Pop out the cylinder

1973 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

Steve

Found it, Thanks! Eye glasses help. :)

Same # as on the box. Is that good?

Yes, it means you have the original box!


Purdy gun! But out of my league!

Beautiful spoon Don. I'm with the crew that says keep it. I had one, nickel plated and sold it years ago to build my first home. How I regret that. You'll miss fondling & just looking at it.

Good luck in your decision.

Beautiful. I say go pretend to be Rick from The Walking Dead and go kill some zombies.:p

Am I the only one thinkin'...."Go shoot the dang thing"and forget about the $ :p. For what it was intended....

ps: I have the baby brother,a Diamondback in .22lr....it doesn't bother me a bit that my enjoyment has cost me a grand over 30+ years. Yeah, don't we all wish we had purchased several of each back when :D

If that is what you want, I'd suggest selling the unfired one, buying a shooter, and invest the difference in the pool.

"Where's the ser. # on this thing?"

If there's no letter prefix it's an older gun (worth more).
I have a 4" that may be unfired but no box:(
Jim

The ser. # starts w/a "T"...is it OK to post the ser. # or would that not be smart?
Or irrelevant?

A wise statement...my g/f says to keep it...'maybe worth even more later', she says. I'll just have to sit on this for a while. It's so tempting to sell - really not interested in shooting it - I have other guns for that.
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Wonderful forum members, I must say! SmileWavy

Just put "xx" for the last two digits if anyone want to know the number.
fwiw, mine starts with "K". I would guess it's older than yours but not by that much.
Jim

T906xx

Mine...no box or papers, had the already buttery-smooth action slicked up, and it wears Pachmayr grips when I shoot it, usually with 148g .38 special loads. Gave $950 for it about six years ago, would never sell. Just too damn fine a piece of craftsmanship to be a safe queen...

http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6e4c99ca.jpg

collectors firearms are known for 2 things: their absolutely fabulous selection, and their high prices. That being said with box and never fired it wouldnt suprise me if you could get near 2500.

You don't happen to have an Colt annaconda lying around do you? FIrst dibs!

I was shocked at where the Python values have gone. I have a stainless 2.5" I bought in Ketchikan for $600 in the early 90's, NIB. I sent it to Bill Laughridge at Cylinder and Slide for the Super Action job and a few other improvements. It is truly sublime and I shoot it very well and have done well in IDPA BUG matches with it.
I went online because I wanted a 4" to use in IDPA. I found several 4" in the $3K range and real dogs in the $1600 range. The 2.5" stainless guns like I have are over $4K! I mean its nice but that is crazy!
But they are fine, they are no longer made, and nothing looks as good to my eye as a Python.
Troy
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1385569786.jpg

I'm sorry, but the whole "collector firearm" thing just really bothers me. As does the whole "collector car" thing, and for all of the same reasons.

When well-heeled collectors gain an interest in anything, the market for them is essentially ruined for the enthusiasts who enjoy using whatever article that may be. Look what has happened in the early 911 world - ten years ago, they were the most affordable 911's out there. Then the collectors found them and drove their prices through the ceiling. Now the true enthusiasts, who really enjoy driving and wrenching on them, can no longer afford them. And they sit parked in someone's garage, never to be driven again. Someone who could care less if it's an early 911 or an expensive vase. All they care about is the investment value.

Firearms, of course, went down this path long, long ago. To me, the fact that that Python has never been fired is a crime. I would have fired it before ever getting home on the day I picked it up. That's just me - to each his own. I just think it's a crying shame that at this point, no one is ever likey to fire that gun and enjoy it in the manner in which it was intended.

Sigh. Rant over...

IMHO an unfired pistol is like a virgin super model. but that sure is a purdy thing.

I'm only really concerned about firing a squib, followed by a real load. Bulged barreles will not be fixed on a 2.5" Stainless Python.
I shoot it anyway!
Troy

A little 'show & tell'...
 

