Colt DA revolvers

[Pistolero]

Hi,

I'm looking into getting a Colt DA .357 or .38 revolver as a companion to my S&W 686. I love the 686 and how it handles and shoots.

I had never thought of getting a colt until I tried out a Python.357 at the range recently. I was very impressed with the handling and smooth trigger (I don't know if it had been modified). I know Colt's are not cheap.

Any Colt shooters out there who can give me opinions?? Colt revolvers are seldom seen where I live. Most guys shoot S&W.

Can I use Safariland Comp III speedloaders with a Python???
:lovebooli

[Guesser]

I shoot a number of Colt double action revolvers, a couple of them are over a hundred years old. My favorite three are Officers Models in 38 Special, 1941, 1951, and 1961. I have 32's of different chamberings and one 357, a Trooper Mark III. I like Colts. I do not own a Diamond Back or a Python, but may some day, or not.
I don't know about speed loaders, I don't own any.

[HeavyMetal]

I don't have a "preference" for Colt over S&W, except for S&W past political Boo-Booo's ( no I don't want to hear how the "new" company is run/changed).

I have a 1950's Police Positve Special that was made for one of the south american police force's and paid a whopping $90.00 for it in 1992. Not much on looks it never ceases to amaze and shoots as well as any 4 inch fixed sight gun can be expected to shoot and shoots to POI!

I also have a 6 inch 22 Diamondback which is one of the best investments in a firearm I have ever made!

On the look out now for a reasonabley priced Dick Special from the 1970's, the one with the 3 inch shrouded barrel, a nicer looking snub gun does not exist and several I have shot have put the J frame smiths to shame!

Finding one of these Colt guns at less than refinance your house prices is the real trick!

If you find a Python for less than a grand buy it! If you get real lucky it will be a 1956 to 1966 made gun the best years for the real smooth old style trigger these guns were famous for!

[yarro]

I have wanted a Python ever since shooting one years ago. Whenever I get a line on a reasonable deal on one, I seem to come up second. All the other DA Colts that I have shot, besides the python, have been early 1900s and had very heavy DA pulls. Don't know when they got better. Buddy has a Trooper, but I never got to shoot it.

-yarro

[shotman]

As said the older Python {60s} was smooth If you want something that is better get a older model 27 smith it will make the Python sick. I was set on a Python in the late 60s had a down payment in. what makeing the next payment and the gun seller asked if I want to look at the 27. I still have the 27 and it is as smooth and tight today as it was in 1969 and I could not guess how many K rounds have been through it

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I have all sorts of either company... Hard to beat the Colt Police Positve Special for a good 38 Special that is light weight and perfectly reliable. I have never had a S&W 38 Special that I would rather carry all day long. I use the old plastic HIP GRIPS and I am well pleased.
In 357 95% of the S&W´s are all gonna be the same. Good triggers and shoot good. The Colt Trooper I think are comparable... but are gonna cost a bunch. A PYTHON.. well that really is a CUSTOM shop revolver and at todays prices you can get 3 S&W 357´s in various barrel lengths.
Better yet forget thae two companies and get a Dan Wesson. Then you have the best one from the start and alll the barrel variations in the world at your fingertips.
To bad Colt never saw the light years ago and made a 5 shot 41 mag on the intermediate frame (1895 size).
Mike in Peru

[NickSS]

I have owned all of the old S&W and Colt DA revolvers and I cant tell you right now that a good colt is hard to beat and so is a good Smith. It depends on what you like, At one time I owned two Pythons (4 and 6 inch) and three Dimondbacks (4"38, 6" 38 and a 6" 22 RF) They were great guns and accurate but I sold them for something else. Today I own a 1913 vintage Colt police positive in 38 Colt New Police (38 S&W) Its a bit loose but shoots OK and a Colt 4" police Positive Special in 38 Spl. The first was inherited by my Sister in law and given to me and the second I found at a gun shop and grabbed it. The latter revolver shoots very well and is tight and shoots to the sights. It had been a duty revolver owned by a sheriffs deputy until they went with auto loaders.

[Pistolero]

Thanks for the advice and opinions. I always appreciate it from shooters who love their hardware!

That can of course lead me to my next question. Why are colt's soooooo much more expensive???

Does the gun really justify the cost?? :holysheep I will keep my eye out for a good second hand police positive .38SPL. I just love the .38SPL for ease of shooting/reloading etc! guess you could say i'm hooked on it. Not much choice really - where i live (Australia) anything over .38 is severley restricted. :groner:

[Bret4207]

Thanks for the advice and opinions. I always appreciate it from shooters who love their hardware!

That can of course lead me to my next question. Why are colt's soooooo much more expensive???

