I think one reasion is they dont get many sales for the things for military or PD use as Colt really does not care to sell guns to us unwashed masses now.
The boss (I work at a rather large gun shop) tells me that the Colt "snake" revolvers are still available - only as a custom shop order item though.
Can anyone tell me why Colt quit making their classic revolvers - the Python and the Anaconda and their like?
They should have continued those two revolvers.They were absolute classics like the 1911A1.Perhaps Colt should rethink,their actions carefully?
I wish they would've sold the machines, tooling, and manufacturing rights to someone else. I'd love to see, say, US Firearms Company, begin production of the Anaconda, King Cobra, etc.
Damned shame about Colt. The name is synonomous with American firearms manufacturing and they've just driven themselves into the ground.
USFA is what Colt should be. I'd say give it time and if there is a market for the revolvers to justify the CNC machine cost, they will be done.
All the parts are hand forged and hand fitted by a gunsmith. This my friends is a modern anachronism, and it was made in our lifetimes. Strangely though it's not anachronistic because it's technologically obsolete. Smith and Wesson, Taurus, and Ruger still make products in the same caliber with the same purpose in mind. Function wise, it's very much the same as many currently made products which sell quite well.
Rather, it is an anachronism because of the way it is made, with quality and real craftsmanship. It comes from a bygone era and an old school mindset, and represents something that can never be achieved again. This old Colt is like a finely made watch, and represents something unique and distinctly American. It's like having something that belongs in a museum, yet at the same time, it shouldn't.
The pool of people willing to spend $1500 to $3500 on a pistol (STI, USFA, Freedom Arms, Wilson, Ed Brown, etc) is relatively small. Add to that the fact that there are no "mass" sales (PDs, military, etc) and the numbers produced are tiny, in the grand scheme of things.
I don't think the Anaconda and the King Cobra required any more hand fitting to assemble than the current S&W guns. They are very modern designs.