Who invented the python gun

In our initial testing of the new gun, the excessive pressure from the. We also beefed up the crane to make the gun even stronger. Initially produced only with a six-inch barrel, popular demand, primarily from law enforcement personnel, resulted in a four-inch barrel being offered. Over the course of its year lifespan, other barrel lengths were made, including an eight-inch Python introduced in , and a limited run of three-inch Pythons beware of fakes, as many of these snubbies were altered outside the factory; real ones carry a slight premium in price.

The author prefers Pachmayr grips for lengthy range sessions. As a supplement to its Royal Blue and nickel finishes, in Colt began offering the Python with a weather resistant plating known as Coltguard. Later in the s, a few Pythons were made in. The Colt Python was in regular production from until , and was offered in many different model variations with a wide range of barrel lengths, grips and finishes. After , it was available only by special order from the Colt Custom Shop until when the model was discontinued.

Even if you had the people to do the job, the time and talent involved would result in a very expensive gun. Most shooters, and certainly collectors, would rather put their money into an original Colt Python. For several years, the Python has been one of the most sought after collectible guns. And, sad to say, this has resulted in many fake barrel lengths, finishes and other features. Readers are strongly advised to get an expert opinion before buying or selling one of these models that are described as excellent condition, new or unfired.

It is also important to obtain a letter from the Colt company showing information on the background of the particular gun.

Save my name and email to use for future comments. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Forgot your password? This, in turn, gave the gun an even more refined look. Later, some Pythons would be custom-ordered with smaller grips that followed the older-style Official Police configuration. Throughout its long lifespan, the Colt Python has undergone a number of cosmetic changes.

Soon after the Python's initial introduction, a nickel finish was added, and together with Royal Blue, these remained the two primary factory finishes. A small number of Pythons were gold and silver plated for various commemoratives and special orders throughout the years. In , Coltguard, a proprietary electroless weather-resistant plating, was also made available. The stainless Python was reintroduced in , followed in by the super-polished stainless Ultimate Python, which was fitted with an Elliason target front sight.

Al De John remembers the company having to buy new tools to create these stainless steel guns because the Python's intricate design played havoc with the cutting surfaces of the machinery. An 8-inch-barreled Python was introduced in , made doubly unique as in addition to. The next year the Colt Python Hunter was unveiled, which was basically the 8-inch-barreled Python with Pachmayr grips, topped off with a 2X Leupold scope and packaged in an aluminum Halburton case with cleaning rod and tool kit.

In the 8-inch Python's ongoing popularity was evident by the Silhouette, which came with a Leupold scope and Pachmayr grips, all of which were housed in a black case with nickel trim. There was also an 8-inch-barreled Ten Pointer Series with a 3X Burris scope, wooden grips, an extra set of neoprene composition grips and a carrying case.

In manufacture of the Python was switched from the main assembly line to the Colt Custom Shop, and the gun was offered in both highly polished and matte stainless steel and renamed the Colt Python Elite. It remained in limited production, off and on, until Although the Python is no longer cataloged, technically Colt's premier. And this year--perhaps by the time this is read--to mark its 50th anniversary, one specially engraved Python will be produced, thus equaling the production run of its first year of manufacture.

Adhering to tradition, you can be sure that only Colt's very best craftsmen will be permitted to assemble that gun. Give a Gift Subscriber Services. See All Special Interest Magazines. All Handguns subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content.

This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow. Get Digital Access. Subscribe To The Magazine. Root In the early s, a company branch was established in England, and in a new Hartford factory—the largest privately owned armament manufacturing plant in the world—was built overlooking the Connecticut River.

By , the company could produce weapons per day using interchangeable parts, efficient production lines and specially designed precision machinery. The Colt brand was now recognized worldwide through savvy promotion and was associated with quality and dependability.

A masterful promoter, Colt positioned his firearms within the American mythos, even hiring artist and explorer George Catlin to create paintings depicting Colt guns in use by sportsmen and explorers encountering exotic predatory animals in North and South America. During the late s, while tensions mounted between the North and South that would soon lead to the American Civil War , Colt continued to do business with longstanding customers in Southern states.

However, when war was finally declared on April 12, , he turned his focus almost exclusively to supplying the Union army. By that time, Samuel Colt had become one of the wealthiest men in America and owned a Connecticut mansion called Armsmear. The strain of supplying the war effort eventually took its toll on Colt. Suffering from chronic rheumatism, the year-old gun manufacturer died at his home on January 10, , leaving behind an estate worth millions.

In , the Colt family sold the company to a group of investors. To date, the company founded by Samuel Colt has produced more than 30 million pistols, revolvers and rifles. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Colt was an early adopter of assembly-line production. More than a half-century before Henry Ford used assembly lines in his automobile factories, Colt employed them to produce his revolvers in his enormous Hartford armory beginning in the s.

Using interchangeable parts, As a political activist and state legislator, he spoke out against British efforts to tax the colonists, and pressured merchants to boycott British products. He also