Does the gun really justify the cost?? :holysheep I will keep my eye out for a good second hand police positive .38SPL. I just love the .38SPL for ease of shooting/reloading etc! guess you could say i'm hooked on it. Not much choice really - where i live (Australia) anything over .38 is severley restricted. :groner:

Because there weren't as many made, because Colts were more $$ to start with, because of the "Python" names cool factor.

Personally I'd walk right by a dozen Pythons to get a Smith. Own both, just like Smith a whole lot better.

[Guesser]

Just to add a little more to my first offering. Probably my best and smoothest Colt is a 1956 Official Police in 22 Long Rifle. It has been compared to a Python by people that shot it and also owned a Python, it is an amazing revolver. My best and finest S&W is a Regulation Police "I" frame in 38 S&W dated 1935/36, of several S&W revolvers I own and sold, it is the nicest in every way(close relative to the Registered Magnum, same generation). We all love our personal firearms and that is a good thing!!!!!!!

[pmeisel]

I have a Python and love it. I got for a bargain from a co-worker who needed money, right then.... when I was working so much overtime that I didn't really notice a day's pay.

Now they cost several days' pay and I don't think I would buy one at that price, although I might pick up a reasonably priced Lawman or Trooper. But it's your hobby, only you can decide how much money it is worth to scratch that itch.

I have a SW model 19 as well, and it is a wonderful shooter.

[missionary5155]

Howdy Pistolero
Same restrictions on my side of the RIM.. But put a 170-200 grainer on top of a healthy charge and there is a whole new story within those 38 Special cylinders. I learned alot about the effects of heavy near pure lead boolits on critters from a 38 special in my 25 years ranging about the desert here.
Fortunatly over here the police seldom shoot thier sidearms.. they sell their monthly alotment of ammo. I have had numerous USED Police Positives that locked up like new. I still have a new in the box specimen from 1970. But I did fire 36 rounds through it so far. One of the few new guns I have ever owned.

[pdawg_shooter]

Over the years I have had 23 DAs. Colt, Ruger, Smith, and a number of imports. My 4" blue Python tops all of them by a wide margin. I do own a Smith model 29, but only because the Python is not available in 44mag.

[Potsy]

My Bro-in-law just bought a nice 4" Python over the winter. Got it cheap (for a Python!). I saw a 3" California Combat Python in KY last week. Not even a ring around the cylinder. It was not for sale.
I've got a detective special from the late 60's my grandad left me. I've never handled a nicer snubbie. Nor seen one that would outshoot it.
Personally, I've always wanted a New Service. Found a .45 Colt I could've probably swung last week. I just don't really have anything I want to sell right now to buy it. Dang.

[higgins]

I have slugged two Colts from the 50s or 60s, and both had .355 groove dia. with about .358 chamber mouths, so be prepared to deal with a groove dia. that's probably smaller than the Smiths of that era. I can agree with everything that's been said about the trigger pull and overall quality of the older Colts. You might find an old model Trooper - not a Trooper Mark ? - for a lot less than a Python; you'll be getting the same frame and lockwork as a Python for a lot less money, and it'll probably be just as smooth and accurate as a Python.

[onceabull]

Still shooting three of the eight I bought in 68-69..local city police went to officer owned sidearms,and held stand -up auctions for those being phased out..(those days long gone even here,as firearms confiscated now are auctioned to FFL dealers only)..Unfortunately(for buyers) the internet has really fired up the market for these,but even today, they are well below Python pricing..especially if you find one in 38 Special chambering...good luck, Onceabull

[9.3X62AL]

No argument with anything posted above. The onlyreal downside to the traditional Colt D/A lockwork is that there are far fewer knowledegable armorers and gunsmiths able to turn wrenches on the Colts than there are S&W technicians. This may be a more critical question in Australia than in the States--before plunking down the cash for a Python, I would inquire about gunsmithing services in your country or region.

If there is an "Achilles heel" to the old Colt system, it is the cylinder advancing hand's second step. Sustained double-action firing of high-end 357 loads in Pythons over time can peen that small step and affect timing. I suspect this is another reason for SAAMI downgrading the pressure standard of 357 Magnum loadings to 36K PSI from 42K PSI some years back, along with the stressed K-frame S&Ws and the J-frame 357s lurking on the horizon. If you run the Python like a K-frame Smith, I doubt you'll ever need a gunsmith for the Snake.

I think the L-frame S&W 357s (586/686 series revolvers) drove the last nail into the Python's coffin. They are stronger, simpler in design, and cost 30%-40% less when both were in production. Doug Wesson-level 357 loadings are no problem in the L-frames. They lack the smoothness of the Python's double-action trigger stroke, however.

No Pythons at my house, but several Colt D/A revolvers grace the gun safe just the same.

