The Long and Creepy Colt Revolver's Double Action

A

Ala Dan

Member in memoriam
Greetings To All; Not being biased towards semi-auto's, let's compare Colt revolver's
long and creepy double action with the often
found short smooth action of Smith & Wesson revolver's. With that being said, all of the Colt revolver's that I have owned and seen (including the expensive Python model) have
had terrible long and creepy double actions;
as compared to the often found short, smooth
double action of Smith & Wesson revolver's!!! :) In most instances one had to
spend $$$$ to get the touted "hand honed" action of the Python anywhere near as smooth
as the Smith's out of the box perfection; :(
Not too mention the added cost of the Python, as compared to say a S&W Model 19/66, or a
27/28. :p And if the user opted for a Colt Trooper MK-III, he was just in sad shape faced with the dilemia of not being able to
shoot groups as smoothly as the S&W folks; or
trading that "hunk of junk" for one of those
Model 19's, with it's short, sweet double action. :D I would like to know your opinion on this subject, as in the early days of
police "weapons of choice", the S&W Model 19
led the way!!! :)

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
I'm not an expert on Colt revolvers, but creepy triggers?? Not on my vintage nickeled Python ;) It's as smooth as a baby's butt in every facet. It's all stock with less than 200 rounds through it.

[This message has been edited by ether (edited October 17, 2000).]
 
ether, glad to hear that they did make some with nice actions. I owned four in all, with
some being of "early manufacture" and I could
never get use to their action? :( May be due
to the fact that I have short, stubby finger's; you reckon? :D All in all, I loved the beauty of the Pythons; as my earliest one had a serial number of 29554 without any prefix!!! :) It was a 2-1/2" barrel model bought new in the 50's for a grand total of
$125.00 by a now deceased friend of mine.

All of them shot really well; especially the 6" barrel model. :) Also had (2) four inch barrel models; one nickel and one blue. Never
had and don't parrticullary want one of the stainless models; as the workmanship don't seem to be the same!!! :(

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
Mine was a hand-me-down from my late grandfather. *Sigh* I guess they just don't make 'em like they used to...but mine really is a gem.
Forgot to mention it's got a 6" barrel.

[This message has been edited by ether (edited October 17, 2000).]
 
Most Colt double actions are smooth, but there is a basic design difference between the Colt and S&W systems.

Colts "stack" on DA, that is the trigger pull becomes harder as the trigger moves to the rear and the angle of the trigger shelf to the hammer strut comes closer to zero.

S&W designed in a cam on the trigger that comes into play to relieve the hammer strut and keep the pull consistent all the way through. This does not necessarily make the pull lighter (in pounds) but it makes it easier to use and easier to keep the sights on the target in DA shooting.

In addition, the S&W action is simpler, more easily worked on (this is both good and bad, as many amateurs ruin parts), and has fully interchangeable parts, which the old Colt actions did not have.

Jim
 
I was raised on S&W double actions, but eventually succumbed to the glamorous Python in the late Seventies and bought a six inch model. It had a nice crisp single action letoff, and I used to do pretty well in the revolver stages of metallic sihlouette matches with it. Well, I should say that I could hit the 100 meter rams with regularity, but the .357 wasn't enough to knock them down reliably. (Clang! clang! damn!)

I never could get used to the double action though. I absolutely hate the way the trigger pull stacks up at the end.

Traded it.

They do look great though.
 
I currently have 3 Colt revolvers, 6" Python, 4" Diamondback in 38 Special and 2" Dective Special. I also have several S&W revolvers including some 4", 5" and 6" MP (Model 10) from 50's and 60's. In my experience Colt triggers are just as smooth as S&W triggers if not better and I shoot better (in DA) with Colt revolvers than S&W. In SA shooting they are both great. Most people I see at ranges wouldn't know a great DA trigger and don't know how to use it when shooting DA. It takes a lot of time and ammo to learn but once mastered shooting a revolver in DA can be very fast and accurate.
 
I lean toward auto loaders, but I have 2 wheel guns: a S&W subbie .38 Special (I bought it used, honest) and a Colt Trooper Mk III .357. I never notice a big difference between the trigger action on the two, and just got then out and dry fired each a couple times to check. The trigger pull on the Colt is a little long compared to modern autos like my SIG or Kimber, but not excessive compared to the S&W. And it is as smooth and consistent as the S&W. I shoot nice tight groups with the Colt from Weaver at 5-12 yards. As an autoloader fan, I can't ask for anything more than that. Bottom line is that I shoot better SA with auto or wheel guns, and thus would rather have an auto in my hand in a crunch. Not to mention having an additional 4-9 rounds in the mag. But that's another issue.
 
Back when I started doing a lot of DA revolver work--and was getting pretty fair at it--I played with a borrowed Trooper Mk III, 4", nickelled. SA was very nice and the gun was pretty. DA had the terrible Colt stack. Did some minor stoning and installed a spring kit, then had Craig Spegel make up some better grips in an effort to get some control of the gun. All to no avail. I could have had the gun for free and passed on it. Too much aggravation.

Once cops learned about double action Colt lost the police market for good.

There is a reason why Kuhnhausen has a two volume set on Colt DA revolvers as opposed to one volume each on S&W and Ruger. Heaven help you if you need work done on one.

------------------
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top