So, being that I’m in semi-voluntary “self-isolation” at home and my lovely bride, the Evil Princess, is a thousand or so miles away taking care of her sick mom (NOT COVID-19, thank God), I was left to my own devices this last St. Patrick’s day.

There are traditions to be observed, at least on my end. My name notwithstanding, I’m a quarter Irish on me mum’s side;  sure an’ begorrah, her mother came to this country (Boston) from County Cork in the early 20th Century, where she met and married my maternal grandfather.  I promised my mother, who passed in 1975, that I’d always “wear the green” on Saint Patrick’s Day, and observe the holiday.

I’ve never been so glad to have a shooting range on my own property as now, during the time of Corona virus lockdown.  How to commemorate the good Saint driving the snakes out of Ireland?  I haven’t had to shoot one on my property in more than a decade.  That time I discovered that a 125 grain Speer Gold Dot .357 SIG round going 1430 feet per second from my Glock 31 pistol will vaporize the head of a water moccasin that is coming straight at you in your own damn carport.

If I couldn’t drive a snake out of Ireland, I could damn well drive a Python to my shooting range. The Python I drove there was a sample of the newly resurrected Colt Python .357Magnum revolver from Colt.  The oldest Colt Python of the ones in my collection is a four-inch barrel example with the incredibly lovely Royal Blue finish, produced in the mid-1970s and one of the very few guns I had occasion to carry on all three of the police departments I worked for in 43 years as sworn LE.  The new one compares surprisingly well to the old classic Pythons, even though it’s made in modern CNC and MIM fashion, and not lovingly hand-built by Colt’s most expert craftsmen.

If you’re not acquainted with the iconic original Colt Python, check out the three-part feature I did on it forty-some  years ago for American Handgunner magazine, here.

This new, cloned Python from its original maker is something of an allegory to what I think will be the predictable aftermath of the current pandemic crisis:  Things won’t be exactly what they were before, but hopefully, they’ll come close…

27 COMMENTS

  2. Great article as usual. You related St. Patrick’s Day to the empty bars this year, and tied in the snake drive lore with Colt’s great revolvers, your own brain-shot of a dangerous serpent, and your Irish heritage! I’ll just add that St. Patrick was born in Scotland to Roman parents. He was captured and enslaved by the Irish for six years, then escaped and returned home. Later he went back to evangelize Ireland.

    Good subject for a movie. And speaking of movies, Rod Serling was a fabulous writer. Each New Year’s Eve weekend, the SyFy channel presents “The Twilight Zone Marathon” and I am glued to my seat.

    Stay safe, everyone!

  3. My wife is also of mixed Irish heritage, but the mix includes her full blooded Commanche grandfather on her mum’s side, and a smattering of German/Austrian blood in there as well. She is a bit formidable at times, one of the things for which I love her.
    I have a couple of older Pythons and love ’em, but also had the opportunity to fire a couple of rounds through a customer’s new on at the range a few weeks ago. I agree Colt has done a good job, just worry that not enough modern handgunners will appreciate the goodness of a nice wheelgun to allow Colt to keep offering it for long.
    Hang in there while on your own, Mas – I’ve found it an opportunity to get caught up on some reading (Alexis Artwohl’s book, e.g.) and some spring cleaning to a deeper extent than I normally would.
    Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

  4. Wish I could afford a Python. I do have next best thing, a Model .357 that I picked up at a good price because it had been improperly stored and had surface pitting on the cylinder. mechanically, it’s excellent. Still, it’s a good shooter and an excellent candidate for a restoration.

  5. Ah Mas, luck of the Irish to ye. I’m sure me mum, 1/4 Irish or so, would me in sippin’ a tot of leprechaun whiskey for the occasion. And here in Idaho, the fields are green, so carry on.

  6. “…water moccasin that is coming straight at you in your own damn carport.”

    I wonder what that shot did the concrete, or what ever material the driveway was made of? 😉

    • I was in the carport at the time, the snake coming my way in the dirt of the drive. Bullet buried itself in the dirt.

