Ok… While not a big fan of obsolescent wheel guns, there is something about the Python and he Rhino that warms the dried up black walnut I call a heart. The problem is too many people are brainwashed to thinking "it will never be as good as the original" without even seeing the new guns. While I asked nothing in return, he traveled to New Mexico brining me a new Colt Python with 6″ barrel for having helped him. Customization on a revolver is a package deal. They had to know that this gun would be nitpicked to death anyway. Yeah that was a huge fuk up and hopefully massive changes have been made since then. A whole lot of people are starting to fire up their keyboards, telling me I’m wrong, yadda, yadda. Frame Material: Stainless Steel Little did I know that my wish had already been granted. That may be the problem people have, but may not be at all. Definitely the most in-depth complete review I’ve seen so far on the new gun. That was the “brushed stainless” finish then, to be followed by the “Ultimate Stainless” finish in 1984. On both the 6″ and 4.25″ guns, the Armscor 158 gr FMJ in .38 SPL shot the best. I’ve always wanted a 2.5″ one and would buy one of the new ones if they offered the option. Barrel Length: 6 in. My hopes were very high the python was going to be even better. A slight change in grip and trigger guard geometry allows better control firing heavy loads. Do you need another tester? I’ll get a Smith & Wesson 19 Classic and save the money. So has my shooting buddy, who experienced the same results when I asked him to verify what I was experiencing. Gives real fans an option, at least. 3 4 23. Features of the new revolver are a ventilated rib — the first time this has been factory installed — a new barrel form, and target type grips as standard equipment. Commercial rounds included a 90gr FTX Critical Defense .38 SPL Lite load from Hornady, the Federal Premium 38 SPL +P 130gr Hydrashock, a wide variety of 158gr FMJs in .38SPL and .357 Magnum, the once again impressive Barnes Vor-TX 140gr XPB HP round, and many others. There’s an even, not quite mirror quality polish throughout the gun. I assigned that King Cobra to one of my older kids to learn to shoot with and between he and I, it … Yeah, the TFB guy shot the one at SHOT and it failed. New wood grips that you modified to fit you . Beyond the straight back pull with very little stacking, and a now confirmed consistent weight and feel, the wide serrated trigger shoe completes its cycle without grit or mush. Another nod to the original Pythons is the hammer spur. More than a hundred years after Colt’s successful line of cavalry pistols the company released a new revolver: the Colt Python. Very good review. They had instead stopped the forward travel right before the last “click” of the mechanism. I find it in screws. re: the “need” for thread locker on modern guns. The original Python was considered by many to be the Cadillac of .357’s. As a person who has worked in very high-end and state of the art modern manufacturing, that ALONE is a huge problem. The tests from Colt showed that they did not jar loose in recoil, so the defective guns were probably not tightened down property at the factory. The Python has never been an inexpensive weapon. Hey, I’m ordering a couple, but I would not advise you to spend that particular check until it is not only received and deposited, but confirmed to have *cleared*! I much prefer a .44 or .45 caliber. Thank you very much. The Serial Number is under 4000, and it was delivered to my dealer from the distributor one week ago. Hoping they fix the thing. In every measurable way, the new Pythons perform just as well or better than the originals. When the hammer is approximately halfway to its cocked position the bolt is released from the trigger and rides on the outside of the cylinder. The .002″ seemed a little loose. I managed to ignore the Python in the 1950s. Nothing jarred loose. Colt has a winner with the new Python, better or as good as the Legacy Python. Folks who buy this will buy Guncrafter 1911 pistols and the SIG P210. If you’re showing off a product which is supposed to be the top of your line to the most important industry show in the country if not the world, it IS the end of the world when it doesn’t work right. Excellent quality, great 178 grain bullet. It was a link back to my family. The original Pythons were expensive and genuinely premium pieces, this is just overpriced average (and that’s assuming they really have fixed the reliability issues). These updated versions of the Colt Python have a few changes to differentiate them from the old snake guns but they maintain the classic looks and operation of the originals. History died … I COULD get one with my theoretical porkulus cheque. I’m guessing a parts supplier delivered parts that were not in spec once full production began. The most desirable of the “snake guns,” as Colt likes to call them, is back. At least they could have used some gloss on them. I have ran a 178 grain hard cast SWC at just over 1340 fps with excellent accuracy to 100 yards. I’m tempted by this new one, but it’s still pretty pricy. “kinks” have been revealed and fixed. Across three guns and 1,700 plus rounds, perfect performance. But it was a good experience. Nice gun-nice review. But then I haven’t ordered leather for it, yet. Despite some very