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Colt Python

• moderate
• Shop tier 3
• high confidence
• Revolver
• revolver
• double action
• sideplate
• collectible
• magnum

field strip ~3 min · reassembly ~4 min · detail strip ~45 min

Specifications

Model-specific safety

• Colt's instruction is blunt: do not field strip this revolver. The 2020 Python manual adds that doing so voids the service agreement. Anything beyond cleaning goes to a competent gunsmith or back to Colt.
• Colt double actions differ from Smith & Wesson in two ways that matter every time you handle one: the cylinder release latch is pulled REARWARD rather than pushed forward, and the sideplate is on the LEFT side of the frame rather than the right. Reaching for the wrong control or the wrong screw is the common mistake.
• A revolver is not cleared by opening the cylinder. Look through every chamber and count them.
• Colt lockwork, particularly on older Pythons, is famously intricate and famously unforgiving. Sideplate removal and any internal adjustment is gunsmith work — and a gunsmith who specifically knows Colts.
• Never pry the sideplate off, and never flick the cylinder closed.

Under spring tension

• Mainspring
• Rebound and hand springs (sideplate removal)
• Cylinder bolt spring

Easily lost parts

Sideplate screws · Yoke screw · Cylinder bolt · Hand

Tools

Shop difficulty

Shop tier 3 Tier 3 — hardest among revolvers, for the full job: strip to the parts that get coated and put it back together working. Classic Python: hand-fitted V-mainspring lockwork (59 pieces) where the mainspring, rebound lever and hand have to go in together, bolt and hand timing interact through the rebound lever cam, and both Colt and American Rifleman send the deeper work to a gunsmith.

Parts: 56 numbered parts (Complete classic Python per Section 6 parts list of the 1993-era manual (56 line items); the 2020 Python differs), from Colt Safety and Instruction Manual: Python — Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc., p. 36–37 colt.com [2].

Bench time: about 45 min to strip, 80 min to rebuild (estimate). Estimated for a tech experienced on Colt V-spring guns: crane, sideplate, full lockwork, bolt, sights. Rebuild is far longer than strip because mainspring, rebound lever, hand and bolt go in together and timing must be checked; add time if the gun was out of time before coating.

Small parts: 14 pins, 10 springs, 4 detents or plungers (counted from the manufacturer's parts list (one per key number unless a quantity is given))

What comes off for coating

• Crane and cylinder: crane lock screw and crane lock assembly (detent and spring), cylinder and crane forward out of the frame, ejector rod, ratchet and spring only if the cylinder is coated (gunsmith step per American Rifleman) — fitted hollow-ground screwdrivers
• Sideplate (left side): stock screw and stocks, sideplate screws, sideplate (tapped free), latch, latch spring and guide from the sideplate — wooden tool handle / nylon mallet
• Lockwork: V-mainspring (pressed off the stirrup), hand, rebound lever (pin driven out), trigger, hammer with strut, strut spring and stirrup, safety lever and safety, bolt, bolt screw and bolt spring, latch pin — pin punches / drift
• Frame: rear sight (adjustable models: blade, detent balls and spring, elevation/windage parts), front sight pins where fitted, barrel, firing pin, recoil plate, hammer and trigger pins left in place (gunsmith-only per American Rifleman) — pin punch

Special tools

• Fitted hollow-ground screwdrivers — Crane lock, sideplate, bolt and stock screws
• Pin punches / drift — Rebound lever pin, hammer strut and stirrup pins
• Small screwdriver as a mainspring lever — Pressing the V-mainspring off the stirrup and back onto the rebound lever

Known pain points

• The V-mainspring has to be slid onto the stirrup and then levered onto the rebound lever, with the hand seated by pressing the rebound lever up, all at once. (reassembly)
  Source: Colt Python Revolver (exploded view and disassembly) — American Rifleman (NRA) americanrifleman.org [4] — “When the stirrup and mainspring have been engaged, lift the bottom of the spring onto the rebound lever (44) with thumb of right hand.”
• The lockwork is hand-fitted; timing depends on the bolt riding the rebound lever cam and is easily upset. (reassembly)
  Owners report: Colt V-spring Adventures: Fixing my dad's 357 trooper — Colt V-spring Adventures (blog) coltpython.blogspot.com [5] — “Removing metal from the rebound cam has to be done extremely carefully --- remove too much material and the bolt won't be able to touch this cam”
• The cylinder latch rides in the sideplate on a spring and guide and must catch the latch-pin stud as the sideplate goes on. (reassembly)
  Source: Colt Python Revolver (exploded view and disassembly) — American Rifleman (NRA) americanrifleman.org [4] — “Place the latch (28) in its slot in the sideplate so that the stud on the latch pin (29) engages the hole in the latch.”
• Crane/cylinder disassembly and removal of the firing pin, recoil plate and frame pins are gunsmith-only steps. (both)
  Source: Colt Python Revolver (exploded view and disassembly) — American Rifleman (NRA) americanrifleman.org [4] — “Removal of the barrel, firing pin, recoil plate, stock pin, trigger pin, or hammer pin should be attempted only by an experienced, competent gunsmith.”
• Colt calls the revolver a complex tool whose parts must relate correctly and tells owners to let a gunsmith work on it. (both)
  Source: Colt Safety and Instruction Manual: Python — Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc. colt.com [2] — “YOUR GUN IS A COMPLEX TOOL WITH MANY PARTS THAT MUST RELATE CORRECTLY TO OTHER PARTS. PUTTING A GUN TOGETHER WRONG OR WITH MODIFIED PARTS CAN RESULT IN A DAMAGED GUN”

