It's a sad story. Colt revolvers required extensive hand-fitting. They suspended production in the late 1990's. Legend has it the equipment was stored in a parking lot, and later damaged by the elements. Many of the engineers who were responsible for the hands-on production have since retired or passed away. They can't just throw a switch and start churning out Pythons. Even the supply of parts on the secondary market is drying up.Why cant they make revolvers again?
That leaves them with two options:
- Make them like they used to. That means buying new machinery and training new smiths. If they're to be up to the old standards of fit and finish, they'll be >$2,000 guns. People won't buy them.
- Do like S&W and adopt modern CNC machinery and practices. They'll still be over $1,000. People will gripe that they're not as nice as the old guns and won't buy them.
Honestly, Colt has been riding their own coattails for so long, I don't think they really have a way to stay relevant in the market.