TESTED: Colt Python Combat Elite

The author considers Colt’s handy Python Combat Elite in .357 Magnum chambering to be “top of form” as a dependable carry gun for any occasion

by Bob Campbell

Shortly after WWI, an experienced trainer and forward-thinking shooter began developing the Fitz Special revolver. John Henry Fitzgerald was a gunsmith and exhibition shooter with a bent toward personal defense training. He realized that long-barrel revolvers carried by peace officers were less than comfortable in new mechanized patrol vehicles. On the other hand, the break-top .38-caliber and swing-out cylinder .32-caliber revolvers issued to municipal police were far from useful for personal defense. After all, there were plenty of well-armed hardcases in the world.

Fitz developed a big-frame .45, usually a Colt New Service, with a shortened barrel. (Gunsmiths had modified the Colt 1860 and Single Action Army in similar fashion but seldom as well as Fitz did.) Sometimes, the trigger guard was cut away — a modification that we came to realize could tie up the trigger if the guard were bumped against an object. A special cut-off barrel and sometimes a shortened grip came to be a trademark of the Fitz Special.

Fitz also worked with the Colt Police Positive Special and Colt Official Police. Figuring the .38 Special was a reasonable bottom line for personal defense, he was instrumental in the development of the Colt Detective Special. The Detective Special is a two-inch barrel .38 Special based on the Police Positive Special revolver. Working cops had a short-barrel, fast-handling revolver useful for constant carry and wielding inside vehicles and subway cars, as Fitz intended.

The revolver illustrated is a piece that I believe would make Fitz happy. It doesn’t have a cut-away trigger guard, but it does have a short barrel and grip. The action and stainless-steel construction are far and away better than anything Fitz had to work with. The chambering is more potent than any handgun cartridge of the 1920s. We are talking about the Colt Python Combat Elite .357 Magnum.

Tested: Colt Python Combat Elite — The Python is a nicely finished and polished revolver. It locks up tight and functions smoothly.

The Python has been with us on and off since 1955. Old guns bring a premium. If you want a shooter, the new Python is smoother than the earlier generations with critical areas beefed to withstand thousands of rounds of Magnum ammunition.

Back in the day, when many of us shot PPC competition, the Colt was regarded as the smoother gun out of the box compared to a Smith & Wesson. But if you shot the circuit and ran the Colt hard, the Python went out of time sooner than the Smith & Wesson. The original also locked up tighter than the S&W without the hand falling away before firing, which transferred recoil to the action.

The Python went out of production several times and finally stayed out of production. Prices went up. The new Python is redesigned in important areas. The gun has sold well and arguably is a gun made for shooters, not collectors. I have shot the heck out of my four-inch and six-inch barrel versions with good performance. Quite a few revolvers were built to mimic the Python in a sincere form of imitation. The S&W L frame and Ruger GP100 are among them. Unfortunately, the once mighty L frame now has MIM internal parts and a controversial internal gun lock. The GP 100 is possibly the toughest revolver ever manufactured. Colt returned a favor and mimicked the GP 100 in strengthening the new Python — at least in my opinion — and they could have done worse.

We have an under-lugged, full-ribbed masterpiece of a revolver that balances well and shoots even better. Walk into a well-stocked shop and examine a new Python. There is little to no play in the cylinder, a tight barrel-to-cylinder gap, and a superb action. The sights are better than anything Colt manufactured even when the goose hung high in Hartford.

The Colt Python Combat Elite version features a three-inch barrel. The grips are a variation on boot grips — short but designed to absorb recoil well. The action is pure, smooth Python. The under-lugged barrel is a three-inch tube and ideal in length for a defensive revolver. The shorter barrel length clears leather quickly. A three-inch barrel burns powder more efficiently than the 2.5- inch barrel found on original production Pythons. Balance is excellent. The unfluted cylinder is plenty strong for containing .357 Magnum ammunition. Remember, there is no “replacement for displacement,” and the .357 Magnum is king of the hill in that regard.

