Colt Python: Best .357Mag ever?

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YES, THE BEST...I have several and I would not take ...

anything for them either. No S&W comes close to the beautifully produced Colt Python. The S&W model 27 is an O.K. gun but to compare it to the Python is like comparing a Hamburger to Filet Mignon. I have shot full power loads through them for more than 45 years with no problems at all. I bought my last one a few months ago for $1300 in 98% nickel , and consider it a bargain compared to the stuff that S&W makes.
 
No doubt they were the best. In the early 70's the cost was slightly higher for the 27. Both were fine handguns but the Python edged it out a bit. I didn't think the later models were nearly as good. That's why the 60's and 70's variants hold their value plus some.

The bluing on that line of Colts was much better than the S&W in my opinion. Yet I owned many more Smith's than Colts.... Guess being a tool and not a collector's item made the finish second.
 
The reason Colt does not make them now is....

because the number of people that will pay for that kind of quality is much less today. There was much hand work done on them . One can get that kind of quality in a S&W but you would have to pay someone more money to do the custom work. Mine are not safe queens , they are taken on hunts and shot by me , my son and grand children here at my farm range.
 
The S&W line was more utility that top quality. I bought one of the early Model 66's for duty use. It was far from being top quality and gave me way too much trouble to be thought of as reliable. I took it from service soon after. It was replaced with a Model 19. A fine revolver but but near the Python. The cost differential stopped many from buying it in those days.

Comparing a Model 19 or 66 to a early Python is unreasonable. They are two decent classes of firearms. While the 27 was a fine handgun, they were not built with the same care as the Python.
 
Colt made the Python as a premium revolver. Somewhere in my pile is an article, wherein Colt said Python barrels were 25% more accurate as a class than their standard barrels. Colt put a lot of hand finishing into a Python, so the action is quite light and smooth. Trigger is great.

I bought one, traded a M686-1 and $200.00 for it. Was it worth the extra over a M686?; hard to say. Sometimes it is not all about the money. It shoots well, is accurate. Now that it is out of production I am glad I got it.

Because I can’t afford a replacement, I am banging away with cheaper 357’s. I will take the Python out on occasion, just to see if my memories are still correct.

For revolvers less than Korth prices, the Python was the best.
 
In the "good ole days" Colt made my first Python in ...

1962 that I bought for about $185.00 in royal blue and S&W could not match it- NO WAY. S&W never made a gun with the eloquence of the royal blue Colt Python, not in the "good ole days" and not today either.
 
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say the S&W Model 19 is the best .357 Magnum ever made. Now I would prefer one from the days of old, with no lock and a sweetly smooth double action, and four inch barrel. Light, accurate, beautifully balanced and finished. The Colt Python is a very pretty weapon, but it is heavier, but not necessarily more durable. The lock up and action on a Python is a little more delicate, in my opinion, and any "durability" it MIGHT have diminishes with the fact that it costs WAY too much. For the life of a Model 19, I could shoot it until I wear it out, and then buy a second one, for less than I would pay for one Python. Gun for gun, the Smith offers more for less. Pythons are for looking at, and Model 19's are for really USING a .357 for what it is intended for.
 
Chevy or Ford? Sweet or Un-sweet Tea? Want your coffee black or a little cream?

Like most everything else, its comes down to personal preference and bias. I've owned Colts and S&Ws, and been shooting both for over 30 years.



My Vote: Colt Python
 
A 1935-50's Model 27 does give an early Python a run for it's money.
 
If the Colt is better than the S&W 686, it must be a pretty good gun. Wouldn't know as I've never shot the Colt. But the 686 is pure revolver all the way. Regardless of which is "best," a quality .357 is a thing of beauty and there isn't a black rectangular auto boom-box that will ever come close.
 
If the Colt is better than the S&W 686, it must be a pretty good gun.
Click to expand...

it is...

the M-586/686 L-frames were introduced to compete with and copy the Python as the M-19/66 were found somewhat wanting in PPC Leg (stock) Matches. the L-frame was upsized to the Colt I-frame size and the Python-ist under-lug was added for stability on target. they made good choices in retaining the short stroke action and the K-frame butt frame
 
Carried a 686 for a few years and shot several 70's era Pythons. the Colts was heads and shoulders above the 686. The 686 was a utility tool where the Colt was a fine instrument. Smith never achieved the level of bluing that the Colt Royal Blue attained. Not in the 60's and 70's. That's what you paid for when buying a Colt at a higher price point.
 
