By Jim Dickson | Contributing Writer
For many years the Colt Python has been widely considered the best .357 Magnum revolver.
The trigger pull was justly famous for its smoothness being surpassed only by the prewar Colt New Service Shooting Master which rates as the all-time best trigger pull ever put on a production revolver.
The Python was temporarily discontinued to the dismay of revolver men but it has returned in an improved form.
The new Colt Python is stronger than the original. The rear sight was redesigned to allow more material under it thereby increasing the top strap’s strength by 30%. The front sight can now be easily changed as it is held in by an Allen screw. The trigger mechanism was redesigned with 14 fewer parts for a more robust action.
However, unlike many modern revolvers the Python retains the leaf spring for a mainspring instead of the coil spring commonly seen today. The leaf spring gives a smoother trigger pull that does not stack (get stronger) toward the final third of its travel like a coil spring does. The Python’s hand is made stronger than the originals.
CNC Machining
Colt has taken CNC machining to a new level in their revolvers achieving almost total interchangeability of parts. Only the revolver crane and hand have to be fitted to the individual gun and even that is done by a machine.
You have a consistent quality and trigger pull from gun to gun that has never been achieved before. In the past, Colt was nearly destroyed by union led long term strikes that deprived it of the skilled workmen that did the hand fitting of the revolvers. Doing away from their dependency on these men became a necessary survival strategy for the company. For the customer this means that every Colt revolver is being made to the highest possible standards regardless of its supposed place in the hierarchy of models. That’s a plus for the buyers.
I asked the best Colt gunsmith in the country, Alan Aaronstein (alanaaronstein@coltfirearmsrepair.com), for his comments on the new Colt Python. He said the new Colt Pythons are unbelievable. The inside of the sideplate is electronically polished mirror bright, the actions are excellent, the guns are more maintenance free, they don’t get out of time, and they have a more consistent trigger pull without any modification than the originals did.
With all that in mind I asked Colt to send one of their Pythons to Reeves Ace Hardware in Clayton, Georgia where I could pick it up for review. The gun was a mirror polished stainless steel beauty.
With a 6 inch barrel its overall length was 11 ½ inches, height was 5 ¾ inches and width at the cylinder was 1 ½ inches. It weighed 46 ounces on my 1940’s grocery scales. The double action trigger pull was 9 ½ pounds and the single action trigger pull was 6 pounds as measured by a Lyman mechanical trigger pull gage from Brownells Gunsmithing Supplies. It lived up to the Python’s reputation pulling smoothly and breaking clean.
The grips were laminated wood. Unfortunately they don’t curve inward like the Colt Single Action Army or the Colt New Service so they don’t point as accurately as its predecessors. Like all swing out cylinder revolvers, the ejector rod is too short to make the fired cases completely clear the cylinder unless the rod is worked fast enough with the barrel held up so that the force of the ejecting rod drives the cases clear of the cylinder. Why no one has ever made an ejector rod long enough to completely extract a loaded shell or even an empty case is beyond me.
Test Firing
I had 140 rounds to test fire consisting of:
- 40 rounds of Remington 357 Magnum 180 grain Core-Lokt JHP at 1090 FPS. This hits harder than lighter bullet weights.
- 100 rounds of Remington .38 special 158 grain LRN at 755 FPS. This is the old classic 38 special load. Highly accurate and very little recoil.
The gun was accurate and easy to keep on target. I don’t say that about many guns. The 6-inch barrel is about the upper limit for convenient holster wear but it does begin to give you the weight and balance advantages of longer barrels so it is a good compromise.
Like every new Colt double action revolver that I have tested, it was as easy to hit with firing double action as it was single action. A good trigger pull makes this possible and I have observed how easy it is for others to shoot these new Colts accurately firing double action. This is a very important point for me as I normally do not shoot a double action revolver as a single action preferring to fire it double action as it was designed for.
There is a big difference in the layout of a double action revolver and a proper single action like the Colt Single Action Army which is ergonomically designed for single action shooting and a modern double action which is ergonomically designed for double action shooting but not for single action shooting. It is much easier for the thumb to slip off the hammer of a modern double action revolver than it is on a Single Action Army and the grips are designed to control the gun firing double action and are awkward for fast, accurate single action fire. Yes, you can cock the double action for a slow deliberate shot but for fast accurate one hand use in an emergency it can be a disaster. So why practice this way? You should practice for real world emergencies if you ever intend to be able to handle them when they arise. That’s why you learn to shoot double action as accurately as you can single action. The new Colt double action revolvers certainly do their part to make that easy.
The Python lived up to its reputation as a top of the line .357 Magnum. This cartridge became popular with the police because of its ability to penetrate car bodies. It is a fine small and medium game hunting cartridge as well producing clean kills without ruining much meat. At just under 3 pounds it is easily carried and El Paso Saddlery makes three different holsters for this pistol. The first is the 1920 Tom Threepersons designed by the legendary lawman of that name. This is a modern fast draw rig with no excess leather over the gun and a safety strap. The next is the 1930 Austin, a classic Texas Ranger holster with both old West and modern features. The last is the #5 Patton which is the holster they made for General Patton before WWII. All three are forward canted fast draw holsters with safety straps perfectly suitable for police duty holsters or civilian open carry.
It’s worth remembering that larger pistols are normally easier to hit with than smaller pistols as the weight enables a steadier hold. A Colt Python makes a perfectly adequate answer to coyotes after the livestock as it rides on your hip as you tend to the daily farm chores. A pistol on the hip is a lot faster than a shotgun that has to be constantly laid down as you work and then retrieved for a quick shot at a coyote fleeing with one of your chickens in its mouth. The time difference can mean the difference between the coyote coming back for seconds and you having a coyote pelt. The Python also is handy for potting squirrels and rabbits that you might want for dinner.
After all the shooting was done the Python was cleaned with Shooters Choice bore cleaner and patches and then lubricated with Ballistol oil before being returned to Colt.
There are many who hold that the Colt Python was and is the finest .357 Magnum revolver ever made. I’m not going to argue with them.
