Possible New Colt Pythons?

I can't say anything about the new Python in regards to its reliability because I have never owned one. However, I own and have owned several old Pythons and have shot them a lot. I have never had any break downs or timing issues that a lot of internet experts like to talk about.

I really wasn't in the market for the new gun, but am now looking for one to find out for myself what it is or is not.

ColtPythonElite said:

I can't say anything about the new Python because I have never owned one. However, I own and have owned several old Pythons and have shot them a lot. I have never had any break downs or timing issues that a lot of internet experts like to talk about.

Click to expand...

I believe you. My only gripe about any and all of this silly nonsense, is the "new" Python is really nothing when compared to the old model. Except in looks. And even there the finish is nowhere near as good as the original. There is very little difference between the "new" Colt Python, and a Ruger GP-100, or the factory S&W's the Colt lovers all love to bash so much.

All are nothing but parts bin assembled, double action revolvers. In fact, the Ruger GP-100 Match Champion receives far more hand work than this "new" Python does. It comes from the factory with an action job.... And actually works.

If you bought a Colt Python in the 70's, 80's, and even up until the 90's, you received what was basically a hand built and fitted revolver. The "new" Python is nothing like that. It's a standard production, assembly line produced gun... Much like anything produced by Ruger or S&W. It takes a lot more than roll marking "Python" on the barrel, in order to make it what it once was.

In reality it is nothing but a Toyota, (without the reliability), with a Mercedes star slapped on the hood. Basically, "Lipstick on a pig", so to speak. The only thing that keeps it from being a true counterfeit, is the fact Colt made it.

Bill460 said:

Mercedes are extremely poorly rated for reliability, and Rolex keeps about the worst time in the watch business.

Click to expand...

What? Rolex is about the most accurate mechanical watch available, the new warranty guarantees +/- two seconds a day variance. My wife and I both have one, do you? Just wondering what you're basing such a ridiculous statement on. Mine has been keeping good time since 1984.

Yet both are expensive and pretty to look at. So....... You're basically telling us if you want a double action revolver that does nothing but shoot and run properly, buy a Ruger. If you want one that's expensive and looks pretty but doesn't, buy the "new" Python...... Got it!

Click to expand...

Ruger and reliability don't exactly go together, from my experience. I haven't handled a new python but gun people I respect have said in some ways it is better than the old, and it has been tested with 12,000 full power .357 loads. How many here are going to shoot more than that? Modern CNC machining can be better than hand work variance.

Old Dog said:

Yep, pretty much. Love how all these folks who never had the pleasure of owning, or even shooting, a Colt Python, talk about how they believe a Ruger is just as good or even better, than a Python.

Click to expand...

It's called sour grapes.

Old Dog said:

I could give a rat's a$$ what effect the new Python will have on prices of the originals. I will still buy a new version and shoot the snot out of it. And yeah, if I find a new SIG P-210 -- I'll snap it up in a heartbeat as well.

Click to expand...

FWIW, I had a new Sig P210 that had to go back to the factory to make it work, doesn't mean I think they're all junk.

Paul7 said:

FWIW, I had a new Sig P210 that had to go back to the factory to make it work, doesn't mean I think they're all junk.

Click to expand...

Understood. But that's not the point. Yes, a bad gun can get out once and a while. It happens. No one is saying or suggesting otherwise, But when someone is paying well into 4 digits for a pistol, (Sig P-210), or a revolver, ("new" Python), it should at least have the same, or better odds of running right, as a $450.00 Glock.

Otherwise what's the point? It's got nothing to do with, "sour grapes". It's common sense for God's sake.

Paul7 said:

What? Rolex is about the most accurate mechanical watch available, the new warranty guarantees +/- two seconds a day variance. Just wondering what you're basing such a ridiculous statement on.

Click to expand...

