waste my money on these guns . I would buy a taurus revolver any day over S&W
I wouldn't say cheaply made but there's definitely a lack of attention to detail going on in their QC department.
@@walterrichmond6251 I'll take my old school Smiths anyday and I ain't apologizing for it either !!!
When the first TH-cam videos came out with the 2020 Python. Ken Hackathorn and his sidekick were quick to bash the original Python saying the values will tank because the new Python is superior.
I have to applaud Hickok45 for his honesty, the Python he used was terrible. The 2020 Shot Show revealed issues at Range Day. The original Python still commands a premium for their craftsmanship. The cheap Hammer, Trigger, adjustable rear sight and silly QR code on the fame ruined the legacy of the Python!
😕
Simply NO. The Colt Shooting Master (pre-WWII) was the finest production revolver ever. Not the Python.
And the Python was not “Colt’s first 357”. There were a few Shooting Masters chambered in .357 Magnum. The Model 357 was introduced at least a year before the Python came out.
Get your facts straight before you start pretending to be an expert.
You're not even right. Colt chambered their Official Police and Single Action Army in 357 Magnum well before WWII, in the 1930s.
Agreed. I have a 1956 Colt Officer's Model Match in .38 Special that blows away the first iteration Python in terms of build quality and accuracy.
San of Sam loved his Python
Son of Sam used a Charter Arms .44 Bulldog