Proud new Python owner. Questions.

K

Kayser

New member
My shiny new 6" Python, bought it NIB from gunbroker just arrived today. I am totally stricken by it. I'm in awe.

But, I'm new to revolvers, really only having experience with 1911's in the handgun world.

I posted some of these questions on 1911forum, but I figured getting it straight from the revolver crowd can't hurt either :)

I did a thorough examination of the gun and everything appears fine to my untrained eyes. A few questions though.

- When both cocked and not cocked the cylinder does have rotational play. Not a tremendous amount. << 1 mm. But its enough so that I can visibly see it move when fiddling with it. From what I'm told this is normal. And it appears that what dictates the play is simply the locking bolt in the cylinder notch. I would think that with a large enough misalignment you could have a dangerous situation. Having had a 1911 blow up in my hands, I'm eager to avoid more exciting incidents :)

- The cylinder release is just a tad wobbly. I suppose this is more cosmetic than anything else. Normal?

- Rounds per trip. I'm planning on hitting the range this weekend with around 100 rounds of FMJ .357, 50 rounds of FMJ .38 and 50 rounds of 158gr lead .38. First up, after how many rounds does a big magnum like this start to want cleaning? I clean after every trip religiously, but I'm wondering if the hot nature of the .357 dictates an upper limit on how many you should shoot at a time.

- Barrel life/replacement. That's one badass barrel. What kind of lifetime can I expect from it? How the heck do you even replace one on a gun like this?

- Trigger/action life. Does it even have one? I've heard that revolvers can develop "timing" issues with their triggers. What's a good way of giving a quick examination of the timing?

- Cleaning. I haven't been able to dig up any good resources on proper revolver/Python cleaning. What does one need to focus on beside the barrel and cylinder?

- How do I convince myself to put this thing down and go to bed? As much as I love my 1911, this thing just bowls me over.

Thanks for any input.
 
New Revolver

First... sit down... take a deep breath... exhale...slowly.... If you are this excited about a Python I shudder to think what you would do with a Pre WW II S&W..... :)

Ok, a bit of wobble is normal... the real check is to dry fire (empty of course) and hold the trigger back after the hammer falls... they cyl should be pretty well locked then...but a little movement is ok.

The Cyl release should be snug but not stiff.

If you will shoot cast bullets your barrel will last pretty much for ever... My first (owned myself that is) revolver was/is a S&W M27 I bought my Junior year in High School... still shoots like a dream and is exceptionally accurate... the barrel still looks new... It must have had over 60,000 rounds through it. The timing finally wore a bit, but a trip to S&W a few years ago and a $50 tune up restored it to new condition.

I clean by removing the grips and dunking my revolvers in Gen'l. Hatcher's Frankfurt Arnl. solvent... cheap to use and cleans better than anything else I have used (formula is in "Hatcher's Notebook.")

Hope that helps.

Chuck
 
Thanks for the info! The cylinder is indeed locked tight with the trigger held back.

This is the first handgun I've ever owned that is longer than my entire forearm plus half my hand. ::drool::

pth_small.jpg
 
Cleaning.....What's that

I shoot mostly lead. Once I have a load that works I don't clean my sixgun barrel unless I'm storing it. As long as it's hitting where it looks I just wipe the outside down and put them up. At most I run a couple patches soaked with No. 9 through the barrel and maybe a couple more before shooting it again. With a proper load (fit etc.) I've shot close to 1000 rounds without putting a brush to them. When the fouling builds on the top strap till it rubs the cylinder, it's time to clean.....HEE.....HEE
 
Cranes/timing life. *sigh*
How much did you pay for this gun. Just curious.
First of all, don't swing the cylinder out, and slap it in by snapping the gun to the right.
Gently swing the cylinder in by hand.
The barrel should outlive you if you shoot lead.
Even with FMJ or JHP, it will last a very long time.
I personally don't use a brush unless there is visible leading in the barrel.
I use flitz polish and a patch to clean the bore, and the cylinder.
That is a sweet gun.
Congrats.
 
The original design of the Python had a ( somewhat deserved) reputation for being fragile and easily knocked out of time. The service manual I read shows why: the "hand" gets hit with the rearward force of the cylinder at fire and beats up the works some. Anyway, the SW magnums use a different design to get around this and are a bit more sturdy in that area. Although, just about anybody's magnum can have a major spontaneous disassembly if fed a steady diet of full-power loads. At my range we've had a Taurus, Ruger, and SW magnum send their barrel downrange using factory magnum ammo when the flame cut through the top strap (obviously, they had seen a lot of use).

Cleaning and maintenance is a truly philisophical question: I clean all mine after every range visit. I also take the sideplate off and hose out the works about every fifth outing. I definitely recommend good grease like Tetra Lube on the internals to keep everything slick and lubed (doesn't run off like liquid oil).
 
ah the python, my companion when i first entered LE and through my years shooting PPC :D

1 & 5. your cylinder should lock up tight when trigger is pulled, i would start worrying about it going out of time when it starts spitting/shaving lead out the barrel gap.

2. the wobble is normal, you could tighten it up but it is not worth the trouble... cost and stress...involves a hammer :eek:

3 & 4. when practicing for PPC (we were only shooting .38spl wadcutters) we used to shoot 300-600 rounds at a session without problems. we were shooting double matches (150rds each) in a day during the season and would just brush (stainless) out the chanbers and clean under the ejector star between matches.

bi-weekly (after matches) cleaning was scrubing the chambers out, cleaning cylinder face and under the star, general wipe down and running a patch down the bore. full bore cleaning once a month (hoppes #9)

if you are going to shoot a mix of .38 and .357 mag loads, be sure to brush the chambers when changing over. there is a fouling buildup, at the mouth ou the shorter shells, the can cause problems chambering the longer magnum round.

