Acquired Colt Python. Questions on piece.

kruuth · August 29, 2018, 07:43 AM

Hi everyone. I don't normally post this type of thing, but I was recently offered a colt python by a neighbor who's retiring to a country that doesn't allow gun ownership. He knews that I was an enthusiast and offered me his revolver for a song(half of what I could find anywhere).

It looks like everything is in order, it indexes correctly, and there's a small scratch near the cylinder release. The grips have some wear and I would like to replace them or repair them but I have no idea if these are original or not. I checked the serial stamping and this particular item was made in 1961. Is it worth trying to track down any sort of original parts like grips, box, manuals, etc?

Don P · August 29, 2018, 08:09 AM

depends on what you plan to do with the gun. Grips in good to excellent condition will sett you back $300 +. As far as the box goes you would need the box with the info sticker or printed info to match the gun. Snowballs chance in hell finding that. Manual can be found online. Personally grips are all I would possibly consider. The rest is gone and will not add value to the gun NOT BEING ORIGINAL TO THE GUN

Jim Watson · August 29, 2018, 08:49 AM

I am not a collector, so take my opinion with a grain of corrosive primer fouling.

Agree with Don, a generic box will not add much to resale value.
(Is this to be a shooter or Ballistic Bric-a-Brac?)

A good set of 1961 style grips will be very expensive and will not enhance the value as much as they cost. There is a guy on the S&W board who does grip restoration, I guess he would work on Colt parts. Thing is, his grips can look better than new, which might look odd on a gun with some use.

kruuth · August 29, 2018, 11:10 AM

Ok that makes sense. It's a used python. There's some wear. From the look of things, he shot it, but it's nowhere near shot out(can you even do that?) I just couldn't pass it up for the price. I'm not a revolver person really. What about those quick loader things? Should I get one of those?

DPris · August 29, 2018, 11:21 AM

If you're talking about speedloaders, those are only useful for either carry or competition.
If you plan to do neither, there's no point in acquiring them.
Denis

**Aguila Blanca** · August 29, 2018, 12:17 PM

I had a Colt Detective Special for more than ten years. I bought two speedloaders for it as soon as I bought the gun Never used them ... not even once.

DPris · August 29, 2018, 12:40 PM

If all you're going to do is plink at the range occasionally, reloading speed has no relevance, and why "reload" twice?
You'd be slowly loading the loader, then quickly inserting the rounds into the gun to load it.

Why bother?
Just load the gun directly & eliminate the time spent loading the loader.
Denis

kruuth · August 29, 2018, 12:53 PM

I understand. That makes sense.

What about the grips? I noticed that the grips for these are all over the place price wise. Are there recommendations where to buy them?

DPris · August 29, 2018, 01:19 PM

I have no recommendations.
You can find good reproductions easier & cheaper, I think, than a good set of period-correct wood.

Ebay comes to mind, Google, etc.
Possibly somebody here would have a source for one or the other.
Might consider grip restoration on what you have.
Denis

kruuth · August 29, 2018, 01:49 PM

I understand. Thank you. Might do grip restoration then.

DPris · August 29, 2018, 01:59 PM

If what you have is original wood, I'd suggest your best bet would be restoration.
You keep original, you get "new" looking.
And it SHOULD be much cheaper.

Good luck.
Denis

RC20 · August 29, 2018, 02:28 PM

Congratulations, the Colt Python is a Swiss Watch of precision art of pistols.

You could do both, get a set of repo grips and see about getting the originals restored.

DMY · August 30, 2018, 12:17 AM

Seems to me you have 2 reasonable options.
If you plan to sell it for its higher fair market value as a "shooter", then you should do so without investing more money. Think of it as putting new tires on a car which you are about to sell. Remember if you sell it, you cannot find another one for the same price.

If you plan to keep it and enjoy shooting it, then it is worth spending a little money if it makes shooting more pleasurable. I put a Hogue Monogrip on mine because they fit my hand well and feel good shooting it.

I'm sure there are other options, but I suspect you had your mind made up by the time you handed the money to your friend.

Good luck with any choice you make.

armabill · August 30, 2018, 02:47 PM

I would keep the grips as original and put Hogue grips on it for shooting.

