I guess I'll park the Python and Diamondback

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Just was looking at the values of those two pistols and I'm getting antsy about shooting them any more. Can't bring myself to sell them and it seems wrong to just shine em up and let them sit in darkness from now till I pass on. The Diamondback is a 22 and I have other 22 revolvers to plink with. But I'd have to buy a replacement for the Python. I'm thinking that a S&W Model 66 would do.

Your thoughts on what I should do? What would you do?
 
I spent more on my Wilson Combat and Ed Browns then either a Python or Diamondback go for. They do not sit in the back of the safe unfired...

Jim
 
Park it.

Prices are SOARING on the Pythons, with no end in sight to the madness. In 5 years, they'll probably be going for $5000-$7000 depending on condition.

If you put any wear on it, you'll be sorry in a few years.
 
Okay. that's a good choice. But, while you're at it why don't you look at Ruger's GP 100 series.

I have a 1967 Python in great shape, but I prefer my 4.2" GP100 for every day use or even to carry. IMHO, I think 357's are just the best all around gun and both S&W and Ruger make a superior product.

Good luck.
 
Wasn't Uberti (or one of the Italian clone makers) supposed to come out with a Python clone? Seems to me the solution for a Python lover who doesn't want to shoot his Python would be a clone -- did it ever happen?

{EDIT}Correction -- it was Pietta. The announcement was just about a year ago, and I can't find any current information.
 
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Keep shooting them - and enjoy them / that's why you have them.....and buy the model 66 too, if you want one ( but a model 27 is closer to the quality of a python ).....

The value will take care of itself in my view ( I have a number of nice guns ...freedom arms, model 27 smiths, Wilson combat 1911's ( 1 Wilson is my primary carry gun), Sig X 5....)....and none of them sit in safe shined up - they all get fired and taken care of...

So i'd keep shooting both of them....

But they're yours .....
 
When I first read the title of your thread, I thought by "park" you meant "parkerize." I suppose one way to be sure you can enjoy your Python to the fullest, that's one way to do it! Then you'll have your gun to shoot and carry, and you will no longer have to worry about its collector value.

Seriously, I think Pythons and Co. are cool guns, but the market value is ridiculous! You'l have to decide, and no one else can for you: do you want to enjoy them for the purpose for which they were made (to carry and shoot!) or as an investment.

When I was a kid I always thought the Python was cool, and would have loved to own one. My Dad had one and I shot it a few times, but he's long since sold it before the prices got so crazy. I can't remember it well enough to appreciate the experience. Now I've become more of a fan of S&W Revolvers. Even they are getting silly in price now. You could get an N-Frame, L-frame, or K-frame Smith to shoot and use the Colts to put money in the bank, or you can use 'em for what they were built for. Ultimately, it's up to you.
 
Wasn't Uberti (or one of the Italian clone makers) supposed to come out with a Python clone? Seems to me the solution for a Python lover who doesn't want to shoot his Python would be a clone -- did it ever happen?

{EDIT}Correction -- it was Pietta. The announcement was just about a year ago, and I can't find any current information.
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That project got cancelled not long back. They won't be importing any "Spaghetythons" anytime soon.

OP: The Ruger GP100, while a shadow of what the Colt Python is capable of, are good modern guns for the money that won't break the bank.
 
In terms of size and the way they handle, the Smith 586 and 686 are closer than the Smith 66.

But to the question, the Python will live on in legend as being the American pinnacle of revolver making. And it will hold its worth.

As long as the Python is not shot side by side with a Smith or Ruger, that legend will continue. Its practical worth is mythical, not reality.

When it was still being manufactured, it wasn't just the cost that killed the Python. It was that it couldn't hold a candle to the Smith and Ruger products for durability under regular or hard use.

The Python's chief weakness is in its lockwork. It was never as durable as the Smith. And to continue to use one other than an occasional outing with a few rounds in single or double action, it will soon wear out without any parts replacements. It'll then be an out of time gun or worse an inoperable gun.

Make it a safe queen. Consider yourself a collector.
 
I'd rather have a firearm that I'm willing to use, than one that only serves as decoration. ...And a poor one, at that, since it's in the back of a safe.

If I don't shoot it, I sell it.

Take the Dythondback money and turn it into something useful, rather than a couple fragile chunks of steel that will require regular maintenance but give you little in return.

The first thing to come to mind for a Python replacement, that retains some allure, would be a S&W M28 Highway Patrolman.


Like some other members, I've never been terribly impressed with any Colt snake gun (or even most standard Colts, for that matter). They may have nice fit and finish, but their mystique is all fantasy, in my opinion. Books, movies, and TV shows got the snakes where they are today, not real-world reliability, durability, and performance.
In my hands, a Colt snake gun represents a paycheck that should be cashed, not something to hang on to until who knows when...
 