6. don't put it down, lay it next to you in bed...they like to be cuddled
 
Pythons need to be taken to ranges frequently, or they feel neglected and stop shooting well.

Seriously: there's no reason a Python barrel shouldn't still be accurate 100,000 rounds from now, assuming you give it a thorough cleaning every time you return home from the range. I recommend removing the cylinder and crane to clean them separately from the frame and barrel. I soak the cylinder and crane in a bottle of Hoppe's No. 9 while cleaning the barrel and frame, and find they're much easier to clean.

One good Python deserves another.
 
I think we covered the lockup issue over on the 1911 forum.

Cylinder latch being loose is normal.

Barrel life is basically forever. Improper cleaning usually does a barrel in before shooting does. Barrel replacement is a job for the factory, or one of the very few Python-qualified gunsmiths who are still around. WARNING: There are very few gunsmiths qualified to work on the Python. If your gun needs work, either send it to the factory, or to somebody like Cylinder & Slide Shop who know how to work on them. Real Colt 'smiths are few and far between.

Timing issues: The older "D" and E/I" (Detective Special and Python) frame Colts, have a reputation for not being quite as durable as S&W or Ruger guns. This is due entirely to the fact that the Colt's have smaller, less durable parts, and each of those parts perform at least two functions. The Colt is a more complicated action than other brands, and critical contact areas are very small. Treat it well, and you should have many thousands of rounds of shooting with no problem.

To test timing: Watch the bolt, (the lock in the bottom of the frame window. SLOWLY cock the hammer while watching the bolt. The bolt MUST drop down out of engagement with the cylinder, BEFORE the cylinder begins to turn.

Continue to slowly cock the hammer and watch the bolt. It should drop back onto the cylinder into the first 1/2 of the ramp in front of the cylinder lock notch. If it drops early, the cylinder will be scarred up. To late, and the cylinder may "throw by" or turn past lockup. It should drop into the ramp with a nice clean "Click".

Continue cocking the hammer until it JUST locks at full cock. Attempt to turn the cylinder. If you hear another "click" the cylinder wasn't locked, and the gun is out of time. In other words, the cylinder should lock up JUST before the hammer locks back. The usual Colt out- of-time is the cylinder doesn't lock before the hammer cocks.
Do these tests on all 6 chambers.

Cleaning: If you shoot lead bullets, you will need a Lewis Lead Remover kit. This is a special device used to remove lead from the barrel without damaging it. DO NOT listen to people who will tell you about using all kinds of stuff to scrape lead out of the bore. These people aren't going to buy you a new barrel if it damages the bore. The Lewis kit has been around for many years, and is guarenteed not to damage the bore, so why take a chance with a Python barrrel on something "Joe Bob" says.

I use BRONZE Chamber cleaning brushes from Brownell's, to clean the lead from the chambers. DO NOT use the stainless brushes, these are for badly fouled guns only.

Also use bronze bore brushes. Purchase a Lead Remover Cloth from a gun shop, to clean lead and fouling from the front of the cylinder, but ONLY if your gun is stainless. The Lead Remover cloths will strip bluing right off.

I use a stainless cleaning rod, WITH A BORE GUIDE on the rod, to protect the muzzle. I run a brush with solvent down the bore a few times, then down each chamber. While that soaks, I use a toothbrush to clean off the breech face, the rear of the barrel and frame, and around the front of the cylinder and ejector rod.
Then I run wet patches down the bore and chambers, allow to soak a while, then dry with clean patches.
If you shot lead bullets, follow the directions for the Lewis kit.
Last, clean under the ejector and make sure both the underside of the ejector and the rear area of the cylinder under it, are dry and clean. Grit or burned powder can get under the ejector and cause the cylinder to stick or drag. Keep it clean.
 
caz223 : I paid $995 + shipping. Total : $1020. Elite, 6" Stainless. From what I gather, its not going to come much cheaper than that.

Dfariswheel : Thanks for the tips! Some pretty handy knowledge there. Those timing checks are pretty informative - Ie, checking timing is all about knowing where and when the bolt should _be_. According to my rookie checkup, all is well - I feel enlightened :)

I am _incredibly_ psyched for the weekend.
 
Kayser, my best advice is to invest in a copy of Jerry Kunhausen's book on gunsmithing the Colt Revolvers Vol. 1. This covers the Detective Special "D" frames to the "I" frame Pythons. Even if you never need to disassemble your Colt, this has some of the best info for Python owners there is. It goes into every detail of timing checks, disassembly, and cleaning.

For grips, I recommend the Hogue Mono-grip in rubber or fancy woods for shooting, and the original Colt grips for display.

I think you will find that all other guns are just guns, but a Python is a PYTHON!!!!!
 
There is a used blued model for $400 close to me. It has wear on the bluing near the muzzle etc.. But locks up tight. 6" barrel. Do they get any cheaper? This shop seems to have a lot of revolvers that just are not selling. I might make them an offer. Anything in particular to look out for on the older ones?
 
Pythons for less than $400 are usually rusted junk. If you can get a good condition Python for $400 and it doesn't have a problem, buy it now!!! Make sure you give it a thorough examination, but most used Pythons I have seen recently start at $600 and go as high as $900!
 
I would stick to .38 specials. Minimize shooting the .357 mag.

The lockwork designed on the Python is old, and not as strong.

If you like to shoot a lot without any timing issues, go with .38 specials.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top