[USMM guy]

The unique beauty of those original pristine Pythons have always presented me with the dilemma of having a firearm I’d love and hate to shoot.

I have a few of them in that category. I am looking at moving them on as I have done with some of them already.

 

[dsk]

The unique beauty of those original pristine Pythons have always presented me with the dilemma of having a firearm I’d love and hate to shoot.

Yes, it's a quandary. As much as I want to shoot it I also want to avoid doing anything that might put a scratch on it. I've actually got several guns like that. First World problems, I know.

 

[Mozark]

All of my don’t shoots are like the old Colt Army single action my Dad gave me.
They all have an accumulation of use wear and personal history.
But I still haven’t ruled out one of those Pythons.
Beautiful Vintage Blue.
Can’t imagine putting a wear ring around that cylinder.

 

[SUPERKNUCK]

Yes, I'm excited. After lusting over one of these my entire adult life, and having never found one in a condition I could accept at a price I could afford, lightning finally struck at long last. I was perusing one of the popular online websites like I usually do late in the evening when I suddenly spotted this one, advertised as mint (but no box) and for an extremely reasonable price (as far as original Pythons go), $2350. It almost sounded too good to be true, but the pictures looked really good and they have an inspection period so I jumped on it.
View attachment 741368
View attachment 741369

I just received it today, and it truly is mint. I had to look really hard to find any finish wear on it or signs of use, and the grips are in excellent shape as well. And yes I verified the finish is original. Bummer that the original box is gone, but honestly I'm not complaining.

Compared to my new 2020 Python w/ Deer Hollow grips and Elliason rear sight:
View attachment 741370

Yes, I bought the new blued Python earlier this year when they first came out, hoping that it would finally scratch the Python itch. While it's a nice revolver, it didn't. I still wanted an original, dammit. Now that I have both I'll have to make an objective comparison over the next few days and report back. As for initial impressions, the new one is a nice production revolver. The original is a work of art. And that's all I'll say about it, for now...

I'm betting this won't be the last.

 

[dsk]

Python? Maybe. But I do want a 4" .22 Diamondback...

 

[ether]

Yes, it's a quandary. As much as I want to shoot it I also want to avoid doing anything that might put a scratch on it. I've actually got several guns like that. First World problems, I know.

My question usually is, "Has anyone shot it before me?" If "No", then I tend to feel more like a custodian of it than an outright "owner". I still don't feel like my NIB Colt Commercial "belongs" to me. It might be different if were handed down, but it wasn't. I was just looking in the right place at the right time to snag it.

 

[dsk]

I've made exceptions to that rule. Earlier this year I picked up a LNIB Smith & Wesson .22LR Kit Gun, and since then I've shot the living snot out of it. Of course it didn't cost me anywhere near as much as the Python did.

 

[Jocko1911]

I have found a 1936 made Winchester model 42 shotgun

Got a pic of that??

 

[USMM guy]

Got a pic of that??

I have one somewhere, I was looking for it when I posted the pic of the Winchester 1907 SLR. We will get another one up today.

 

[Jocko1911]

We will get another one up today.

Wow, she is a beauty! I’d say like new condition! Have you had a chance to fire it?

I happened upon this one a few years ago, after looking and looking. Much like dsk, the stars really never lined up for me until then, so I jumped all over it when I found it. Mine is a 1952. I’ve shot a few rounds of trap with her, and got humbled. Very light, and easy to swing gun that’s takes some getting used to.

 

[USMM guy]

Yes, a few squirrels have felt it's wrath to date and for a gun made in 1936 it is in pretty good shape.

 

[dsk]

Honestly, there is nothing made these days that even piques my interest. Pretty much every firearm that I still want hasn't been made for the last 30 years or so. That goes for 1911s as well. I'm not a shotgun guy but I can definitely see the interest in those old ones.

 

[customtrigger]

Glad that you found that Python DSK!

 

[sechip]

Yes, I'm excited. After lusting over one of these my entire adult life, and having never found one in a condition I could accept at a price I could afford, lightning finally struck at long last. I was perusing one of the popular online websites like I usually do late in the evening when I suddenly spotted this one, advertised as mint (but no box) and for an extremely reasonable price (as far as original Pythons go), $2350. It almost sounded too good to be true, but the pictures looked really good and they have an inspection period so I jumped on it.
View attachment 741368
View attachment 741369

I just received it today, and it truly is mint. I had to look really hard to find any finish wear on it or signs of use, and the grips are in excellent shape as well. And yes I verified the finish is original. Bummer that the original box is gone, but honestly I'm not complaining.

