Colt Brings Back the Python
 

Holy smokes - this is huge news in the shooting world. Most of us never thought we would ever see this day. We all thought the Python was far too labor intensive, and therefor expensive, to be economically viable in this modern world. The Python gained its reputation as one of the finest revolvers ever made through one thing and one thing only - the careful, meticulous hand fitting of all of its action parts by one skilled craftsman. The cost of doing such would simply be cost prohibitive today.

Well, somehow, Colt has found a way. And they won't break the bank, either - MSRP is only $1,500, about the same as their SAA, and not a whole lot more than some high end production autos. Certainly less than a lot of custom autos.

Word has it that the actions on the new ones are even "better" than the originals. The "stacking" of the double action pull has supposedly been eliminated. While I'm not convinced that is a good thing, apparently the action is much smoother in general, which is saying a lot. We'll see - I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on one, even if it is only available in stainless.

https://www.colt.com/series/PYTHON_SERIES

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1578527725.jpg

Hopefully they follow up with a blued version:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1578527933.jpg

Holy crap! I love revolvers and that’s always been at the top of my wish list. I would never pay current crazy prices, but that’s close to S&W money. I have a mk2 Trooper, always figured that’s as close as I would get.

OH baby I'm so lusting for that. Out of stock, maybe unobtainium for awhile.

I appreciate guns for the pure mechanical devices they are, from a machinist's point of view.
With today's CNC capabilities why do you think it'd be cost prohibitive to make such a gun now days?

Hand assembly?

I got my Beretta straight from Italy special order with handcrafted assembly, at least that's what I paid for. :confused:

Sign me up.

So, how long has it for sale and out of stock?

It’s a spoon I’d like to have.

I'm not sure why, but I opted for a M27 over a Colt when I purchased my first revolver over 4 decades ago....but my Diamondback (.22lr) soon followed.....

Hmmm...now I don't really NEED one....but....

Damn you Higgins ;)!

Yeah, will wait for blue.

Yep...I have a SS .44 (M629), and it's mighty nice....but I gots the blues :)

Heck, I'd be in at that price. And I prefer the SS.

Me too.

The originals were entirely hand assembled and fitted by very skilled craftsmen. The hours they put into doing so, at the labor rates such skilled craftsmen would demand today, would render production very cost prohibitive.

So, yes, I would wager that today's MIM and CNC technologies have rendered that level of hand fitting obsolete.

Yup, that hand fitting and assembly is what used to separate the Python from the rest of the pack. It was why Colt always said "never again". They have obviously found a way around that.

Colt is notoriously "out of stock" on pretty much anything you would really want. I learned long ago to just place an order anyway. Get in line. That, and place an order with every local gun shop. Sooner or later one will come through. I even had the happy coincidence one time, when I ordered a Single Action Army, of having a couple of orders - one directly with Colt, one from my favorite local gun shop, become available at about the same time. I could have declined either with no penalty. I went ahead and grabbed both - you never know, right? My wife exacted the "penalty"...

Heh heh heh... I love to hear that... my work here is finished... :D

They were released right after the new year. The whole production run sold out in two days.

Apparently they are planning another run. The assumption is that they will eventually be a production model again.

I bet they could sell all they can make at a ridiculous price. Y'all are tumescent with the mention of the possibility one could be had.

I think maybe they don't want to make too many

It will be interesting to see if the 2nd generation Pythons are anywhere as good as the 1st gens! I haven't seen one yet but at the advertised price of $1499 I can't imagine it will be anywhere as slick as the 1st gens. Still, I'm willing to give it a chance to prove itself! Happy shooting.

I thought this had been talked about and expected for years. Surely, they had to know the demand would be there. I don't recall if I ever got to shoot a Python when I was a kid. My dad had some friends with them and I remember seeing them at the range. I might like to get one, if they're eventually affordable on the used market. But the five or so Commanders I've had have been terribly disappointing, compared to the excellent one I grew up with and recently got from my dad. I just came to think Colt's QC was inconsistent and their pricing unjustified.

I'm very curious as well. Those who have gotten their hands on them claim they are "better" in every way than the originals. I find that difficult to believe, but I'm willing to give them a chance.

One of the things that everyone mentions is that the "stacking" of the double action pull is gone. Like I said, I'm not sure that is a good thing, or "better" than the originals. I kind of like the stacking. To me, it enhances the feel of trigger cocking it, giving more control over it.

Yes, it's been talked about - by everyone but Colt. Lots of folks guessing they would do it, hoping they would do it, with Colt all the while saying, essentially "NFW". Colt was in denial until they actually did it. Granted, not a very well kept secret.

And yes, Colt can be frustrating. You have mentioned your disappointment with their new Commanders in the past, and I've mentioned my satisfaction with my full sized Competition Series as well. As I've said, it remains the best 1911 I have ever owned, and that includes older Colts, Springfields, and Kimbers.

I've also mentioned that I have a pretty good bucket full of Peacemakers, spanning all generations. My three newest (one of each barrel length, all in .45 Colt), all purchased in the last 7-8 years or less, are the best of the bunch. Very smooth actions and outstandingly accurate. Colt finally corrected some dimensional problems in the chamber mouths and forcing cone that have plagued these things all the way from 1873 - not only are the chamber mouths the right size, more importantly they are all the same size. Where some of my older guns vary from .454" to .458" on the same gun, my newest guns all measure .452" in each and every chamber.

