Shooter/Beater Pythons now $1,250+

S

Skans

New member
I know pretty Pythons are fetching upwards of $2,000, maybe even more these days. But, here's one that looks like it was pitted and someone took a dremmel to it: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=469415409

Fourteen people bidding on it and the auction isn't over at $1,258. I don't even think this one can be refinished. This would be for the purist who can overlook all the ugliness and just wants to shoot the heck out of it, I guess. Only thing is, for that kind of money I think I could find a prettier shooter that will perform just as good as the Python. First thing I would do if this were mine is sell those grips and get $350+. Then, you might end up with a shooter for under 1K.

I must be missing something here?:confused:
 
I am sure someone will sand he down and refinish it, sell it to a sucker that doesn't know any better for 2,200$. I bet you'll see that 18691 serial number in the future someday
 
sand he down and refinish it,
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I thought the same, but upon taking a good look at it, I don't think it can be done. At least, I don't think you can sand it enough safely to take the pits out.
 
$1,600.00 + $$ for a beater Python:eek:. Either the winner knows more about future prices than I do, or this auction became a battle of egos. I.e who's got the biggest set.

Colts are fine handguns, but with the current prices, I'm Very Happy that I'm a lowly Smith and Wesson guy:D.
 
The Python is at least WORTH three Model 27s.

It is the greatest combat revolver EVER. MADE.

And no, they don't make it anymore. When they were new, the Colt Python cost a premium over S&W and especially Ruger, and that is because of all the hand fitting that goes into a Python, and the incredible amount of finish work. Couple that with a superior action that is far smoother than an S&W action could ever be in both DA and SA, and you have the Python.

It is a modern feat of human engineering, and would essentially be impossible to make today at least without costing $3000+ for a new one. That's the reason why these Pythons are so incredibly valuable, and frankly, you can't put a price on perfection, and that's exactly what the Python is: the pinnacle of double-action revolver perfection. Everything else is a DISTANT second/third etc. best.

Now I wouldn't spend that kind of money on this example in the shape it's in, but it's not all that bad of a price considering.
 
Model12Win said:
It is the greatest combat revolver EVER. MADE.
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Well, I don't know about that. I'd argue that the greatest combat revolver ever made is this Smith & Wesson Model 625 Mountain Gun:



Here's why:

It's chambered in 45 ACP, which has an outstanding reputation as a combat round. Whether it's better than a 357 magnum is open to argument, but many folks believe it is.

It uses moon clips, so a skilled shooter can lay down a volume of fire almost equivalent to that of a 1911. Its double action, while maybe not as smooth as a Python's, is more than adequate for combat situations. I'd argue that its single action trigger pull is better than a Python's.

Model12Win said:
...frankly, you can't put a price on perfection, and that's exactly what the Python is: the pinnacle of double-action revolver perfection.
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Whoa, that's a might bold statement! I've never owned a Python, but I have shot them on a few occasions, and my impression is that they're decent, accurate handguns. I've never cared for the clunky full underlug, vented rib barrel, which is the main reason I would consider them less than perfect.

Just my 2 cents...
 
Originally Posted by Model12Win
It is the greatest combat revolver EVER. MADE....

...you can't put a price on perfection, and that's exactly what the Python is: the pinnacle of double-action revolver perfection. Everything else is a DISTANT second/third etc. best.
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It's certainly the most iconic combat revolver of all time, and it's quite possibly my favorite revolver (otherwise I wouldn't buy so many), but these statements are quite a stretch.

From a pure "marvel of engineering" standpoint, the Python has nothing on the Korth Combat and Sport or the Manurhin MR73, and the MR73 thoroughly outclasses it as a combat revolver.

Greatest American combat revolver ever? That's a more reasonable claim.

Originally Posted by JayCee
I've never owned a Python, but I have shot them on a few occasions, and my impression is that they're decent, accurate handguns.
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"Decent, accurate" handgun undersells the Python at least as much as the prior post oversells it. Unless you're talking about some of the Pythons that Colt turned out in the '80s and '90s. A '50s and '60s Python is orders of magnitude above being a "decent" gun.
 
I would not touch junk like that!

pix744617565.jpg
 
It is the greatest combat revolver EVER. MADE.
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That's a very subjective statement.

It's a very nice revolver. Very well made revolver. But combat? I dunno about that.

Try disassembling it in the field for cleaning out mud.

It's maybe a tiny more accurate than a S&W, and slightly more accurate than a Ruger.

Some, like Charlie Askins, preferred the Colts, but some, like Bill Jordan, preferred the S&Ws.

Do note, most of the famous lawmen in the early to mid 1900s used S&Ws.

And I say this having owned a fair number of Colt revolvers.

Deaf
 
If Colts were so great, they'd still be making them. At least the trooper and anacondas. S&w, Ruger, even Taurus, still churn out revolvers daily. There's a market for them. They just stopped making them. Maybe it was because people realized they didn't do anything better than a S&W.

I've fired a few Pythons. Held one the other day in a gun shop. Didn't feel special to me. Vented barrel still looks goofy. Guy wanted $2000 for a 6"' blued Pyhton with finish wear. I just shook my head.

As for iconic, the 357 was born when J Edgar Hoover wanted a more powerful revolver, and the Model 27 was the result. Colt was losing a lot of its market for the Official Police to the Model 10, and they jumped in with the Python. Good gun? Of course? Worth the cash people are paying now? Not even close.
 
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