"Pythons are for looking at and model 19 for shooting"

It is obvious you have not shot the pythons very much. I have a model 19 that has been shot with hot loads and went out of timing twice. "K" frames were nortorious for that . Hence the "L" frame that replaced it. I have been shooting hot loads in my Pythons since 1962 and have never had an issue with them. To use the Word model 19 or S&W 66 in the same breath as "PYTHON" is a bit of a stretch, to say the least. You can soup up a Chevy but it will not be a Cadilac and the same is true of the Python and the model 19. THE PYTHON COST MORE BECAUSE IT IS WORTH MORE. Guns are like any commodity, they are worth what the buyer will pay. Just because YOU say the 19 is better and worth more , does not make it so.
 
Oh yes, you are right. The Python is the BEST 357. Just like the Garand is the BEST rifle, the 1911 is the BEST pistol, the 45ACP is the BEST handgun cartridge, the AK is the MOST reliable rifle, the Glock is the MOST reliable pistol, etc. Can we just agree that there are many good designs and systems out on the market, and that each one might be the best for you based on your wants and needs?
 
Hi,

I would not argue against the Colt Python not being the best 357 mag ever. If I found one I could afford I would buy it and put the revolver in the safe. They go up in value every year. I have other 357 revolvers that will meet my needs and I know if I need service on them I call on my gunsmith and I know he can fix them. Very few gunsmiths will even touch a Python.

Regards,
roaddog28
 
I shot Pythons enough to have sold some that the timing had worn on, and I didn't feel like paying anyone to put back to spec. I have also shot and returned a Python to Colt to fix, and then later had to part with it because it wouldn't hold the timing, and had worn to the point of not locking up before the hammer fell on two chambers. It is common knowledge (go over to the coltfourm.com) that Pythons need periodic tuning because the hand assists in locking the cylinder up during firing, and the stress of recoil and torque is also against the hand. A thousand rounds or two later, and you can expect some looseness in the mechanism to result. Now if you don't shoot your Python enough to put this wear on it, your fine. Or, if you don't care that your Python will start to be able to fire slightly out of alighment (cylinder not being held in alignment with the barrel), I guess then a Python is fine. I have stopped believing that I was just having bad luck with Pythons when Colt fans considered it common for the Python to need tuning after a few thousand rounds.
 
PS: Never said the Model 19 was worth more, just said it was a better gun. All guns will wear out, the Python just wears too fast. If the Model 19 wears beyond use, just find another nice one, and for the TWO you are STILL under the price of a Python. Hell, if you are looking for durability, buy A Ruger GP100 or Security Six. They are stronger and longer lasting than Colt or S&W (althogh I think they are ugly as sin). The Model 19 will NOT last longer than a 686 or 586 Smith, but it is lighter and better balanced. Once again, I am considering USE, not how pretty blued or fitted the Python is. The Model 19 was considered the epitomy of a .357 to be carried and used, particularly by Bill Jordan, who was the top revolver man and career LE trainer, shooter, and marksman for many years. I just happen to agree with him, and that decision didn't come easily or quickly. I have owned about 5 Pythons, and carried a Model 19 for 5 years as a duty gun. Anyone want to put their "credentials" up? The floor is yours!:D
 
I have owned several K & N frame .357's over the years. I have owned a Ruger Speed-Six (that's the one I never should have sold) and I have owned one Python. I still own several K frames in .38 & .22 and one .357, a 3" M13. I still own a Colt Trooper .357, the more utilitarian Python. Same gun without the full lug & vent rib barrel and also without the Royal Blue finish.
I will say that the Python has the most attention to fit and finish of any revolver I have ever fired, or handled. (never even seen a Korth in person)
Is it the best .357 ever?
Is a Lincoln Town Car or Jeep CJ5 better?
Depends on what you want to do with it, doesn't it?
 
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