Colt Python Factory Class D Engraved Nickel

The factory letter is what anchors this one. Signed by Colt historian Kathleen Hoyt and dated 1995, it confirms what the metal already tells you: this is a genuine Colt Custom Shop Python, factory engraved with Class D standard scroll, finished in nickel, and shipped on November 17, 1981 to Outdoor Sports Headquarters in Dayton, Ohio. The letter also notes it left the factory as the only gun of its type in that shipment.

The revolver itself is a 6 inch Python in .357 Magnum, the configuration that built the model's reputation. American scrollwork runs across nearly every surface. The barrel carries flowing vine cuts that frame the PYTHON 357 and Colt's PT. F.A. MFG. CO. Hartford legends, and the cylinder wears deeply cut leaf panels that catch light against the polished nickel. Look closely at the recoil shield and topstrap and you'll find the engraver kept the coverage balanced rather than crowded. That's the Class D hallmark, dense scroll worked around the model's sculpted contours instead of fighting them.

The nickel is bright and clean, with the kind of mirror reflection that made nickel Pythons a favorite among collectors who wanted a working gun that looked like jewelry. The checkered walnut target grips wear gold Colt rampant colt medallions and show good figure against the metal. The ventilated rib barrel and full underlug are intact, and the adjustable target rear sight sits where it should.

Worth noting: the factory letter lists the stocks as not listed and the finish as nickel, so the engraving and configuration trace straight back to Hartford. For a Python collector, a factory engraved gun with paper that matches the metal is the combination worth chasing. This one delivers both, and the 6 inch nickel layout puts it in the configuration most buyers ask for first.