Colt Python - wikipedia Colt Python Colt Python Colt Pythons with 6 - inch ( 15 cm ) and 4 - inch ( 10 cm ) barrels and nickel finish Type Revolver Place of origin United States Production history Manufacturer Colt 's Manufacturing Company Produced 1955 -- 2005 Variants 2.5 - inch ( 6.4 cm ), 3 - inch ( 7.6 cm ), 4 - inch ( 10 cm ), 6 - inch ( 15 cm ) and 8 - inch ( 20 cm ) barrel Specifications Weight 38 ounces ( 1.1 kg ) to 48 ounces ( 1.4 kg ) Cartridge. 357 Magnum Action Double - action Maximum firing range 200 + yrds Feed system Six - round cylinder Sights Rear adj. ; front ramp The Colt Python is a. 357 Magnum caliber revolver formerly manufactured by Colt 's Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. It is sometimes referred to as a `` Combat Magnum ''. It was first introduced in 1955, the same year as Smith & Wesson 's M29. 44 Magnum. Now discontinued, the Colt Python was intended for the premium revolver market segment. Some firearm collectors and writers such as Jeff Cooper, Ian V. Hogg, Chuck Hawks, Leroy Thompson, Scott Wolber, Renee Smeets and Martin Dougherty have described the Python as the finest production revolver ever made. Contents 1 Description 2 History 2.1 End of production 3 Models and variants 4 Usage 5 In popular culture 6 Criticisms 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Description The Colt Python is a double action handgun chambered for the. 357 Magnum cartridge, built on Colt 's large I - frame. Pythons have a reputation for accuracy, smooth trigger pull, and a tight cylinder lock - up. They are similar in size and function to the Colt Trooper and Colt Lawman revolvers. History The Colt Python was first introduced in 1955 as Colt 's top - of - the - line model and was originally intended to be a large - frame 38 Special target revolver. As a result, it features precision adjustable sights, a smooth trigger, solid construction, and extra metal. Pythons have a distinct appearance due to a full barrel underlug, ventilated rib and adjustable sights. Colt originally manufactured Pythons with hollow underlugs but left them solid to work as a stabilizing barrel weight. When the revolver is at full cock, just as the trigger is pressed, the cylinder locks up for the duration of the hammer strike. Other revolvers have a hint of looseness even at full - cock. The gap between the cylinder and forcing cone is very tight, further aiding accuracy and velocity. From the 1970s each Python revolver was boresighted at the factory with a laser ; the first mass - produced revolver for which this was done. End of production In October 1999, Colt Manufacturing Co. announced that it was ceasing production of Python revolvers. In a 2000 follow - up letter to distributors, the company cited changing market conditions and the costs of defending lawsuits as the reasons for the discontinuation of the Python line, as well as a number of other models. The Colt Custom Gun Shop continued making a limited number of Pythons on special order until 2005, when even this limited production ceased. Models and variants Colt Python rollmark on the barrel. Colt Python Target, 8 inch barrel. 38 Special. The Python was originally available in two finishes : Royal Blue and Bright Nickel. The Bright Nickel model was discontinued with the introduction of the more durable satin stainless and mirror - polished Ultimate Stainless models. The stainless steel and Royal Blue finishes were offered until 2003 by Colt on the Python `` Elite '' model. Pythons were available with 2.5 - inch ( 6.4 cm ), 3 - inch ( 7.6 cm ), 4 - inch ( 10 cm ), 6 - inch ( 15 cm ) and 8 - inch ( 20 cm ) barrels. The six - inch model was the most popular generally, and the 8 - inch model was intended for hunting. A 3 - inch barrel version is very collectible, although not rare. The Python Hunter model, with 8 - inch barrel and factory - installed 2X Leupold scope, was made in 1980. The Python Hunter was the first field - ready handgun hunting package made by a major handgun manufacturer. The scope was mounted on the barrel using Redfield mounts and the gun was packaged in a Haliburton case. It was discontinued by 1990 and briefly offered as a `` Custom Shop '' model afterward. A Python Target model was made for several years in. 38 Special only, in blue and nickel finishes. Two variants of the Python were made in small numbers by Colt. The first was the Colt Boa of 1985, a limited production. 