      • I remember that escapade when you first wrote about it, Mas. A lady friend did the same in AZ a couple of years when she demolished a 4′ rattler’s head when it got too close to her in the parking lot with her Winchester PDX loaded Ruger .380. The carcass was in her freezer until the day she moved out your way.

      • Shot a Western Diamondback on a brick sidewalk with CCI .45 Colt snakeshot from a 7 1/2 inch Ruger Blackhawk, The snake was DRT for a rattler, but the shot didn’t make a single mark in the brick.
        When my late father was in Louisiana in 1941, at Camp Claiborne I think, training as a medic for overseas Army deployment, a goldbrick soldier crawled under a truck to hide from doing details. A cottonmouth moccasin struck the goldbrick directly in the neck. The goldbrick lived for only about five minutes after the strike.

  7. Mas,
    My wife is about Irish as you can be and not being born there. Her maiden name being Casey, her father being a NYC police detective and her mothers people from county Cork you would wonder how a French/English suitor could prevail. As a early 60’s US Marine I learned to adapt and overcome. After 51years I think it worked out.
    As a 60’s Marine I am an advocate of the 1911a1 and don’t have a revolver. I have seriously considered the new Python! Oh well, it would mean another caliber stock pile. Everyone I know but my kids think I’m a gun nut anyway!
    My deceased French/Canadian heritage father’s birthday was March 17 so you can imagine how this family celibates even today! Who needs the bars to be open!
    Thanks for all you do!

  8. I have always wanted to get my hands on a Colt Python. Especially one in Colt Royal Blue.

    Unfortunately, original versions have been priced to the moon by collectors. So, I pricked up my ears when Colt brought out this new version. So far, only stainless steel versions are being offered in the new Python.

    Mas, do you think that there is any chance that Colt will eventually offer a “Classic” version of the new Python in Colt Royal Blue?

    • Mas – You are probably correct about the polishing. Modern firearm manufacturers stay price-competitive by substituting computer-controlled manufacturing and the use of modern materials for the labor and hand-fitting that used to be done here in the U.S.A. Colt would not want to invest the labor to re-create the Royal Blue finish. They could not do it and still keep the price within reason in today’s market.

      Heck, even with this computer-machined new version, the MSRP is $1,499. A new Royal Blue version would push the price back “up to the moon” if it could be done at all.

      Probably, if I get one, I will just have to shop around and settle for one of these new stainless versions. With careful shopping, I may find one at (what I consider) a reasonable price!

  9. My Dad gave me his early Python in 1963. He had acquired it used from Brewster’s Gunshop in NH. I did add an Eliason rear sight. Still shoot it occasionally with light loads.

  10. Well nothing on St Paddy’s day.As you know I don’t drink anyone giving you candy after taking your class with Larry Big Mike Bob and me, Lord willing we will get another class in with you, and I will bring beer for you. I hate to say this but the weight of my choice carry gun got to heavy so Larry bought me a Glock 48. Larry was waiting to hear about the new pythons before he buys one. He is tighter then Jacks hat band. So if you like it I know he will. Keep safe say hello to your lovely wife, we will pray for her mother and both of you on this Covid 19.Well for this world of hate and evil.

  11. As the former owner of two 1970’s Colt Pythons, a 4″ and 6″ both blued and purchased new, I can honestly say I will not miss them. I only had the 4″ model for a year and did nothing to the revolver before selling it. The 6″ stayed with me for about 10 years and I worked on the action several times until it felt as good as a Walt Sherman roller action Python. It probably will never match a Reeves Jungkind or Jerry Moran modified Python, but since I’ve never felt either of those guns, can’t honestly compare them. I replaced the stock rear sight with an Eliason unit and shot my 6″ Python a lot, but most loads were very warm .38 Specials instead of magnums and I had to replace the hand twice because of timing issues. I finally sold that revolver after getting a S&W 586 with 6″ barrel and pined post front sight and I only had to tune it once and the action was slicker than my Python. Both revolvers were equally accurate at 50 yards, plus the S&W fit my medium sized hands better. I used to work at three of the largest local gun shops and sold over a dozen Pythons and the much vaunted Royal Blue finish of those revolvers were highly overrated. Every blued one I saw had a finish between satin and shiny, while all Smith & Wesson revolvers except for the model 28 had a shiny to glossy finish, especially the models 27, 29, and 57. The only reason I wished I still had those old Pythons is so I can sell them now for outrageous prices.

