Outrageous snake prices

I can agree with most of that except for the "limited availability" part. I suppose it absolutely depends on your circle of travel and where you go to see & look for guns, but these were made in varying amounts from 1955 to the bitter end of the 1990's and there are production numbers out there that suggest well over 500,000 of these revolvers were produced.

In almost any way I would try and assess that number, "limited" isn't one of them. I definitely see a number of them at any gun show I attend.

For an apples to Buicks comparison, I can state that over the last 3 years of hitting different gun shows, I've (literally, truthfully) seen far more Colt Python revolvers than I have examples of a Ruger Security Six.

Certainly, you could make the argument that there's such a small amount of "sellable value" in the 'Six' series that dealers don't spend energy getting them and marketing them... but I am saying that it's not even close.
 
My math of gun appreciation for 10 years or 100 years looks much like the math for guitar appreciation.
3% compounded annually.
% annual Return = [1- year root [now price / then price]] x 100

The fringe exceptions:
Colt SAA much better than 3%
Mossberg bolt action 16 ga shotguns much less than 3%.
My security portfolio for the last 20 years is 20% compounded annually.
My real estate holdings for the last 20 years is 5% compounded annually.
Calculated average inflation for the last 20 years 4.48%
http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/historical-inflation-rates/

There are many things that cost extra because they are no longer manufactured. HP 11 hex calculators are one. But if HP started making them again, they would slide down such a steep slope of the demand curve that the price would be very low.

demandsupplycurve.jpg


Colt double action revolvers are harder to manufacture than calculators.
Someday we may be able to scan some Colt parts and voila CNC built parts will fit like the highly skilled Colt workers used to fit them.
When that happens, we may get the best Colt Pythons ever built for cheap. Until then, we are stuck way up on the left side of the demand curve.
 
From Saxon Pig:

I have wondered why Colt can't make a Python priced at $1,200 but maybe they can't.
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They were making one several years ago, about 5-6 years ago, as I pointed out. No one was buying them. At least not enough that continued production was profitable. It's important to note that while new production Pythons were not selling older models were selling and at prices much higher than the new.

...Or maybe they are simply not interested in the civilian handgun market. They have focused on military contracts for several years now.
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Both statements are untrue and old chestnuts written by an old chestnut whose love for Smith and Wessons has blinded him and caused him to forget the many times his errors on Colt have been refuted and the several times he has been involved in just this discussion.

tipoc
 
Originally posted by Sevens: I can agree with most of that except for the "limited availability" part.
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You are correct, I should have said "perceived limited availability". Again, something promoted by online gun forums and those that own them. While they are no longer made, there were tons of them made when they were in production.
 
Not sure this is a new pinnacle for Python Mania, but a 3" stainless Combat model just went for $41K on Gunbroker
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Good lord, no doubt a beautiful revolver, but at $41K have we reached the peak?
 
Not sure this is a new pinnacle for Python Mania, but a 3" stainless Combat model just went for $41K on Gunbroker.
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I guess you really have to be a Python aficionado to understand why someone would cough up that much money for a run-of-the-mill 357 magnum revolver. Obviously, I'm not a Python aficionado...:cool:
 
$41K for a Python? Even a stainless steel 3" Python is staggering. I make approximately $55,000 a year. The idea of paying that much for a revolver....... good grief I see second hand Holland & Holland and Westley Richards shotguns go for that much. Even a little less. I like Colt revolvers, but that's crazy.
 
I have .38 blue 4" Diamondback I bought around 1965 for $125. A dealer told me not to take less than $1200 for it. I may sell it since I can't see the sights anymore :( Actually thinking of selling all my pistols except my carry guns.

But I sure do hate the thought of letting them go
 
Why so much for that 3" gun? Well other than that rich folks will pay whatever they want to to outbid their rivals for something they want we have this clue...

This is one of the rarest of the rare 3" barrel Colt Combat Pythons you are likely to encounter; a New In The Box, Model I3030, made in 2003 as a custom order of 10 stainless steel Combat Pythons for Carol Wilkerson; this is number 9 of that batch from Colt's Custom Shop. We have the purchase letter from the gun shop and I also emailed Carol Wilkerson and verified her purchase date of December 2003 from Colt, at which time she sold this revolver to the current owner; I can forward this email as well. For those of you unfamiliar with Carol Wilkerson, you can go to this link: http://collectcolt.com/ Also this link is helpful (what I used) to identify this guns authenticity and origin: http://www.coltforum.com/forums/python/71904-3-python-question-5.html As for any of the usual shenanigans, if you want this revolver, bid or get off the pot if you want this in your collection! The seller will not be interested in ending the auction early for your "reasonable offer". On the back end, if payment is not received within 14 days, I will relist the revolver. If you can not afford it, do not bid. You are responsible for the FFL to FFL transfer, shipping & insurance fees; this will be actual costs to us and not padded (and if you have to ask, you are bidding on the wrong revolver).
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This particular gun comes from a well known batch of guns from a famous Colt collector. "Famous" in the same way that R.L. Wilson is famous (or infamous) in certain circles of Colt collectors. So it's not any Python, it's a particular Python. It was made at a certain time and owned by a particularly well known family of Colt collectors famous for that collection. Oh yeah, and 2 or 3 well healed fellas got in a bidding war for it.

People pay for aura and mystique. How else explain Kim Kardashian.

tipoc
 
Hmmm.

Is that more pricey than the Python referenced in Post#42 and posted with a link two days ago, and discussed in 4 of the last 5 posts before yours? :confused:

;)
 
Some of it is when lots of us were younger we wanted one and could not afford it. Now we have more money but Colt no longer makes them. I lucked out and bought a 6 inch Elite the last year Colt was still making them. I was worried as I ordered it sight unseen. It was a $1K thing. It is built like a swiss watch. I figured maybe a lot of the folk at Colt wanted the last ones to be good. Even I was amazed when I have seen these go for like $4.5K on the intergoogle sites. If you buy a Python because you wanted one and have the money go for it. If you buy one because you think you can double your money on it then good luck.
 
By the way, besides the Python which is SS in 6 inch I have a S&W 686 in 6 inch and a Ruger GP 100 in 6 inch, so if you just want a DA revolver then you get into other questions.
 
Hmmm.

Is that more pricey than the Python referenced in Post#42 and posted with a link two days ago, and discussed in 4 of the last 5 posts before yours?



You're asking way too many questions with too many numbers involved. I don't due stress on internet forums. ;)
 
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