Fit or check on rebuild

• Timing: hand carry-up, bolt drop and bolt pickup on the rebound lever cam, in single and double action — Colt V-spring actions are hand-fitted; the bolt rides the rebound lever cam and small changes upset timing.
  Source: Colt V-spring Adventures: Fixing my dad's 357 trooper — Colt V-spring Adventures (blog) coltpython.blogspot.com [5] — “Removing metal from the rebound cam has to be done extremely carefully --- remove too much material and the bolt won't be able to touch this cam”
• Hand seated in the trigger with the rebound lever pressed up — The hand only seats fully with the rebound lever held up.
  Source: Colt Python Revolver (exploded view and disassembly) — American Rifleman (NRA) americanrifleman.org [4] — “Replace hand (27) in its hole in the trigger and press upward on the rebound lever (44) to allow the hand to be fully seated.”
• Safety and safety lever operate smoothly and the safety is fully up with the trigger forward — American Rifleman’s reassembly test for the Colt hammer-block safety.
  Source: Colt Python Revolver (exploded view and disassembly) — American Rifleman (NRA) americanrifleman.org [4] — “The safety lever (47) should be placed back on its pivot with the slot in its short end engaging the stud on the safety (46).”
• Cylinder gap, end shake and crane lock — Standard check after the crane has been out.

This is Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's. How tiers are rated. Forum reports are owners' experience, not specifications.

Manufacturer videos

Official videos from Colt's Manufacturing Company's own channels, linked rather than copied. Where a video and the steps on this page differ, follow the manufacturer's manual and video.

• How to Change Revolver Grips & Sights TheColtFirearms adjustment · 2020-03-17
  Covers: Colt's current double-action revolvers (description: 'change out the sights and grips on our revolvers')

Procedures

Torque specifications

No sourced torque values from the manufacturer are recorded for this firearm. Where a fastener has a specified torque — action screws, scope bases, muzzle devices, barrel nuts — get it from the manufacturer or a gunsmith rather than estimating it.

What the manufacturer does say: The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: "Insert a new front sight and tighten the #4-40 set screw. It is recommended to use a medium thread locker on the set screw to prevent it from loosening during shooting (Figure 5)." (Colt Python Owner's Manual (2020), p. 19) "After final adjustment tighten the windage lock screw with a .050” Allen wrench (Figure 6)." (Colt Python Owner's Manual (2020), p. 20)

Materials and factory finish

As stated by Colt's Manufacturing Company. Prep, masking and cure depend on these; a polymer or aluminium part, a nitrided or anodised finish, and a blued steel part are each a different job. Variants with other finishes may exist — check the maker's page for the exact SKU on the bench.

Parts list

Transcribed from the manufacturer's parts list (Colt Safety and Instruction Manual: Python — Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc., p. 36–37 colt.com [2]) — Section 6 Parts Illustration and List of the 1993 (classic) Python manual; list p. 36, Figure 8 p. 37. The current 2020 Python manual (entry-cited) has no parts list, only labeled views, so the earlier manual was used.. Key numbers refer to the exploded view in that document.

Function check

• Verify every chamber is empty before each check.
• Cock the hammer slowly and confirm the cylinder locks up at each chamber before the hammer reaches full cock — this is carry-up.
• With the hammer at full cock, try to rotate the cylinder by hand. It should be locked, with only minimal play.
• Press the trigger in single action and confirm a clean hammer fall.
• Cycle the action in double action through every chamber and confirm the cylinder indexes and locks each time.
• Confirm the cylinder latches closed securely and the release frees it cleanly.
• Check that cylinder endshake is minimal and the cylinder gap looks even. If either seems off, see a gunsmith.
• On older Colt actions, confirm the cylinder locks up tight at the instant the hammer reaches full cock — the "bank vault" lockup Colts are known for. If it does not, the action needs a specialist.

Maintenance

Lubrication points

• Yoke or crane barrel where the cylinder rides
• Ejector rod
• Hammer and trigger pivot pins (a single drop each)
• Cylinder stop

Cleaning notes

Lead and carbon build up on the front face of the cylinder and in the forcing cone, and left alone they eventually bind the cylinder. Clean the chambers thoroughly — a fouled chamber makes extraction difficult and is often mistaken for a timing problem. Keep lubrication sparing; revolver lockwork does not want to be wet.

Suggested inspection interval: roughly every 2000 rounds. This is a general guideline, not a manufacturer specification.

Wear parts to inspect

Hand · Cylinder stop · Ejector rod (confirm it has not unscrewed) · Forcing cone (inspect for cracks) · Yoke or crane alignment

Common issues

Also covers

The procedures above are reported to apply to: Colt King Cobra · Colt Anaconda · Many Colt double-action revolvers (the control layout is shared). Verify against the manual for your specific model.

Similar manual of arms

• Smith & Wesson Model 686
• Smith & Wesson Model 10

Sourcing