You just said it...... "Mechnical Watch". 2 seconds a day in today's world is crap, and you know it. For Christ's sake a Wal-Mart $12 quartz Timex will maintain that level of accuracy for a month or more. If you want to impress people with gold jewelry and bling, fine, then buy it. Don't buy a timepiece with a movement that's been outdated longer than breaker point ignition and carburetors on an automobile. Then try to tell everyone how "accurate" it is.

Paul7 said:

I haven't handled a new python but gun people I respect have said in some ways it is better than the old, and it has been tested with 12,000 full power .357 loads. How many here are going to shoot more than that? Modern CNC machining can be better than hand work variance.

Click to expand...

There are people all over the Internet, (Hickok .45 among them), who have had issues with this "new" Python right out of the box. That is inexcusable on a $1.5K revolver.... And 12,000 rounds is nothing. You have Glock range rental guns out there that have gone in excess of 500,000 rounds. And they're still banging away. And you want to brag about a $1,500.00 revolver going 10K? Spare us.

And there is no way a parts bin, mass produced and assembled revolver, (read "new" Python), is going to compare to a hand fitted, hand built and polished one, (read old Python). Any more than a $600.00 CZ O/U shotgun is going to compare to a $35K Perrazi Trap gun.

Modern machining practices can cut down on hand fitting. No question about it. But don't sit there and try to tell me it's "better" than a gun that has been hand fit, polished, and assembled by skilled craftsmen. That's pure B.S. Nothing more.

The "new" Python is built and assembled the same way Ruger and S&W double action revolvers are. Out of bins of parts that receive minimal, if any fitting. They are nothing special, and nothing even remotely close to what the old Python's, that were meticulously manufactured all but by hand, 40 years ago were. They're not even close.

Paul7 said:

I read somewhere the average handgun owner shoots about 500 rounds per gun total. Think about it, if like many you have a couple dozen handguns do you really shoot 10,000 rounds out of all of them?

Click to expand...

What does that have to do with how long the gun should last? If I only drive 2,000 miles a year, does that mean there is no need for my $50K new car to last anymore than 20,000 miles? That kind of thinking is simply preposterous to try and justify.

Bill460 said:

You just said it...... "Mechnical Watch". 2 seconds a day in today's world is crap, and you know it. For Christ's sake a Wal-Mart $12 quartz Timex will maintain that level of accuracy for a month or more. If you want to impress people with gold jewelry and bling, fine, then buy it. Don't buy a timepiece with a movement that's been outdated longer than breaker point ignition and carburetors on an automobile. Then try to tell everyone how "accurate" it is.

Click to expand...

Apples to oranges, good luck when you're out on a hunting trip and your Timex battery runs out. Nobody needs more accuracy than Rolex offers, to say it is among the worst at time keeping is crazy. Timex is the Ruger of watches.

There are people all over the Internet, (Hickok .45 among them), who have had issues with this "new" Python right out of the box.

Click to expand...

Which you can find with any gun, especially a new issue.

That is inexcusable on a $1.5K revolver.... And 12,000 rounds is nothing. You have Glock range rental guns out there that have gone in excess of 500,000 rounds. And they're still banging away. And you want to brag about a $1,500.00 revolver going 10K? Spare us.

And there is no way a parts bin, mass produced and assembled revolver, (read "new" Python), is going to compare to a hand fitted, hand built and polished one, (read old Python). Any more than a $600.00 CZ O/U shotgun is going to compare to a $35K Perrazi Trap gun.

Modern machining practices can cut down on hand fitting. No question about it. But don't sit there and try to tell me it's "better" than a gun that has been had fit and assembled by skilled craftsmen. That's pure B.S. Nothing more.

Click to expand...

Gun guys who know a heck of a lot more than you disagree. You haven't handled a new Python any more than you've used a Rolex.

The "new" Python is built and assembled the same way Ruger and S&W double action revolvers are. Out of bins of parts that receive minimal, if any fitting. They are nothing special, and nothing even remotely close to what the old Python's, that were meticulously manufactured all but by hand, 40 years ago were. They're not even close.

