Colt Combat Python 3 Inch .357 Magnum

The 3-inch barrel is what stops you here. Most Pythons you find wear a 4, 6, or 8 inch tube, and the short-barreled guns have always been the ones collectors chase hardest. This one carries the COMBAT PYTHON roll mark on a vent-rib barrel cut down to that fast-handling length, paired with the full underlug that gives the front end its weight and balance.

The finish is Colt's Royal Blue, and the images show it doing exactly what that finish is known for. The flats throw a deep mirror reflection, the contours of the frame and the rib catch light in long sweeps, and the cylinder flutes hold the same dark polish. It's a finish Colt reserved for its higher-grade revolvers, applied over hand-polished steel.

Grips are factory checkered walnut with the gold Colt rampant colt medallion set into each panel. The wood shows a warm honey tone against the blued steel, and the checkering is crisp where the hand falls. Up front sits a red ramp insert, with the adjustable target rear sight riding the topstrap. The barrel carries the COLT'S PT. F.A. MFG. CO. Hartford address.

One open cylinder shot shows the six chambers and the ejector rod under the lug, with the bore clean and the rifling sharp. The double-action pull and single-action break are the Python signatures, and the lockup is what built the model's name.

That's the thing about a short Python. It takes everything the target guns are known for and concentrates it into a package you can actually carry. For a Colt collector working through the Python variants, the 3-inch Combat is one of the harder slots to fill, and this one shows the Royal Blue and walnut combination at its best.