The Colt Python is Back!
One of the most popular .357 Magnum revolvers from the 20th Century has finally returned to production.
When Colt first introduced the Python revolver in 1955, it was a hit for the company. The gun gained a reputation for its fine fitting and fantastic trigger, and collectors and shooters alike were saddened when the gun was finally pulled from the catalog in 2005 after 50 years of production. Since then, Pythons have commanded steep prices on the used market.
After re-launching the Cobra and King Cobra over the past couple years, it was only logical that the next step for Colt would be a reintroduction of the famed Python. Like the other two guns in the new snake lineup, the new Python is not the Python of old, and that’s by design.
The new gun has fewer internal parts and is not hand-fitted by individual gunsmiths, mainly because we’ve come a long way in terms of manufacturing over the past half century, and modern-made guns don’t need to be hand-fitted to be finely tuned.
They’ve also beefed up the frame for longer-lasting performance with hot .357 Magnum loads, which is not recommended for prolonged use in the original models.
Colt has also made it so that the front sight can easily be swapped by the user, eliminating the hassle of having to take the gun to a gunsmith to make such a change.
Available in both 4.25- and 6-inch barrel lengths, the new Python sports a stainless finish only instead of the more traditional bluing. Despite what some may say, that’s not blasphemous, because the original Python was available in stainless starting back in 1983.
Shooting the gun at Industry Day at the Range proved that the Python’s legendary smooth trigger pull is still intact, regardless of whatever other changes they’ve made to the gun.
MSRP is $1,499 for both barrel lengths, and that’s actually better than the original price of $125 in 1955, when adjusted for inflation.
