Smith 686P vs Colt Python

3

357MagFan

Moderator
I own a 686P and have been quite pleased with it cept for the fact that there is a "rattling noise" when I shake or turn it upside down. The gun is accurate and beautiful and seemingly strong, "Ive only fired about a 1000 rounds over the last 2 months though so it still has a while to go before I can form an accurate opinion on it. The other day I was looking at some Pythons, they are actually quite close in appearence to the 686 cept for the rail on top of the barrel and the grips, problem is they usually go for a couple hundred bucks more. Is the price difference justified? and if so why? or are you just paying for the "colt" name.

What are your thoughts on this issue?
 
Oh ya and in terms of durability what wins in this case? "leave the GP-100 out of this, yes I know its built like a tank"
 
Back around 1987 I bought both a 686 & a Python.
Both are GREAT .357s & worth it if you think they are.
Both do well with a .357 Levergun.
:D
 
Funny you mention a lever gun because my next gun is going to be the Marlin 1894C :D chambered of course in 357. we must think alike in that respect
 
Let me first say that I dislike anything S&W and it's a long story that has nothing to do with thier craftsmanship.

That being said, I wouldn't dream of buying the Python over the S&W. Have had quite a few Colts and there will always be a warm fuzzy place in my heart for them. Problem is that the Pythons I have had, 3 to be exact, have ALL come with problems out of the box. I have owned around 100 guns through the years and the ONLY guns I have had problems with out of the box were Colt revolvers. The 3 Pythons, Trooper MkIII & an Anaconda, 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's vintages were all problematic at best. Timing problems, lockwork problems, canting bbl were from NIB guns bought by me except for the Trooper which was a police trade in that was basically NIB. NO... Most gun dealers don't send them back for you even if you bought it yesterday. NO... Colt won't send a call tag either. All 5 guns were sold off at a loss just to get rid of my headaches. Colt revolvers just don't seem to cut it at my end. 0 for 5.

In the case of S&W my personal experience is limited to a 629 which functioned flawlessly and a few aquaintences have run the gamut of there catalog without issue. 1 for 1
 
Colt Python would be a Rolls Royce 357 Magnum. S&W 686P would be a Chevrolet 357 Magnum.
Click to expand...

I agree with the statement that the Python would be a Rolls Royce, but the S&W 686P is, by comparison, certainly not a chevy. I would call it, at worst, a BMW or an Audi. Ruger GP100 is a chevy. Smith is more than a workaday gun. Any gun with such fine timing, lockwork, and triggers plus fine forged metal construction can't be a Chevy.

Okay, no more nitpicking about car analogies :)
 
You know this topic comes up once in a while and after reading so many threads comparing the 4 I ended up getting one of each

19-3
686-4
Python
GP100

all 6" guns.

My favorite best shooter and trigger is hands down my M19-3. the 686-4 comes in a very close 2nd. The Python and GP100 both stack at the end w/ the GP100 feeling better than the Python. The Python is different. There is an "emptyness" to it on the initial trigger pull and gets increasingly heavier as you get to the end of the DA pull. Although the break is clean, it's a long pull. I much prefer the short "gearing" the 686 and 19 offer.
The Python rules in SA though w/ my 686 right there. The differences are so subtle I really cannot say the Python is the Rolls Royce. If I were then I would say the S&W is a Lamborghini and the Ruger is a Humvee.

I like them all and they are all excellent shooters. I cannot shoot one better than another. My accuracy varies and usually gets better as I shoot one and tune into it.

You pay more for the COLT Python because of availability....they don't make it anymore. The Python has more handwork going into it thus was an expensive revolver as it was when it was produced. It's a great accurate gun w/ a loyal following and will serve you well. It is worth the price only if you deem it so and want one for the sake of having a piece of history as well as a good shooter. The 686 is still being produced, my wife just picked up a 686-6 2.5" barrel 7shot. It has the new case lock and transfer bar system but it is a great shooter and the trigger is great. The 686 is very reliable and has that "feels right" feeling in my hand.

If you are really looking for a good "pointer" try out a M66 or M19. They don't take full house magnums as well as the 686 or Ruger, but IMO, the 19/66 has the best overall hand feel, shoot feel, aim feel.

Everything above is based on my experience w/ these revos and solely my personal opinion. Others will feel differently.
 