  13. Recalling that it took decades (once upon a time) for S&W polishers to work up to being assigned to the models 27 & 29, I’ve gotta doubt that most modern gunworks are up to the challenge of premium finish.

    Having worked on a couple of Colt revolvers, I was never a fan. One hopes (but will not bet)the Rube Goldberg action has been updated to less Byzantine mechanics.

    • I have read several reviews of the new python. Accord to these articles, a number of changes were made including strengthening the top strap and the redesign (and simplifying) of the lock-work. For example, Guns and Ammo Magazine said:

      “Minimizing the amount of parts in the trigger action has simplified the mechanism, elevating its reliability and allowing for more straightforward maintenance. The testing process included over 40,000 trigger pulls on a single Python. Trigger pull scans show lighter trigger pull weights, less friction and increased consistency, re-enforcing the Python’s reputation as a gun that can be heavily used and passed down through generations.”

      Of course, the gun magazines will tend to be enthusiastic about something like the new python.

      Since he has actually shot one, perhaps Mas could comment on how the trigger pull seems on these new ones?

      • TN, the pull was smooth, but a bit on the heavy side: six pound range in single action, nine in double action. I’m told that came from making sure the new gun passed the stringent California drop tests, and personally suspect it may have had something to do with the early 2020 Pythons with very light pulls occasionally having misfires with foreign ammo with hard primers.

      • Mas, that is interesting. The double action pull sounds great but the single action pull is too heavy.

        I recently purchased an old Colt Police Positive 38 Special (5-inch barrel) from an online auction site. This Colt was built in 1923 and came with an original Audley Safety Holster.

        The revolver showed holster wear on the bluing and the holster showed a lot of wear too. However, the bore and chambers were as bright and clean as if the gun had been manufactured yesterday. Clearly, this was a revolver that had been carried a lot but shot very little. Maybe an old police revolver?

        The cylinder gap measures 0.004 inches. The single action pull measures a crisp, clean 4 lbs. The double-action pull measures a smooth 11 lbs.

        I took it to the range and fired about 33 rounds through it. Mostly low pressure cowboy type reloads. Clearly, I don’t want to put +P ammo into this old of a revolver.

        However, I did fire three (3) Federal 125 grain (standard pressure) Nyclad hollowpoint rounds. I have a couple boxes of this Federal ammo still left. Note that Federal no longer makes this particular ammo.

        These three (3) rounds were fired off-hand at 10 yards. They made a 5/8 inch group (a cloverleaf) right on the point of aim. The old girl will still shoot!

        It makes you wonder if modern computer-controlled manufacturing methods are truly superior. They may be faster, cheaper and require less labor but do they truly produce a product that is superior to those produced in America 100 years ago?

  14. One always should take first-time online product reviews with a huge grain of salt, but the few I’ve read about the new Colt Pythons indicate they’re made of cast and MIM parts, and have simpler but more robust lock-works. Reportedly the actions are smooth and the trigger pulls crisp. If this is all true, well, I’d like one someday, especially a stainless Python with a 2 1/2″ barrel. Hot stuff in my book!

    • Spencer:

      You’re a rare bird to want a 2 1/2″ Colt Python. Back in 1990, a gun shop I used to work at had a new 2 1/2″ blued Colt Python which sat in the display case for years collecting dust. I was offered that revolver in the box for $250 if I promised never to bring it back. Four and six inch blued models were selling new for about $400 back then. With the ridiculous current prices asked for these revolvers, I’m still kicking myself for not buying that gun.

    • I like them too and have a half dozen or so 2″ and 3″ models in .38 Special, .357, and a .44 Special, but they’re all Smith & Wessons. I did have a blued Colt Cobra made in the 1970’s which was incredibly accurate (3″ groups at 50 yards).

Comments are closed.