I guess I'll park the Python and Diamondback

If muzzle blast is one issue...then most any 4" revolver ( Python, model 66, model 27 or 28, etc...will give you the same result with a given cartridge).. / ..but in terms of weight ( which reduces recoil ) --- the N frame model 28 or 27 will be similar to the Python / where the K frames - model 66 or 19's are lighter ( increases recoil ).

What fits her hands the best ...is what she'll like the best - and how that grip feels to her is the biggest issue in terms of controlling the gun in double action usually ( especially in a full power .357 Mag ) - but I'm sure you know there are some good rounds in .38 spl also. More weight will reduce recoil / longer barrel length will reduce muzzle flash. In terms of the triggers - the trigger in the Python and all colts "stacks" as you pull it ....vs the S&W triggers that do not stack ...to some shooters it makes a big difference / depends on how it feels to her.

If she likes the model 28 ..its a solid option and affordable / K frame model 66's or 19's are also solid guns...and there are quite a few around in 2 1/2", 4" and 6" / but don't forget the L frame model 686's also...or depending on your budget there are some of the newer models in 7 round cylinders / or even 8 round cylinders in the new model 627's ( stainless N frames ) in .357 mag ... but somewhere in that mix, she'll find something she likes - and you can put the Python away, which it sounds like what you want to do / and remember there are both round butt and square butt frames on - depending on barrel length usually in some of these models of S&W's.

Ruger does not make bad guns ...but the smoothness of the S&W action - makes it a much better alternative in my view - but let her pick the gun if you can.
 
And next week Colt announces production of new Pythons with a MSRP of $1,299. What happens to all those $7K pythons then? Overnight they become $1,500 Pythons.

Not that it's likely to happen. Damn you, whoever ran Colt into the ground.
 
Damn you, whoever ran Colt into the ground.
Click to expand...
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.

If those were mine I'd sell sell sell sell SELL!
 
I'd love it if a gun guy would write a book (maybe a three volume set) about Colt, S&W and Ruger and their business decisions and their product decisions. You'd need a Wall Street Journal type guy to sort out the business stuff and a gun guy to sort out the gun products decision.

And please don't suggest Paul Barrett.

I'm am really amazed at all the business stuff that S&W has gone through in the last 50 years and I know I don't know the half of it.
 
Personally I have owned several Colt weapons, 1911's, AR-15, etc. and fired their revolvers. There was only one that I regretted selling - an early .38 Super on the full size Government Model frame. The rest were disappointments that I gladly sold or traded.

I agree with those who posted here that the crazy prices for Colt snake guns won't last. If it were me I would sell both guns, and with the buy new Rugers in the calibers the Colts are in, and invest the rest in gold bullion coins.
 
When The Walking Dead goes off the air, the demand for pythons will drop. Buckmeir leather makes an exact duplicate duty rig that Rick wears on the show and there is a wait for them.

Pythons are OK I guess, but I'd sell mine if I had one.
 
Last edited:
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.
 
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.
Click to expand...

Pure poppy-cock:mad:Shoot them and enjoy what you have. I shoot a blue 6" python in ICORE competition on a monthly basis. My take on it is this,
do YOU plan on selling either gun?? Next, when you leave the mortal world and your two revolvers are sitting in the safe that YOU NEVER shot what are you going to say at the pearly gates? I left two beautiful guns back in the mortal world and now I wish I had shot them:(
Just my opinion shoot them, that's what they were made for to be used.
 
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.
 
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.
Click to expand...

I found an easy solution...I didn't buy a new one! Used K-frames aren't the value they once were, when you could pick them up anywhere for under $300. Short barreled K-frames have gotten ridiculous, especially the .357s, but the 4" guns are still decent used values. Certainly less expensive than the new ones, and without the undesirable features.

I do love the L-frames. If you haunt gunbroker you should be able to pick up a 586 or 686 for a reasonable price. My personal favorites are the fixed-sight 681 and 581, mostly for reasons of nostalgia. My first "serious" handgun was a 681 I bought in 2005 for $275 or so. Alas, ten years time has done terrible things to their prices...

If it's for her, then by all means let her be the one to pick.
 
Walking Dead premiered 2010 and Pythons increased at an exorbitant rate sice...

I predict a crash or stabilization once the show is over and people have left it alone.
 
I would keep them in a safe and fondle them every now and then. I get almost as much pleasure out of handling a nice firearm than I do shooting them. Truth is, I fondle my guns more than I shoot them.

As I get older and I know my time is short(unless I pass unexpectantly), I plan to either gift them to my kids if they are interested or I would sell them at that point. My wife wouldn't know how much they are worth or how to sell them. Then use the money for a last vacation or give it to the kids.

Shoot an expensive sought after piece when I have others to shoot? Not a chance.

4 years ago, I wandered into my local shop. Tiny place that sold mostly low end guns like Taurus, Charter Arms, and Rossi, plus a selection of Glocks. I see a mint S&W Model 19 in 4". Price tag down. I ask to see it. 19-2. Pinned and recessed. Matching diamond target stocks. Price was $249! Old lady walked in that morning with it. Her husband had died and it was his. Looked like it sat in a sock drawer since 1967. Kid behind the counter filling in for the owner (his old man) gave her $100 for it and priced it at $249. Said "nobody wants revolvers anymore". I grabbed it. Sold it a few months later for triple what I paid. I wish I hadn't but is was so nice I didn't want to shoot it much and I couldn't say no to tripling my money.
 
I shoot my Python all the time. I figure if anyone wants to buy mine,and if they really want it, they'll pay the going rate. Until I get tired of it or I need money, she goes to the range with me.
 
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!!
 
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.
Click to expand...

You owe me a new keyboard! Hadn't laughed so hard in a while! :D
 
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!!
Click to expand...

It's not heavy. The SP101 is lighter than a Model 66 or GP100. It's just heavier than a J-frame. As suggested, it's bigger than a J-frame and smaller than a K-frame. Also, guns chambered for .327 Federal Magnum can shoot a variety of shorter .32-caliber cartridges. The ones that I know to work are .32 H&R Magnum, .32 S&W Long, .32 S&W, and .32 acp. However, the last two are not generally recommended. They are very short in the cylinder and the acp can be tricky to eject.

I'm a big fan of .327 Federal. People knock it but most of those people have never tried it. It's basically a .32 super magnum that gets up near .357 magnum power levels and gives you an extra shot on the wheel. Despite being more powerful, the recoil feels like .38 +p.

The 3" SP101s in .327 are getting harder to find and the price is climbing up. The same is true of the 4" GP100. The fancy 4" SP101 is in current production and gets even sweeter with some Hogues.
 
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.
Click to expand...

My wife put 400 + rounds through my Python practicing before taking a nasty/dirty Python into the gun shop/ indoor range to shoot her qualification for her CCW permit. She is not a big woman with average hands and managed just fine. Even raised a few eyebrows when they looked at what she was qualifying with:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top