Kind of like the other snakes - the old Cobras - the sports car.
Worth a fortune today and not that great a driving car to begin with for most folks.
But the legend lives on and the prices keep going up.
Most folks just keep them up, look at them and talk about them.
Rarely do they drive them.
Too many better driving cars around.
 
If you have already put a lot of ammo down range with them, I'd go right on shooting them. Life is too short not to enjoy something if you truly like shooting them.
 
I would look for a S&W 586 or 686 pre-lock revolver. A person can fine one for in the neighbor of $700 to $800. In my opinion, the triggers are much better than the GP100. I also would consider a model 27 or 28 too pre-lock. Quality and finish wise these revolvers I mention are close to the quality as Colt Python.
Good luck with your decision.
Howard
 
It's win/win.

Enjoy shooting them. Life is short.

Or keep them in the safe and they can pay for your funeral when you are gone.

Win/win.

I'm more the first kind of guy. I drive my 67 Mustang and 57 Belair to work or to the store or whatever, whenever I feel like it. If they get smashed, they get smashed. I bought and restored them so I could enjoy driving them.
 
A note about "Revolver Values" - especially Colt and S&W models that are still sought after today...

I'm in my mid 60's ...and I love the N frame S&W model revovlers ( 27's, 29's, etc ...especially the older versions like dash 2's in Nickel )...and while the Colt snake guns don't fit my hands as well I appreciate their style ( not the trigges so much )...but having said that, talking to a few buddies that own gunshops in my area ( a relatively affluent metropolitan area )..million dollar homes are not uncommon, fastest selling cars in area are Lexus, Porsche, Mercedez, BMW.../ there is a lot of "new money" high tech jobs etc in area...and they're spending a lot of money on toys and guns, but:

a. any gun over $ 800 is not a common sale to shooters under 40 yrs old..

b. revolvers - tend to sit in case a long time even if under $1,000 ....over $1,000 they sit even longer ...for shooters under 40...

c. Wilson Combat 1911's ( avg $ 3,500 starting price ) are not in inventory ....and shooters under 40 might appreciate them - but they aren't buying them. Same on Ed Brown, Les Baer 1911's...they tend to sit ...new or used ..priced $2,000 - $ 3,000 .....

My point is, while I love the older revolvers and will pay a premium for them - I have virtually everything I want ( about 25 S&W revolvers )...and while my boys in their 30's and 40's are happy to inherit them someday - and they enjoy shooting them - they aren't going to spend $2,000 on any gun ( based on what they tell me )....

and my grandkids ...( teenagers & up to 24 yrs old )...kind of like shooting the older guns ...but rather than shoot my 1911's in 9mm, or the S&W model 27's....when we go to the range they would rather I rent the "cool guns" in the rental case ...poly frame stuff they see in the movies, or on video games... and when they turn 21, that's what they look at buying the most.

So I don't know about the long term value of Pythons or S&W model 27's...the bubble might burst ...or it may level off.../ I don't know ....but I think the risk of losing value on these old revolvers is higher today than it was 10 yrs ago. ( so ask around / it might affect your decision ).
 
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Thanks to you all for the input. Both of these revolvers have been shot for years, so they aren't NIB. But neither are they worn and beat up. Both are nickel finished, with the Diamondback being in Coltguard finish, and both have 4 inch barrels.

Interest in shooting them has gotten pretty high with the older grandkids, since they recognize the Python from watching the Walking Dead. The pistol, to them, is ultra cool.

My fear really centers on what to do if I damage the Python. From what I read, there really aren't many gunsmiths qualified to do Colt-quality work on Pythons. So, if I'm going to put a lot of ammo downrange, I'm thinking along the lines of something new, or newer, with a 6 inch barrel (less muzzle blast...that Python has a mean muzzle blast). Part of the reason for wanting another shooter is that the wife wants to take a CC course, but she hates all semi pistols (don't even ask) and she can't shoot her snub nose 38 worth a darn. So I need something that I she can shoot, that can take some abuse, and can eventually ride in the car with her and not need too much care.

A stainless Ruger sounds like a decent idea, as does a Model 66 Smith, and the Model 66 is, I believe, lighter. That might be a good choice for her. On the other hand, I can get a 'high mileage' Model 28 Smith in blue for a reasonable price.

It would be a lot easier if I didn't have to factor in the wife for this decision.
 
A stainless Ruger sounds like a decent idea, as does a Model 66 Smith, and the Model 66 is, I believe, lighter. That might be a good choice for her. On the other hand, I can get a 'high mileage' Model 28 Smith in blue for a reasonable price.
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I think that sounds like an excellent idea and a good choice of guns. Let her do the final pick amongst them and then you don't have to take the heat for the choice.

I wouldn't bet on the 'Python Bubble' getting too much higher for guns that have been fired some. For 'new in box' Pythons I suppose the sky is the limit.

The thing is though, if you put a Python on one table and two new 'modern' S&W's on another table and three new Rugers on a third table...I'm pretty sure I'd take the three Rugers.
 
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