Wheelgun Wednesday: Colt Python Combat Elite .357 Magnum 3″ S/S

Welcome back to another week of Wheelgun Wednesday, and before we jump into it, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone visiting TFB! For those who might be familiar with my participation in Wheelgun Wednesday, I’m addicted to double-action revolvers from Colt and Smith & Wesson like a straight-up junkie. I can’t get enough. Moreover, like a bloodhound on a trail, I am always hunting for more. Colt is definitely a company that you need to “hunt up” their new offerings because they don’t do a great job of updating what is for sale within their portfolio and what appears on their website. They have multiple models of revolvers that have been on the market for years yet are still not displayed on their website. All that being said, Colt has sneakily and rather quietly (yet again) released a new revolver that will likely be more readily available in 2024 than it will be this year. Their newest, soft launch offering is the Colt Python Combat Elite .357 Magnum in a 3″ Stainless Steel barrel.

Wheelgun Wednesday @ TFB:

• Cartridge Spotlight – .17 Caliber Revolvers
• First Impressions from the New Ruger Super Wrangler
• Out Of 57 Modern Revolver Cartridges, What’s Your Favorite?
• Smith & Wesson Model 37 Chief’s Special Airweight
• Pancho Villa’s Golden SAA Estimated to Fetch Nearly a Million Dollars!

The new Colt Python Combat Elite .357 Magnum is not a crazy new iteration like they reinvented the wheel, but it does group together a bunch of features that could be appetizing to a lot of shooters. You get improved sights for defensive (combat) situations, it is heavy for its size (to mitigate recoil), and it comes with stylish yet functional G10 grips. The complete and simultaneously paltry listing of the specs for the new Python Combat Elite can be read below as presented by Colt:

With the Colt Python Combat Elite dropping in at $1,499 it is exactly like its brothers and sisters within the Python family: expensive by anyone’s metric and they’ll still sell like hotcakes. I like the aesthetic of the unfluted cylinder in this Snake Gun iteration, but I’m curious if the “appearance will deliver in performance” by adding a miniscule amount of weight to curb the stout recoil impulse of .357 Magnum in what could be deemed a snubby configuration of a revolver.

I also appreciate the appearance of the G10 grips from a curb appeal standpoint, but going back to the thought of shooting a snubby-sized .357 Magnum, I almost would have preferred a more heavily textured or stippled grip instead. I am the weird guy that prefers to hold 60-grit sandpaper all day long for the sake of dexterity on my handguns, the skin on my palm be damned!

Building on Colt’s Snake Gun legacy, the NEW Python Combat Elite!

The 2023 Python Combat Elite features modern stainless steel alloys and a re-designed rear sight. Thirty percent more steel beneath the rear adjustable target sight gives you a stronger revolver and more robust shooting experience. A recessed target crown, front night sight, G10 grip with the iconic Colt medallion, and unfluted cylinder make this a gun you’ll want to shoot AND show off. The Python is chambered in .357 Magnum and also accommodates .38 Special cartridges.

The comment that Colt makes in their press release statement – “Thirty percent more steel beneath the rear adjustable target sight gives you a stronger revolver and more robust shooting experience” – is a curious one. I have never thought of or believed that the Colt Python in general was thin on material throughout the frame so it is interesting that they could squeeze that much more steel in that area for the sake of strength and durability in the frame. But, I’m not an engineer or even pretend to be one on the internet. So, what do I know…

Check Prices on Colt Python Combat Elite Revolvers

So, the day before Thanksgiving and 2 days before Black Friday we learn about a brand, spankin’ new Snake Gun from Colt! (Don’t expect any Black Friday discounts on this bad boy) Could you re-create the Python Combat Elite if you were so adventurous by purchasing a current 3″ Python and pouring a lot of work into it? Yeah, I guess so… but if you want a more “carry ready” Python, this is something that is cataloged now by Colt (even if it doesn’t hit their website for a couple years). So, the only element that remains is what do you think? If you are a junkie double-action guy like me, would you buy it? Or, pass on it? As always, let us know all of your thoughts about Colt and the Python Combat Elite in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.