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No Annaconda here, sorry.
I have a hodge-podge of guns & rifles...bought with no thought of collectability or future value. I would see a gun and if I thought it would be fun to have/shoot, then I'd buy it. I don't have two of any gun. I've never known much about gun values, etc. I grew up in hunting country, No. Dakota, where the emphasis was on rifles & shotguns...rarely saw a handgun as a kid.
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I have a few NIB handguns, but nothing special - 'cept the Python...and I did buy it to shoot pigs but never got around to it.
I have a Browning Hi-Power 9mm (Belgium) NIB among my NIBs...but my favorites to shoot are the following: (show & tell)
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AMT .22 Mag. I've dropped a few varmints w/this one. Really fun to fire and quite accurate...an easy handler but more plosive than a .22 LR. You can feel the power difference...fun rig.
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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1385574626.jpg
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Garcia FI .380. Not very accurate beyond 15-20 yrds,, but again, easy handler. When I pack, it's either this or the S&W .38 (below).
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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1385574728.jpg
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This is the only shrouded hammer I have. S&W Mod. 638 Alloy. I checked out the story on this one by contacting Elliot Bros. in S. Carolina. They ordered 500 from S&W in Nov., 1989. E. Bros. sold out the guns in Feb., 1990 and apparently no more of these were to be constructed. I paid $370 for it in Dec., 1989.
It jumps quite a bit, but it's my most often carry.
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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1385575116.jpg
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Not really a "gun guy".

No argument, but that doesn't change reality. Firing that weapon would likely cost $800. I'm not interested in owning a firearm I can't shoot. But if I owned that Python, I sure wouldn't shoot it now, and I likely would have great difficulty parting with it. I would not be interested in purchasing it, but I cannot deny that I wish deciding whether to, shoot/sell/keep as is, were my problem.

I enjoy revolvers, but I think it is insane what prices people are giving for those things. What used to be a good solid tool is quickly becoming a priceless heirloom.

I agree. If I was Don I'd sell the Python soonest, no worries, no muss, no fuss. The gun is, sorry to say, worth more idle now than in the traces.

Tomorrow is our shoot the guns day...in the morning we get out every firearm we own, neighbors, friends, family, and toss lead or shot at something.

I, of course, shoot some firearms more than others, nature of the beast. With my son away at college I shoot less than I did previously. I also have some of my fathers old weapons and, while I revere them, they still can be safely fired, so we do.

It is so interesting taking an old gun out of the case, remembering days fifty years ago when I hunted that gun with my father, when the Grouse hit between loads, the look on his face.

Dove Hunt after dinner.

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My guess is that's where I'll settle.
I'm also selling $$$$ in moto parts & ~ $25k worth of motos.
Lifestyle change, I guess.
Plus, the financial future of this country worries me. :(
I'm cleaning out & minimizing.

I know a lot of guys would advise that if you wanted a shooter, to sell this one to a collector, buy a shooter, and make some money. I guess you could do that...

If it were me (and it has been in the past), I would take it out and shoot it tomorrow. I've bought a number of "NIB" firearms over the years, paying a premium for them, and have gone out and shot every last one of them. I just don't think these "collectors" deserve to own such fine examples of mankind's works, especially if such trivial things are important to them. I won't feed their habit or enable them in any way.

One such NIB gun that I brought to the range one day many years ago attracted quite a crowd (old Colt boxes will do that). 2nd generation 4 3/4" Peacemaker. All the regulars thought I just brought it to show it off. The look of horror on their faces when I thumbed the hammer back a couple of clicks and started dropping cartridges in it was priceless. "Yo..you..you're not gonna sh...shoo... shoot it, are ya??!!" Goddamn right I am...

One of them offered to double what I paid, without even asking what I paid. I just smiled, walked up to the firing line, and started shooting. That, to me, was worth the price of admission.

You got more $$$$$$$ than me. :)

Collector Guns.....That's mainly the reason I sold my Python and other guns (some NIB).
Less is more these days for me.....I just kept the utilitarian guns I "need" and let the rest go.. For what ever reason I minimized on a lot of toys.

The problem for me with the Python is like other finely made things (super cars, high end watches) the need up keep. When a Python is shot a lot parts wear and timing can become an issue. That's where my Python was headed and I did not want to have to put the money into it for expensive repair plus having to find someone qualified to work on it. It lied in the safe for a # of years, finally decided to let someone else enjoy it and assume the necessary up keep.