Click to expand...

What do you base that on? I suspect not experience.

Bill460 said:

What does that have to do with how long the gun should last? If I only drive 2,000 miles a year, does that mean there is no need for my $50K new car to last anymore than 20,000 miles? That kind of thinking is simply preposterous to try and justify.

Click to expand...

My point was few shooters ever wore out an old Python, and they're less likely to with the new one.

Paul7 said:

My point was few shooters ever wore out an old Python, and they're less likely to with the new one.

Click to expand...

So what? It changes nothing. How many rounds a shooter shoots has NOTHING to do with how long a $1,500.00 revolver should last. It's stupid on steroids to even make such a silly comparison.

Paul7 said:

...... Nobody needs more accuracy than Rolex offers, to say it is among the worst at time keeping is crazy. Timex is the Ruger of watches.

Click to expand...

Now your simply being foolish. Who are you to judge others "needs"? FACT: A $15 Timex is more accurate, rugged, and dependable than a $15K Rolex. Deal with it. You can try to spin that any way you want. But it doesn't change anything. In today's world, a Rolex movement is a dinosaur in a shiny case. Much like the "new" Python. Very blingy, but doesn't work very well.

Look, if you want to tell me you bought a Rolex to show off, and impress people with your "success", I can go along with that. I think it's stupid, because I'm not that vain. But if it makes you feel better about yourself, I can accept it. But don't sit there, and expect anyone to believe you bought it for it's "accuracy". That's just plain ludicrous.

Paul7 said:

You haven't handled a new Python any more than you've used a Rolex.

Click to expand...

You are correct. Both are overpriced for what they are. And neither of them work as well as similar products that cost less, are far more accurate, and last longer. So why would I be foolish enough to waste my time and money screwing with either?

As far as this "new" Python. Perhaps in the near future they'll straighten out it's present issues. I sure hope so. The gun buying public deserves a lot better for $1,500.00. And if it doesn't take off, I suspect the street price on these things will come down fast.

Few shooters are going to pay that when there are better mass produced, double action revolvers out there at half that price. It's called competition. And it's the law of the business world. And it's certainly no deep dark secret that Colt has had more than it's share of problems in that department.

They would have a hard time making money if the government loaned them the printing press, paper, and ink. Let's hope that changes, or I suspect this "new" Python isn't going to be around long enough to matter either way. Their "new" Cobra isn't exactly selling like hotcakes. I'm already seeing it heavily discounted.

Their AR-15's are already history. I wonder how long it will be before they realize that mistake, and "reintroduce" them, like they are most everything else they quit making?

I couldn’t care less about a Rolex or a Mercedes but I plan on having one of these Pythons down the road and I will admit that it will be mainly for the bling factor that Bill suggested, they are beautiful, my Smiths and especially Rugers will be my shooters..... I am kind of waiting to see if there is a Anaconda in the works.

Targa said:

I couldn’t care less about a Rolex or a Mercedes but I plan on having one of these Pythons down the road and I will admit that it will be mainly for the bling factor that Bill suggested, they are beautiful,......

Click to expand...

Yes, they are pretty. And I think that is what they were really trying to capture with this new one. Everything else about the gun is pretty much run of the mill. I only wish for that price, they would have gone to the high polished Stainless Steel finish. Instead of the, "Semi-Bright", finish Colt describes them as. (At least that's how Davidson's lists the finish).

One thing I have to give Colt credit for, is they know how to polish Stainless Steel. They're at least as good as Ruger is at it. The high polished Stainless Steel Ruger Vaquero's are stunningly beautiful. High polished Stainless has sent Nickel plating the way of the mechanical watch movement,

I love the looks of the new Pythons. I wish they had Ruger-like reliability, because, let’s face it -Ruger has raised the bar on what folks can (and therefore should) expect from a revolver. Ruger quality + Colt mystique and good looks + no S&W lock would be a winner in my book and probably many others. But if they are finicky or QC is spotty, it’s hard to justify $1500.

