A Pair of Prancing Ponies…and that first No. 1

Good buddy Python Pete and I went to the range a few days ago to let loose with a pair of prancing ponies (that is to say, Colts), in both revolver and automatic flavors.  The auto was my tried-and-true bright stainless Colt Government Model 1911; the wheelgun was Pete’s stunning 8-inch Colt Python.   Both are stunningly beautiful and both are good shooting guns.

I bought the 1911 you see above at a pawn shop brand new back in the mid-1980s for just over $500.   Colt no longer offers bright stainless steel guns, so I guess you could say mine is collectible, and when you see bright stainless Colt 1911s come up for sale (which doesn’t happen very often), prices start at $2,000 and go north from there.  I guess you could say I made a good investment (except I won’t ever sell it).

A few years ago the front sight popped off my 1911, so I took it to a local gunsmith to have it restaked. That repair lasted all of 50 rounds, and I realized I needed to see an expert.  That’s when I hooked up with TJ’s Custom Guns, and I had TJ revamp the Colt.  It’s got a Les Baer match barrel, an extended one-piece guide rail, an engine turned chamber (I love that look), high profile/high visibility Millet fixed sights, and TJ’s exclusive high reliability tune.  That last little bit means that my Colt 1911 will reliably feed any bullet configuration (semi-wadcutters, hollow points, etc.) and it will work no matter what.   Folks, I’ve put tens of thousands of rounds through my 1911 since TJ massaged it, and it’s never had a failure of any kind (no failures to fire, no failures to feed, and no failures to eject…it just goes and goes and goes).

On to the Python.  I’ve known good buddy Pete for more than 30 years (we sort of grew up together in the aerospace industry).  Pete owns a Colt Python, a gun that is arguably the finest revolver ever made.  His is the super-rare 8-inch model, too.

Colt no longer makes the Python, probably because they were too expensive to produce.  The fit and finish are superior, and the feel of the thing is just sublime.  It’s a .357 Magnum, one of the world’s all time greats, and a cartridge that dominated the police market before 9mm became all the rage.  Colt revolvers were hand-fitted and involved lots of custom assembly, and I suppose it just didn’t in with the need for low cost manufacture in a market dominated by black plastic 9mm handguns.   No, the Python is from another era characterized by highly polished blue steel and finely figured walnut, an age in which I felt more comfortable.   Seeing a Python on the firing line again was a treat, and when Pete asked if I wanted to try the big Colt, he didn’t have to ask twice.

Pete and I had four handguns with us (the two mentioned above, plus a SIG 9mm and my Rock Island Compact 1911).   I shot my two 1911s offhand for a while, and then I tried my luck with Pete’s SIG and the Python.  It was fun.

I fired 5 shots of “nothing fancy” factory ammo with the Python, and the accuracy was superb.   The targets don’t lie, folks.

I’ve owned two Pythons in my life, and both were back in the 1970s.   When I was in Korea, I found out I could order one though the Base Exchange at a substantial discount.  I couldn’t believe what the nice lady was telling me at the Kunsan AFB Exchange, so I ordered a 6-inch blue steel Python for something like $150 (it sounded too good to be true).   Incredibly, it came in the mail to me in Korea.  Before I rotated home, I had to submit a form through the Army to get permission to import the revolver back to the US.  I did that, and a few weeks later I had a letter signed by the Director of the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Bureau allowing me to bring my Python home.  It went into my duffel bag, I produced the letter when I went through Customs in San Francisco, and that was that.  Better times.

You know how it goes with these things.  When I was back in Texas shortly after my stint in Korea, I saw a Ruger No. 1 single shot rifle in .30 06 I couldn’t live without, and I traded the Python for it (the guy at the store through in a couple of boxes of .30 06 ammo, too).  Then I felt a void in my life because I no longer owned a Python, so I ordered another one (this time a 6-inch nickel-plated model) through the Fort Bliss Gun Club.  It was under $200.   Then I traded that for something else (I can’t remember what).  Ah, the mistakes we make.  But maybe they weren’t all mistakes.  I’ve sent a lot of lead downrange with the Ruger No. 1 over the last 45 years, it’s one of the most accurate rifles I own, and it has stunning walnut.

Today, Colt Pythons typically sell for something in the $3,000 to $4,000 range.   Pete’s would command even more, because it’s the 8-incher, which is a rare item.  I’ve asked Pete if he wanted to sell his, but all I got in return was a smile.  That’s probably just as well; I couldn’t afford it at today’s prices.

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