Is Colt Python 2020 worth $1,500?

Kurbsky · November 30, 2020, 12:19 PM

After all the dust, delayed demand and zombie movies settle, do you think Colt Python is worth $1,500? I would say, it's a 900 dollars revolver.

jackmoser65 · November 30, 2020, 12:51 PM

Yes. Everything else is $900 but the Colt has superior fit and finish compared to the rest.

**44 AMP** · November 30, 2020, 01:13 PM

Not worth it to me.

But then I haven't seen any Colt revolver I felt was worth the asking price since I started paying attention to gun prices in the late 60s. They were all overpriced then, and they're still overpriced now.

Just my personal opinion, and I'm known for being both stuck in the past, and cheap, too!

T. O'Heir · November 30, 2020, 01:59 PM

Colt has been marketing on the name for eons.
I don't know if the current Python comes with a factory "real gunsmith done" trigger job or not. The factory trigger is what made Pythons a big deal. No mention of the trigger on their site. I don't think they were ever worth a grand myself.
A Performance Center Model 686 runs $1,006.00 MSRP. It's trigger has been factory done.
A Ruger Custom Shop Super GP100 is a bit over $1500.

NoSecondBest · November 30, 2020, 02:06 PM

I owned a Python back in the early 70’s and have owned/own three SW 686’s (well, one is a 586) and I prefer each of the 686’s better than the Python. Colt has traded on its name WAY too long. They are very much over priced.

jackmoser65 · November 30, 2020, 02:34 PM

Much ado about nothing from people who've never handled one, let alone fired one. There is a difference between "over-priced" and something that is priced out of your budget. "Over-priced" indicates a poor value. A new Redhawk is $1000 with the fit and finish of a high school blacksmith project. Smith and Wesson has cut corners to the point that they're hardly better than Ruger. The new Python isn't the old Python. Only thing is has in common is that it looks like a Python and is called Python. The old Pythons were never as good as their legend implied. For years they were over polished turds. I gave them a fair chance and found them wanting. Colt has banked on their name for decades but that does not mean the new guns aren't worth the asking price. The new Python is done right and through modern manufacturing, all that overrated hand fitting is unnecessary. They are actually pretty damned good. The polishing is better than any Smith since before WWII.

Smith's Performance Center and factory gunsmith tuning is way overrated. I have several and they're nothing to get worked up about. Smiths worked over by custom gunsmiths are an order of magnitude better than anything from the PC.

CajunBass · November 30, 2020, 03:04 PM

Are they "worth" that much? I don't know. I suppose only you can answer that question. I paid MSRP + tax for each of mine. I wouldn't take that for them now.

Are they worth it? Not if all you want is "a" 357 Magnum revolver. There are plenty of 357's out there for less than what a new Python will run you. I'm not even going to try to tell you the Python will put rounds on the target any better than any of the others. I don't know if they will or not. I doubt I could tell either way.

BUT...if you want a Python, there is nothing else that will scratch that itch. I know. I've wanted one for about forty years, but didn't want to spend the money to get one, even back when Colt was making the original ones, and you could reasonably walk into a gun store and expect to find one on the shelf. I always settled for "just as good." But "just as good" was never quite a Python.

So when Colt bought back the Python, I didn't hesitate. I bought the first one I saw, a 6" one. The 6" one was nice, and I shot it a fair amount, but I still had my heart on a 4" (4.2 actually) one. So I watched Sportsman's Warehouse and once again, hit the "buy it" button the first time I saw one.

Haven't regretted it a bit. I've shot the 6" one, but due to the COVID rules at the local range, the 4" is still unfired outside the factory. I might try to fix that later this week.

wild cat mccane · November 30, 2020, 04:48 PM

I've learned a non secret that people will refuse to acknowledge.

"Hand fitting" before precision machining is because in the past ("better years") parts were not manufactured to the at mass tolerances of today. Ie, years ago machining had HIGHER variation. Which makes absolute logical sense.

Hand fitting by itself just acknowledges this issue that the guns of today don't have poor part variation.

Now put that together for someone using "hand fitted" as a plus. Unless it was hand fitted as build request per specs of a person, hand fitted just means the parts started out poor and probably required it to not be junk.

JERRYS. · November 30, 2020, 04:58 PM

for the new version? no.

ballardw · November 30, 2020, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild cat mccane

I've learned a non secret that people will refuse to acknowledge.