heavy hand loads. Very through. We all hoped. I continue to scrounge ammo for testing and found a real treasure in an old pawn shop. H&G #43 is a 160 grain. If they’re still being produced later, with no issues and they can be bought for retail or under, I’ll consider one. The 2020 Colt Python is a six-shot, stainless steel, double-action revolver chambered in .357 Magnum. I kept my Dan Wesson with no regrets. We are cranking out some CRAZY manufacturing designs and tolerances now and fantastic pieces from companies like Ruger that have updated most of their equipment with massive expenditures on equipment overhaul. The Python had a $125 MSRP (the same as the Single Action Army). I not seen anyone address whether the new model has a tapered bore. Absolutely not. – I’d like to see Colt bring back some variant of a .45 Colt in a double-action, built strongly enough to allow for Ruger-level loads. From the perspective of a former swimming pool operator, there are just so many things wrong with this part of the conversation. I tested both a 6″ and a 4.25″ trigger. I had Ted Blocker leather make an appropriate holster for it. by Dick Williams - Wednesday, September 23, 2020. This gun looks fantastic and your review was one of the best I’ve read at TTAG in quite awhile. None of the threads on any of my guns included a thread locker material on them. What gives!? Another problem with the internet revealed. Fantastic handling dynamics. If you can’t trust the US treasure check these days, whom can you trust? Make no mistake. The new model’s mainspring is a departure, but not a huge one. New colt python trigger work? Colt in the past 40 years or so quality control lacks or is fairly non existent,can they be corrected yes but at a price and one shouldn’t have to with what colt charges for their product. I own the new king cobra and that revolver is a masterpiece. 349. . There still seems to be some bugs to be worked out. And no, the Cobra and Kimg Cobra are not that gun. That ended up as a bonus to you, the reader. I believe Colt also did some internal work around the hand on the new Python’s fix, muzzle work too. The first python had light strikes, gouges on the crown and tool marks inside the barrel. Oh, 686? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Of all the things that should have been an absolute gimme for them, they couldn’t even get the profile right. I second the “It was addressed in the article” comment. The bullet has long left the barrel by the time your finger is moving out. I much preferred the S&W Model 27 for looks, and the Ruger Redhawk for pure brute strength. Did you have the 6 or the 4 1/4″. That kind that rushes a product to completion, and that includes a lot of them, including my own. Once the gun fires, there’s no reason to carefully bring the trigger forward. Colt had one chance to make a first impression with this pistol and they blew it. Height: 5.5 in. Would you mind posting the video link you are referring to? Have at it, which reminds me of the adage “That is why they make Chevy’s and Fords”,everyone can have what they want. If anything, they’ve reminded us of what the company once produced, and what it still is capable of. Width: 1.55 in. Got to understand the action and stick with it. Sig USA is doing just fine and they are the epitome of Gen 2 perfection. I n the world of handguns, many people regard the old Colt Pythons as … The same feeler gauge that measured .003″ wouldn’t quite fit in the new Python. It’s frankly shocking that they release a revolver with very commonly seen reliability issues and people are trying to handwave it away because they’re so thirsty for a new “Python”. Colt also mentioned that the new Python accepts old Python grips, so I obtained some exact replicas from Deer Hollow Enterprises. Thing is I don’t want to face down a 400 lb. No one got a brick. I have to say I was surprised to see Colt bringing the Python back. Last handgun a man would ever need, anywhere, and look like it belonged on the hip of a Canadian Mounted Patrolman. Former gun slinger, current gun writer. Not because I don’t like it, because everybody else around me does. The gun pictured here was made in 1962. It never moved under recoil, it just moved so easily I found the lack or resistance made it a little harder to make fine adjustments. Same comment for 1903’s and A3’s. And the focus is always on the problem but never the resolution, or the manufacturers response. Even back in the day I was never that impressed with the Python. I do remember being annoyed waiting, but I can’t remember how long it took. Use the Colt … Outstanding value. You asked about holsters; both Galco and DeSantis have holsters for the Python. And it’s just my personal take. And that’s the way the conversation went when a buddy of mine told me that Colt would soon be offering a new Python. I’ll pester and pine away for a blued model, but I’m overjoyed this new stainless snake gun turned out to be everything I hoped it would. Get the new just released Colt Python 2020 357 Mag. I understand that there was some criticism of the frame in the early models. Thanks. I listed it as new and blemished and sold it. As always, I lubed the gun (in this case with the supplied Lucas Oil Gun Lube) prior to shooting. This thing doesn’t even take Glock mags. Colt and CT — that tax-loving state full of angry