I began the test as I often do by dry-firing the piece a few dozen repetitions. The action is smooth and takes some getting used to. Pull straight through. Don’t pause and hold the hammer motionless. This is a revolver intended to allow a trained shooter to get fast hits. Get on target, acquire the sight picture, and pull straight through.

I don’t feel under-gunned with a revolver. Far from it. A quality double-action revolver qualifies as a go-anywhere, do-anything piece that will solve many problems. The parallel between my revolver and the Fitz Special is more than superficial. Each is arguably the best of its kind in its time. Where does the Colt Python Combat Elite fit in?

I travel to out-of-the-way places. I like locales where the people engage in meaningful conversation and burn coffee well. Most are not crowded. And while the Pretty Girl and I have visited Paris, New Orleans, and Freeport, the New River Gorge, Outer Banks, and Natchez Trace are far more to my liking these days. Don’t think that the criminal element is isolated from these environs. While there are plenty of unlicensed apothecaries on the street corner in urban paradises, when you meet a bad guy who has managed to survive and thrive in the backcountry, they are often very resourceful. Not to frighten anyone from travel, but just the same, there are places I avoid. If a state doesn’t respect my God-given right to self-defense by reciprocating my concealed carry permit, I avoid it. That said, I don’t feel out of place locking up one of the semi-automatics I carry during my daily walk and deploying a revolver when traveling.

I like the utility of a revolver and its easy handling. I have slept well in a sleeping bag in choice territory with a revolver on my chest. It is comforting. Animals attack quickly and go for the neck or leg. With a revolver, you may press the muzzle into the body of a threat and continue to fire until the revolver is empty or the threat defeated. A semi-automatic would misfeed if thrust into a body in that manner. If you carry a revolver, it may as well be a Magnum.

The Colt Python Elite features a heavy barrel and a front sight with a tritium insert. Self-luminous iron sights make for much greater hit probability in dim light. Even in forest light, and especially in a home, a glowing dot on the front sight makes for greater capability. The Python’s sight picture is excellent. A revolver may be the original survival gun with great versatility in load selection — .38 Special shotshell, .38 Special target loads for practice and small game shooting, .38 Special hollow points as home defense loads for the recoil shy, .38 Special +P for greater effect, .38 Special Outdoorsman loads for defense against animals, .357 Magnum mid-range loads for defense use, and full power Magnum loads for even greater effect. There is a great deal of versatility in a single handgun. If you are lucky enough to pursue the arcane art of handloading, no caliber responds better to a skilled handloader than the .38 Special/.357 Magnum duo.

I used a variety of loads in proofing the Python Combat Elite. Most were .38 target loads in 130-grain FMJ and 158-grain RNL types — whatever was most affordable. Accuracy is excellent. It isn’t unusual to fire a double-action group off-hand at 10 to 15 yards and find two shots in the same hole. Keep the sights on target and press the trigger smoothly to the rear. The front sight need not be controlled tightly during the trigger cycle; it need only be on target when the hammer falls. The Colt is very smooth and makes for excellent hit probability in the hands of a trained shooter. With Magnum loads, stay on target and control recoil. As the muzzle rises in recoil, allow the trigger to reset and get back on target.

After a decent run with low-recoil .38s, I decided to fire a good mix of .38 Special and .357 Magnum loads. Quality manufacture makes for good accuracy in modern ammunition. Often there is a certain sweet spot, and one load will prove more accurate than the other. During the firing tests, I fired a wide range Buffalo Bore loads. Buffalo Bore advertises several low-recoil, low-muzzle flash loads. These loads use specially chosen powder and offer less muzzle signature in dim light firing conditions. This is desirable for personal defense use.

