Offer declined for my S&W 586

G

GRyder

New member
A coworker offered me his Colt Python 4" for my 586-4 plus $2000 on my end.

So went to the range and shot about 50 rounds through his Python to see if I like it. Now I've seen it and held it. Heard rave reviews about it being the pinnacle of .357 revolver. Well I must say I wasn't too impressed. It is a beautiful gun but not $2000 more beautiful than my 586. I didn't like the mechanic of the cylinder release. It's not anymore accurate than my 586 in my hand.

The Python was in very good condition but in the end I kindly decline his offer. Would you guys have gone through with the trade?
 
I've owned both, sometimes concurrently.

The Smith all the way unless I could get the Python for a smoking
cheap deal and then resell it for an exorbitant price. :D
 
The way Pythons are selling I think it was only a bad deal. Not outrageous bad but just bad.

If you've got Python fever and a ton of hedge fund money, well that's what has driven the Python price into the near $3000 range.

That and the fact that they are no longer making them which means every time someone shoots one there is that much less Python Goodness in the world.

The Python and the S&W Model 27 are two outstanding firearms that IMhO were the epitome of production handguns. Anybody around my age could have got either one new in box for under $400 any time in our young adult lives. Personally I find that very irritating.

Is a Python worth that much? If somebody is willing to pay it then it is but that's in in the world of $250,000 sports cars and $400 bottles of bourbon.
 
His offer still stand but I can't see spending that amount of cash on a gun when I have something very similar to it. And shoot just as accurate. Besides I think I'll spend it on a model 29.
 
Pythons are nice guns, but way over-hyped by the internet/collector crowds. What you did was find out for yourself that , while nice, they are no where near as nice as people talk them up to be. You made the smart move.. at the end of the day you have a nice S&W that is as accurate as the Python. I say take some of that $2,000 you saved and put it toward some ammo and enjoy the gun you have.

You didn't drink the coolaid. Congratulations on being your own free thinking individual and not falling for the insane Python lust going on right now.
 
I have stated before that I think the S&W Model 586 is the best DA .357 Magnum revolver to come down the pike. Including the vaunted Model 27 and pre-Model 27s.

You did the right thing in my estiomation.

Bob Wright
 
"Would you guys have gone through with the trade?"

No way. That's like paying $2800 for a Python. You can buy a couple of nice Smiths for $2000. Or that Model 29 and a boatload of ammo.
 
I agree GRyder.

The Python is maybe a bit better than a top S&W, but just a bit.

Why are they so high?

Cause they are Colts and they are not made anymore.

Collectors have bidded the prices up so much they can't come back down for fear of losing their shirts.

I'm happy with my S&Ws.

Deaf
 
You made the right move.

Nothing against the Pythons but I myself will never own one, at least if the market for them stays as it is or gets worse (for buyers anyway).

Like you, I don't care for the way the cylinder release works. I don't find it nearly as "handy" as Smiths or Rugers. That's about the only thing I don't like about them.

If you have $2000 to spend on a handgun right now, boy oh man you could just about get 2 REALLY nice classic Smiths with that budget!! I would be looking at no-dash 57's, and probably 27's to accompany my 586 if I were in your shoes.
 
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that's an awful lot of money to spend for just a name..... considering original classic well made guns with different names can still be had for a lot less.
 
He had 2 and wanted a shooter, so instead of shooting his one Python. He offered it to trade for mine.

Well I was saving up for a model 29 (one with recessed cylinders) and a AR rifle.
I wasn't about to blow all that money just for a nice pistol. I agree that the Python is a bit over hyped. Although I admit the craftsmanship is very good. But I'd rather enjoy my lowly S&W!
 
If you want the gun to shoot keep the 586. It'll do all the Python will do, d/a is better on a Smith. You will look better with a Python. One of my skeet buddies said that if you can't shoot good you can at least look good. (He shoots a Krieghoff). I have a Python but I shoot S&W guns.
 
Hello
I am not a Colt Python Lover I have heard that they fall out of time with constant use unlike that 586 that will Just Keep shooting fine no matter what the round count is. In my eye's you did the right thing Passing on that Over priced Colt...;) Hammer it
 
I think Pythons look goofy. The butt is too rounded, I don't like the ribbed barrel, the hammer seems too curved and pronounced looking, the cylinder release is literally backwards. I never had any desire to own one and if I inherited one I would take advantage of the outrageous sale prices thanks to Walking Dead geeks, and sell it immediately.

Are they a good gun? I'm sure they are since they were made during a time of serious revolver craftsmanship, but if they were so great, why doesn't a Colt still make them? S&W, Ruger, Taurus, Charter Arms, and Rossi still make revolvers and turn a profit. Why can't Colt? When did they stop making Pythons, the late 90's? And I bet they weren't as crafted as the older ones. I seem to remember they were selling for about 800 bucks. Not that far from a 586 or 686. And certainly not enough to ward off a buyer who is currently paying 2 grand for one.
 
That's like paying $2800 for a Python.
Click to expand...
...which is insane unless I plan on just sitting on it as an investment. The action is fragile, and replacement parts are drying up. As a shooter, the Smith is a far more reasonable choice.
 
I wasn't a Python fan back when they were in production... In the 70s & 80s, Dan Wesson built a more accurate revolver for less money, Smith & Wesson offered more calibers and configurations for less money (and the K frame action is about the sweetest IMO), and Ruger offered stronger guns for less money.

I chuckle everytime I see an old Colt sell for silly money. Some folks just have to have one, I guess.
 
I've never understood Python mania, and it always amuses me to read about someone paying several thousand dollars for a Python, and then raving about what a great deal it was...
 
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