**4V50 Gary** · September 1, 2018, 12:01 PM

Test it with the original grips before putting replacements on them. I prefer the factory grips over Pachmayrs or Hogues - but that's just me.

kruuth · September 1, 2018, 02:14 PM

It has the medallion grips on it now. I'm not sure if they're factory.

kruuth · September 2, 2018, 07:06 PM

Quick question here, there's a small amount of pitting on the frame bear the back at the top of the grips. Any recommendations on how to fix this?

luger fan · September 2, 2018, 07:15 PM

For pitting the least damage way is with a pencil eraser. People have used 00000 steel wool and oil BUT steel wool on a finish gets me nervous.

DPris · September 3, 2018, 12:36 PM

If you want to address pitting, it generally involves a refinish of the entire gun FOR BEST RESULTS.
That's relatively expensive, and if you do it you find somebody with a very good track record.
Denis

tipoc · September 3, 2018, 10:22 PM

Post some pics if you can.

tipoc

Sgt127 · September 4, 2018, 08:28 AM

If there is “some pitting on the back”. Stop dumping money into it for new grips etc.
it’s a shooter grade gun.

You can’t make pitting go away without a full refinish. And, that’s going to be very expensive and you will not recover the money you put in to it.

That’s actually a good thing. It means you can go out and shoot it and enjoy it.

For the money of the gun, a full quality refinish, new grips and everything pristine, you can likely buy one that way. And, oil it, put it in the safe and not touch it lest you ruin its Collectors value.

Nanuk · September 4, 2018, 08:52 AM

Even a quality refinish will diminish the value of the gun.

tipoc · September 4, 2018, 10:22 AM

For grips for the Python go to EBay. Place Colt Python grips into search and about 6 pages of options turn up varying in prices. New ones go up every day.

Gun Broker and Auction Arms also have them available.

Folks can tell you more about your gun if you post some pics.

Pitting, pitting is where rust has gone beyond just a light discoloration and a coat of rust. Pitting is where the rust has eaten into the metal in small spots. You have to stop the rust from progressing. Simply wiping the rust off will slow it's advance but not stop it.

To do that: Place a bit of oil on the rust and using 0000 steel wool wipe it off. Polish till you get as much of it out of the pits as you can. This will also remove the bluing in the area. It will not polish out the pits. They will remain without extensive buffing and the removal of more metal. Clean off the oil with a dry rag and an alcohol swab (or some alcohol on a clean rag). Then apply cold blue following the directions on the bottle. This will stop the progression of the rust.

I encourage you to take pics and show them so folks can help you more.

tipoc

jmstr · September 4, 2018, 09:59 PM

Become a member of Colt Forum dot com.

The people there REALLY know Colts, and can give a LOT of insight.

Replacing Grips: will cost you $150-300 dollars for original, in mediocre to good quality. Watch for reproductions sold as original. I have seen pristine originals sell for $500.

BTW: Gold medallion - Python. Silver = OMM and Model 357 [yes, there is such a thing- I have one from 1954].

Unless you are a REAL collector, who must have it all original, and you paid less than $1400 for it, you probably should just restore what you have.

Keep in mind that the original Python grips are cool, but cost as much or more as the NILS grips, which look a HECK of a lot more comfortable.

Refinish- listen to the posts. Doing so diminishes value of gun.

I got an OMM in .38 for $400 below market value because someone had reblued it and it came out plum.

Do you know the lockup test?

With snap-caps loaded, pull hammer in DA mode to rear until hammer falls/fires AND KEEP TRIGGER PULLED TIGHT TO REAR.

Now- gently attempt to 'rock' the cylinder side-to-side. If there is any hint of motion, it isn't timed perfectly. If there is obvious motion [more than a hint], I'd get it retimed.

The Colt revolver prided itself on its' "Bank Vault Lockup": as in, 'tight as a bank vault' when trigger held to rear after hammer falls.

Having this fixed is not as easy as on a S&W or Ruger, but can be done. Either by a tech-savvy person with a lot of time, Jerry Kuhnhausen's books on hand, and the right tools, or by sending it to a Python specialist.

