Colt Python value

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    All I know is that there Colt Python is the next pistol I buy. If they've got the blued version out by the time I've got my pennies saved, I'll get that one, but I'd be plenty happy with the stainless.

    If the rumors I've heard are true, I don't know whether it will made from polished and blued ordnance steel or stainless with some kind of polished blued coating over it.

    Considering what Covid and civil unrest have done to the gun market, most companies are pumping out what they can produce and future plans and projections are in disarray.
     

    python

    Active Member
    Apr 15, 2010
    600
    The new Python is not a continuation of the original line, but merely a reproduction of the original design. Surely, it may have some engineering improvements, but from a collector's standpoint, the new one will never achieve the status of the original Iine. Of course, condition is everything, but an older model in very good condition, will be worth more than a new one that grades as excellent. There are even subtle differences between my 1956 edition and one made in 1972. When the blued version appears, you can be pretty sure that the finish will be inferior to the the older ones. With all of that being said, the pricing for the older ones, IMO, is absurd. There were more than several hundred thousand made, making them anything but rare. Pictured, is a first production model 357 from 1953.This model is the immediate predecessor of what would become the Python. Same mechanics, very high quality duo-tone finish, but ugly (IMO) compared to the Python. Less than 15K of these guns were produced. One might think that these would be more valuable than the Python, but generally they are not.
     

    Attachments

    • 20190530_103400.jpg
      20190530_103400.jpg
      165.9 KB · Views: 305
    • 20190530_103348.jpg
      20190530_103348.jpg
      194.8 KB · Views: 277

    rseymorejr

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 28, 2011
    26,003
    Harford County
    The new Python is not a continuation of the original line, but merely a reproduction of the original design. Surely, it may have some engineering improvements, but from a collector's standpoint, the new one will never achieve the status of the original Iine. Of course, condition is everything, but an older model in very good condition, will be worth more than a new one that grades as excellent. There are even subtle differences between my 1956 edition and one made in 1972. When the blued version appears, you can be pretty sure that the finish will be inferior to the the older ones. With all of that being said, the pricing for the older ones, IMO, is absurd. There were more than several hundred thousand made, making them anything but rare. Pictured, is a first production model 357 from 1953.This model is the immediate predecessor of what would become the Python. Same mechanics, very high quality duo-tone finish, but ugly (IMO) compared to the Python. Less than 15K of these guns were produced. One might think that these would be more valuable than the Python, but generally they are not.

    Looks a little like a Colt Official Police
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,590
    Glen Burnie
    The new Python is not a continuation of the original line, but merely a reproduction of the original design. Surely, it may have some engineering improvements, but from a collector's standpoint, the new one will never achieve the status of the original one.
    ...
    When the blued version appears, you can be pretty sure that the finish will be inferior to the the older ones.
    ...
    With all of that being said, the pricing for the older ones, IMO, is absurd.
    I grabbed what I felt were the most relevant parts of your post from my perspective.

    No doubt that the new Python won’t achieve the same status. The old ones were made during a golden age of American firearms manufacture where the mechanical designs of certain types of guns, revolvers for instance, were reaching a high plateau, and they married up with the old world beauty of polished blued steel and beautifully finished walnut. Those days are sadly gone and quality for production guns has to be balanced with production costs to deliver the best bang for the buck to the consumer.

    I also have no doubt that the blue of the new ones, if it should be offered, will be inferior.

    Bringing this to your last point, I agree that collectible prices for original Pythons are absurd. My takeaway is that I can have a gun that is very similar to the original in terms of general aesthetics and functionality, and I don’t give a rip about how it compares in the finer details just as long as it stays affordable - $1500 is about my upper limit for any firearm, no matter what it is. Past that, and you’ve stopped paying for functional quality, and you’re paying for something else, be it minutiae in the fine details, or the brand name of what you’re buying. Unless you’re a competing marksman, the general gun owner can’t make any more functional use of a gun costing thousands, than they can with a high quality gun at the $1000-$1500 price point. IMO.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    Looks a little like a Colt Official Police

    Same basic frame...the Official Police is on the Colt E-frame...made for .38 Special levels of power and was also available in .22LR. It has a firing pin mounted on the hammer.