Paul7 said:

I read somewhere the average handgun owner shoots about 500 rounds per gun total. Think about it, if like many you have a couple dozen handguns do you really shoot 10,000 rounds out of all of them?

Click to expand...

for a new pistol i can go through more than 500 rds in 2 range outings , being new i will use it more at the get go. with a new revolver 3 to 4 range outings to get there, to get the feel of the gun and the trigger.

rifles not so much since the ammo is more expensive but they have more than 2000 rds each conservatively

Once enough time has passed to allow for fixes, and a general and reliable consensus of good to go, I believe I will buy a 2020/new Python. I plan to shoot it plenty for the sheer fun of it, and will compare it to my 686 and GP-100 so I can judge first hand how I personally like it. I expect the 2020/new Python to better them both, but will take my first queues from handling it in the store.

Where I lived a few years ago one of my favored LGS had an original that appeared NIB or LNIB, with all the trappings. I recall the price tag was north of $4K. I marveled at it's beauty through the glass case (sitting in a presentation box, velvet) but did not ask to handle. Although I could afford the money there is only so far I am willing to go even if considered art, and in a way they really are. If I bought it I'd handle it carefully but would not fire it for fear of reducing it's value. I have no such fear with my smith, ruger or prospective new colt.

Just a thread note: I understand the passion some have expressed, and so long as they do not further stretch the bounds of civility I will continue to enjoy this interesting thread.

*I own a Rolex. I have to agree. As I was once told, if you want to be able to tell time, buy a Timex not a Rolex.

Well, I'm not gonna be posting any pictures of my watches in any future "Guns and Watches" threads.

Bill460 said:

2 seconds a day in today's world is crap, and you know it.

Click to expand...

I'm glad nothing in my life is so important that I need a more accurate wristwatch. Do people still used them to check the time, anyway? My watches are all basically fashion accessories or jewelry.

What's next? Someone gonna trash my choice in expensive SUVs just 'cause I like British motorcars?

Bill460 said:

There are people all over the Internet, (Hickok .45 among them), who have had issues with this "new" Python right out of the box. That is inexcusable on a $1.5K revolver...

Click to expand...

Operative word here: internet
Strange, I've found some folks all over the internet who like their new Pythons. Thankfully, they're not making YouTube videos.

I have owned and still do own a few S&W revolvers. Some of them have had problems and one is about to go back to the factory for a second time.

I have owned 2 Ruger revolvers, and one of them was such a poorly put together piece of crap I got it in the best order I could and traded it away for a reloading press. It shot fine, after I spent months fiddling around with it. No thanks.

The new Colt Python is a Python in name and outward appearance, but as has been noted by others and by Colt, has changes in the lock work. SO WHAT? I couldn't care less. If people want the old style, then go buy one. It really is that simple. Calling this new gun a Python is marketing, and since Colt has already acknowledged the differences, it's not like they are trying to hide it. Stating that the old and new guns are different over and over is just noise, and not really helpful.

Saying "all kinds of people are having problems" without any linked articles or forum threads, or actual evidence other than two YouTube videos with problems is blowing things out of proportion needlessly.

We know these are mass produced, CNC machined, production guns that are every bit as subject to problems as other mass produced items. If people don't like the price tag, then buy something else.

It's not statistically improbable that two different Youtubers had issues, it statistically very likely give that both videos came out very early after the release, and a production problem is bound to be found early on. I don't see why that's surprising to anyone. The two guns may have been from the same lot for all we know.

