Handled some new Colts

[dickydalton]

New Colt Cobra Target with red dot... (I've since changed the Holosun to a Trijicon RMR for aesthetic reasons) The piece had no drilling, just used the target sight holes already there.

View attachment 1107245

I have the same gun with the stock sights on it and haven't gotten around to shooting it yet. Had it for months.

 

[Kleanbore]

If I could justify the purchase of a new revolver, it would certainly be a new Colt.

If I could purchase more than one, they would be new Colts.

I am old. I remember great K and N Frame .357s, and I once had an Officer's Model Match. There were no double action Rugers then.

I have a K6s, and I have a Performance Center 686+ with a five inch barrel. They'll do for me.

Now, if I had a home range where the noise would not bother the neighbors, .....

 

[Paul7]

I could have adapted to the backwards cylinder release,

I never understood this, some of us consider S&W backwards, lol. If it was such a handicap Colt wouldn't have been the dominant law enforcement revolver from the '20s to the '50s.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

The DA trigger has been my chief complaint with Colt. I could have adapted to the backwards cylinder release.

At least with a Colt, you'd have a revolver with a cylinder that turns in the right direction.

 

[CajunBass]

I'm one who used to do all my shooting single action...or at least a lot of it...maybe not all.

Then I got one of the 2020 Pythons that that changed. The DA trigger on that gun just begged to be fired in DA. I'm not sure I've fired mine in single action.

I've got two of them now, both 4" ones. I had three, but sold one, only because I don't particularly care for DA revolvers with barrels longer than 4 inches (more or less you understand). The first of the "new" Pythons I saw had a 6" barrel. It took me about 15 seconds to make the decision to get it, personal fetishes be hanged. It was an early one, with a SN less than 3000. After about 800 rounds, I noticed I was having trouble with it. I looked and saw the sideplate was loose, but no screws had fallen out. I got a screwdriver out of my bag and snugged them down, and never had another problem with it through another 500 rounds or so. The two four inch guns never had the problem...or any other problem.

Once I got the 4" one, which was what I really wanted, I sold the 6" gun. Then my wife saw another 4" at the LGS and pointed it out to me. I told her I already had one, to which she replied "But I don't have one." What could I say? She got her very own Python.

I finally got some more primers a couple of days ago. I think I'll load some more 38 wadcutters.

 

[RainDodger]

I have a new 3" King Cobra. My first Colt since the late 70s. I've gone kind of retro, in that I now carry it instead of a small 9mm. I've got about 500 rounds through it to date and it shoots very, very well. It hits pretty much point-of-aim for me with almost all loads at 10 yards. Double action is incredibly smooth out of the box - better than any S&W (out of the box) that I own. As stated above, there IS some stacking, but it is minor compared to any other revolver I have experience with. Single action is light and crisp as well. The only issue I have had is the extreme tightness of the action - I attribute it to more modern CNC production, and a little less hand fitting. There's barely a .002" gap between the cylinder and the forcing cone, and a couple of times a bit of unburned powder has lodged under the ejector star, which caused a binding of the action until I blew it out. As I have fired the revolver more, that issue seems to have gone away. As a hand loader, I have moved to a faster burning powder, which has probably helped also. Fit and finish is very good. The rubber Hogue grips fit my hand just fine and they absorb recoil very well. If I were to shoot heavy magnum loads, I would prefer my heavier 2.5" S&W Model 66, but for less heavy loads, the Colt is very nice to shoot. Having a changeable front sight is a bonus for me. Simple to change the brass bead front sight to a fiber optic sight if one wishes. I think that a 3" is just about the perfect length barrel to carry. It's less "blocky" than the Model 66 and lighter, though it has a 1/2" longer barrel. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Added: Everyone seems to say that the Colt cylinder rotates "backward"... sheesh... who's to say that it isn't the S&W revolvers that rotate backwards?!

 

[.38 Special]

I never understood this, some of us consider S&W backwards, lol. If it was such a handicap Colt wouldn't have been the dominant law enforcement revolver from the '20s to the '50s.