So, yeah, Colt is trying, but it still appears a bit spotty at times. They just suffered another bankruptcy and reorganized once again. Their new management appears committed. Their "production" (if you can call it that) numbers are still far below that of their competitors, so guns like the Python and Peacemaker will always show "out of stock", which can be frustrating. So, like I said, those who want one just need to order one, get in line, and wait. No, they can't tell you how long the "backorder" might be. They seem to just appear out of nowhere. That's just Colt, for now. Hopefully they get better as production picks up. We'll see.

Jeff, going to the Colt website, how do you order one, when it says sold out?

Right now you can’t. If you can find a retailer who will take your name and put you on a list for when they get a new shipment you can do that. But most retailers won’t take orders because they don’t have inventory and don’t have any assurance that another shipment will come.

Things work a little different with Colt...

Go to the Colt website and use their "dealer locator" and find an "authorized dealer" near you. Place your order through them. My local "authorized dealers" will all accept an order, typically with a down payment of some kind, to hold your place in line. These authorized dealers do, in fact, have standing orders with Colt. You are, with your order and down payment, putting your name on one of those. If what you want is not a part of their standing order, they will place a special order for you.

I have personally done this many, many times over the years when ordering an "out of stock", hard to get Colt. Like I mentioned above, however, delivery times are unpredictable. Your dealer will have no idea when the gun will arrive. Could be as little as a few months, it could be more than a year. It can get frustrating.

Hopefully this newest iteration of "Colt" will be able to increase production so as to eventually eliminate, or at least mitigate, this problem. I wouldn't hold my breathe, but one can hope. They will never crank out guns at the volumes of Ruger, Glock, Kimber, et. al., but maybe they will at least pick it up to the point where they can give us realistic time frames for delivery. That would be a start. I haven't seen it in over 35 years of dealing with them but, hey, you never know...

There are quite a few on Gunbroker starting at over $1500 of course.

Ugh!!! Typical Colt b.s. - reports already coming in that some of the first batch have been shipped with damaged crowns. Very noticeably damaged, with the damage extending an inch or so down into the muzzle, like the pilot on the counterboring tool used to recess the crown was damaged or off center.

I swear these guys are their own worst enemy. They had to know the world was watching. They had to know what we expected, that any new "Python" had damn well better be perfect. No apologies, no excuses. To have let these slip by is absolutely inexcusable.

Yes, Colt is scrambling to fix them as quickly as possible. Yes, this is literally one in a thousand. But it's out there. Kinda steals their thunder just a bit...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1578780808.jpg

Yep wow that is a total quality control failure. Still tempted though...as long as Colt is there for customer satisfaction.

Inexcusable is right :(.

That just sux....

Well, at least we know what to look for. I will just about guarantee that the second run won't suffer from this. Makes we wonder, though, what may be lurking inside. I wonder how my local dealer would feel if I insisted on taking off the side plate before purchasing one...

I well remember buying SAA's in the '80's and '90's. Dealers would not allow prospective buyers to cock the hammers and work the actions, ostensibly because so many collectors wanted to be able to buy "unturned" (where the cylinder had never been turned) examples. Gimme a break - properly handling a single action will leave no indication that it had ever been cocked. The dealers, however, knew that the actions on those at that time well and truly sucked, so they were hiding behind this b.s. Boy, did I ever spend a lot of time working over SAA action parts in those days.

I hope they don't wind up having to hide behind a similar smoke screen with these new Pythons. Maybe I'm over reacting - all indications are, from the guys who were lucky enough to grab one of this first run is that they meet, or actually exceed, their expectations. I might just have to get in line... I could use a 4.25" example to compliment my 6"...

wow, that is an astonishing screwup. how could that possibly get past QC!

I'd wager I could blindfolded pick an old one out of a pile of new ones (and vice-versa).

yes. As you could with Porsche or Mb or most significantly BMW. The pace of the world has changed.

Not that I disagree with sentiment.

Starting to see reports of the cylinder intermittently not turning when hammer is cocked.

See Hickok45's review.

https://youtu.be/7dO-lQEX49U

Wow. Just wow. And to think I got all excited about Colt making this move. It looks like they really have some work to do. And maybe some heads to chop...

I hope people ask them about this at SHOT next week.

that is disappointing

Oh, you know someone will. Lots of someones. I'll be very interested to hear how Colt responds.

I took my dad's Series 70 Commander out the week before last and just loved it. It's one of the good ones, really good. I'll put it up against my Dan Wessons. It cost $150 at Ray's in Dallas when I was six years old and helped my mom pick it out for him. But the first Competition 1911 I fondled after Jeff got his and posted about it here felt loose and rickety. It was another one that shouldn't have made it past QC. I can't remember exactly what the issue was, but the hammer did not work or feel right. That's when I gave up. I bought a SIG 1911 that day and it is every bit as nice as the TRPs or Gold Cups I was also looking at and for $200-500 less. I want to like Colt, but their name is simply a tax I'm not willing to pay.

It would b e great (but doubtful) if they would do the Royal Blue they did on the originals.

I'm no longer even interested...

Colt really screwed the pooch on this :(

I sure hope they can solve their issues. I've always wanted a Python. It's probably almost impossible for me to buy one anyway, living in California.

Only six rounds, isn’t this one of the few they’ll actually let you have?

The cylinder not turning is a "feature" designed for CA :D