Smith & Wesson Or Colt - Which Is More Aesthetically Pleasing To You?

J

Joe_Pike

New member
Which is more pleasing to the eye to you folks, Smith & Wesson or Colt double action revolvers?

For me it is Smith & Wesson by a huge margin. I just can't warm up to Colt. I've owned three Colts and....nothing. No warm fuzzy feeling....nothing. I sold them and moved on. If you set a model 27 next to a Python I'll drool all over the 27. I'll then look at the Colt and wonder what the heck is wrong with those ugly factory grips and why is that vent rib rubbing me the wrong way. I know grips can be changed, but the Smiths just capture my attention every time.

Now, my 1974 Colt 1911 with the beautiful blue slide is another story.
 
I vote for the old S&W revolvers, no questions about it. I had a Colt Peacekeeper 357 and never warmed up to it either. I choose a Ruger over a Colt.
 
I've never seen a Colt double action, let alone own one. But I have a thing for S&W double actions. Now if I can just find one in .50AE for cheap.
 
I think that a six-inch Colt Python is drop-dead gorgeous. However, I prefer the S&W's for the ease of tuning the trigger and shooting double-action...it seems that there are more things you can do with S&W lock-work than Colt's and I think the end result is better, despite the much vaunted smooth Colt trigger.
 
The Colt Python is like that knockout gorgeous lady you'd like to be seen with at a party to impress some of the guys.

But the Smith & Wesson Model 27 or Model 19 or Model 15 is the one you want to take home and have around for a lifetime.
 
Give me a dark blued Python. Best looking revolver ever made IMO. I don't own either a S&W or Colt revolver. I'm just not enough of a revolver fan to spend that kind of money. My revolvers are Rugers, both of them.
 
Colt has made a lot of revolvers over the years and was well respected. I find it hard to beat the eye appeal of a Colt Detective Special with the full underlug. The lines of the Python and Diamondback... just about perfect.

I took home many a Colt revolver.... but in recent years I am more selective as to what I take home as the majority of them don't get shot anymore. My favorite 357 mag revolver (shooter) remains a Trooper Mark III.

I started buying pre-lock Smiths to shoot and have been pleased overall with their quality. Love the lines and balance of the M57 Smith.... which is just about the same as a M29 or M27. Like Colt they knew how to do a nice deep blue finish. I have always felt that the M686 was an attempt by Smith & Wesson to copy the Python and still retain some of the classic S&W lines. Never developed a huge attraction to the stainless finish although it is a serviceable finish.
 
For pure aesthetics, Colt Python and Diamondback. Otherwise, it's function and reliability in which case it's the humble Ruger. S & W do look better than Rugers do though. So, in response to the question, for me its:

Colt Python/Diamonback > S & W > Ruger
 
I agree with the preference in the original posting for a Model 27 over a Colt Python, but change that to a New Service and I far prefer the Colt. Then again, a triple lock is a thing of beauty.

As for action work, the Smith & Wesson has the advantage because parts are more available. Very few people today know very much about tuning those old Colt actions, but anyone who has ever shot a well-tuned early Colt knows that it is right up there in the class of the best Smith & Wesson, just different. Bear in mind that before WWII the Colt New Service outsold the heavy S&W's 10 to 1. After WWII the biggest Colts disappeared, thus most modern shooters and gunsmiths are far more familiar with the S&W.

I love the one that is in my hand best.
 
There are a few Colts that I find aesthetically pleasing. Some of the old New Service guns, particularly those in 45 Colt with a 4.5" barrel. Pythons are indeed pretty. And, I like the compactness of the last version of the Detective Special, especially with the 3" barrel. A lot of performance in a very compact package.

Then I pick them up and it's all over. The grip angle and reach to the trigger on the New Service is unmanageable for me. The grip angle on the Python is the same and I hate the stacking trigger that comes standard on the Colts. As for the DS, I never found a set of grips that fit my hand except ones that made the gun nearly as big over-all as a K-frame, which has a superior trigger pull. So...

I would have to vote for S&W too.

Dave
 
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