Range Report: 1968 6” Blue Colt Python

[DogBonz]

Well I picked up my new, well new to me, 1968 vintage 6” blued Python (serial # 808XX) on Saturday and then headed straight to the range. She had some holster wear, but was in overall great shape. It came in the original box with a factory test target, tool, and original warranty card (which was pretty funny to read). Before shooting I gave her the once over. Mechanically, everything was nice and tight. There was no excess cylinder play and the cylinder gap was between .004 and .005 on my Snap-On feeler gauge, which is smack in the middle of the acceptable tolerances. Lock up was of typical Python “bank vault” style and the timing is spot on.

The first 158gr 357 punched out one of the legs on the X ant 15 yards, and I was very happy with that result. The rest of the cylinder went into about 1.75”. Then I tried some 125 38’s. I don’t thing she liked these as much, as the grout was about 3.5”. Then I tried some heavy 357, and boy did she eat them up. I got a 2.25 inch group that would have been under an inch but on the 4th shot I flinched and threw one low.


A real interesting part is the box and paperwork. The price sticker is still on the box and it was $175.00. The warrantee card was funny also. The highest annual income box that was available was $12,500. I defiantly got a kick out of that, seeing how the highest box now is usually $150,000.

 

[wcwhitey]

Congrats on the new revolver, it's a keeper. Funny what you say about the income box from 1968. A few of us were talking about thinks in general the other day and the 10X formula was introduced. Everything except for real estate has multiplied by 10x since the mid sixties. Cars $3,000 now $30,000. Your Python was $175, now worth over a grand, easily $1,750 if it were new in the box. Salaries seem to have held to that figure as well.