Colt python

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.357 Magnum Colt Python Revolver
Colt Python with 8 inch barrel and Leupold- scope for hunting, including Python 6 inch barrel
Colt Python barrel label
Colt Python Target Model, 8 inch barrel, caliber .38 Special

The Colt Python is a 6-shot revolver in caliber .357 Magnum . It was manufactured by Colt in Hartford (Connecticut) , USA. As with all .357 magnum revolvers, it can also be used to fire the weaker .38 special cartridge .

history

Production of the Colt Python began in 1955. It was intended to replace the Colt .357 , which was a finer version of the Trooper. The series production of the Python ended in October 1999, until 2005 individual weapons could still be ordered from the Colt Custom Gun Shop .

It was intended as a rifle weapon and therefore had an adjustable visor and a ventilated barrel rail. The prototype with serial number GX 2432 (GX stands for Gun eXperimental) and the first guns delivered had 6- inch barrels, later barrel lengths of 4 and 2½ inches were added. The python was made of steel with a midnight blue finish or nickel-plated, later also made of matt or polished stainless steel (Stainless, Ultimate Stainless).

The final assembly of the Python revolver was carried out by specialists, who coordinated the lock parts with one another through post-processing. This was a soft lock gear and an accurate deduction point and a consistent trigger weight reached. In addition, precise centering between the drum bore and barrel was achieved through tight tolerances in the elements of the barrel locking, which led to a higher precision of the weapon.

For hunting purposes, Colt manufactured Python revolvers with a longer barrel (8 to 10 inches) and factory-fitted telescopic sights after 1972. A sports revolver with an 8-inch barrel called the Target Model was also produced for sport shooting, the chamber of which was drilled to be shorter in the drum and only allowed .38 special cartridges to be loaded.

Since January 2020 Colt has been producing a new edition of the Python with a 4.25 "barrel and 6" barrel in a stainless version. This new version has far fewer components than the old versions. A stronger type of steel is used and the frame has been stiffened with a little more material in order to be able to permanently fire magnum cartridges in .357.

See also

literature

  • Robert Q. Sutherland, RL Wilson: The Book of Colt Firearms. Kansas 1971.
  • Charles Tower Haven, Frank A Belden: A History of the Colt Revolver. W. Morrow & Company, New York 1940.
  • James E. Serven: Colt Firearms from 1836. Stackpoole, Harrisburg 1954/1979, ISBN 0-8117-0400-9 .

Trivia

  • The film Police Python 357 was named after the weapon .
  • Lieutenant David Solomon, main character in the Soda comic series , uses a .357 named Police Python as a weapon .
  • It is the service weapon of the police officer Rick Grimes, main character in the comic and TV series The Walking Dead .
  • In the Resident Evil computer game series , it is Barry Burton's weapon, but it can also be used by the character.

Web links

Commons : Colt Python  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chuck Hawks on the history of the Colt Python .357 Magnum Revolver ( Memento from April 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed on February 16, 2010)