Colt Python

The new Colt Python was met with much anticipation. Interestingly enough, there are many conflicting opinions and feelings concerning the new revolver. After all, the original Python is revered as Colt’s finest revolver of all time, perhaps the finest revolver in the world. I have no argument with that opinion. Colt whetted our interest by introducing anew Cobra a few years ago. By any standard, the new Cobra is a stronger handgun than the original Police Positive Special-size Cobra revolver.

So Colt proved they can produce a superior revolver. In a similar vein the modern Single Action Army and Colt Series 70 handguns are superior to the original as shooters in my opinion. The metallurgy is leagues ahead of the older revolvers. I like the idea that shooters are able to obtain and use a Colt like this for the purpose it was designed for. That is, personal defense, trail use, home defense, and hunting.

By the same token, I have the greatest respect for those that collect and These are improvements with the new Colt Python. Far preserve historical pieces. I march to a different drummer and like to own historical pieces in order to learn how accurate and reliable they are. While the implement is important, the men who used the firearm are more important, and the men who built the firearm also very interesting. There isn’t as large a gap in time and technology between the older Python and the new revolver.

I think a great deal of concern is because the pistol is an icon and some were worried that Colt would cheapen the new model. They have not. With several months of evaluation in, I can state the new Python is a better gun than ever. Those concerned with the loss of value

They are very secure! in their original Pythons may have some basis for that. I don’t think anyone will be purchasing an original as a shooter when a better shooter is available at $1,500 MSRP. There is also some confusion on pricing. A friend asked how they could sell the new gun for less than what used ones bring. That is simple. The MSRP of the last Python from Colt was about $1200, with production ceasing in 2004.

The present MSRP—and the pistol is built on modern CNC machinery with less hand-fitting—is reasonable. Used Pythons skyrocketed in price because they were out of production, so this is understandable. Funny side note: Colt stopped offering the Python because it wasn’t a profitable seller when previously available—I suspect there’s something in there to be said about human psychology. I see shooter grade Pythons from the 1970s for about $2,000 (which is a fair price) before the Python came back.

In-the-box unfired guns—the only ones I feel are collectible—bring $2,500 to $3,000 in my area, with a stainless Python commanding a bit more. That’s a lot of money for a shooter. Some folks seem to think much inferior guns are worth far more than I would appraise. On the other hand, you see plenty of well-worn Pythons with a ridiculous asking price. A $1,500 dollar shooter is a bit rare as Lock time seems faster and the ejector star is different. people over-value their guns.

I recently saw a Python at a show that someone—Lord knows why—had polished the cylinder to in the white. The gun was originally blue and it looked good otherwise, the grips were nice, and so was the action. The asking price was $2,000. A regular customer flagged me down at the show to take a look at the "affordable" Python he had been searching for. Well, this wasn’t the one. I wondered what may have been wrong internally if someone had so little respect for the Python to polish a blued cylinder bare.

Perhaps it had rusted? Who knows? If—and this is a big if—Colt could still do the original Royal Blue it would cost at least $700. The base price for Royal Blue is $495 at the custom shop with $75 dollars per hour for pit and rust polishing. This is a lot of money for what I estimated to be an $800 shooter. If restored—well it depends on the job. So folks with nice collector-grade Pythons need not worry while folks with shooter-grade Pythons they have been representing as collectibles may take a loss.

They have rode the wrong snake/pony. The modern Python isn’t the first Colt revolver upgrade. While Smith & Wesson went to anew short ac-

tion after World War Two, Colt went in another direction. The Python was introduced in 1955. Incidentally, Colt reintroduced the Single Action Army the same year. The SAA was built on old machinery and, to an extent, the Python was based on existing revolvers. The Army Special was the primogenitor of the Python. Next came the Official Police. The frame of these revolvers is often referred to as a .41 frame. While they were sometimes chambered for the .41 Colt these revolvers are usually .38 Special.

The .41 frame soaks up recoil more so than the lighter Smith & Wesson K-Frame revolver. Colt intended to chamber this revolver for the .357 Magnum cartridge. When Smith & Wesson introduced the Magnum in 1935, Colt scrambled to offer a .357 Magnum. I am not certain if the Colt Single Action Army or the Colt New Service was the first Colt Magnum. The New Service is a large, brawny revolver that was too large for constant carry by 1950s standards.

In any case, Colt chose to discontinue the New Service after World War Two. Colt offered their Three-Fifty- Seven model on this frame as an affordable Magnum but that is another story. Colt decided to take the Officer’s Match, basically a target grade Official Police, and strengthen the revolver. The cylinder frame and top strap were strengthened and liberally beefed up. The recoil plate of the older design was eliminated, making for a sturdier frame. The top strap was widened and the crane made stronger.

A bull barrel with ventilated rib and a full underlug shroud to protect the ejector was added. Colt no longer radiused the muzzle of their revolver barrels with the Python but instead used a flat muzzle with a countersink. The rear sight features a full range of adjustment. A 1/8 inch side blade is pinned to the barrel. The target trigger and hammer are unique to the Python. Examining a vintage Python is extremely interesting. Even the inside of the side plate is flawlessly polished.

