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 parts. Al De John, who started with Colt in 1946 as a gunsmith, worked with factory superintendent Al Gunther. De John began tinkering 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 of 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 the iconic vent rib across the barrel. The Python name came from Colt's reptilian revolver naming, following the 1950 .38 Special 'Cobra', making the Python the second snake moniker for Colt's lineup. The Python was originally intended to be a large-frame .38 Special target revolver, featuring precision adjustable sights, a smooth trigger, solid construction, and extra metal. Its distinct appearance includes a full barrel underlug, ventilated rib, and adjustable sights. Colt revolver cylinders rotate clockwise, opposite to the counter-clockwise rotation 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.

Reader's Guide

The Colt Python immediately made inroads into the law enforcement market when introduced, with the 6-inch barrel 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. The Python has since fallen out of common use, along with all revolvers, due to changing law enforcement needs that favor semi-automatic pistols. When law-enforcement agencies realized that the 9mm semi-automatic pistols fire a round with similar characteristics to the .38 Special with higher capacity, they began a migration to these and other semi-automatic pistol cartridges. The move away from the Python is also driven by the increasing number of law enforcement agencies which require officers to carry department-issue weapons to reduce liability. The Python was prominently featured in AMC's The Walking Dead, carried by protagonist Rick Grimes throughout nine of the series' 11 seasons. The popularity of the show contributed to increased market demand, which played a role in Colt's decision to reintroduce the model in 2020. The Python has also been featured in numerous films, television series, video games, and literature, including Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, Fight Club, American Gangster, John Wick, and television series such as Starsky and Hutch, The X-Files, Hawaii Five-O, and Burn Notice.

Did You Know?

• The Colt Python was the first time Colt used the Royal Blue finish, achieved by a very high polish on the gun and then bluing.
• Only one Python was built in 1955, and a little over 300 were built by the end of 1956.
• From the 1970s, each Python revolver was boresighted at the factory with a laser, making it 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.