Lastly- DA Trigger pull weight and 'stage-iness' of trigger. The factory pull gets harder as you pull the trigger in DA until it fires. It is a progressive increase in weight- and I don't like it.

Skilled gunsmiths can remove most of this and make it a dream by comparison.

yet, expect to spend over $300 to have that done [and it will fix timing issues at same time].

The Python is the culmination of the Colt .41 sized frame development, in .357 mag, and was originally thought of as a premier target revolver when it came out.

It uses the same frame as the Colt 357 [which preceeded it by 2 years, had the same frame/hammer, and then died in 1960 due to being 'middle kid']. After about 1960, the Colt Trooper came in .357 and then had the same frame/action. Trooper III is a different action design.

The Colt Officers' Model Target, Officers' Model Special and Officers' Model Match were the same basic frame/action/grips. However, they all had a firing pin on hammer, instead of in frame.

Great pistols- as long as you don't expect to beat it up like you might a Ruger or S&W.

I'd go light on fast DA trigger pulls, and never fan it. but, you really shouldn't fan any revolver.

I wouldn't carry a Python, but I have options.

Mainly it is because I want to carry something that I won't be outraged if the police seize, lock up in their property vault, ding up while there, and then return 6 months later with cabinet rash and damaged sights.

I would be outraged if it were a Python.

Enjoy!!!!!

August 29, 2018, 07:43 AM	#1
kruuth Member Join Date: May 9, 2017 Posts: 23	Acquired Colt Python. Questions on piece. Hi everyone. I don't normally post this type of thing, but I was recently offered a colt python by a neighbor who's retiring to a country that doesn't allow gun ownership. He knews that I was an enthusiast and offered me his revolver for a song(half of what I could find anywhere). It looks like everything is in order, it indexes correctly, and there's a small scratch near the cylinder release. The grips have some wear and I would like to replace them or repair them but I have no idea if these are original or not. I checked the serial stamping and this particular item was made in 1961. Is it worth trying to track down any sort of original parts like grips, box, manuals, etc?

August 29, 2018, 08:09 AM	#2
Don P Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2005 Location: Swamp dweller Posts: 6,187	depends on what you plan to do with the gun. Grips in good to excellent condition will sett you back $300 +. As far as the box goes you would need the box with the info sticker or printed info to match the gun. Snowballs chance in hell finding that. Manual can be found online. Personally grips are all I would possibly consider. The rest is gone and will not add value to the gun *NOT BEING ORIGINAL TO THE GUN* __________________ *NRA Life Member, NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, NRA Certified Pistol Instructor,, USPSA & Steel Challange NROI Range Officer, ICORE Range Officer, ,MAG 40 Graduate* *As you are, I once was, As I am, You will be.*

August 29, 2018, 02:28 PM	#12
RC20 Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 7,014	Congratulations, the Colt Python is a Swiss Watch of precision art of pistols. You could do both, get a set of repo grips and see about getting the originals restored. __________________ Science and Facts are True whether you believe it or not

September 1, 2018, 12:01 PM	#15
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,833	Test it with the original grips before putting replacements on them. I prefer the factory grips over Pachmayrs or Hogues - but that's just me. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

September 3, 2018, 10:22 PM	#20
tipoc Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2004 Location: Redwood City, Ca. Posts: 4,114	Post some pics if you can. tipoc __________________ 1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot. 4. Identify your target and know what is beyond it.

August 29, 2018, 08:49 AM	#3
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,541	I am not a collector, so take my opinion with a grain of corrosive primer fouling. Agree with Don, a generic box will not add much to resale value. (Is this to be a shooter or Ballistic Bric-a-Brac?) A good set of 1961 style grips will be very expensive and will not enhance the value as much as they cost. There is a guy on the S&W board who does grip restoration, I guess he would work on Colt parts. Thing is, his grips can look better than new, which might look odd on a gun with some use.

August 29, 2018, 11:10 AM	#4
kruuth Member Join Date: May 9, 2017 Posts: 23	Ok that makes sense. It's a used python. There's some wear. From the look of things, he shot it, but it's nowhere near shot out(can you even do that?) I just couldn't pass it up for the price. I'm not a revolver person really. What about those quick loader things? Should I get one of those?