The hammer strut is beautiful, being superbly finished and polished. When the trigger pull is evaluated the single action press should register on a narrow band of 2.75 to 3.25 pounds. It isn’t well known but the bore diameter of the Python was a bit tighter than others and Colt recommended only jacketed bullets. Hard-used Pythons fired with lead bullet handloads demanded their owners became acquainted with the Lewis Lead Remover.

Colt changed the grips to better accommodate spent case ejection and speedloader use later in production. The New Python Some of the changes to the new Python are obvious, others not as much. The measurement of the top strap is a bit difficult as the design differs from the original. The strap toward the barrel is at 0.46 and widens to 0.68 inch in the old gun while it is 0.40 to 0.65 with the new gun. The cylinder measures 1.55 in each and the crane is the same.

The cylinder differs on the ejector star and in the rear face, so it would not fit the older Python. The new sight is more rugged in appearance and more positive in function than the original. The new front sight is removable. Quite frankly, it looks like Colt took a look at the Ruger GP 100. That isn’t a bad place to be. The grip angle is subtly different. It feels better and when firing the piece rapid fire with Magnum loads the grip doesn’t climb up the hand as the older guns may.

The subtle change in geometry is a good one. The action is very smooth. The double action trigger breaks at nine pounds, one ounce according to my Lyman trigger registering gauge. The single action trigger is two and one quarter pounds and very clean. The break could not be cleaner. Frankly, if I felt this double action press on an earlier Colt I would fear the revolver would not fire reliably as it is too light.

However, I found the new Colt to be reliable with everything I fed it, including handloads with CCI Magnum primers, which are hard primers that withstand heavy pressure. The action is a transfer bar type in the modern sense. This type of action handles Magnum pressure well. The Python and the Colt Three-Fifty-Seven will break firing pins if dry fired extensively. I have repaired several. I believe the new Python will not suffer this problem. Not that the Python is fragile

It is a great shooter. These are the guns that will see resale value hard hit by the introduction of the new Python. in the original version, this is simply a consideration. Next, the barrel crown. The new Python features a nicely-done, recessed muzzle. It is well finished. The front sight is removable by use of an Allen wrench. The old sight is pinned in and may be changed but it is much more difficult. The action differs considerably from the original.

The V-spring is much the same but the hammer strut is now anchored in the grip frame. The action is both smooth and strong, no worries there. The new grips do not fit the old frame or vice versa. That is understandable. When you remove the grips from the new Python revolver you have an experience very much unlike any with the original. I have handled new in-the-box Pythons for years and have never handled a set of grips so tightly affixed to the handgun, save perhaps Nill-Griffe grips on the P7M8 Heckler and Koch.

I removed the grip screw and then shook it loose. The grips did not budge. A rubber hammer against the frame did little. There is a small opening near the top of the front strap and I carefully used a small flat tool to budge the grips apart—it took time. There is a small pin that holds the front strap of the grips in place and together and does not allow movement. A total of four parts stabilize the grips.

There are individual pins in the front and back strap of the grips, a positioning in the frame, and the grip screw. This is a nice touch that impresses with the thoroughness of the design. The revolver proved reliable with all .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammunition. It is difficult, even tiring, to get the most accuracy of a handgun like this, as opposed to fun shooting. Very good groups are easy. Achieving the excellent groups the gun is capable is more difficult.

At this point the best results have been with the Black Hills Ammunition .38 Special 148 grain wadcutter at just less than one inch for a five-shot group at 25 yards. The new design should be more robust in dry fire. Just the same, use snap caps. Most .357 Magnum loads are good for 1.25 inches. A word on firing the Python. Smith & Wesson revolvers are powered by a leaf-type mainspring. The trigger is returned by a trigger return spring.

Firing the Smith & Wesson differs from the Colt, although J-Frame S&W revolvers use a different spring. Colts uses a V-spring to power both the hammer falling and the trigger return. The trigger must be allowed to reset. It you attempt to press the trigger before the trigger has reset, the cylinder may skip. This has led to criticism of the new Colt by the same shooters that complained about the original. Different systems demand different techniques.

This is something to be aware of if the Python comes into the shop with a complaint. It may be shooter error. The new Colt Python has endured some controversy and I am certain it will be the subject of derision by some. The Python will be much appreciated by shooters. It is a viable replacement, even an improvement, over earlier Pythons. I own both. While I enjoy the original very much the new 2020 Python will be going to the range much more often.

As for pertinent questions— there is no part of the old Python that will fit the new or vice versa. The grips differ as they must. The frame geometry is changed for better control. The cylinder is a different design despite the dimensions and it would be pointless to attempt to fit the new model cylinder to an older handgun. The grips, sights, trigger, hammer, and internals, even the firing pin, differ. So old parts will not fit the new gun and vice versa.

The barrel profile is different so the new gun barrels cannot be interchanged with the older gun. Unlike the modern 1911, there is no interchanging the new Python for the old gun parts wise. This shows a tremendous amount of re-design and a commitment from Colt to produce a superior handgun. AG