Compared to my new 2020 Python w/ Deer Hollow grips and Elliason rear sight:
View attachment 741370

Yes, I bought the new blued Python earlier this year when they first came out, hoping that it would finally scratch the Python itch. While it's a nice revolver, it didn't. I still wanted an original, dammit. Now that I have both I'll have to make an objective comparison over the next few days and report back. As for initial impressions, the new one is a nice production revolver. The original is a work of art. And that's all I'll say about it, for now...

Damn I need to check out the same sites you're using! Congrats.

 

[US1911]

I dig a wide variety of guns. To shoot or not to shoot them is very subjective and clearly only to be determined by the owner. A deciding factor for me is whether or not I’ve shot that model of gun before. For instance, if I’ve shot a Python before and then bought a mint one, I wouldn’t feel obligated to shoot it.

 

[dsk]

Damn I need to check out the same sites you're using! Congrats.

Actually the site I found this on (Legacy Collectibles) isn't known for good deals. I did buy a WW2 P.38 from them for a fair price a few years ago, but nearly everything I see on their site is usually overpriced. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. And often the descriptions they give of the overall condition are highly optimistic, to put it mildly. Simpson Ltd and Collectors Firearms are the same way, if not worse. That's why my eyes bulged out of my head when I saw this one on their new items page, as it was described as mint, the pictures looked good, and the price was more than reasonable. I half-suspected something was amiss, as they usually know what they have and price it accordingly.

But then I heard voices in my head...

...so with the fact that they have a 7-day inspection and return policy I went ahead and pulled the trigger without waiting a moment longer.

Which again, proves the point of my original post. You have to be patient, keep searching on a regular basis, and be ready to jump on it when the opportunity finally strikes. Thinking about it for a couple days, wasting time asking other people if it's a good deal or not, or having to wait and count how many pennies you have in your piggy bank first means you're going to lose out to another buyer.

 

[Pooleman]

Yes, I'm excited. After lusting over one of these my entire adult life, and having never found one in a condition I could accept at a price I could afford, lightning finally struck at long last. I was perusing one of the popular online websites like I usually do late in the evening when I suddenly spotted this one, advertised as mint (but no box) and for an extremely reasonable price (as far as original Pythons go), $2350. It almost sounded too good to be true, but the pictures looked really good and they have an inspection period so I jumped on it.
View attachment 741368
View attachment 741369

I just received it today, and it truly is mint. I had to look really hard to find any finish wear on it or signs of use, and the grips are in excellent shape as well. And yes I verified the finish is original. Bummer that the original box is gone, but honestly I'm not complaining.

Compared to my new 2020 Python w/ Deer Hollow grips and Elliason rear sight:
View attachment 741370

Yes, I bought the new blued Python earlier this year when they first came out, hoping that it would finally scratch the Python itch. While it's a nice revolver, it didn't. I still wanted an original, dammit. Now that I have both I'll have to make an objective comparison over the next few days and report back. As for initial impressions, the new one is a nice production revolver. The original is a work of art. And that's all I'll say about it, for now...

My brother in law has the same blued model he bought new in 1982. It’s an amazing piece.

 

[sechip]

Actually the site I found this on (Legacy Collectibles) isn't known for good deals. I did buy a WW2 P.38 from them for a fair price a few years ago, but nearly everything I see on their site is usually overpriced. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. And often the descriptions they give of the overall condition are highly optimistic, to put it mildly. Simpson Ltd and Collectors Firearms are the same way, if not worse. That's why my eyes bulged out of my head when I saw this one on their new items page, as it was described as mint, the pictures looked good, and the price was more than reasonable. I half-suspected something was amiss, as they usually know what they have and price it accordingly.

But then I heard voices in my head...

...so with the fact that they have a 7-day inspection and return policy I went ahead and pulled the trigger without waiting a moment longer.

Which again, proves the point of my original post. You have to be patient, keep searching on a regular basis, and be ready to jump on it when the opportunity finally strikes. Thinking about it for a couple days, wasting time asking other people if it's a good deal or not, or having to wait and count how many pennies you have in your piggy bank first means you're going to lose out to another buyer.

With the 7 day inspection I would have jumped on it myself, looks like it payed off big time!

 

[Largeorangedrink]

It would by quite hard for me to buy one in a condition I wouldn’t want to shoot. dsk, I thought you already owned all the nice Colts.

 

[dsk]

I also had my eye on an allegedly NIB, unfired example for $650 more (no signs of the cylinder even being turned). I decided if I bought that one then I couldn't shoot it at all without knocking the value back down to what this one was. The sweet spot is finding one that's perfect, but not so perfect that you're afraid to even touch it without wearing white gloves.