I did not know that the Cougar Magnum is a real type of gun ...
However, what a lot of people don’t realize is that the Cougar Magnum was in fact a real gun. During the halcyon revolver days of the late 70s and early 80s before the wondernine revolution, there was a popular cottage industry that mated Colt Python barrels to Ruger Security Six revolvers or Smith & Wesson frames, with the resulting creations being referred to as “Cougar” or “Smolt” revolvers.
Born in the late 70s, early 80s? Still got 10 years before they’re Cougars. 
1 
0“Are you a woman with a much younger boyfriend? Then the Cougar Magnum is the self-defense handgun for you!”
1 0Mayagrafix: The tighter bore and 1-14″ twist of the Python barrel was considered superior for stabilizing the .38 Special 148gr Mid-Range wadcutter loads used by PPC shooters. If I remember correctly, the S&W and Ruger barrels had rifling twists over 1-18″.
0 0You can still get the barrels without too much difficulty via several suppliers.
Another interesting hybrid is the S&W – Dan Wesson, i.e. modifying a S&W frame by removing the barrel and fitting the Dan Wesson barrel type to allow for the user to swap out the heavier barrels and use different lengths. A pretty cool conversion.
0 0Python barrels were easy to come by and competitors liked the weight forward provided by the full underlug barrel, and a Smith (or Ruger) plus Python barrel was a lot cheaper then a Python. I was and am a Python shooter and still have a number of spare barrels in reserve.
0 0These conversions were quite common in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
As I recall the dealer cost for a factory fresh 6″ Python barrel was $55.00.
They were installed on the S&W Model 19 or the Ruger Security-Six. I had a local gunsmith that would recut the frame threads for $20.00. So the entire conversion was $100 (Hey I had to make a profit too). That was cheaper than a Davis PPC conversion.
The Colt had a .355″ bore and was much more accurate than the S&W and Ruger barrels of the time. But the real attraction was the extra weight towards the muzzle.
This attraction diminished when S&W released the 586. Here we had a Python sized revolver with an underlugged barrel at a better price than the conversion.
Personally I always preferred a standard Python. The action was usually better right out of the box and the factory wood stocks fit me perfectly. But folks like to tinker with their guns and the S&W action is simpler and more user friendly than the Colt action.
0 0Heh, the Japanese make an airsoft gun called the “Smython” – I guess that’s another name for this thing. They even replicate both S&W markings on the frame and Python marking on the barrel.
0 0I have a 4″ Davis Cougar in Stainless. It’s really a nice gun. I once had a Davis Smolt as well, a 3″ built on a S&W Mod. 13. Not as nice as the Cougar.
0 0Very interesting post, Steve,
What I find most interesting about this is that–despite the semi-auto–practical interest in the revolver remains high. Mike
0 0This post makes me nostalgic for the old Colt Pythons. I do wish someone would bring back the design – they were beautiful guns!
0 0Mehul, I agree. Such nice looking guns. I am sure Colt will bring them back eventually – at a very high price.
0 0Huh and I thought a Cougar magnum was just a video game gun.
0 0awesome… I want a Cougar. (Couger?)
0 0What is the purpose? looks? or is the Colt barrel considered superior to Rugger and SW builds?
Thanks for a great blog!
0 0The “Smolt” was a Python barrel mated to a S&W revolver.
I new of them but never heard of the Ruger/Python hybrid.
Learn somethin’ new every day. 
0 0Ha, I guess I should learn to read. Skimmed way to fast and missed that in my first post.
0 0For what its worth, the conversion’s name was simply Cougar. I believe someone else referred to their conversion as a Rattler. Regarding the Smolt conversions, at least one outfit even rebarreled N-frame S&W and bored out the Python barrel to match.
The revolver in the game appears to be a Ruger Super Blackhawk. The game designers changed all of the weapon names to avoid trademark issues.
0 0They had Colt Pythons just laying around, ready to be parted out for their barrels?
0 0I never heard of a “Smolt,” but “Smython” conversions were fairly popular among PPC shooters back in the Dark Ages of the late 1970′s-early 1980′s when I first became interested in guns.
0 0
Very interesting post, Steve,
What I find most interesting about this is that–despite the semi-auto–practical interest in the revolver remains high. Mike
I have a 4″ Davis Cougar in Stainless. It’s really a nice gun. I once had a Davis Smolt as well, a 3″ built on a S&W Mod. 13. Not as nice as the Cougar.
Heh, the Japanese make an airsoft gun called the “Smython” – I guess that’s another name for this thing. They even replicate both S&W markings on the frame and Python marking on the barrel.
These conversions were quite common in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
As I recall the dealer cost for a factory fresh 6″ Python barrel was $55.00.
They were installed on the S&W Model 19 or the Ruger Security-Six. I had a local gunsmith that would recut the frame threads for $20.00. So the entire conversion was $100 (Hey I had to make a profit too). That was cheaper than a Davis PPC conversion.
The Colt had a .355″ bore and was much more accurate than the S&W and Ruger barrels of the time. But the real attraction was the extra weight towards the muzzle.
This attraction diminished when S&W released the 586. Here we had a Python sized revolver with an underlugged barrel at a better price than the conversion.
Personally I always preferred a standard Python. The action was usually better right out of the box and the factory wood stocks fit me perfectly. But folks like to tinker with their guns and the S&W action is simpler and more user friendly than the Colt action.
Mayagrafix: The tighter bore and 1-14″ twist of the Python barrel was considered superior for stabilizing the .38 Special 148gr Mid-Range wadcutter loads used by PPC shooters. If I remember correctly, the S&W and Ruger barrels had rifling twists over 1-18″.
You can still get the barrels without too much difficulty via several suppliers.
Another interesting hybrid is the S&W – Dan Wesson, i.e. modifying a S&W frame by removing the barrel and fitting the Dan Wesson barrel type to allow for the user to swap out the heavier barrels and use different lengths. A pretty cool conversion.
Python barrels were easy to come by and competitors liked the weight forward provided by the full underlug barrel, and a Smith (or Ruger) plus Python barrel was a lot cheaper then a Python. I was and am a Python shooter and still have a number of spare barrels in reserve.
I never heard of a “Smolt,” but “Smython” conversions were fairly popular among PPC shooters back in the Dark Ages of the late 1970′s-early 1980′s when I first became interested in guns.
This post makes me nostalgic for the old Colt Pythons. I do wish someone would bring back the design – they were beautiful guns!
Mehul, I agree. Such nice looking guns. I am sure Colt will bring them back eventually – at a very high price.
They had Colt Pythons just laying around, ready to be parted out for their barrels?
Ha, I guess I should learn to read. Skimmed way to fast and missed that in my first post.
The “Smolt” was a Python barrel mated to a S&W revolver.
I new of them but never heard of the Ruger/Python hybrid.
Learn somethin’ new every day.
Huh and I thought a Cougar magnum was just a video game gun.
“Are you a woman with a much younger boyfriend? Then the Cougar Magnum is the self-defense handgun for you!”
awesome… I want a Cougar. (Couger?)
Born in the late 70s, early 80s? Still got 10 years before they’re Cougars.
What is the purpose? looks? or is the Colt barrel considered superior to Rugger and SW builds?
Thanks for a great blog!
For what its worth, the conversion’s name was simply Cougar. I believe someone else referred to their conversion as a Rattler. Regarding the Smolt conversions, at least one outfit even rebarreled N-frame S&W and bored out the Python barrel to match.
The revolver in the game appears to be a Ruger Super Blackhawk. The game designers changed all of the weapon names to avoid trademark issues.