Haha, it was Colt that ran Colt in to the ground. Good news though... half a million Pythons means that they are out there for the gettin'. And I'm not going to buy a single one out from under anyone either.Damn you, whoever ran Colt into the ground.
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.
The Model 66 is a nice gun but new ones come with some questionable modern features. The one that rubs me the wrong way is that lock hole in the side. Sticking one on the side of an otherwise beautiful Smith and Wesson is a bit like drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa. Beyond aesthetics, it's a reminder of how the anti-gun Clinton Administration strong-armed the industry. Also, does it offer any real safety advantage versus a traditional external lock? Probably not but it does offer an extra mechanism that can fail, and fail fatally if you need it in an emergency. Even if you can accept that, can you accept it in a replacement for your Python?
I think it's worth taking the recommendations of Doc Holliday 1950 and Model12Win to check out a GP100. They are great guns and are easy to upgrade.
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.
603country, see if you can locate a 3" sp101 in .327. A little heavy, but a nice compromise between snub and full size. And it's a great caliber, allowing one to shoot two others on top of the 327, I think it would make the wife happy!!
That's a good point. I personally don't plan to sell them (unless prices get totally insane). I guess I'll shoot them. But, I still need a reason to get a revolver for my wife for the CC class. I'll take her to a gunshop and see what fits her hand best. Right now I'm thinking Ruger, the GP100 with a 4, 5, or 6 inch barrel. The 5 might be a good compromise on weight and muzzle blast.