If you were to say the word “revolver” to me, three things would come to mind. .357 magnum, six inch barrel, and Colt Python.
This wheelgun had played a much more significant role in my earlier years that I had realized. While growing up I had a Larami cap gun modeled after the Python. In my teens, a Crosman CO2 pellet gun modeled after a Python which still lives on to this day. In the PC gaming world it was the Half-Life series where my favorite means of dispatching other-dimensional baddies was with the “Magnum,” a polished six inch Python. More recently it was Rick Grimes of AMC “The Walking Dead” series where the Python has been the “hero gun” from the first season all the way to the last. For the longest time I wasn’t even sure what gun all of these sources had been paying homage to!
Throughout all these years I had never seen a real example. I never had the chance to put one in my hands, let alone pull the trigger. I knew they were out there, I knew they were real, but within my world they simply did not exist. Not until the last ten years or so when I branched out more and the collector market exploded. Then I would come across entire collections, polished and blued or straight-up polished in various barrel lengths. These usually started with price tags around three grand, locked within display cases. It felt like you couldn’t even ask to hold one without passing over a credit card. Still forever out of reach.
In fact, it wasn’t until I had a chance to handle the new Python that I ended up completely by happenstance being able to handle an older model. I still didn’t get to shoot it but after decades of wonder, I finally had my moment.
The funny thing is, I could immediately feel how much better the newer one was built compared to the original.
More recently in reading up about these guns online, I saw it mentioned a few times the original Pythons weren’t built quite as tough as they looked, that parts would eventually wear out and the cylinder would lose its timing. Sure enough, much to my surprise on the old model the cylinder had an unexpected amount of slop in it. Word has also been these newly made Pythons have been toughened up and can run longer. Time will tell but I have to say, first impressions on this new gun are GOOD. Really, really good.
Some refer to firearms as nothing more than tools. To me, the new Pythons are artwork. Like finely crafted sculptures. I feel bad putting fingerprints on one, let alone shooting it. The finish on these wheelguns is exquisite, mirrored and flawless all around. The engraving is minimalistic but again flawless and just dark enough to stand out against their glossy surroundings. The wooden grips are flawless and tapered up top for thumb comfort with small Colt medallions which, I must admit, do look a little like plated plastic rather than metal and aren’t quite as beautiful.
Further attention to detail can be found in the bright orange front sight which is easily picked up from a fully adjustable blacked out metal rear sight. The advancing gear on the back of the cylinder and the cylinder to frame lockup are significant parts which look to me as though they had been over-built for long lasting durability. The vented rib along the top of the barrel, a signature detail from the likes of the Python and its bigger sibling the Anaconda, have been milled through as they should be.
The front of the cylinder has been contoured slightly (not sure if that would be considered dehorned) which makes the gun look much nicer and likely less prone to wear against holsters. Then there’s the ejector, which entertained me more than it probably should have. The piece which hooks the cartridge rims for extraction started its life in the shape of a perfect triangle which was then notched for each chamber. I don’t recall seeing another revolver like this but I think it looks really cool, and it’s symmetrical which I’m a total sucker for.
To reduce glare the very top flat of the frame and rib have been given a more satin-like texturing, always a point of interest for when combining shiny guns with bright lights.
Out of the box cylinder lockup is dead on tight with zero play while the trigger is depressed. This is the degree of lockup I can only recall seeing on higher end revolvers such as a Smith & Wesson 686 Performance Center Competitor, another gorgeous looking gun which I always have in the back of my mind…but it isn’t a Python.
The single action trigger pull is honestly not as light as I would have expected but it is incredibly smooth. The only movement to occur is right at the high end of the pull when I can feel the faintest hint of motion before the hammer drops. Thumbing back the hammer is very easy, smooth and with just the right amount of resistance with a widened serrated spur. Manually cocking the new Python feels glorious, it’s such a smooth and swift action with a soft initial click followed by what sounds like setting the lock on a bank vault.
The double action pull shares this smoothness with that same hint of weight experienced in single action. The pull weight increases near the end of travel and in the back of my mind I’m expecting the pull to be longer and heavier when it suddenly breaks. Double action on a .357 wheelgun has typically caught me a little by surprise but the Python was so smooth at the range that I shot quite well with it right from the start, even without knowing whether I had a puny .38 or a comfortably warm .357 next in line.
Speaking of shooting, another detail I’ve encountered with .357 magnums is they tend to have a sharp bite to them. The Python IS a heavy gun and it wears a lot of its weight up near the muzzle. When combining this extra mass up front and a nice smooth trigger I was pleasantly surprised by how well it ate magnums. .38 Specials were comically soft shooting. With the new Python I could see being able to shoot better for longer than compared to the one wheelgun I do have more familiarity with, an old Ruger Security Six with a six inch barrel.
Is there anything negative to say about this monster of a revolver? I do have a few points but they’re hardly major.
First, the grips. They’re lovely and beautiful but I didn’t find them very functional, and they are very slippery. The Python is already prone to shift under recoil, as revolvers do. If the knuckle of your middle finger is anywhere near the trigger guard you’re likely to get bumped. Grips are easy to swap out so this is a minor issue. If Hogue makes overmold grips for this gun then it’s both a simple and affordable swap.
Second, the trigger. Mechanically, it’s lovely! But the surface area or “shoe” is just a bit on the narrow side for my liking. Having a bit more meat on the contact area would improve the feel, especially with having that sliiightly heavier pull weight. The size and shape of it now makes me think I’m pulling the trigger on an Italian copy of an old single action .45 Long Colt, not a Python.
Third, and this is purely based on opinion, but for the price and quality of this gun I rather feel like having some provisions for mounting optics would have been nice. Granted, purists would probably give me the stink-eye here as adding screws or rails along the top would make the gun less pretty and would deter from the original (which it absolutely would, I agree.) That said, if you did want to put glass on it you’d have to find some means of clamping a mount onto the barrel which would goober up such an amazing mirrored finish and look tacked on and ugly.
I think the best solution to the third (in fact maybe all three) of these points would be if Colt made other variations of the Python beyond different barrel lengths. Imagine a Python tricked out for competition, for example. Colt should never ever (EVER) get rid of the timeless classic patterns but I do wonder what they could come up with like that 686 Contender with a Picatinny top rail and such, like tuneable under-barrel weights and a redesigned cylinder catch for quicker reloads. Some will undoubtedly call this sacrilege but I have to ask, why not? So long as the classic is never forgotten, why not see how far this amazing gun can go? The platform is rock solid, I’m sure someone will start running a Python in competitions.
The Python is a very, very good gun. Quite possibly it’s the finest revolver I’ve ever gotten to shoot. A gun like this is simply too good to be kept solely in the past and Colt sure did right by bringing it into the present. Better still? They’re built tougher than the originals and can be owned for about half of the price. As much as I want one I’d still feel bad about shooting it.