[Pistolero]

Still shooting three of the eight I bought in 68-69..local city police went to officer owned sidearms,and held stand -up auctions for those being phased out..(those days long gone even here,as firearms confiscated now are auctioned to FFL dealers only)..Unfortunately(for buyers) the internet has really fired up the market for these,but even today, they are well below Python pricing..especially if you find one in 38 Special chambering...good luck, Onceabull

Update - I got a Mark III Trooper .357 in Very Good cond. Much more affordable than a Python - and feels very much the same in my hand. I also got a S&W M-19 6 inch (couldn't make up my mind - so I got both!)

Very happy with my latest sixguns. I haven't yet shot em but hope to ASAP. Thanks to all you guys for the advice!

[9.3X62AL]

I owned three Mk III Troopers in the past. Not quite as refined as a Python, but VERY accurate and likely stronger than the more expensive Snake. Every bit as strong as the 586/686 series S&Ws. Their lockwork is MUCH simpler than the Python's, too.

I don't see a lot of the Mk III Troopers in shops hereabouts. That might be due to owners liking them very much and choosing to retain them.

[frankenfab]

I knew from the get go that I would never have the money to be a Colt collector, so I just went for the "bling" when it came to colts, or at least just a spotty cross-section of the Colt heritage at best.

I've owned 2 different 8 3/8" Anacondas, a 6" Anaconda, a New Frontier, and a niced blued Python .357.

I shot better offhand at 50 yds. with the Anacondas than any handgun I have ever shot. They were just a whole 'nother pleasureable subtle nuiance of handgun eduaction to me.

[Bret4207]

Update - I got a Mark III Trooper .357 in Very Good cond. Much more affordable than a Python - and feels very much the same in my hand. I also got a S&W M-19 6 inch (couldn't make up my mind - so I got both!)

Very happy with my latest sixguns. I haven't yet shot em but hope to ASAP. Thanks to all you guys for the advice!

My money says you'll find the Smith 19 to be among your very, very favorite revolvers.

[Mal Paso]

Only 44 spoken here. I started with a New Ruger Redhawk, added a S&W 629 and a couple weeks ago bought a "New" Anaconda. The Colt has The Best Trigger, single action, double action, out of the box. Both the Redhawk and 629 have had trigger work. I am still working out new gun issues. The Combat Grips beat up my hand so much I stopped at 100 rounds (new ones on order) and some of the tolerances are a little too tight. I only shoot offhand. My groups are better with the 4" Anaconda than they have been with the 6" Smith. But it's still a Work in Progress.

[smkummer]

The Colt medium frames (originally the 41 frame) will be very close size wise to the Smith L frame. Your purchase of the Trooper MK3 is a workhorse of the .357 Colts for less than a python due to very little hand fitting. But they still shoot very well. The old Colt action such as the Python, .357 model and Trooper .357 are called the I frame. The original trooper 38, Officers model 38 and Official police are what is called the E frame and basically only differs in cylinder length and firing pin design. The trooper MK3 and lawman MK3 are what Colt calls its J frame and is totally different internally and much simpler to make and so was priced less. The later MK5 action (shorter and faster) was what the king cobra and anaconda used. The MK3 cylinder will have a little play when the trigger is held back in the fired position but should never loose its timing in the life of the revolver. A python will lock up like a bank vault with its trigger held back, but can loose its timing over long continued use and need service.

[frankenfab]

Mal Paso--if you are a wood grip guy at all, I highly recommend a set of Houges for your Anaconda. They were $100 or so, but really felt great and made the gun look even better as well.

[Mal Paso]

Mal Paso--if you are a wood grip guy at all, I highly recommend a set of Houges for your Anaconda. They were $100 or so, but really felt great and made the gun look even better as well.

Thanks I appreciate all the help I can get. Do they fill up your hand better? I have large hands, XL Glove Size. I have the 4" Redhawk with Hogue Rubber that is very comfortable to shoot. I have Hogue Rubber grips coming for the Anaconda but they were cheap and Available. Do you think the wood grips would fit me? They were special order.

Thanks, smkummer for the history, I haven't found much. The trigger and cylinder were so smooth I couldn't put it down. I should say this is my opinion of 1 Gun and it isn't perfect. The barrel sluggs closer to .430 but since BLTsandwedge showed me the Light and put me on to the Silver Stream I don't see a problem. The barrel looks like it was polished at the factory, the lands are sharp and square. There was some reason the last guy sold it. Every gun has a personality and you got to pick it up and see how it feels.... Then figure how to afford it when you can't put it down.

[frankenfab]

oooooh....I couldn't say that they will fit your hand, but I don't think they are any smaller than the rubber Houges. You might call them and ask.