Confessions of a SHOT Show Newbie

Coldhearted Snake

No, this not an examination of Paula Abdul’s musical catalogue. This is a

review of Colt’s re-issue of the iconic Python from a non-revolver shooter

point of view, to be precise. I’ve never been a fan of revolvers for some

reason despite the revolver’s archetypal position in the fabric of American

culture. The Wild West, Bogart’s black and white tough guy, and gritty Dirty

Harry didn’t resonate with me. Not until Lena Olin in Romeo is Bleeding did

revolvers even break through the teenage know-it-all I was. It wouldn’t be

for another Two decades that I would shoot a revolver.

Fast forward to October 2018 at She Never Quit where the sensational

Sheila Hoekstra taught me the basics of revolvers. The simplicity of a

revolver is its elegance. Double and single action, slow is smooth, smooth

is fast or so I was instructed. I won’t bore you with my greenhorn

nonperformance. In December 2019 my husband mentioned, as I was

agonizing over my pack list for SHOT and the menu for Christmas dinner

simultaneously, Colt was going to reissue the Python. And was I possibly

going to try it out. I mumbled something in the affirmative.

Fast forward to industry day, January 20, 2020, at 10:56 a.m., to be

precise, and there I stood at the Colt booth. The stainless steel shimmered

in the watery winter sun. I ran 18 rounds out of the 4.25-inch barrel. With

expert coaching from the Colt team, its reputation for high quality and acute

accuracy is apparent from start to finish. Don’t be fooled by the Python’s

sleekness which belies the stability of each round fired. The fluid trigger

pull in both double and single action, the ring of the hammer striking home

never deviates from its exemplary reputation. No jams; no misfires; no

nonsense. The pistol itself looks like a handful, but it isn’t. With all six .357

rounds, the overall comfort in my hands felt balanced. The walnut grips are

ergonomically easy to clasp and just plain beautiful to see.

As one who never had the privilege of shooting the original version of the

Colt Python, I understood the enthusiasm surrounding its reissue. The

simplicity of the Colt Python is the excitement. Slow is smooth and smooth

is fast. The pistol is evocative of another time. I could picture myself

sporting white Sassoon’s tossing my bag in the back of a Coupe de Ville.

Have I turned into a wheel gun type? Only time will tell, but to firearm

enthusiasts this piece of history is a welcomed repeat.