I have both and love them both for different reasons
as others have said....
the python is a awesome revolver and a rolls royce of revolvers
but the 686 is a fighting gun like a ferrari
if im going out for target shooting id bring the python
if i was carring one it be the 686
 
I going out on a limb here but both my Ruger GP100 6" and 3" shoot very well and handle recoil the best. They are in their own class and I really cannot rate them any better or worse than a 686 or Python. They have their strong points and weaks points but they all shoot straight and have smooth triggers. If I ever get to the skill level of Miculek, then my opinions would be stronger.
 
Every day I have to stop and admire my 686 for a while, this is going to be one of those guns "hopefully" that I pass on to the next generation.
I really appretiate all your opinions and comments this is a great forum
 
The Python's price comes from all the handfitting required to build one (everyone knows what labor costs these days). The old Colt action doesn't lend itself to todays mechanized assembly lines used by other gun makers.
Also they are still in production out of the Custon Shop.
The Model 686 was actually styled after the Python since it is the older revolver.
 
I had a 6" Python in the seventies that I tuned myself and used for plinking, police combat matches, and part-time duty use. I also found a 4" barrel which I fitted to it and used that for a while.

The Python points well instinctively and handles recoil very well, but the single-stage double-action trigger is more difficult to control than the double-cam Smith triggers. It's really hard to beat the K-frame handguns for trigger quality, but I've never owned an L-frame. My 627 fits my large hand better than either of the smaller Smith frames, and I like it, but the trigger mechanism isn't as smooth as the K-frames I own/owned.

The best shooting revolver I ever had was a 4" S&W model 13 with a Bomar Rib that I put together and smoothed up. A bit bulky for carry, but it shot like a dream!

Picher
 
Not sure about the Python. My only experience with it was 6-rounds plinking soda cans. I liked it, it felt good, but it was valuable and somebody else's gun, so....

I have only fired about 12-18 rounds through my friend's 6" 686. Imagine my surprise to find it easily shot tight clusters at 15-20 yards with .38 wadcutters. Great revolver IMO.

Now I have fired a 6" Ruger GP-100 extensively. (Dad's gun.) Not a bad shooter once they wear in. Built like a tank but not seriously over-sized like Ruger .44 Magnums. (I know, I know, the Ruger .44 will take abuse all day and come up for more. My Smith 629 will take all the abuse I care to throw at it, has a smoother action AND feels better in my hands.) About as accurate as the 686 and soaks up recoil well. (We're talking full-size .357s here, not exactly like they kick enough to bother a seasoned shooter.)

As an overall view though, I have high regard for Smith and Ruger revolvers, having yet to see one that won't shoot well. From my Grandfather's old Highway Patrolman to my new-to-me 629, I'd say stick with the Smith and don't worry about the Colt, unless you just want the Python. In which case, go for it.
 
Some one here said

That the Smith is the chevvvy and the Colt is the what ever.
Truer words were never spoken, I kick my self every day that I sold to a good friend a 4 inch Python, weight ballance and the ability to drive tacks and just over all quality there is nothing like it. With that said, are they worth the price?
I would like to see them under 400 like a smith, but the day that that happens I am also going to go out and buy a new 911 for $23,000
 
I own a 686P and have been quite pleased with it cept for the fact that there is a "rattling noise" when I shake or turn it upside down.
Click to expand...


Do you think that might be the rear sight? Quite a lot of Smiths have a slightly wiggly rear sight. It only wiggles front-to-back, not side to side.
 
I am positve its not the rear sight, in fact just today I took it to a gunsmith and even he didnt know what it was right away, everything inside was solid and fine, so he pressed the firing pin with some little tool and seriously decreased the noise, he thinks its the fireing pin...I think its the firing pin and I was told by another dealer somewhere else that it was the firing pin and that its completly normal. I did the same test with another model they had for sale "smith 686" and it had the sound, a did the test with a ruger GP-100 and IT also has the noise so ive come to the conclusion that it is normal.

Turns out that the older model 686s "2 years ago and prior" have the hammer/firing pin together so they didnt have this noise "so im told"

I wonder why they came up with the new design of a flat hammer smacking the firing pin, I actually like the older design better
 
Find a real gunsmith, all smith and wesson revolvers rattle. This is just the transfer bar (or whatever S&W calls it). It prevents that hammer and firing pin from being able to contact the primer until the trigger is pulled. Your gun sounds fine.
 
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