+20yrs of internet forums has taught me that people will ALWAYS be in a hurry to be the first critic. No matter what it is or who makes it, someone will be chomping at the bit to tell us all what a POS it is. Which they apparently think makes them look smart. Second, negative press ALWAYS gets more attention. Don't believe that, watch the evening news for five minutes. In the gun world, Colt could've shipped 10,000 units the first day and 9999 of those received could've made their new owners happier than a puppy with two peckers. They could function perfectly and shoot like a Freedom Arms. If that one person who is not happy makes a video of his unhappiness and posts it on YouTube, no matter how incompetent he appears to be, the gun world will be ablaze about what a worthless piece of junk that new gun is. `Tis the inherent idiocy of human nature, the ubiquitous Chicken Little syndrome.

The answer is in @460Shooter's signature.

unclenunzie said:

Once enough time has passed to allow for fixes, and a general and reliable consensus of good to go, I believe I will buy a 2020/new Python.

Click to expand...

It's pretty damn sad, that in today's world of,..... "modern manufacturing of computer controlled, close tolerance parts that require no fitting".... We have to, "Allow enough time to pass for fixes." Along with, "A general and reliable consensus of good to go." Before someone can feel safe enough for them to lay down $1,500.00+ for a 6 shot revolver. That first entered production in 1955. That is being made by a company that first opened it's doors a hundred years before that in 1855. Just think about that for a minute. Unbelievable!

I would really love it if someone would gift me one because that's only i'd have one.

Bill460 said:

It's pretty damn sad, that in today's world of,..... "modern manufacturing of computer controlled, close tolerance parts that require no fitting".... We have to, "Allow enough time to pass for fixes." Along with, "A general and reliable consensus of good to go." Before someone can feel safe enough for them to lay down $1,500.00+ for a 6 shot revolver. That first entered production in 1955. That is being made by a company that first opened it's doors a hundred years before that in 1855. Just think about that for a minute. Unbelievable!

Click to expand...

Our community is way way way too tolerant of junk that doesn’t work right. It is insane what gun people will put up with. We’ll go spend $1000 or more on a gun, find out it sucks or worse yet knowing it sucks; and then often turn around and pay a third party who doesn’t suck (hopefully) just as much money to make the original gun not suck. Honestly it is lunacy.

Not a single individual here aside from Old Dog, would accept a brand new automobile that broke down and failed to function right off the dealer lot. Not one of us. Except Old Dog, but he likes being stranded on the side of the road by his own admission (likes British cars that don’t work) *had to poke fun*....

Yet when it comes to guns a lot of us just accept mediocre design, workmanship, and function. Gun companies know this, and take advantage of it by turning out garbage and fixing it if the customer complains. They understand that many owners barely ever shoot the dang things and likely will never know the gun is a pile of trash. It’s cheaper to “fix” a few guns for the weirdo customers that actually shoot a lot, than it is to make sure every gun that leaves the factory actually works. Kind of like Italian sports car makers... they know the customers barely drive them so why bother making sure they work? Just make them pretty!

....and here we are letting them continue the shady business practice of expecting customers to be beta testing the products.

Coal Dragger said:

Our community is way way way too tolerant of junk that doesn’t work right. It is insane what gun people will put up with. We’ll go spend $1000 or more on a gun, find out it sucks or worse yet knowing it sucks; and then often turn around and pay a third party who doesn’t suck (hopefully) just as much money to make the original gun not suck. Honestly it is lunacy.....and here we are letting them continue the shady business practice of expecting customers to be beta testing the products.

Click to expand...

I agree. It is complete lunacy. And we have people who not only tolerate this kind of crap, but they expect it, then defend it when it happens! (Just read some of these posts).

460Shooter said:

....... and a production problem is bound to be found early on. I don't see why that's surprising to anyone.

Click to expand...

Well it damn well should be on a $1,500.00 gun! I can spend a third less on a refrigerator. Plug it in, and it will run perfectly for a dozen years.

And if that isn't bad enough, then they turn around and brag and carry on about all this wonderful new computer controlled technology that manufactures parts that magically fit together perfectly....... And assemble into pure crap. How many people here think buyers of 1955 era Pythons went through this kind of nonsense over a damn 6 shooter? Or would tolerate it? It's insane the amount of crap like this people will put up with today!