"Hand fitting" before precision machining is because in the past ("better years") parts were not manufactured to the at mass tolerances of today. Ie, years ago machining had HIGHER variation. Which makes absolute logical sense.

Hand fitting by itself just acknowledges this issue that the guns of today don't have poor part variation.

Now put that together for someone using "hand fitted" as a plus. Unless it was hand fitted as build request per specs of a person, hand fitted just means the parts started out poor and probably required it to not be junk.

Though if the design specs are dodgy then the precision manufacturing just means that all the pistols are a bit dodgy without the occasional "really nice" trigger...

When it comes to laying out $1500 I'm a "glass half-empty" type.

Kurbsky · November 30, 2020, 08:02 PM

I guess it is hard to put value and rationalize the emotional appeal of something like a Colt Python. Functionally I am 100% satisfied with my 586 and 686 toys. A lot of people feel emotions when they see a shiny polished stainless Python. Not me though. Do I have the same emotions when I see the Royal Blue Python? Yes!!! I hope they make one soon.

Bob Wright · November 30, 2020, 10:01 PM

I've been down the trail with the Python. It is a fine revolver, but I left the Python for the S&W Model 586 and never regretted that choice.

In my opinion, the S&W Model 586 is the ultimate of DA .357 Magnum revolvers.

Though, of course, I prefer the SA revolver.

Bob Wright

reddog81 · November 30, 2020, 11:01 PM

The Python is a $900 revolver??? Even the King Cobra is going for more than that. The cheapest S&W 627 or 686 is around $900 and the PC models are going for closer to $1,300.

If you're going to wait to buy one until they reach $900 you're going to be waiting a LOOOOOONG time.

Kurbsky · November 30, 2020, 11:32 PM

900 dollars for 686? I bought my 686 brand new for $750 or so. That was 10 years ago though... maybe 15...I am too old to remember. I still love my 586 more...both are 4" barrels.

dmattaponi · November 30, 2020, 11:35 PM

I just wanted to say, “I think Colt Pythons are ugly.”

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

5whiskey · December 1, 2020, 12:05 AM

Quote:

900 dollars for 686? I bought my 686 brand new for $750 or so.

I saw a 6” model new with tags a couple years ago about this price. Maybe a bit under but tax would’ve put it over.

reddog81 · December 1, 2020, 12:18 AM

You could get a new 686 for around $700 last year but that doesn’t mean much of anything today.

shurshot · December 1, 2020, 06:53 AM

"Much ado about nothing from people who've never handled one, let alone fired one."

Yeah, that pretty much covers it!

FoghornLeghorn · December 1, 2020, 07:06 AM

I own several Colt handguns, including two blued Pythons. I've owned several additional Pythons over the years.

I prefer old school and have followed numerous threads over on the Colt forum about the latest iteration of the Python. I have a generally unfavorable opinion of the 2020 Python.

It's not the same thing as the old Python and is of no interest to me at any price.

RickB · December 1, 2020, 08:27 AM

They're $1300 at a local store, which had three 4.2" guns in stock.
The new Python is really beautiful, and if they'd had a 6", I might be a Python owner already.
All of this, "I could have this", or, "I could have that"; sure, but you wouldn't have a Python.

wild cat mccane · December 1, 2020, 09:20 AM

Someone should post up their Mother's Mag and Aluminum polished 686.

I think the looks are the vent rib (check out the old Taurus 668--vent ribs on even a Taurus look nice) and the polished stainless...

I bet on average a factory 686 has a better trigger and will last longer than a Python.

1911_Hardball · December 1, 2020, 10:21 AM

T-Bone steak is currently about $8.00 a pound. Country Style spare ribs are about $2.00 a pound.
Is the T-Bone worth the extra? Not if you like the taste of ribs better than steak.
Anything is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. Not a penny more or less.

Targa · December 1, 2020, 10:23 AM

Is it worth it? I don’t know but if I could find one for $1500 I would probably buy it.

hub1home · December 1, 2020, 12:31 PM

I wish I could find one for $1500. I sure would buy it!

pete2 · December 1, 2020, 12:56 PM

Yeah, they are worth what they cost. That's the price, that's what they are worth. I plan to buy one after they've been out a few years, price may come down a little and any bugs need to be worked out. I have a blue 6" gun, very nicely built, you can see why it cots more than a 586/686 S&W. I prefer to shoot the S&W guns, they work better for me but I do want a new 4" Python. It is worth the price or people would not buy them.

