Colt Python NIB - Clean or No?

'69 was the start of the E series.
Not sure how many series were before that (think just one).
Do know that in stainless models I have seen dual front sight pin versions and single pin, and think these were normal production, not the Custom shop last made models.
What versions those were, I dunno.
While Pythons might be good investments, so is having a fun life. I wouldn't own a Python I couldn't shoot.

They're nice guns. I've shot quite a few through the '69.
For hunting I'd rather have a 6" stainless.

They came new in plastic bags. I oil my NIB and put them back in the original bag in the box. I have several NIB Colts that are decades old. It hasn't harmed them.

Excuse me but if it has been stored in that plastic bag since 1969 or before then I am going to say just leave it in the plastic bag. If it still looks good after 45+years in a bag then I'm thinking it should be okay.

Jim Watson said:

I'll make you a deal, you can have BOTH of mine for $18,000.
Well used but one is a Custom Shop super tune and the other was set up by a major gunsmith of a bygone day.

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Heck, both of mine for $15,000. That's a 4" and a 6".

Then I'll winter in the Caribbean this winter.

Ron

Saw-Bones said:

I6turbo - You won’t find any 1970s Pythons because Colt discontinued them in 1969. And the article didn’t mention just any mint python, but specifically a 1960, NIB, .357 Mag, 6” bbl with the Royal Blue finish, original box and paperwork.

Also important, it wasn’t just any magazine, it was in the American Rifleman and the author was S.P. Fjestad, the publisher of The Blue Book of Gun Values. The author and the magazine are usually held in high regard, unless you know something that I don’t.

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Do you really think Colt discontinued the Python in 1969?

As I stated, the article said mint, original, 1950's, 6" barrel, high polished Royal Blue with matching numbers box and paperwork. And I don't care who the author is, I don't just blindly believe what I read in a magazine or on the internet.

The rest of what I wrote is easily verifiable with a GB search of completed sales -- plenty of "mint" Pythons in the $2K - $3K range, so people need to be careful about where they peg the value of "a Python" based upon an unsubstantiated magazine claim. I suppose the author of the article has seen a sale(s) at $18K, but to casually say that mint Pythons are now bringing $18K is misleading and needs qualification.

If you handled the gun out of the bag without some sort of gloves then you have contaminated the protective grease with skin oils that contain acids that might mark the bluing over time. In such a case I'd be wanting to clean those areas, or the whole gun if in any doubt, and re-apply some sort of similar protective film. And this time you'll be wearing nitrile gloves during the WHOLE process.

If you handled it with gloves on then you just need to ensure that the areas handled still have a good coating and put it away again.

I'd likely want to store the whole box in a sealed bag with some "dried" silica gel packs to ensure a positive low humidity level. In fact another option would be to flush the bag with an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon to reduce the oxygen content to some trace amount. It's oxygen which is the cause of rust after all.

Kindly send that beauty to me, and I will shoo-er, I mean, examine it for you to determine if it's accur-ehm, I mean, if the existing protectant needs to be replaced. If so, I will happily take it to the rang-ah, I mean, gun restoration shop and have them do a trigger jo-uh, I mean perseveration treatment on it. =)

There is no reason for not leaving the current coat of preservative on it. However it is advisable to take it out of the plastic bag if you store it somewhere where condensed moisture can collect.

Brownells (www.brownells.com) sell special plastic bags that contain a vapor inhibitor that's released after the bag is sealed, and prevents rust.

In any case, keep the original plastic bag in the box, with the gun. Do not store the gun with a preservative that might stain the box.

If you choose to not fire the revolver and keep it in its present condition that's fine. They're plenty of Pythons out in the wild that have been fired for those who want a shooter. Let them put up their own bucks and buy one.

Funny that there are many more NIB Pythons today than there were 10 years ago. What's the point? An "investment?" I own several Colt revolvers, all of which are worth a LOT more than 10 years ago. They all get shot. I sure as heck am not going to leave an unfired gun to my heirs. This "snake bubble" will not last forever, simply because of demographics. The people who are buying them are now in their 50's and 60's. The next generations don't give a hoot about revolvers. So as far as I'm concerned, if you got 'em shoot 'em, and don't let me ANYWHERE near a NIB Python.

A couple of years ago, a friend brought a NIB Python snubby to the range...... Guess what we did with it.

GeezerwithGuns said:

The people who are buying them are now in their 50's and 60's. The next generations don't give a hoot about revolvers.

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Some of us do. Have faith.

doc540

Had a Gold Cup just like the one you have; bought it sometime in the late '70s/early '80s. While the Colt Royal Blue finish and build quality were something to behold I got the gun to shoot, not to keep in my safe for the next collector/owner to behold. Glad I did take it out and shoot it as it was certainly one of the most accurate 1911s I have ever owned.

doc540

Well I did clean it first but yeah, I believe a Gold Cup was meant to used (and enjoyed for it's stellar accuracy); not sealed up and stashed away in the back of my safe.

Would do the same with a NIB Python, if I ever have one. At these stratospheric prices though I doubt if I will ever be able to afford one.

460Kodiak said:

Some of us do. Have faith.

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Hey, me too! I'm a scant 30 years old, and will pick a wheelgun over an autoloader any day of the week!

As an engineer, is it is easy for me to see the value in a design that's stayed relevant for nearly 200 years...

waiting for python bubble to pop...

Quote:
Originally Posted by GeezerwithGuns View Post
The people who are buying them are now in their 50's and 60's. The next generations don't give a hoot about revolvers.

Some of us do. Have faith.

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Yep as I'm in my early 30s, hoping to get my 1st Python before 40...
like VanGogh and Kodiak said, there's a small but passionate group of us "young'uns" saving up and biding our time. I know they will still be expensive in 5-15 yrs, but hopefully LESS expensive than now. FWIW, I'll continue sinking $$$ into pre-war 1911's and stay satisfied w/ high grade S&W 19 & 66 K frames (the poor boy's Python).

I'm with GeezerwithGuns.... shoot it! I've bought many unfired guns and the first thing I do is shoot them. I would much rather have the joy of shooting them than simply looking at them. They were made to shoot. But that's ME, not YOU! It's yours to do with what you will.

Earlier this year I inherited 3 unfired S&W revolvers. A 2" M36, a 3" M36 and a 6" M14. They shoot great.

Some people buy guns with the intension of shooting them. This includes the Old Fuff. Others buy with no intention of shooting, and again that sometimes includes the Old Fuff, who works both sides of the street for fun and profit.

But a problem arises when someone buys a gun they don't intend to shoot - and say so on a forum, such as THR.

And others try to bully them into shooting (whatever) after the new toy's owner expressly says they don't want to.

Such outside suggestions are easy when someone else doesn't have any of their money invested. What they do with they're own hardware is their business.

Beautiful Pony. Whether you shoot it or not, enjoy!