Colt Python

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Colt Python
Colt-Python.jpg
Colt Pythons with 6-inch (15 cm) and 4-inch (10 cm) barrels and nickel finish
Type Revolver
Place of origin  United States
Production history
Manufacturer Colt's Manufacturing Company
Produced 1955–2005
Variants 2.5-inch (6.4 cm), 3-inch (7.6 cm), 4-inch (10 cm), 6-inch (15 cm) and 8-inch (20 cm) barrel
Specifications
Weight 38 ounces (1.1 kg) to 48 ounces (1.4 kg)
Cartridge .357 Magnum
Action Double-action
Feed system Six-round cylinder
Sights Rear adj.; front ramp

The Colt Python is a .357 Magnum caliber revolver formerly manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. It is sometimes referred to as a "Combat Magnum".[1] It was first introduced in 1955, the same year as Smith & Wesson's M29 .44 Magnum. The now discontinued Colt Python targeted the premium revolver market segment. Some firearm collectors and writers such as Jeff Cooper, Ian V. Hogg, Chuck Hawks, Leroy Thompson, Scott Wolber, Renee Smeets and Martin Dougherty have described the Python as the finest production revolver ever made.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Description

The Colt Python is a double action handgun chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge, built on Colt's large I-frame. Pythons have a reputation for accuracy, smooth trigger pull, and a tight cylinder lock-up.[2] They are similar in size and function to the Colt Trooper and Colt Lawman revolvers.

History

The Colt Python was first introduced in 1955 as Colt's top-of-the-line model and was originally intended to be a large-frame 38 Special target revolver.[3] As a result, it features precision adjustable sights, a smooth trigger, solid construction, and extra metal. Pythons have a distinct appearance due to a full barrel underlug, ventilated rib and adjustable sights.[3] Originally, Colt manufactured Pythons with hollow underlugs but left them solid to work as a stabilizing barrel weight. When the revolver is at full cock, just as the trigger is pressed, the cylinder locks up for the duration of the hammer strike. Other revolvers have a hint of looseness even at full-cock. The gap between the cylinder and forcing cone is very tight, further aiding accuracy and velocity.[2] Starting in the 1970s each Python revolver was boresighted at the factory with a laser and was the first mass-produced revolver to do so.[3]

End of Production

In October 1999, Colt Manufacturing Co. announced the termination of its production of Python revolvers. In a 2000 follow-up letter to distributors, the company cited changing market conditions and the costs of defending lawsuits as the reasons for the discontinuation of the Python line as well as a number of other models.[8] The Colt Custom Gun Shop continued making a limited number of Pythons on special order until 2005, when even this limited production was terminated.[2]

Models and variants

Colt Python rollmark on the barrel.
Colt Python Target, 8 inch barrel .38 Special.

The Python was originally available in two finishes: Royal Blue and Bright Nickel. The Bright Nickel model was discontinued with the introduction of the more durable satin stainless and mirror-polished Ultimate Stainless models.[2] The stainless steel and Royal Blue finishes were offered until 2003 by Colt on the Python "Elite" model.

Pythons were available with 2.5-inch (6.4 cm), 3-inch (7.6 cm), 4-inch (10 cm), 6-inch (15 cm) and 8-inch (20 cm) barrels.[2] The six-inch model was the most popular generally, and the 8-inch model was intended for hunting. A 3-inch barrel version is very collectible, although not rare.[3]

The Python Hunter model, with 8-inch barrel and factory-installed 2X Leupold scope, was made in 1980.[9] The Python Hunter was the first field-ready handgun hunting package made by a major handgun manufacturer.[9] The scope was mounted on the barrel using Redfield mounts and the gun was packaged in a Haliburton case.[9] It was discontinued by 1990 and briefly offered as a "Custom Shop" model afterward.[9] A Python Target model was made for several years in .38 Special only, in blue and nickel finishes.

Two variants of the Python were made in small numbers by Colt. The first was the Colt Boa of 1985, a limited production .357 Magnum revolver, made for the Lew Horton Distributing Company in Massachusetts. It used a Python barrel mated to a Trooper Mk V frame. Six hundred 6-inch revolvers and 600 4-inch revolvers were made, of which 100 were matched sets. Though it resembles a Python visually, it is substantially different internally. The second was the stainless steel Colt Grizzly of 1994, another limited production .357 Magnum revolver. It used a Python barrel mated to a Colt King Cobra frame. 500 of these revolvers were manufactured, with 6-inch Magna-Ported barrels and smooth, unfluted cylinders. The ported barrel includes a bear footprint. Similar to the Grizzly was the Colt Kodiak, which was a Colt Anaconda with a Magna-Ported Barrel and an unfluted cylinder. Approximately 2000 Kodiaks were manufactured.

