A blued 6-inch Python finally came to live with me in 2011. I had lusted after Colt’s famous DA revolver since 1982, when Able Team hit book stores. I grew up reading Westerns and anything military related that I could find, including Mack Bolan and the related series. Carl “Ironman” Lyons carried a Python for many of the Able Team books and it became something that I wanted. Later, I realized how ridiculous the books were, but the wants for a Python did not go away.
Unfortunately, when I got the Python, I did not have the time to do much shooting with it. It has always had a place of prominence on my safe room wall. I generally pulled it down to wipe the dust off and remember how much better a S&W feels in my hand.
Heresy! I know, but I had so much more time with round or square butt Smiths in my hand. The Smith revolvers were more affordable and their reputation for reliability, compared to the Python, were what led me to choose them most often. Once I found a Python of known providence, I bought it, even though it didn’t feel right. I just had to have it.
These days, I often find the Python feels better after I have spent some time with a Single Action Army. You can see the legacy at the top of the grip frame, where the gun is more rounded, as if the designers want it to roll in your hand. One thing I notice is that the web of my hand and the base of my firing hand thumb seem to take no impact with magnums, unlike with Smith and Ruger revolvers.
Unfortunately, the classic Python has a terrible double action trigger, when compared to an L-frame Smith. It stacks, especially at the end of the trigger pull and is very heavy. The single action, however, is superb.
These days, it is popular to say that you should not use the single action on a double action revolver. I do believe that it is safer to use double action and that it is also the right thing for most any fight you are likely to get in. However, back when the Python was designed, most shooters used the single action for longer or more difficult shots and double action for close range emergencies. Some of that was likely due to how heavy DA triggers were at the time. For most people, it is easier to use single action and the Python was obviously designed for operation during that time.
My Python was manufactured in 1966, according to the Colt serial number lookup page. It is 60 years old, this year, and looks really good, It was obviously not used much before I got it, and possibly used less since. Colt stopped making them in 2005 and values went up, exponentially. At the same time, most gunsmiths stopped working on them, as the great Colt-smiths retired and parts started to dry up.
When Colt began making new Pythons in 2020, great rejoicing was heard…and also some grumbling. “They will screw them up, somehow.” Well yes, they did. They put three holes in the vent rib on the 4″ guns. That is heresy. Shame on you, Colt!
There have been some quality control issues, as with every revolver manufacturer of late. Overall, there have been a bunch of people say nice things about them. They don’t look exactly right, but they are close enough that it seems like a good way to get a shooter grade Python that you wouldn’t be afraid to put a bunch of rounds through.
My father bought one, because he knew how much I liked them. I immediately wanted to compare his to mine. I liked the orange ramp front sight on the new one and the double action trigger was much lighter, though it still stacks. The single action was a little heavy, but the stocks and grip frame felt good in the hand. The trigger has a different shape to it, which feels odd to me. It is straighter than the original version.
In shooting these two guns side by side, I found the orange ramp to be faster when shooting at speed, but the plain black of the 1966 model to be easier to shoot groups with for my eyes. I thought that the double action of the newer model would help it shoot better than the classic, but I did not find that to be true.
The first group I shot was single action, but the next two groups were double action. It was surprising that I shot the classic blued Python better on all the groups. I believe that the sights made the biggest difference and likely would be different for someone with eyes that could see the sights more clearly. The vertical dispersion is partially related to my eyes, but the horizontal dispersion should be attributed to my working of the trigger and to some minor extent, the gun.
The stocks on the guns are, at first, very similar in appearance. However, I noticed, when shooting magnums, that the knuckle of my middle finger took some impacts when shooting the post-2020 gun. With the classic gun, I never experienced any discomfort and it seemed to handle recoil better. The guns weigh the same, so the stocks are the only real difference.
Safariland Comp speed loaders for L-Frames and GP-100s do not work with the stocks on either gun. I much prefer these loaders to other brands and did not have anything else on hand to try.
When shooting steel, I did find the lighter double action trigger of the new gun to provide me some more confidence at the higher speeds. I did not do much of this shooting with the classic gun and some of the confidence could be attributed to three times as many runs with the newer gun. A lighter DA trigger is almost always preferred, though.
After spending a hot, humid summer day with the two guns on the range, you can see my fingerprints in the royal blue Python. The stainless gun shows no evidence of handling. I wiped them both down, but took extra care with the classic gun. It went back on the wall in just as good a shape as it was when the day started.
I think the newer models are just what we needed, in that they give us guns we can shoot to our heart’s content. To my eye, they are prettier than Ruger and Smith & Wesson guns of the same size and I would bet there is someone who could clean up the single action, if that is your jam.
I hope not to find a 3″ blued post-2020 model for a good price. It would need a new set of stocks and Wilson Combat is making some sight options, if that became necessary. They look really sexy and are starting to feel good in my hands. It would fit the GP-100 gear I already have. Did I mention they look cool?