November 30, 2020, 12:19 PM	#1
Kurbsky Senior Member Join Date: July 22, 2009 Posts: 469	Is Colt Python 2020 worth $1,500? After all the dust, delayed demand and zombie movies settle, do you think Colt Python is worth $1,500? I would say, it's a 900 dollars revolver.

November 30, 2020, 01:13 PM	#3
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,818	Not worth it to me. But then I haven't seen any Colt revolver I felt was worth the asking price since I started paying attention to gun prices in the late 60s. They were all overpriced then, and they're still overpriced now. Just my personal opinion, and I'm known for being both stuck in the past, and cheap, too! __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

November 30, 2020, 01:59 PM	#4
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	Colt has been marketing on the name for eons. I don't know if the current Python comes with a factory "real gunsmith done" trigger job or not. The factory trigger is what made Pythons a big deal. No mention of the trigger on their site. I don't think they were ever worth a grand myself. A Performance Center Model 686 runs $1,006.00 MSRP. It's trigger has been factory done. A Ruger Custom Shop Super GP100 is a bit over $1500. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

November 30, 2020, 03:04 PM	#7
CajunBass Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2005 Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia Posts: 4,767	Are they "worth" that much? I don't know. I suppose only you can answer that question. I paid MSRP + tax for each of mine. I wouldn't take that for them now. Are they worth it? Not if all you want is "a" 357 Magnum revolver. There are plenty of 357's out there for less than what a new Python will run you. I'm not even going to try to tell you the Python will put rounds on the target any better than any of the others. I don't know if they will or not. I doubt I could tell either way. BUT...if you want a Python, there is nothing else that will scratch that itch. I know. I've wanted one for about forty years, but didn't want to spend the money to get one, even back when Colt was making the original ones, and you could reasonably walk into a gun store and expect to find one on the shelf. I always settled for "just as good." But "just as good" was never quite a Python. So when Colt bought back the Python, I didn't hesitate. I bought the first one I saw, a 6" one. The 6" one was nice, and I shot it a fair amount, but I still had my heart on a 4" (4.2 actually) one. So I watched Sportsman's Warehouse and once again, hit the "buy it" button the first time I saw one. Haven't regretted it a bit. I've shot the 6" one, but due to the COVID rules at the local range, the 4" is still unfired outside the factory. I might try to fix that later this week. __________________ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

November 30, 2020, 10:01 PM	#12
Bob Wright Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2012 Location: Memphis, Tennessee Posts: 2,989	I've been down the trail with the Python. It is a fine revolver, but I left the Python for the S&W Model 586 and never regretted that choice. In my opinion, the S&W Model 586 is the ultimate of DA .357 Magnum revolvers. Though, of course, I prefer the SA revolver. Bob Wright __________________ Time spent at the reloading bench is an investment in contentment.

November 30, 2020, 12:51 PM	#2
jackmoser65 Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 2014 Posts: 754	Yes. Everything else is $900 but the Colt has superior fit and finish compared to the rest.

November 30, 2020, 02:06 PM	#5
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	I owned a Python back in the early 70’s and have owned/own three SW 686’s (well, one is a 586) and I prefer each of the 686’s better than the Python. Colt has traded on its name WAY too long. They are very much over priced.

November 30, 2020, 02:34 PM	#6
jackmoser65 Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 2014 Posts: 754	Much ado about nothing from people who've never handled one, let alone fired one. There is a difference between "over-priced" and something that is priced out of your budget. "Over-priced" indicates a poor value. A new Redhawk is $1000 with the fit and finish of a high school blacksmith project. Smith and Wesson has cut corners to the point that they're hardly better than Ruger. The new Python isn't the old Python. Only thing is has in common is that it looks like a Python and is called Python. The old Pythons were never as good as their legend implied. For years they were over polished turds. I gave them a fair chance and found them wanting. Colt has banked on their name for decades but that does not mean the new guns aren't worth the asking price. The new Python is done right and through modern manufacturing, all that overrated hand fitting is unnecessary. They are actually pretty damned good. The polishing is better than any Smith since before WWII. Smith's Performance Center and factory gunsmith tuning is way overrated. I have several and they're nothing to get worked up about. Smiths worked over by custom gunsmiths are an order of magnitude better than anything from the PC.