When using standard Magnum loads, muzzle flash causes the eyes to constrict and the sights fade away. Low-flash loads exhibit a full powder burn and are more efficient. This doesn’t matter in practice ammunition, and I conserve more expensive defense loads for serious use. I found running these loads over the chronograph to be interesting. Some will be deployed in a battery of snubnose .38s; the more powerful loads in the Colt Python Combat Elite. I think that when hiking and exploring, the Outdoorsman load will be chosen for its excellent penetration with a hard cast SWC bullet. Hard cast is not lead! For defense use closer to town and in general when traveling, one of the low-flash, low-recoil Magnum loads seems ideal.

As for absolute accuracy, I spent some time firing the Colt Python Combat Elite from an MTM-CaseGard firing rest. At 25 yards, firing single-action and taking every advantage for accuracy, the Colt Python Combat Elite will put five shots in 1.2 inches on demand. The 3-inch barrel revolver is at least as accurate as my four-inch guns, but then there is no reason it should not be. I have debated the factory G10 grips. They fill the hand well and absorb recoil while maintaining as short a profile as possible. I think perhaps I may move to Hogue Monogrips, but then the Hogue’s pebbling may not be quite as well suited to carrying under a covering garment. As of this date, the original grips remain, and they are growing on me.

Holstering the Python

For most uses, a strong side holster with a forward tilt allows a rapid presentation. A balance of speed and retention is needed in a carry holster. The Galco Combat Master offers excellent fit and finish along with superb stitching. The draw angle is ideal. A covering garment with sufficient drape to cover the Combat Master is all that is needed. For those who practice exertion in climbing or travel on horseback, the Galco DAO — a sturdy design with a safety strap — is a sterling choice.

When a covering garment is not practical due to the weather, I carry the Python in a Galco Summer Comfort inside-the-waistband holster under a pulled-out sport shirt. This holster features a reinforced holstering welt, allowing the handgun to be replaced after it is drawn and preventing the holster from collapsing. This is the essential element of an IWB holster. Two strong belt loops keep the holster snug and in place. For all-around four-season use, you will need at least two holsters. These are as good as any and better than most for most shooters.

An Alternative

We all like to save a few hundred dollars and retain performance, don’t we? The new Colt Matte Stainless Python is such an alternative. The Matte Stainless isn’t as nicely polished as other Pythons, but to some it has a business-like appearance that cannot be faulted. For someone who carries the gun and uses a handgun as intended, the Matte Stainless revolver may be the best ticket.

The action and sights are the same as other Pythons. The barrel is the original 2.5-inch length. This is a formidable looking handgun. It is delivered with Hogue MonoGrip synthetic grips. There is nothing superior to the Hogue MonoGrip in controlling recoil. The Hogue extends past the grip a bit further than the boot grip of the Combat Elite. But in the end, this is a shooter in the original barrel length and at a very fair price. Accuracy should be on a par with the Combat Elite. Velocity will probably be 35-50 fps less with Magnum loads; 15 to 25 fps less with .38 Special loads.

Accuracy – 5-shot groups, 25 yards, Buffalo Bore loads

158-grain .38 Special Outdoorsman: 0.9 in.
110-grain Barnes .38 Special: 1.25 in.

Accuracy – 5-shot group, 25 yards, Magnum load

140-grain Barnes: 1.25 in.

What I Like

The smooth action and superb reliability. Heft and balance are exceptional. Accuracy is something a handgunner like me will enjoy exploring.

What I Don’t Like

The rear sight offers a good sight picture but is more difficult to adjust than I would prefer. Once the Colt is sighted in…no sweat.

What I Would Change

The rear sight, and I may change the grips.

Compare To

I have extensively fired a Ruger GP100 7. It is comparable in some ways, although not as accurate, but a good revolver compared to the Colt. Smith & Wesson or Taurus do not compare in most models. The Smith & Wesson Performance Center Model 19 Carry Comp is about as accurate as the Python, perhaps even more controllable. The Taurus Tracker is a great outdoors revolver I used often before the Python and will continue to deploy. It shoots well and has not let me down. I would be remiss to trade in this old dog for a curly haired new puppy.

Colt Python Combat Elite Specifications (Model: PYTHON-SP3NS)