357 Magnum revolver, made for the Lew Horton Distributing Company in Massachusetts. It used a Python barrel mated to a Trooper Mk V frame. Six hundred 6 - inch revolvers and 600 4 - inch revolvers were made, of which 100 were matched sets. Though it resembles a Python visually, it is substantially different internally. The second was the stainless steel Colt Grizzly of 1994, another limited production. 357 Magnum revolver. It used a Python barrel mated to a Colt King Cobra frame. 500 of these revolvers were manufactured, with 6 - inch Magna - Ported barrels and smooth, unfluted cylinders. The ported barrel includes a bear footprint. Similar to the Grizzly was the Colt Kodiak, which was a Colt Anaconda with a Magna - Ported Barrel and an unfluted cylinder. Approximately 2000 Kodiaks were manufactured. According to Colt historian, R.L. Wilson, Colt Pythons have been collected by Elvis Presley and various kings in the traditional sense : `` H.M. ( His Majesty ) Hussein I of Jordan ordered a limited number of Pythons with 4 - inch and 6 - inch barrels, as gifts to his selected friends. Casing and barrel were embossed with His Majesty 's crest. The Python for King Juan Carlos of Spain bore his name in flush gold on the sideplate. Among other celebrated recipients : King Khalid and Prince Fahd ( Saudi Arabia ), King Hassan ( Morocco ), Sheik Zayed ( United Arab Emirates ), President Anwar Sadat ( Egypt ) and President Hafez Assad ( Syria ). '' Usage Colt Pythons with 8 - inch and 6 - inch barrels and royal blue finish The Python immediately made inroads into the law enforcement market when introduced, with the 6 - inch barrel being popular with uniformed officers and the 4 - inch barrel considered optimum for plainclothes use. However, it has since fallen out of common use ( along with all other revolvers ) due to changing law enforcement needs that favor semi-automatic pistols. When law - enforcement agencies realized that the 9 mm semi-automatic pistols fire a round with similar characteristics to the. 38 Special with higher capacity, they began a migration to these, and other, semi-automatic pistol cartridges. The move away from the Python is also being driven by the increasing number of law enforcement agencies which require officers to carry department - issue weapons ( as a way to reduce liability ). The Colorado State Patrol issued 4 - inch blue Pythons until their switch to the S&W. 40 caliber autoloader. Georgia State Patrol and Florida Highway Patrol issued Pythons to their officers. A Python, loaded with. 357 Magnum semiwadcutter bullets, was used to murder Irish crime reporter Veronica Guerin in 1996, an act which resulted in the creation of the Criminal Assets Bureau. Colt 's Python revolvers are still popular on the used market and command high prices. In popular culture The Colt Python has been used in various forms of media, most notably being popularized in the 1973 film Magnum Force, as well as The Walking Dead, as it is the main sidearm of the lead character, Rick Grimes. A french movie is named after it : Police Python 357 ( 1976 ) from the director Alain Corneau. The Colt Python is the weapon of the lead actor Yves Montand. Criticisms Official Colt historian RL Wilson described the Colt Python as `` the Rolls - Royce of Colt revolvers '', and firearms historian Ian V. Hogg referred to it as the `` best revolver in the world ''. However, the revolver is not without its detractors. The downside to the Colt Python 's precision is its tendency to go `` out of time '' with continued heavy shooting. This is a condition in which the cylinder does not turn in exact alignment with the forcing cone, so a shooter may be sprayed with burning propellant when the gun is fired, or the gun may not fire when used as a double - action. When this happens, the lockwork needs to be re-timed. Author Martin Dougherty notes the weight of the Python as a drawback, as it is quite heavy for a handgun of its caliber, ranging from 2.4 lbs ( 1.1 kg ) to 2.6 lbs ( 1.2 kg ). This makes it only 6 to 9 ounces lighter than Smith & Wesson 's more powerful M29. 44 Magnum, which weighs 3.0 lbs in 61⁄2 - inch barrel configuration ( 1.36 kg ). See also Colt Anaconda Colt Diamondback Colt King Cobra Table of handgun and rifle cartridges References ^ Jump up to : Dougherty, Martin Small Arms : From the Civil War to the Present Day, New York City : Fall River Press, 2005, page 48. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7607 - 6329 - 2 ^ Jump up to : The Colt Python. 