Colt Python
From Gunpedia
The Colt Python is a .357 Magnum caliber revolver manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. Python is considered to be a premium American pistol. It is a classic model and along with the Colt Peacemaker, is considered to be one of the finest revolvers ever made by Colt.
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[edit] Description
The Colt Python is a double action, large I-frame handgun chambered for the powerful .357 Magnum cartridge originally developed by Smith & Wesson. Pythons have a well-deserved reputation for superior fit & finish, accuracy, smooth trigger pull and a tight cylinder lock-up. If there is a downside to all this precision, it is the Python's tendency to go "out of time" with continued heavy shooting. This is a condition in which the cylinder is no longer turning into exact alignment with the forcing cone, so a shooter may be sprayed with tiny bits of shaved projectile when the gun is fired. When this happens, the lockwork needs to be re-timed.
The Colt 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. As a result, it features precision adjustable sights, an exceptionally smooth trigger, solid construction, and plenty of extra metal.
Pythons have a very "muscular" and businesslike appearance. A full barrel underlug, ventilated rib and adjustable sights combine to give the gun its unique look. Originally, Colt manufactured Pythons with hollow underlugs but quickly left them solid to add a very useful barrel weight. Finishes on these guns have always been outstanding. The Python was originally available in two finishes: Royal Blue and Bright Nickel. The Bright Nickel model was discontinued with the introduction of the more durable satin stainless and mirror-polished Ultimate Stainless models, but the stainless steel and Royal Blue finishes are still offered by Colt on the Python "Elite" model.
Pythons are available with 2.5 inch, 4 inch, 6 inch, and 8 inch barrels. 6 inch model is the most popular generally and the 8 inch model is intended for hunting. The now-discontinued 3 inch barrel version is considered to be very collectible. The revolver today is made exclusively by Colt's Custom Shop as the Python Elite model with a 4 or 6 inch barrel, and is still considered to be the Rolls Royce of handguns for its accuracy, jeweler-quality fit and finish, and aesthetic appeal. Retail prices start at $1000.
While the Python immediately made inroads into the law enforcement market when introduced, it has since fallen out of favor along with all other revolvers because of changing law enforcement needs that favor semi-automatic pistols today. Colt Pythons command high prices - new or used, and have found a place in the collection of many serious handgunners. Adding to these high prices was the end of large scale production of the Colt Python in 1996, although a limited number are still being produced by Colt workshops.
[edit] In fiction
The Python has appeared in countless comic books (and manga), films, TV series and video games. Some of the most famous are Resident Evil, and Half-Life.
[edit] Comic Books and Manga
- Ryo Saeba from the City Hunter series also uses the gun.
[edit] Films
- It appeared in the 1992 film, Prom Night IV.
- It appeared in the 2004 film, "Starsky & Hutch", carried by one of the title characters, Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson.
- It appeared in the 2005 film, Lord of War.
- The character of Buffalo Bill uses a Python in the film "The Silence of the Lambs."
- The bad motorcycle cops use Colt Python's to enact their own brand of street justice in 1973s "Magnum Force" the sequel to "Dirty Harry"
- Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon) opts for this .357 Magnum revolver with the 6 inch barrel and nickel finish as one of the two handguns he buys. He uses it in two finishing executions in the 2007 film Death Sentence
[edit] TV
- It appeared in the 1970s police detective series "Starsky and Hutch", carried by one of the title characters, Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson.
[edit] Games
- It is featured in the Half-Life series of games and in several of the Grand Theft Auto games.
- It is the most powerful gun in the first Resident Evil game. It decapitated its target with a single shot.
- The "DY357 Magnum" in Perfect Dark is modeled after it, as is the "Magnum" in Perfect Dark Zero.
- Dan's Revolver in Killer7 is a Colt Python.
- It is Jack Dark's gun in Perfect Dark Zero.
- Golgo 13 requests it in "The Mafat Conspiracy" for the NES
- It is one of the bonus weapons obtained in GTA: San Andreas
- Many suspects in SWAT 4 carry it. It is also available to the player in multiplayer mode.
- It can be bought from a Black Market Dealer in The Godfather: The Game
- It is found in Grand Theft Auto Vice City, Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories, and Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories. The Colt Python featured in Vice City is renamed to ".357" due to legal reasons, while Vice City Stories features this gun named "Equalizer" with a scope on top of the barrel.