liberals (excuse the redundancy) — can KMA. Not saying they’ll be inexpensive; the Python is definitely a premium wheelgun. Of the four I’ve owned all have been ’60s production with the exception of my stainless one. Sub 1″ groups with both the 6″ and 4.25″ at 25 yards with a variety of ammunition. I scrimped and saved and by fall of ’81 had enough to pay full price plus sales tax. Colt tells us the Pythons have been in production since November in order to fill the supply chain before the announcement. I know a lot of people have been waiting on this since the first of this year. I’ve looked it over and compared it to an original Python and there’s very little firing pin protrusion compared to the original. New-in-box 2020 Pythons, in either barrel length, are being sold for about twice the MSRP. Review: Colt Python Returns. Shawn - September 3, 2020. But it seems a lot like there are more people claiming that their Colt is bad than the number of guns that Colt actually sold. Too many recycled stories and a lack of depth. He is seen cocking the hammer manually and cylinder didn’t turn. Both come with walnut grips that bear the Colt medallion. Mine is a safe queen, and will remain that way while I beat the snot out of the rugers. Very thorough, and I suspect, took some time. There are two basic problems with the new Python. I got an old k frame that would lock up after a couple of rounds. I owned 2 6″ originals, never liked them, sold one to a pal for what I paid for it ($160) and sent the other back for a 4″ barrel. Even though quite a few were issued as police department service weapons, the Colt Python has always been a target revolver at its heart. I’m an admitted Glock fanboi with a bias for 1911s, but there’s something about a handsome wheelgun that just brings out the nostalgia. A very nice customer service person told me where my nearest Colt dealer was and said he could have one shipped there for me. I don’t have a heavy bullet mold for the 357. Those are some mighty fine looking revolvers. pweserge, I’m speaking practically. They look and feel great, with the same type of checkering and gold Colt medallions, and fit the 2020 Python like a glove. This isn’t just an accurate, good looking gun, it’s a fun one, too. It was that marriage of the ergonomics of the duty-sized weapon with target accuracy that made the Python so sought after. Five bullet diameters between farthest-apart holes in .38 caliber cannot result in a 0.9″ group as one of your pictures shows. The gun wasn’t cooperating. The few local gun shops I asked said they didn’t really deal in new Colts. Happy out of the army to me! Yes, the Colt action is powered by a V spring that returns the trigger and the Smith and Wesson features a trigger return spring. Midway Has the Federal 5.56x45mm M855 Bulk Ammunition You Need Now, National Level Trainers Offering Free Beginning Gun Handling Videos, DEATH AND TAXES: Help Your Family Value Your Guns and Safely Sell Unwanted Firearms and Accessories, Tyrant Designs Announces its New ITTS Triggers for GLOCK G43, G43X, and G48, DIY: Installing an Ed Brown 1911 RMR Cut Slide. That depends entirely on what you are looking to do. Only one 4″. Well-written and thorough. Do you have one to recommend or a particular bullet you like? The Volcanic was basically a lever action pistol. The trigger, especially in slow fire, feels like it is done on the second click. I dont recognize those markings. After closing, it would again fire the first round, and lock up again. That concerned me because, if it was an old model Cobra, that would be the maximum end-shake we want to see from the factory. But the ability to interchange the front sights, as well as backwards compatibility with the old Python grips gives this revolver a leg up on the competition. I have ordered 2 of the 4.25″, hopefully consecutive numbers, though when I might see them in this environment, who can tell. We were allowing the trigger to fully return, are aware that trigger reset won’t happen unless that’s done. That may be good for Canadians, but not so great for those of us who can easily find holsters for 4″ guns that may not fit just right with that extra 1/4″ of barrel. Like the King Cobra, it’s a brushed stainless like nobody else’s. Jump to Latest Follow 21 - 32 of 32 Posts. 5.1 oz. Big black maw waiting to destroy my soul down to the sub atomic level. Of the guns I’ve looked at, none of them have it. They are not vents. It changed the frame at the rear sight to give it a bit more cross-section and to accommodate the new rear sight. Now Colt, make more of them. Its not acceptable, no, but completely writing something off because you’re so impatient and can’t get you’re immediate satisfaction is really dumb as well. Weight: 46 oz. Given the myriad of advantages of semi-autos in a self-defense situation, yes that makes revolvers obsolescent. With the ease of mounting a scope on the rib, and the precision the gun has proven capable of, the potential of these guns to be outstanding for closer range deer and farther range varmint hunting is excellent. And he wasn’t the first. These grips fill a single hand well, finishing just below the pinky of my size-large hand. Snarky comment aside, thanks for the review. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. While I appreciated the build of a Python, I was never a fan.