August 29, 2018, 11:21 AM	#5
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	If you're talking about speedloaders, those are only useful for either carry or competition. If you plan to do neither, there's no point in acquiring them. Denis

August 29, 2018, 12:17 PM	#6
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,466	I had a Colt Detective Special for more than ten years. I bought two speedloaders for it as soon as I bought the gun Never used them ... not even once.

August 29, 2018, 12:40 PM	#7
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	If all you're going to do is plink at the range occasionally, reloading speed has no relevance, and why "reload" twice? You'd be slowly loading the loader, then quickly inserting the rounds into the gun to load it. Why bother? Just load the gun directly & eliminate the time spent loading the loader. Denis

August 29, 2018, 12:53 PM	#8
kruuth Member Join Date: May 9, 2017 Posts: 23	I understand. That makes sense. What about the grips? I noticed that the grips for these are all over the place price wise. Are there recommendations where to buy them?

August 29, 2018, 01:19 PM	#9
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	I have no recommendations. You can find good reproductions easier & cheaper, I think, than a good set of period-correct wood. Ebay comes to mind, Google, etc. Possibly somebody here would have a source for one or the other. Might consider grip restoration on what you have. Denis

August 29, 2018, 01:49 PM	#10
kruuth Member Join Date: May 9, 2017 Posts: 23	I understand. Thank you. Might do grip restoration then.

August 29, 2018, 01:59 PM	#11
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	If what you have is original wood, I'd suggest your best bet would be restoration. You keep original, you get "new" looking. And it SHOULD be much cheaper. Good luck. Denis

August 30, 2018, 12:17 AM	#13
DMY Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2015 Posts: 152	Seems to me you have 2 reasonable options. If you plan to sell it for its higher fair market value as a "shooter", then you should do so without investing more money. Think of it as putting new tires on a car which you are about to sell. Remember if you sell it, you cannot find another one for the same price. If you plan to keep it and enjoy shooting it, then it is worth spending a little money if it makes shooting more pleasurable. I put a Hogue Monogrip on mine because they fit my hand well and feel good shooting it. I'm sure there are other options, but I suspect you had your mind made up by the time you handed the money to your friend. Good luck with any choice you make.

August 30, 2018, 02:47 PM	#14
armabill Senior Member Join Date: August 16, 2001 Location: Glenolden, Pa. USA Posts: 250	I would keep the grips as original and put Hogue grips on it for shooting.

September 1, 2018, 02:14 PM	#16
kruuth Member Join Date: May 9, 2017 Posts: 23	It has the medallion grips on it now. I'm not sure if they're factory.

September 2, 2018, 07:06 PM	#17
kruuth Member Join Date: May 9, 2017 Posts: 23	Quick question here, there's a small amount of pitting on the frame bear the back at the top of the grips. Any recommendations on how to fix this?

September 2, 2018, 07:15 PM	#18
luger fan Senior Member Join Date: March 10, 2018 Posts: 150	For pitting the least damage way is with a pencil eraser. People have used 00000 steel wool and oil BUT steel wool on a finish gets me nervous.

September 3, 2018, 12:36 PM	#19
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	If you want to address pitting, it generally involves a refinish of the entire gun FOR BEST RESULTS. That's relatively expensive, and if you do it you find somebody with a very good track record. Denis

September 4, 2018, 08:28 AM	#21
Sgt127 Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2002 Posts: 1,053	If there is “some pitting on the back”. Stop dumping money into it for new grips etc. it’s a shooter grade gun. You can’t make pitting go away without a full refinish. And, that’s going to be very expensive and you will not recover the money you put in to it. That’s actually a good thing. It means you can go out and shoot it and enjoy it. For the money of the gun, a full quality refinish, new grips and everything pristine, you can likely buy one that way. And, oil it, put it in the safe and not touch it lest you ruin its Collectors value.

September 4, 2018, 08:52 AM	#22
Nanuk Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2005 Location: Where the deer and the antelope roam. Posts: 3,082	Even a quality refinish will diminish the value of the gun. __________________ Retired Law Enforcement U. S. Army Veteran Armorer My rifle and pistol are tools, I am the weapon.

September 4, 2018, 10:22 AM	#23
tipoc Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2004 Location: Redwood City, Ca. Posts: 4,114	For grips for the Python go to EBay. Place Colt Python grips into search and about 6 pages of options turn up varying in prices. New ones go up every day. Gun Broker and Auction Arms also have them available. Folks can tell you more about your gun if you post some pics. Pitting, pitting is where rust has gone beyond just a light discoloration and a coat of rust. Pitting is where the rust has eaten into the metal in small spots. You have to stop the rust from progressing. Simply wiping the rust off will slow it's advance but not stop it. To do that: Place a bit of oil on the rust and using 0000 steel wool wipe it off. Polish till you get as much of it out of the pits as you can. This will also remove the bluing in the area. It will not polish out the pits. They will remain without extensive buffing and the removal of more metal. Clean off the oil with a dry rag and an alcohol swab (or some alcohol on a clean rag). Then apply cold blue following the directions on the bottle. This will stop the progression of the rust. I encourage you to take pics and show them so folks can help you more. tipoc __________________ 1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot. 4. Identify your target and know what is beyond it.

September 4, 2018, 09:59 PM	#24
jmstr Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2001 Location: San Joaquin Valley, CA Posts: 1,281	Become a member of Colt Forum dot com. The people there REALLY know Colts, and can give a LOT of insight. Replacing Grips: will cost you $150-300 dollars for original, in mediocre to good quality. Watch for reproductions sold as original. I have seen pristine originals sell for $500. BTW: Gold medallion - Python. Silver = OMM and Model 357 [yes, there is such a thing- I have one from 1954]. Unless you are a REAL collector, who must have it all original, and you paid less than $1400 for it, you probably should just restore what you have. Keep in mind that the original Python grips are cool, but cost as much or more as the NILS grips, which look a HECK of a lot more comfortable. Refinish- listen to the posts. Doing so diminishes value of gun. I got an OMM in .38 for $400 below market value because someone had reblued it and it came out plum. Do you know the lockup test? With snap-caps loaded, pull hammer in DA mode to rear until hammer falls/fires AND KEEP TRIGGER PULLED TIGHT TO REAR. Now- gently attempt to 'rock' the cylinder side-to-side. If there is any hint of motion, it isn't timed perfectly. If there is obvious motion [more than a hint], I'd get it retimed. The Colt revolver prided itself on its' "Bank Vault Lockup": as in, 'tight as a bank vault' when trigger held to rear after hammer falls. Having this fixed is not as easy as on a S&W or Ruger, but can be done. Either by a tech-savvy person with a lot of time, Jerry Kuhnhausen's books on hand, and the right tools, or by sending it to a Python specialist. Lastly- DA Trigger pull weight and 'stage-iness' of trigger. The factory pull gets harder as you pull the trigger in DA until it fires. It is a progressive increase in weight- and I don't like it. Skilled gunsmiths can remove most of this and make it a dream by comparison. yet, expect to spend over $300 to have that done [and it will fix timing issues at same time]. The Python is the culmination of the Colt .41 sized frame development, in .357 mag, and was originally thought of as a premier target revolver when it came out. It uses the same frame as the Colt 357 [which preceeded it by 2 years, had the same frame/hammer, and then died in 1960 due to being 'middle kid']. After about 1960, the Colt Trooper came in .357 and then had the same frame/action. Trooper III is a different action design. The Colt Officers' Model Target, Officers' Model Special and Officers' Model Match were the same basic frame/action/grips. However, they all had a firing pin on hammer, instead of in frame. Great pistols- as long as you don't expect to beat it up like you might a Ruger or S&W. I'd go light on fast DA trigger pulls, and never fan it. but, you really shouldn't fan any revolver. I wouldn't carry a Python, but I have options. Mainly it is because I want to carry something that I won't be outraged if the police seize, lock up in their property vault, ding up while there, and then return 6 months later with cabinet rash and damaged sights. I would be outraged if it were a Python. Enjoy!!!!!