Guns International #: 103062711

Category - Colt Revolvers - Python - .357 Magnum Pistols

Category
Colt Revolvers - Python
.357 Magnum Pistols

COLT PYTHON 4 INCH NICKEL 1971

Description:
THIS IS A NICKEL 1971 COLT PYTHON.  IT WAS CARRIED BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND SHOWS SOME WEAR BUT IS STILL IN GREAT CONDITON.  LOCKS UP TIGHT AND SMOTH TRIGGER.  WOOD GRIPS WITH MEDALIAN.  

The Colt Python is a double action/single action revolver chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. It was first introduced in 1955 by the Colt's Manufacturing Company. Pythons have a reputation for accuracy, smooth trigger pull, and a tight cylinder lock-up. Pythons, built on Colt's large I-frame, are similar in size and function to the Colt Trooper and Colt Lawman revolvers.
The Colt Python is intended for the premium revolver market segment. Produced from 1955 to 2005, and again since 2020, it was described by historian R.L. Wilson as "the Rolls-Royce of Colt revolvers", and firearms historian Ian V. Hogg referred to it as the "best revolver in the world." Some firearm collectors and writers such as Jeff Cooper and Ian V. Hogg have described the Python as "the finest production revolver ever made"

Colt originally manufactured Pythons with hollow underlugs but left them solid to work as a stabilizing barrel weight. It was initially released with a 6" barrel, then a 4" barrel, and finally a 2.5" barrel which was the shortest barrel that could accommodate the vent on the rib. The Python was the first time Colt used the Royal Blue finish, coming from a very high polish on the gun and then bluing. Initially, only Colt gunsmith Al De John and Don Bedford were the only two gunsmiths allowed to work on the Pythons. This gunsmithing included intricate hand fitting and polishing and each revolver would take Colt gunsmiths a little longer; about 20 minutes of labor, compared to the 15 minutes (4 guns per hour) of other Colt revolvers. The Python was initially priced at $125, the same as the reintroduced Single Action Army. Only one Python was built in 1955, a little over 300 Pythons were built by the end of 1956, and more than 100,000 Pythons were built by 1969. From the 1970s each Python revolver was boresighted at the factory with a laser; the first mass-produced revolver for which this was done.

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 optimal for plainclothes use. The Colorado State Patrol issued 4-inch blue Pythons until their switch to the S&W .40 caliber autoloader. Georgia State Patrol issued Pythons in the 1980s until their transition to Glock semiautomatic pistols in the 1990s. Florida Highway Patrol issued Pythons to their officers in the 1980s until their transition to the Beretta 92FS in the late 1980s.  Python has since fallen out of common use, along with all revolvers, due to changing law enforcement needs that favor semi-automatic pistols. When law-enforcement agencies realized that the 9mm 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. The move away from the Python is also being driven by the increasing number of law enforcement agencies which require officers to carry department-issue weapons (as a way to reduce liability).

Handgun Caliber: .357 Magnum
Manufacturer: COLT
Model: PYTHON
Serial Number: E27692
Barrel Length: 4
Condition: GOOD
Metal Condition: GOOD
Wood Condition: GOOD
Bore Condition: GOOD
Action: SA/DA
Grips: CARVED WOOD

Price: $2,300.00
Shipping: $45.00
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