    The 3-5-7 was on the Colt I-frame which was built for the Magnum round, adjustable sights and had a frame mounted firing pin.

    Both frames were dimensionally the same and grips were interchangeable.
     

    Jimbob2.0

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 20, 2008
    16,600
    Stoking this thread again, what is a C&R qualifying Python going for these days, for the HQL averse?
     

    tjaw

    Member
    Nov 14, 2014
    81
    Monkton, MD.
    The Wonderful Deep Colt Blue

    A Royal Blue Python is truly a thing of beauty. S&W was capable of such beautiful bluing at one time as well...but Colt sure had it together for the Python.

    There's an old saying...with much truth to it...that Colt guns were still being polished while S&W guns were on trucks being delivered to the customers.

    I acquired a long-sought Colt blue 6" Custom Shop (w original box & paper from the shop) Python several years ago. It is gorgeous. The trigger is pure buttah (though how much of that is just the perception?).

    Comparing the new Python to an old one is similar to comparing a 1930's Martin Dreadnought to a 2020 Martin Dread (I've got this thing for Wood & Steel). Yeah, the new ones arguably are "better" than the old ones due to improved manufacturing technologies. Do the new ones sound/play better than the old ones? But this does not change things one wit to people who are seeking a classic Brazilian rosewood Martin made many years ago. The classic Colt blue is analgous to the Brazilian rosewood. The days of building either are long gone.

    Of course, no analogy is complete without a car analogy. Ford makes Mustangs today that are beautiful in their own right, more pwoerful, and faster than the classic Mustangs of the 1960s-1970s. But that does not change a single bit the mind of someone who seeks to own one of the old classic Mustangs. It is not just about the power or the speed. It's like the buttery trigger and the bluing of the classic Colt Python. 8)
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    Point taken but the real beauty of any handgun...not just the aesthetics...is how it performs. In the latest issue of Gun Tests Magazine they tested four Pythons...two 2020 Pythons (6" and 4.25") against a a 4" 1964 and a 6" 1980 Pythons. All performed wonderfully...but the new 2020 Pythons shot rings around the older examples. That might be unfair testing two new Pythons against two used and no telling how many rounds they've sent downrange...but the results are what they are.

    The 2020 6" Python shot a .5 inch group at 25-yards with magnum ammunition using a range bag as a rest. That's performance that speaks for itself. It's not that the older Pythons weren't accurate...they were. It's just that the new examples were more accurate and consistently so. I own older Pythons...they're all excellent...the new Pythons simply perform better. As Colt is fond of hyping in the ads..."The Legend Lives".
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,590
    Glen Burnie
    Point taken but the real beauty of any handgun...not just the aesthetics...is how it performs. In the latest issue of Gun Tests Magazine they tested four Pythons...two 2020 Pythons (6" and 4.25") against a a 4" 1964 and a 6" 1980 Pythons. All performed wonderfully...but the new 2020 Pythons shot rings around the older examples. That might be unfair testing two new Pythons against two used and no telling how many rounds they've sent downrange...but the results are what they are.

    The 2020 6" Python shot a .5 inch group at 25-yards with magnum ammunition using a range bag as a rest. That's performance that speaks for itself. It's not that the older Pythons weren't accurate...they were. It's just that the new examples were more accurate and consistently so. I own older Pythons...they're all excellent...the new Pythons simply perform better. As Colt is fond of hyping in the ads..."The Legend Lives".
    I think there may be a fair amount of mythology regarding some of those old pistols. Pistol aficionados like to speak in reverent tones about those old pistols using terms like "hand fitted by master craftsmen." Does that not ultimately translate to "inconsistent" with minor variations? It doesn't mean they weren't fantastic pistols - by far the most accurate pistol in my safe is my 1956 Smith & Wesson Pre-29, and it has had untold numbers of full-house magnum loads down the pipe in the 64/65 years it's been around.

    With that said, modern technology has given us wonderful consistency when it comes to tolerances in machining and manufacture. It doesn't surprise me a bit that the 2020 Python would out-perform classic original examples of the same pistol. Time moves on, and the industry continues to get better at knowing how to build guns to higher levels of function.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    I think there may be a fair amount of mythology regarding some of those old pistols. Pistol aficionados like to speak in reverent tones about those old pistols using terms like "hand fitted by master craftsmen." Does that not ultimately translate to "inconsistent" with minor variations? It doesn't mean they weren't fantastic pistols - by far the most accurate pistol in my safe is my 1956 Smith & Wesson Pre-29, and it has had untold numbers of full-house magnum loads down the pipe in the 64/65 years it's been around.

