My first contact with Colt Python

[shurshot]

I'll gladly pay MSRP for a Python. Just not the current GB prices. I can wait a few weeks or months. Back in the 70's people paid several hundred over MSRP for S&W 29's, thanks to Dirty Harry.

Now my Colt SAA... THAT one I happily paid a couple hundred over MSRP for it. A brand new Colt one I found on GB a couple years back at an Authorized Colt Dealer... one of the last of the Lew Horton distributed Colt's. Yep, I gladly paid extra. Otherwise I may have had to wait several years on a waiting list due to very limited annual production. Every situation is different.

But from what I saw and held yesterday, these new Pythons are worth every penny, regardless of a couple hundred bucks either way. Just a spectacularly beautiful weapon.

And no, once I get it, it will NOT be a safe queen. Going to shoot it and carry it once I find a good leather IWB holster made for the 4.25" barrel.

[Kurbsky]

As of today, the lowest Colt Python price on the internet is $100 over MSRP for the 4.25".

[shurshot]

Don't forget to add the 3% or more CC fees some will charge, as well as shipping / Insurance and the FFL transfer fee at your local dealer. It all adds up.

And sales tax, lest we forget that...

[KyJim]

The Walking Dead show will run till 2023.

The Walking Dead ended in 2019 and Rick Grimes, who carried the Python, had not been on the show for at least a couple of seasons before that. You may be thinking of the spin-off Fear the Walking Dead.

The Colt Python has been a popular revolver in movies and TV for decades and the end of The Walking Dead hasn't put a dent in the Python's popularity. The gun has been in a lot of movies and TV series over the years. Movies include Magnum Force, American Gangster, Marlowe and others. David Soul carried the Python as Starsky in the TV series Starsky and Hutch.

The truth is that the Colt Python is the sexiest revolver ever made and it will sell reasonably well for that reason alone. Me, I have three of the "older" model Pythons and have shot them only sparingly. I got my 2020 Python with the intention of shooting it a lot more. Unfortunately, Covid hit both .38 special and .357 magnum ammo hard (prices are still very high), so I haven't shot it as much as I intended. But, the sun is starting to peek through on ammo supplies and prices.

[shurshot]

Don't forget the early 70's Peckinpah film "The Getaway", with Steve McQueen... the bad guy "Rudy", has a 6" Blue Python, a beautiful weapon, that he treats like a lead pipe, jamming the muzzle in the dirt like a cane, etc.

[Kurbsky]

If it's not television, then I simply don't understand why 6" is so much popular and pricey than the 4". I called a bunch local gun shops this week to find out what the prices are on 4" 2020 Pythons and they vary from a "recently sold" for $999.00 to $3,300, roughly $2,100 on average (Florida). It may be just inflation factor. Other guns are overpriced as well. Ammo situation is extremely frustrating. I have my old supplies but any new calibers I need like 6.5 creedmoor are just too expensive to shoot.

[Nick_C_S]

The Colt Python has been a popular revolver in movies and TV for decades.

"A Man Called Hawk" starring Avery Brooks (1988-1989). He carried an 8" Python. Those four vent holes were instantly distinctive.

[Kurbsky]

OK... I finally brought home today my first Colt revolver - Python 2020 4.25". I love it. But after comparing it side-by-side to my S&W 686 plus, I think S&W is a better revolver. It is still nice to have a Colt, of course.

[shurshot]

Can you detail why you prefer the 686 over your new Colt? Just curious, hence me asking. Trigger? Balance? Grips? Sights? Accuracy?

[Kurbsky]

It looks more simple/classic ,feels more simple to operate, more ergonomic and better balanced in my hand. I have shot S&W and have not shot my Python yet. That may make me change my opinion, of course. The wooden grip that comes with the Python is actually better for me - simply because I prefer wooden grips - but I can easily install a good wooden grip on my 686 when I am ready. As a safe queen, I agree with most people - Python wins.

[johnslick]

I just got rid of my 1981 Python. A pretty gun,but poorly balanced due its grip. I much prefer a Smith

[dgludwig]

All my revolvers - 686, 586 and Ruger Redhawk .44 mag are 4". I also noticed that most long-time gun collectors (30 years in my case) prefer 4" barrel revolvers. Is it, among other reasons, because there is no significant difference in accuracy between 4" and 6"?

There is no practical difference in the accuracy between 4" and 6" barrels. Longer barrels can be easier to shoot (aim) accurately due to the greater sight radius they offer but they are not intrinsically more accurate. Imo, there are two main reasons why 6" barrels can be a better choice for many over an otherwise equivalent 4" one:

(1) A longer barrel is popular for hunting when size can matter in terms of gaining more velocity and affording a better platform for optics, at least in terms of balance. In most hunting situations, a longer barrel won't compromise portability or handling properties.

(2) When shooting offhand with one hand in the slow-fire stage in Bullseye matches, most competitors opt for a 6" barrel when using a revolver because it "hangs" better for a longer period of time as the trigger is being squeezed in the sa mode at a target fifty yards distant. Back in the day, when revolvers with open sights ruled the range, almost no one was shooting with barrels any shorter than six inches.

[wild cat mccane]

Most cases the 6" will be easier to find and the 4" will be less so and more expensive.

[jetinteriorguy]

I can’t speak for others, but myself I just feel a 4” revolver balances better in my hands.

[4V50 Gary]

I've never handled the newer Pythons. I'll go be poor somewhere else.

[Adventurer 2]

I see a 6 inch Python at Silver Eagle in Ashburn, VA - $1525 - it’s been in the case for over a week. I would buy it if it were a 4 inch one. I already own a 6 inch 686 plus that no other 6 inch 357 can replace.

[coolbreezy]

I got my 6” Python about 3 months ago still haven’t fired it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193984...posted-public/

[Kurbsky]

I need to keep the Silver Eagle in mind then. Normally I stop by the Bullseye Guns in Leesburg. I bought my 4.25" online and the question for me at this point is: NOW WHAT? With my S&W and Python I feel like there are no more good reasonably priced revolvers to desire. Ruger in .357? I am not sure. I wish we would have more revolvers manufacturers to buy from.

[coolbreezy]

IMHO, Ruger makes great 357 revolvers, they’re a little bit less refined than a comparable Smith or Colt, but they’re still a well made and great shooting revolver.

[jetinteriorguy]

Originally Posted by Kurbsky

I need to keep the Silver Eagle in mind then. Normally I stop by the Bullseye Guns in Leesburg. I bought my 4.25" online and the question for me at this point is: NOW WHAT? With my S&W and Python I feel like there are no more good reasonably priced revolvers to desire. Ruger in .357? I am not sure. I wish we would have more revolvers manufacturers to buy from.

Don’t forget about Kimber, they make a pretty decent looking revolver. I’ve been a Smith guy all my life, had one Blackhawk in .41 mag about 35 years ago and didn’t care for the SA style. I picked up a GP100 a few years ago on a trade and with a little elbow grease and some springs/shims from TriggerShims.com it is a very very nice shooter. The DA rivals my best Smith and outshines most of them. SA is close to if not as good as my best Smiths. It’s just an all around enjoyable accurate dependable pistol. If I have one issue it’s the occasional false reset when shooting rapid fire. Usually this only happens if I’ve been shooting a lot of my 9mm’s and am sensitive to the click of the reset, then the almost imperceptible feel of the false reset in the GP will catch me. But as long as I just practice shooting it regularly so I instinctively run the trigger to a full reset it’s no biggie.