It's not a handicap unless you've spent a lifetime doing it the other way round. If Colt's DA triggers had been at least as good as S&W's I could well have ended up being a Colt man and complaining about S&W's cylinder release!

 

[d'zaster]

Shooting double action is a skill to be learned and requires practice. The new Python and the Kimber K6S DASA both have excellent double and single action triggers. Most folks don’t practice the discipline to gain proficiency with a double action trigger. Until recently, I was a single action shooter, but after acquiring a couple of double action revolvers, I see the huge value in learning the skill. Both of the above have excellent triggers.

I started practicing DA quite a few years back but have made it more of a habit after watching some of Mr Miculek's videos. No way I can shoot even half as fast but my accuracy had improved. With my smaller revolvers, I now shoot DA almost exclusively.

 

[cfullgraf]

Everyone seems to say that the Colt cylinder rotates "backward"... sheesh... who's to say that it isn't the S&W revolvers that rotate backwards?!

I'm most familiar with the operation of S&W revolvers and where speed counts, I would only trust using an S&W revolver.

But, I've recently added three Colt DA revolvers. The "backwards" rotating cylinder and the "backwards" operation of the cylinder latch does not phase me. I'd only use the revolvers where I'd have time to remember how the gun operates and speed for reloading is not an issue.

 

[Palladan44]

I own the 3" New king cobra and a 6" new Anaconda.
They are my new favorites. Period.

 

[tominboise]

I intend to have a 3" Cobra one of these days, when they are available locally.

My biggest opportunity to get better at double action shooting is to get over pausing during the trigger pull right before the break. I seem to want to do that every time.

 

[eddiememphis]

Then my wife saw another 4" at the LGS and pointed it out to me. I told her I already had one, to which she replied "But I don't have one." What could I say? She got her very own Python.

Nice! Does she have a sister?

 

[Palladan44]

With the vintage Python in the center for comparison, the new King Cobra and the new Anaconda were the only other "Snake Guns" Ive ever had the urge to purchase. They truly are the closest I've ever seen to Perfection out of a production handgun. And they were built with the shooter in mind while staying very beautiful.
Colt took all the negative feedback from the same vintage Models of the yesteryears, and remedied them....while keeping the positives, like being glass smooth.... They are only a few hundred bucks more than the nearest competitors, and well worth it IMO.

Wow, did colt give generous length to the cylinder. This cylinder will have room for any OAL cartridge on the planet with room to spare. If 44 Remington Max existed (like the 44 version of the 357 Rem Max), it would certainly fit in this thing.

 

[Onty]

...Wow, did colt give generous length to the cylinder. This cylinder will have room for any OAL cartridge on the planet with room to spare. If 44 Remington Max existed (like the 44 version of the 357 Rem Max), it would certainly fit in this thing.

I am glad that somebody at Colt was listening customers and cylinders on their revolvers are long enough. Please correct me if I am wrong, but if I remembered correctly, S&W on their M27/28 revolvers made such short cylinder so even Lyman 358429 cannot be used when 357 Magnum round is assembled crimping noted bullet in the crimp groove. Seems to me that cylinder is about the same as on their 38-44 Heavy Duty.

 

[Ethan Verity]

My local indoor shooting range had BOTH a Colt 6" Python and 6" Anaconda available as rental options! I put 100 rounds through the Python (50 38Spl, and 50 357Mag) and 50 rounds of 44Mag through the Anaconda. Both were very nice, the fit and finish looked excellent and I had no complaints on the trigger in DA or SA. They are fine revolvers coming out of the factory right now! My only dislike - and this is entirely personal preference - is the Colt cylinder release. That's the only reason I've not purchased one for myself, I much prefer the cylinder release design of S&W.

 

[Peakbagger46]

Bought mine as a Goldilocks woods gun, same weight as an SP101 but 20 percent more capacity. 180g hardcast for black bear/lion protection but it sure is fun to shoot with 148g HBWC reloads. No safe queen investment here.