    With that said, modern technology has given us wonderful consistency when it comes to tolerances in machining and manufacture. It doesn't surprise me a bit that the 2020 Python would out-perform classic original examples of the same pistol. Time moves on, and the industry continues to get better at knowing how to build guns to higher levels of function.

    "Hand Fitted" means there must be a built-in lack of consistency. Master craftsmen reach that status through years of training and experience and not all have the same level of expertise. For a long time Colt and other makers only allowed their top guys to assemble their premium products. That translates to expensive. Modern computer aided design and assembly techniques takes much of the necessity for hand fitting out of the equation. Stronger steels makes the product more durable.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    I wonder about that comparison. The original Python was considered very accurate and used by a lot of serious competition shooters.

    And while I can see how the newer one might be a bit better, I cannot see it being a lot better, unless the older ones they tested had some issues.

    But as has been said, it is not just about performance. If it was only performance, why would any one buy a Garand or M1 Carbine. Not to mention and 03 of .30-40 Krag. A Trap Door Springfield.

    If you want the performance, great. If you want a piece of history, that is also great.

    And the more of you who want the new Python instead of the old ones, AWESOME, more for those of us who want them. And keeps the prices a bit down. :D
     

    Magnumite

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 17, 2007
    6,561
    Harford County, Maryland
    So has anyone heard yet if the new Python as durable under mass amounts of fast DA use with heavy loads as a 686 or GP-100? I gather it may difficult to assess since DA revolvers are utilized nearly as much as they used to be.
     

    Reloader

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 23, 2007
    1,381
    Arnold, MD
    So has anyone heard yet if the new Python as durable under mass amounts of fast DA use with heavy loads as a 686 or GP-100? I gather it may difficult to assess since DA revolvers are utilized nearly as much as they used to be.

    You're probably right and what ever answer you get would be largely speculative. However, for the price difference I'm going with 686.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    Colt has stated that they ran early examples for fifteen thousand rounds of full bore magnum ammunition each and there was no degrading of accuracy and measured for frame stretch and any wear and all stayed within spec. Wear points suffered no degradation either. The original Pythons couldn't do that as such intense shooting would have sent many of them out of time.

    That being said...such testing under controlled environments does not necessarily translate into equal performance once out in the public where shooters use, abuse and try overloaded ammunition just because they can.

    Only time will tell whether the durability matches the claims.
     

    Magnumite

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 17, 2007
    6,561
    Harford County, Maryland
    Thank you, fellas. I appreciate the responses.

    I’ve had my finger on the modern Python go button a couple times. Just didn’t do it because I was curious about durabilty. Unlike the blue 80’s Python in the safe, I want one I could run hard without concern. Watch, listen and wait some more.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,590
    Glen Burnie
    "Hand Fitted" means there must be a built-in lack of consistency. Master craftsmen reach that status through years of training and experience and not all have the same level of expertise. For a long time Colt and other makers only allowed their top guys to assemble their premium products. That translates to expensive. Modern computer aided design and assembly techniques takes much of the necessity for hand fitting out of the equation. Stronger steels makes the product more durable.
    It was always my understanding that "hand fitted" meant that the parts were built slightly oversized on purpose so that the master pistol smiths could then fine tune everything for perfect fit and timing, and I think in part because there was no way to mass produce the parts to the tolerances required for that level of fit. I agree - modern manufacturing techniques can now mass produce parts with the level of tolerances required so that they no longer need to be hand fitted for the same level of precision of the hand fitted guns of yesteryear.

    That's just my take on it anyway.
     

    Magnumite

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 17, 2007
    6,561
    Harford County, Maryland
    Ruger assemblers of the LCR work in a segregated area. The parts are select fit. No files nor abrasives are allowed in the area. I believe some of that philosophy has been implemented in other areas of Ruger’s production.
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,916
    Messages
    7,258,566
    Members
    33,348
    Latest member
    Eric_Hehl

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom