Which Gun Do You Dislike The Most

OK, I have another one.

The Colt Python, including the Colt company.

Before you form a lynch mob let me tell you why the Python is on my POS list.

My wife bought the Python for me at a time we were right hard up for money.
She spent more than we had ever paid for a gun but the Python was worth it, right?
Wrong!

The short version.

I found it was shaving lead when fired.
The cylinder wasn't always lining up with the barrel.
If the hammer wasn't pulled back fast, or there was a LITTLE drag on the cylinder, like a high primer or being dirty from a bit of shooting, the cylinder wouldn't rotate far enough to lock up and align with the barrel.

Probably a new "hand" would fix the problem. Colt would not sell me one.

I took the gun to the local Colt approved gunsmith.
He said, Yes it's dangerous and I'll contact Colt and fix it.
When I picked it up he had done nothing. He said Colt says there's nothing wrong with it.
I pointed out to the "butt head" that he's "expert" opinion, a few days earlier, was that the gun was dangerous and now he's got the nerve to say there's nothing wrong with it.
The conversation went down hill from there.:angry:

Later I talked to a Colt rep who offered personally to take the gun to get it fixed.
He also said it was dangerous.
He returned the gun unrepaired and said the Colt gunsmith said there's nothing wrong with the gun.
I also pointed out to him that he had said the gun is dangerous.
His answer was, "What can I say, I work for Colt".

The store where I bought the gun, had gotten in 5 more Pythons.
I showed them my problem and checked the other 5 by LIGHTLY laying my finger on the cylinders as I pulled the hammer back.
3 out of 5 failed to lock up.
The salesman said, That's dangerous.
(where had I heard that before )

I sold the gun to a co-worker (big $$ loss) after explaining the problem and telling him I would not buy this gun, but he just had to have a (cheap) Python.

Now I don't even look at ANY Colts at the gun shows

Much as I would like to agree with you, M2, and have people abandoning their Pythons so I could buy them dirt cheap, I am not seeing the problem you indicated. Not saying YOUR gun wasn't defective, but I went over and tried out several of my own to see what you were talking about.

Yes, providing drag on the cylinder while pulling the hammer back does, in most cases, leave the round to be fired slightly off center of the barrel. But for one thing, it is ever so slightly out of alignment, and the ONLY movement you can make with the cylinder is to bring it INTO alignment, not further OUT of alignment.

But you didn't carry your experiment far enough, M2. If you were to pull the tigger with the cylinder out of alignment with the barrel, you would have noticed that the trigger pull is slightly stiffer than normal. That's because the pulling of the trigger FORCES the cylinder into alignment before the hammer will fall and fire the cartridge. One of the tests I normally would do when checking out a Python I am interested in buying is to check for play in the cylinder while I pull the trigger. If there is any play whatsoever (which I have RARELY seen), I would take this as a warning sign and move on. But the Colt mechanism (I tried this on a Python, Diamondback, Anaconda, King Cobra, and Whitetailer models - with the same results), uses the trigger mechanism, apparently to FORCE the cylinder lockup solidly before firing a round. Which I particularly like.

So basically, I believe this problem you pointed out is a non-issue, in my opinion. But I do wish you had sold me your Python....

Rich,

I know what the Colt trigger is suposed to do.
But the fact is it wasn't doing it and cylinder was not locked when the hammer was back and many times when the trigger was pulled it was so out of alignment it was shaving the bullet.

I didn't want to make my post too long going into too much detail.

Bottom line is, with all the quality wheel guns on the market I don't want one that doesn't have the cylinder locked when the hammer is cocked.

Then to I was very disapointed with the Python's accuracy. My $175 Ruger Security Six was much more accurate.
That was one of the things that got me looking closely at the Python and seeing the shaving bullet thing.

Of course I'm not saying all Pythons are crap.
Just that I'll never buy another one.

I hear you, M2, but me thinks you are making too much of a judgement based on a single instance. I have 37 (or so?) Colt Pythons right now in my collection. I haven't shot them all, of course, but those I have I am proud of owning. I did have one break on me, but I sent it to Colt and they fixed it for free, even though it was obviously a used gun that had been around for a while.

Some are more accurate than others, but I firmly believe this has more to do with a particular gun wanting a particular loading rather than anything else. Experimentation I have done with loading has opened my eyes up to that in a very graphic way. I can virtually make a gun group where I want it by the type of powder I use in my loads, without ever touching the sights.

But I don't think anything made by man hasn't had some examples that were just lemons. Just the luck of the draw that the one that you got evidently turned out to be that way. Just as I guess my experience with the Charter Arms I once had turned out, I suppose. But so far I haven't really heard anyone dispute my experience with the Charter Arms. But then again, we are talking about comparing apples and oranges between these two types of guns.

So, in a nutshell, if anyone makes the mistake of giving you another Python, keep my email address handy, please. I'll certainly take it off of your hands....

Well I am gunna give it a shot. I have been thinking about it, a lot. The gun that I dislike the most is one that has me in a conundrum - you know a real dilemma. I loved it cause it was fun to shoot, fairly accurate (more accurate than me I am sure) but it is or at least sometimes is a royal pain in the posterior when it comes to cleaning - or should I say to disassembly and reassembly. It is Marlin Camp 9. Yes I know lots of people love it, but any gun that is touted a s elf defense weapons system should not have tiny little coil springs that fall out during cleaning (with no mention as I remember, of such in the directions) nor should it have a feed ramp sitting atop a spring which needs to be held just right to reassemble. I bought one of these with the idea of having a carbine to match the pistol ammo most often shot. It was touted as an LEO weapon, a survival weapon, something for when the SHTF kind of a thing. Well if you are cleaning one and turn the bolt a certain way (or was it in the receiver) a small coil spring plops right out. This should not happen with any weapon let alone one you stake your life on. And the whole idea of a pivoting feed ramp seems to me like a bad design feature probably, in my opinion, brought on by bad design planning. Add to this the, in my estimation, over use of plastic, and you can keep it. It is not for me.

So because of these glitches, this carbine which I truly had very high hopes for gave me the biggest bummer of any I can remember in recent years when it came to my expectations for a firearm. I got rid of it quick at a low price.

I guess it would not rate as the one I dislike the most if my expectations for it had not been so high, but nonetheless, it is the one I can think of that I truly dislike for any reason - even while at the same time liking it for other reasons. The dislike though heavily outweighed the likes.

Now as for Rich Z having 37 Colt Pythons in the collection - man I never realized you were rich. Wow! I am guessing then that you must have hundreds of guns unless you are just a Python fanatic or should I say aficionado!

Happy New Year