Some reading Is the Colt Python "delicate"? | Revolvers, Personal opinions, Gunsmithing | GrantCunningham.com

Read that same article a few months ago.

I shoot minor power factor (4.4 grains Trailboss under a 158 gr swc) which is not hard on the gun but plenty powerful enough to knock over steel. Shoots very accurately.

A Python may suffer some ill-effects from hot .357 Mag loads but not from "hot" 38 Special loads.
Troy

Oh, I bet I don't. And with an attitude like mine, I bet I never will... ;)

A wise man once said there are more ways to be wealthy than just monetarily. Since I'll likely never achieve that, I'm all about exploring the other ways. :D

+1

BTW on a hijack note...how do you like this little cowboy?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1385586621.jpg

I wouldn't sell it, and I'd always have a mint example of one that I purchased new for $350 (or whatever back in the day). I wouldn't hesitate to shoot it on occasion either but I'm not talking heavy loads or significant wear and tear. How many times have y'all driven a new vehicle off the lot (losing thousands on the spot)? I can still remember the day all of mine followed me home....didn't shoot 'em on the way home, but it didn't take long either :D

Colt New Frontier, 22, 22 Mag?

High Sierra perhaps?
Jim

Keep the Python. Fill the pool with concrete.

Bingo

Can you tell if a gun has been fired once or ten times? What are the tell tales? I assume they are (should be) test fired at the factory?

They can be cleaned up well enough from a cursory test firing to appear as unfired. Eventually, though, the finish on the front of the cylinder and bottom of the top strap at the barrel/cylinder gap will get permanently stained. On revolvers, it actually kind of burns it to a flat black, with a very telltale ring around each chamber. This is true for blued or stainless guns.

As I mentioned in another thread, I put 42 rounds (seven cylinder's worth) through a brand new Peacemaker the other day. It cleaned up well enough that I could easily pass it off as "unfired". My next newest one, going on a year old and several hundred rounds, will not clean up that well anymore. So, somewhere between these two gun's use is the "magic number".

I remember in the early '90s going to look at a couple of Colts at a local guns store. It's unusual for them to just be "in stock" - most are sold before they arrive. The guy had two 4 3/4" .45 Colts. Fit and finish were a wash - nothing to choose between the two there. Picking up the first one, I went to thumb the hammer back to check and see if it were loaded. The guy barked at me like I'll never forget - he claimed just thumbing back the hammer would hurt their value. Not just "unfired", but "unturned" was what he was looking to sell. So I couldn't even check to see which had the nicer action. That's how bad it has gotten, this whole "collector" b.s.

I rather suspect a lot of "unfired" guns have just been fired little enough to where they clean up well enough to appear unfired. That, and many are simply stripped completely down and refinished to appear "unfired". On the other end of the spectrum, many guns have faked patina, serial numbers, inspector's cartouches, and proof marks. Nothing will drive up the value of a run-of-the-mill Colt or Trapdoor faster than finding out it's a Custer battlefield survivor, or the gun that Pat Garret used to kill Billy the Kid, or one Bat Masterson carried, or whatever. Lots and lots of "collector" guns are counterfeits, simply because all the stuff that really doesn't matter does to collectors. In a way, they kind of deserve the mess they have made...

Nice thread.

I have a very nice 4" Python in ultimate stainless. Bought it new in box and have probably fired 18 to 30 rounds through it. It is a little black in the end of the cylinder.

Obviously I am pretty bummed about taking it in use when I now only shoot my other guns.

Any tricks to remove the residue from the end of the cylinder?

Cheers,

Christian

Do a full normal clean on the revolver. With it disassembled I go over the parts that have burn residue with a lead away cleaning cloth. For the end of the cylinder I wipe heavily with the cleaning cloth and then lightly hit it with a soft dremel polishing wheel. Takes about 5 minutes and all the burn residue is gone.

Frankly though the cylinder end gets residue with every use so I don't really go to a full polish job like that very often - maybe 2x a year.