November 30, 2020, 04:48 PM	#8
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,625	I've learned a non secret that people will refuse to acknowledge. "Hand fitting" before precision machining is because in the past ("better years") parts were not manufactured to the at mass tolerances of today. Ie, years ago machining had HIGHER variation. Which makes absolute logical sense. Hand fitting by itself just acknowledges this issue that the guns of today don't have poor part variation. Now put that together for someone using "hand fitted" as a plus. Unless it was hand fitted as build request per specs of a person, hand fitted just means the parts started out poor and probably required it to not be junk.

November 30, 2020, 04:58 PM	#9
JERRYS. Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,968	for the new version? no.

November 30, 2020, 08:02 PM	#11
Kurbsky Senior Member Join Date: July 22, 2009 Posts: 469	I guess it is hard to put value and rationalize the emotional appeal of something like a Colt Python. Functionally I am 100% satisfied with my 586 and 686 toys. A lot of people feel emotions when they see a shiny polished stainless Python. Not me though. Do I have the same emotions when I see the Royal Blue Python? Yes!!! I hope they make one soon.

November 30, 2020, 11:01 PM	#13
reddog81 Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2014 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,634	The Python is a $900 revolver??? Even the King Cobra is going for more than that. The cheapest S&W 627 or 686 is around $900 and the PC models are going for closer to $1,300. If you're going to wait to buy one until they reach $900 you're going to be waiting a LOOOOOONG time.

November 30, 2020, 11:32 PM	#14
Kurbsky Senior Member Join Date: July 22, 2009 Posts: 469	900 dollars for 686? I bought my 686 brand new for $750 or so. That was 10 years ago though... maybe 15...I am too old to remember. I still love my 586 more...both are 4" barrels.

November 30, 2020, 11:35 PM	#15
dmattaponi Member Join Date: April 3, 2018 Posts: 26	I just wanted to say, “I think Colt Pythons are ugly.” Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

December 1, 2020, 12:18 AM	#17
reddog81 Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2014 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,634	You could get a new 686 for around $700 last year but that doesn’t mean much of anything today.

December 1, 2020, 06:53 AM	#18
shurshot Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2006 Posts: 1,819	*"Much ado about nothing from people who've never handled one, let alone fired one."* Yeah, that pretty much covers it!

December 1, 2020, 07:06 AM	#19
FoghornLeghorn Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2011 Posts: 961	I own several Colt handguns, including two blued Pythons. I've owned several additional Pythons over the years. I prefer old school and have followed numerous threads over on the Colt forum about the latest iteration of the Python. I have a generally unfavorable opinion of the 2020 Python. It's not the same thing as the old Python and is of no interest to me at any price.

December 1, 2020, 08:27 AM	#20
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	They're $1300 at a local store, which had three 4.2" guns in stock. The new Python is really beautiful, and if they'd had a 6", I might be a Python owner already. All of this, "I could have this", or, "I could have that"; sure, but you wouldn't have a Python. __________________ Runs off at the mouth about anything 1911 related on this site and half the time is flat out wrong.

December 1, 2020, 09:20 AM	#21
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,625	Someone should post up their Mother's Mag and Aluminum polished 686. I think the looks are the vent rib (check out the old Taurus 668--vent ribs on even a Taurus look nice) and the polished stainless... I bet on average a factory 686 has a better trigger and will last longer than a Python.

December 1, 2020, 10:21 AM	#22
1911_Hardball Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2009 Location: SD Posts: 198	T-Bone steak is currently about $8.00 a pound. Country Style spare ribs are about $2.00 a pound. Is the T-Bone worth the extra? Not if you like the taste of ribs better than steak. Anything is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. Not a penny more or less. __________________ Shot placement is King, penetration is Queen. Everything else is faeries dancing on the heads of pins.

December 1, 2020, 10:23 AM	#23
Targa Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2014 Posts: 2,084	Is it worth it? I don’t know but if I could find one for $1500 I would probably buy it.

December 1, 2020, 12:31 PM	#24
hub1home Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2014 Posts: 182	I wish I could find one for $1500. I sure would buy it!

December 1, 2020, 12:56 PM	#25
pete2 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 2,566	Yeah, they are worth what they cost. That's the price, that's what they are worth. I plan to buy one after they've been out a few years, price may come down a little and any bugs need to be worked out. I have a blue 6" gun, very nicely built, you can see why it cots more than a 586/686 S&W. I prefer to shoot the S&W guns, they work better for me but I do want a new 4" Python. It is worth the price or people would not buy them.