According to Colt historian, R.L. Wilson, Colt Pythons have been collected by Elvis Presley and various kings in the traditional sense: "H.M. (His Majesty) Hussein I of Jordan ordered a limited number of Pythons with 4-inch and 6-inch barrels, as gifts to his selected friends. Casing and barrel were embossed with His Majesty's crest. The Python for King Juan Carlos of Spain bore his name in flush gold on the sideplate. Among other celebrated recipients: King Khalid and Prince Fahd (Saudi Arabia), King Hassan (Morocco), Sheik Zayed (United Arab Emirates), President Anwar Sadat (Egypt) and President Hafez Assad (Syria)."[4]

Usage

Colt Pythons with 8-inch and 6-inch barrels and royal blue finish

The Python immediately made inroads into the law enforcement market when introduced, with the 6-inch barrel being popular with uniformed officers and the 4-inch barrel considered optimum for plainclothes use.[3] However, it has since fallen out of favor (along with all other revolvers) due to changing law enforcement needs that favor semi-automatic pistols. When law-enforcement agencies realized that the 9 mm semi-automatic pistols fire a round with similar characteristics to the .38 Special with higher capacity, they began a migration to these, and other, semi-automatic pistol cartridges.[10][11] Colt's Python revolvers are still popular on the used market and command high prices.

The Colorado State Patrol issued 4-inch blue Pythons until their switch to the S&W .40 caliber autoloader.[12] Georgia State Patrol and Florida Highway Patrol issued Pythons to their officers.[12]

A Python, loaded with .357 Magnum semiwadcutter bullets, was used to murder Irish crime reporter Veronica Guerin in 1996, an act which resulted in the creation of the Criminal Assets Bureau.[13][14]

Criticisms

Official Colt historian RL Wilson described the Colt Python as "the Rolls-Royce of Colt revolvers",[4] and firearms historian Ian V. Hogg referred to it as the "best revolver in the world".[7] However, the revolver is not without its detractors. The downside to the Colt Python's precision is its tendency to go "out of time" with continued heavy shooting.[15] This is a condition in which the cylinder does not turn in exact alignment with the forcing cone, so a shooter may be sprayed with burning propellant when the gun is fired, or the gun may not fire when used as a double-action.[15] When this happens, the lockwork needs to be re-timed.[15]

Author Martin Dougherty notes the weight of the Python as a drawback, as it is quite heavy for a handgun of its caliber, ranging from 2.4 lbs (1.1 kg) to 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg). This makes it only 6 to 9 ounces lighter than Smith & Wesson's more powerful M29 .44 Magnum, which weighs 3.0 lbs in 6½-inch barrel configuration (1.36 kg).[1]

In culture

  • Non-Violence is a bronze sculpture by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd of an oversized Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver with a knotted barrel and the muzzle pointing upwards.[16]
  • Two Colt Pythons, one with a 6-inch barrel and the other with a 2-inch barrel, were used by John Wayne in the title role in the 1974 film McQ.
  • The 1976 French film Police Python 357 stars the revolver and is named after it.
  • The blued 6 inch Colt Python is also the favorite of Hutch in both the original TV series Starsky & Hutch (1975-1979, with David Soul in the role of Hutch) and its film adaptation (2004, with Owen Wilson in the role of Hutch). Soul also used the Python in the Dirty Harry Franchise as a San Francisco motorcycle cop.
  • The Colt Python also appears as one of the usable weapons on the first Resident Evil game (first release: 1996).
  • Don Johnson carried a 6-inch Colt Python as his sidearm of choice in the film Dead Bang (1989).
  • The Colt Python was the signature weapon of the vigilante police death squad (including David Soul) battled by 'Dirty' Harry Callahan in the Clint Eastwood film Magnum Force (1973), providing the group with its unofficial title.
  • Scott Bakula as NCIS Special Agent Dwayne Cassius Pride, carries a Colt Python, which he names "Sweet Chermaine", as his personal weapon of choice in NCIS: New Orleans.
  • The Colt Python is one of the available weapons in Half-Life 2. It is one of the most powerful weapons in the game, and can easily kill enemies when used at close range.
  • The Colt Python, named "357 Python" is used in the total conversion mod for Half-Life 2 Black Mesa and is one of the more powerful weapons available to the player.
  • Deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in the television series, The Walking Dead (TV series), carries a six-inch, nickel plated Colt Python chambered in .357 Magnum as his handgun of choice.
  • The Python also appears in the 2010 video game; Call of Duty: Black Ops. It features a "snub nose attachment" which oddly increases accuracy.
  • A Colt Python is extensively described and used by Lee Child's character Jack Reacher in the 2015 novel Make Me during a gun fight.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dougherty, Martin Small Arms: From the Civil War to the Present Day, New York City: Fall River Press, 2005, page 48. ISBN 978-0-7607-6329-2
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 The Colt Python .357 Magnum Revolver by Chuck Hawks at www.chuckhawks.com accessed Apr 27, 2009
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Wilson, R.L., The Colt Heritage, New York City: Simon & Schuster, 1987, P. 272.
  5. ↑ Wilson, R.L., Colt: An American Legend, New York City: Abbeville Press, 1985, P 272.
  6. ↑ Cooper, Jeff, "Cooper on Handguns," Los Angeles, Petersen Publishing Co., 1974, P. 189.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hogg, Ian V. (1994)Military Small Arms: 300 Years of Soldiers' Firearms, Salamander Publishing
  8. ↑ Update from Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ New York City Police to Replace Revolvers With Semiautomatics The New York Times, By CRAIG WOLFF, Saturday, August 21, 1993, Accessed April 27, 2009.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Ayoob, Massad(2003)The Colt Python, The Accurate Rifle Magazine, November 2003
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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