357 Magnum Revolver by Chuck Hawks at www.chuckhawks.com accessed Apr 27, 2009 ^ Jump up to : Thompson, Leroy ; Rene Smeets ( October 1, 1993 ). Great Combat Handguns : A Guide to Using, Collecting and Training With Handguns. London : Arms & Armour Publication. p. 256. ISBN 978 - 1 - 85409 - 168 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Wilson, R.L., The Colt Heritage, New York City : Simon & Schuster, 1987, P. 272. Jump up ^ Wilson, R.L., Colt : An American Legend, New York City : Abbeville Press, 1985, P 272. Jump up ^ Cooper, Jeff, `` Cooper on Handguns, '' Los Angeles, Petersen Publishing Co., 1974, P. 189. ^ Jump up to : Hogg, Ian V. ( 1994 ) Military Small Arms : 300 Years of Soldiers ' Firearms, Salamander Publishing ^ Jump up to : Tarr, James ( 18 November 2013 ). Standard Catalog of Colt Firearms. Iola, Wisconsin : Krause Publications. pp. 120 -- 121. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4402 - 3747 - 8. Jump up ^ For several years before that, however, the mighty Python 's days were numbered, and some collectors believe the sterling quality of these guns were not the same during the `` strike years, '' which began on January 24, 1986, when more than 1,000 workers struck the Colt Firearms division of Colt Industries and Colt hired replacement workers. Update from Colt 's Manufacturing Company, Inc. Archived 2007 - 02 - 20 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ The New York Times, October 22, 1986, `` After 8 Months, U.A.W. Sees Shift in Colt Strike. '' ^ Jump up to : Metcalf, Dick ( 1994 ). `` Top 10 Hunt Guns ''. HandGunning. PJS Publications. 8 ( 5 ) : 52 -- 58. Jump up ^ Bailey, William G ( 1995 ). The Encyclopedia of Police Science. Taylor & Francis. p. 309. ISBN 0 - 8153 - 1331 - 4. Jump up ^ New York City Police to Replace Revolvers With Semiautomatics The New York Times, By CRAIG WOLFF, Saturday, August 21, 1993, Accessed April 27, 2009. ^ Jump up to : Ayoob, Massad ( 2003 ) The Colt Python, The Accurate Rifle Magazine, November 2003 Jump up ^ Corcoran, Jody ( 2 March 2014 ). `` Veronica led virtual one - woman crusade to bring down gangs ''. Independent.ie. Retrieved 23 December 2014. Jump up ^ Cusack, Jim ( 13 October 2013 ). `` Gilligan returns, now just a trivial figure in a very changed landscape ''. Independent.ie. Retrieved 26 June 2014. Jump up ^ Fjestad, S.P. ( August 18, 2015 ). `` Colt 's Snake Guns ''. American Rifleman. ^ Jump up to : Rich Grassi ( May 2005 ). `` C&S Python. 357MAG ''. Combat Handguns. Retrieved April 27, 2009. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to : Colt Python ( category ) The Colt Revolver in the American West -- Python Model Revolver Pair The Colt Revolver in the American West -- Cased Python Hunter Model Revolver Official Safety and Instruction Manual (. pdf ) Colt Python Serial Numbers Ballistics By The Inch tests including the Colt Python. Colt 's Manufacturing Company Revolvers 19th Century M1860 Army M1851 Navy Dragoon Model 1855 M1861 Navy Paterson Pocket Percussion Walker Open Top Open Top Pocket Model House New Line Single Action Army Buntline M1877 M1878 M1889 M1892 20th Century Model 1905 New Police New Service Official Police Police Positive Police Positive Special Anaconda Cobra Detective Special Diamondback King Cobra Python Trooper Semi-automatic pistols M1911 Colt 2000 Ace Commander Delta Elite Double Eagle M1900 M1902 Model 1903 Pocket Hammer Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless Model 1908 Vest Pocket Officer 's ACP Woodsman SSP Mustang Rifles, PDWs, and Machine Guns OHWS SCAMP Burgess Lightning Carbine M1839 Carbine Revolving Rifle Ring Lever AR - 15 variants M1895 Colt - Browning machine gun M16 CAR - 15 M4 Carbine Colt Automatic Rifle C7 Advanced Colt Carbine - Monolithic ACR MARS 9mm SMG Cartridges Revolver. 32 Long Colt. 38 Short Colt. 38 Long Colt. 41 Long Colt. 44 Colt. 45 Colt Semi-automatic pistol. 25 ACP. 32 ACP. 380 ACP. 38 ACP. 45 ACP People Samuel Colt Elizabeth Jarvis Colt Richard Jarvis William Mason Charles Brinckerhoff Richards Related Colt Armory Colt Defense National Arms Company Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colt_Python&oldid=825794930 '' Categories : Colt revolvers Revolvers. 357 Magnum firearms Police weapons Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1955 Dirty Harry Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Talk Variants Contents About Wikipedia Wikimedia Commons Català Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Italiano 日本 語 Norsk Occitan Polski Português Русский Suomi 中文 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 15 February 2018, at 13 : 25. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did they stop making the colt python
Answer: 2005