Fellow Colt Fenatics, the Review you didn't know you needed! I have been holding off buying a new Colt Snake since Colt went tits up and got bought out, not knowing if they were any good or even worth a half ass Taurus, turns out, the wait was well worth it! Behold, a Shiney new Anaconda 6 inch stainless in THE caliber to have, 44 magnum! As a YUGE fan of .44 Magnum, it's been a real PIA finding a decent revolver in this caliber, you either need to spend YUGE money for one, OR, you have to take your chances with Taurus, ( Not always a good bet) but I can honestly tell you, these New Colts are every bit as good as the originals, and in some ways far superior! This new one set me back $1379.99 and I ended up putting just under $200 into a set of Triitum night sights for it, but was it worth it all, short answer, HELL YES! Out of the box, no tuning, wipe the factory lube off and re oil just the hammer and trigger and a drop on the cylinder pin and load with full zoot 230 grain fed red box, BOOM, followed by 5 more, into a 2 1/2 inch group from 25 feet! Didn't matter the load or distance, the natural dispersion seems to be well under 3 inches, way better then any revolver should be expected, but off the bench, this thing shot one ragged hole with every load tested, and boy, does she like the hot stuff, so far, the 300 gr. Lazer cast round nose solid ( Not sharing load here, SAFTY FIrst) printed the best from a two handed weaver at 25 feet, 1 1/8 inch!!! Holy Hell, THATS accurate! After I caught my breath, cause she took it from me, I sat down and ordered a set of Williams nite sights, they were super simple to swap, needing only an allen key ( Colt provides as they now come with different front sights) took about 15 min from start to finish, and she still shot to the same point of aim, no adjustments needed! The Sights are nice and bright, but not too bright like some, so that was a real nice addition, and boy, low light shooting is a simple deal, exactly how you want a defensive/fighting wheel gun, Bears, COugars, and 2 legged predators rarely wait till full sun to attack, so,................. Even better, Today, a 4 1/4 inch Python followed me home, and a quick run through a few cylinders worth of good stuff, in this case, a box of Hornady Critical Duty .357+p hollowpoints saw an astonishing 1 1/4 group first cylinder, and it never went outside that, seems the Colt boys figured out how to make a legend even better, for there is NOTHING finer in this world then a Blued Colt Python in the hand, and boy does this one shoot! So, are these Colts worth the price, the answer is 100% hands down, YES, every penny, and on that note, I got a $100 rebate card with the Python, so the grand total out the door with the hundred bucks off was $1399.97! Note: Already ordered another sit of Williams Night Sights for the Python, will install and then see if they shoot as good as the Anaconda did, ( they should) so, I now have a brace of carry revolvers fit for ANY need, should I be forced to deal with these stupid mag or Semi Auto bans and shit, I got it covered Old School Revolver Style!
If ya like em, ya like em. I've only ever handled a couple of Pythons, and both of the triggers stacked. I don't know if they were typical or not, but I didn't see the appeal. But, yeah. Those are pretty. And from your report, darn accurate. My wheelguns are S&Ws and Rugers (oh, okay, one Rossi - don't judge me, bro).
I just realised, I didn't go into details with my review, what a Rotor Head! LOL Anyways, the triggers on BOTH are amazing, right out of the box, both have zero creep or play. The the double action on the Anaconda is a very consistent 7 pound, 4 oz pull, with a super clean yet firm and obvious break, you don't so much as feel it cam over so much as you feel it as it lets go, while the Single action pull is right at 2 pounds 11 oz, and is breathtaking, again, you can feel it just as it breaks! Cocking the hammer through it cycle, you get that Famous Colt click of the hammer riding the sear, moving the hand and camming of the cylinder stop, it's silky smooth and no free play at all! Fit and finish is world class, not a single flaw anywhere in the metal work at all, it's very consistent and surprisingly, Very tight, there is NO play at all in the cylinder release or in the Crane, nor the Cylinder it's self, and she spins like she is on swiss bearings, super smooth! They are simply flawless! Notable changes from the original series of snakes, these new Snakes have been smoothed around the outside, not to the point of rounded and soft corners and such, but blended very evenly, so no sharp edges or seams, everything is nice and smooth! The Pythons trigger is every bit as good as the Anaconda's is, the Double Action pull is right at 8 pounds on the dot, and it's super smooth and easy to actuate on a double action draw, it's nearly instinctive for a SAA shooter to cock the hammer on the draw, but it's super smooth and easy if you want to shoot single action on the first shot out of a holster. The Single action pull is a very smooth and consistent 3 pounds on the dot, zero creep or freeplay, she just runs, and that glorious Colt Hammer Click, Heaven I tell ya! Colts are World Renowned for their Deep Rich Bluing, and this Python is no different, it's smooth and consistent in any/all lighting conditions, and it's uniform and flawless, with a special note, the Laminate grips which are new this year, have the traditional Gold Pony Medallion insert and nicely done checkering, while the Colt Rollmarks and Prancing Pony are nice and deep and crisp, no more miss- stamps like some of the earlier Pony's, Not here, every one of the markings are the same depth and quality, FLAWLESS! The Anacondas finish is a nice satin stainless, not the gawdy mirror polished of older units, no, they chose a nice semi mat finish that is uniform and flawless, unlike brushed or polished, it looks like they soda blasted it or some other technique that is as even and uniform as you could ever get, and it's also smoothed like the Python, no harsh edges or any parts that catch or grab! It's almost like Colt intended these to be carried and used, and I cannot wait to get them into some quality leather and get to work!
I've got a stainless S&W .44 Mag Classic Hunter with a six inch that I've owned since the mid 1980s. With the non-fluted cylinder it's a great looking wheelgun but not quite as handsome as that Anaconda.
