Colt Python 3″ 2020-Series Stainless .357 Magnum Revolver
The legendary Python is back in a size Colt has not cataloged for seven decades—a genuine 3-inch, full-lug, ventilated-rib Python built from stainless. It delivers the unmistakable balance, silky DA/SA trigger, and mirror-polished internals that made the original a grail piece, yet it benefits from modern metallurgy and an upgraded 2020-series lock-work. For the collector, this is one of the scarcest barrel lengths ever offered straight from Colt; for the shooter, it is a trim, six-shot .357 that carries like a snub and extracts like a duty revolver.
Condition
Excellent overall. The stainless surfaces show only the faintest evidence of prior handling—no scratches, turn-line ghosting only visible under angled light, and crisp roll-marks. Both the mirror-bright bore and six-groove rifling remain pristine with no frosting or erosion. All timing, lock-up, and cylinder-stop functions meet Colt’s factory specifications. In short, this Python presents as a lightly-fired example that has been properly maintained, fully aligning with our “Excellent” grade.
What’s Included
Colt blue molded hard case with matching end-label • factory owner’s manual • installed checkered American walnut target stocks with gold Colt medallions • loose Hogue rubber Monogrip for recoil-friendly range sessions • original black ramp front sight • Wilson Combat #1053FOG180 snag-free green fiber-optic front sight • Breakthrough Xtreme Duty gun oil (new bottle).
The 3″ Python blends heritage with utility:
• First factory-cataloged 3″ Python since 1955–2005; fewer than two dozen pre-2005 prototypes were built, making this length historically elusive.
• Reinforced top strap is 30 % thicker than the vintage model, allowing confident use of today’s higher-pressure .357 Magnum loads.
• Post-mid-2021 lock-work revision cures early production timing issues and retains the famously glass-smooth leaf-spring trigger.
• Full-length ejector rod clears .357 cases completely—an advantage many short-barreled revolvers lack.
• User-serviceable front-sight blade lets you swap colors or heights with any modern Cobra/King Cobra pattern screw-in blade; the included Wilson fiber-optic makes the sight picture pop.
• Transfer-bar safety permits safe carry with all six chambers loaded without altering the classic hammer profile.
• Dark, straight-grained American walnut stocks mirror the look of 1960s Pythons, while the supplied Hogue Monogrip gives you a recoil-taming option for intensive range work.
• Everything is crafted in Hartford, Connecticut, honoring the revolver’s U.S. lineage.
Whether you seek a collectible outlier in the storied Python bloodline, a premium belt gun that extracts cleanly and points naturally, or simply the satisfaction of owning a revolver that embodies both history and modern engineering, this 3″ Colt Python checks every box. Opportunities to acquire one in this condition—and with both grip sets and the Wilson front sight already in the package—are few and far between. Add it to your collection or holster it for carry; either way, it is ready for the next chapter.