Colt Python

Lore & Background

The Colt Python did not have an intensive development program; it was essentially gunsmiths on the production floor trying to come up with a match revolver using mostly existing pieces and parts. Al De John, who started with Colt in 1946 as a gunsmith, worked with factory superintendent Al Gunther. De John started to tinker with the .38 Special Officer's Model Match, beefing up the cylinder, frame, and top-strap due to problems with blowback and firing pins from the excessive pressure from the .357 Magnum.

The recoil plate was eliminated by putting the firing-pin hole directly into the frame and making the top strap and crane more robust. Al Gunther first suggested having the iconic vent rib across the barrel. The Python snake name came from Colt sticking to their reptilian revolver naming, following the 1950 .38 Special 'Cobra'. The Python was first introduced in 1955 as Colt's top-of-the-line model and was originally intended to be a large-frame .38 Special target revolver.

Colt revolver cylinders rotate clockwise compared to counter-clockwise of other revolvers (like Smith & Wesson or Ruger). When the revolver is at full cock, just as the trigger is pressed, the cylinder locks up for the duration of the hammer strike. Colt claims that since the cylinder rotates to the right, this forces the cylinder into the frame, opposite of the Smith & Wesson. The gap between the cylinder and forcing cone is very tight, further aiding accuracy and velocity.

Production of Generation 1 ran from 1955 to 2005. In October 1999, Colt announced it would cease production of Python revolvers. The Colt Custom Gun Shop continued making a limited number on special order until 2005. The second generation was officially released in January 2020, built out of stronger stainless steel, with a redesigned rear sight adding 30 percent more steel above the cylinder, and a redesigned V-spring into a 'U' shape to prevent stacking.

Reader's Guide

The Python was initially released with a 6" barrel, then a 4" barrel, and finally a 2.5" barrel. It is available with a 3 in, 4.25 in or 6 in barrel in the second generation. The Python is powered by a V-spring versus the Smith & Wesson’s leaf spring. Since the 2020-update, the V-spring has been redesigned into a 'U' shape.

All new production Pythons are shipped with Altamont wood grips. The Python has been extremely popular with both target shooters and law enforcement. The 6-inch barrel was popular with uniformed officers and the 4-inch barrel considered optimal for plainclothes use. The Colorado State Patrol issued 4-inch blue Pythons until their switch to the S&W .40 caliber autoloader.

Georgia State Patrol issued Pythons in the 1980s until their transition to Glock semiautomatic pistols in the 1990s. Florida Highway Patrol issued Pythons to their officers in the 1980s until their transition to the Beretta 92FS in the late 1980s.

Did You Know?

• Only one Python was built in 1955, a little over 300 by the end of 1956, and more than 100,000 by 1969.
• The Python was initially priced at $125, the same as the reintroduced Single Action Army.
• From the 1970s each Python revolver was boresighted at the factory with a laser; the first mass-produced revolver for which this was done.
• A Python, loaded with semiwadcutter bullets, was used to murder Irish crime reporter Veronica Guerin in 1996.
• The Colt Python was prominently featured in AMC's The Walking Dead, carried by protagonist Rick Grimes throughout nine of the series' 11 seasons.