Colt Python with 5” barrel

[Ernest T Bass]

Forgive me if this has already been discussed, but I just discovered that they now make a Python with a 5 inch barrel! I just received this ad from my local gun store. I have a 6 inch Python, and I love it. But this 5 inch barrel length has me intrigued. I think I want one. Does anybody have any more info or insight on these 5 inch Pyrhons?

 

[wild cat mccane]

If you like a longer barrel, though Luckygunner proved it isn't always what we think on increasing FPS where 4" can out perform 6", the 5 inch models have always done it for me!

Glad they kept the odd number and visually appealing of vent ribbing.

 

[hammie]

@Mr. Bass: Thanks for bringing that model to our attention. I've been able to keep away from the new pythons due to the high price, but on the other hand, it seems like everything's expensive now. Having said that, it might be worthwhile to deplete the bank account and eat nothing but ramen noodles for a few months, for a 5 inch python.

Skeeter Skelton thought a 5 inch barreled revolver was a "goldilocks" length. Better balance and sight radius than a 4 inch, yet it didn't ride up under your armpit while sitting in your truck like a 6 inch. I tend to agree with Skeeter's assessment.

 

[44 AMP]

Do keep in mind that the new guns named Python are not the same as the old Pythons that earned their reputation.

I have no idea of the quality of what's on the shelf today, not my personal area of interest, but I do know that the local shop had issues with the some of the first few they got. Two had to be returned to the factory as they were essentially non-functional right out of the box.

That was a couple years back, I haven't heard of issues recently.

I'm a S&W guy for DA and Ruger for SA, always felt Colt revolvers were overpriced for what you got. Look pretty, works, but too much $ for my tastes.

Do what makes you happy, life is short, does have an end, and somethings are worth more than mere money.

 

[hammie]

@44AMP: That's a good point about the difference between the action/lockworks on the new and old pythons. Given the fragility and complexity of the old python lockworks, the new re-design is probably a good thing. I don't own a revolver with a pony on it, and so I have been looking at different colt revolvers. I think the King Cobra is the same frame and lockwork as the python, but less money, and so a king cobra is under consideration. I agree with your preference for S&W double actions, and ruger single actions. For now the need for a 5 inch revolver is not that urgent, because I have a S&W model 27-2 with a 5 inch barrel in its wooden presentation box.

You're right about enjoying life while we can. My dad always said that life is like a roll of toilet paper: The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.

 

[Ernest T Bass]

Thanks for the replies!

Thanks for all of the replies everyone! I’m an old school S&W revolver guy too, but I bought a new Python with a 6” barrel two years ago and I really like it. This new 5” really grabbed my attention. I might just have to get one. @hammie, I’m a big Skeeter Skelton fan too!

 

[hammie]

@Mr Bass: I sometimes hesitate to cite Skeeter Skelton because of the potential for a generation gap here. But I looked up your profile and saw that you were old enough to know who Skeeter Skelton was. I used to subscribe to Shooting Times magazine solely for Skeeter's column.

As an aside, I wonder how many people here know who Fred Huntington was. I had the honor (and indeed it was an honor) of chatting a few times with Fred Huntington and Skeeter Skelton at some NRA annual conventions long, long ago.

 

[44 AMP]

As an aside, I wonder how many people here know who Fred Huntington was.

I do.

 

[hammie]

@44AMP: Laugh Out Loud. With advance apologies for the thread drift, I wonder how many here know what RCBS stands for? Hint: it has to do with yellow-bellied marmots (commonly called rock chucks).

To keep on track, I still prefer 5 inch revolvers, and also 3 inch barreled ones rather than 4 or 2 inches. And I'd rather have a 7 1/2 inch single action rather than a double action 8 3/8. Just personal preferences. And I still like that 5 inch python. It's just a lot of money.

 

[Ernest T Bass]

You guys are talking me into buying one!

 

[44 AMP]

If you look close at the original company logo, you'll see its one of those critters, in the crosshairs.

Fred started out making bullet swage dies for varmint bullets, because they were rare at the time. Several of the outfits that became big names in the Reloading, components, and firearms fields began as small shops in that era, post WWII.

I've read a lot of what Skeeter wrote, don't disagree with much of it, if any that I can recall. For me, I never found the appeal of a 5" but I never had to wear a pistol on a belt all day, day in and day out.

For .357 Magnum, my opinion is the same as other magnums, and that is, if you're shooting a magnum, shoot a magnum! And going below a 6" just robs some of the rounds potential.

 

[FrankenMauser]

My brother bought one of the new Pythons with a 3" barrel, a few years ago.
He likes it. Seems fine to me.
Makes a good hunting backup, pack gun, or alternate carry piece.
It does revolver things like a revolver should.
Nothing to complain about. *


*Except, maybe, its weird size. It has a (currently) unpopular frame size, which means it fits most budget-friendly holsters on the market loosely or tightly, but rarely fits properly, due to the decades-long dominance of S&W and Ruger. More expensive holsters, of course, can be obtained with a proper fit. (But who gets a fancy holster to scratch, gouge, and grind into pine tar and mud in the woods?)

 

[105kw]

Just for the info, the new King Cobra is the same frame size as the Detective Special.
The original King Cobra was on the Mk5 frame, same as the Trooper, and the same size as a Python. With modern lockwork.

The 5 inch barrel was seen as about the longest barrel you could easily wear while sitting or driving a car. And would be a little easier to pack, without a big velocity loss to a 6 inch.

I'd say, buy one and have fun, but I'm known to be a bad influence.

 

[CajunBass]

I had always wanted a Python since I bought my first handgun, but "settled" for something "just as good but less expensive." I did that for forty years, but I never stopped wanting a Python. There was just something about them. I wasn't obsessed with them, but I knew I wanted one. No matter how many other 357's I tried, and there were a lot of them, I still wanted a Python. Nothing else was going to scratch that itch, no matter how good or inexpensive it was.

So now I have two, and I'm quite happy with them. I wish they were royal blue, but that just gives me something else to "want."