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Missing Python Roll Mark Stamp on Bright Stainless Python Barrel

4K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  chrism1 
#1 ·
Good Afternoon Everyone,

I am a new member to this forum and have just recently purchased my first Colt revolver, a 6" bright stainless Python. I am super excited about having this gun as I've been saving up for one of these for a while now. She looks amazing and really feels well balanced in the hand. I haven't fired her yet and am really looking forward too. I have some questions about this particular Python that I was hoping someone might be able to answer. I purchased the Python from an estate sale. The family of the deceased believed this gun was purchased by the owner as a "NIB/Unfired" gun at some point as it also came with the original SN marked box, tags, manual, and paperwork. Additionally, the gun appraiser who was representing the guns in the sale inspected it and also believed it to be "NIB/Unfired" based on his inspection, and the Gun Dealer that helped me with my registration paperwork also upon inspection believed this gun to be in an unfired state. When looking at the left side of the barrel, I was puzzled why there were no Python 357 and Cartridge Information roll marks stamped into the barrel. That area of the barrel looks completely smooth with no types of surface deformity as if someone polished or grinded those marks out. The Colt Mfg. roll mark is distinctly stamped on the right side of the barrel, along with multiple crisply stamped proof and brand marks over the frame of the gun. With the gun appearing to have low-to-no rounds fired out of her, I wouldn't know why a barrel would have been replaced on this gun, and then even if the barrel was replaced, wouldn't it have had the Python 357 and Cartridge Info roll mark on the replacement barrel? I also wouldn't know why someone would have polished the roll mark off just the left side of the barrel and not the right side too. I did verify through Colt Archive services before purchase that this was a 1995 Python.

Searching through previous posts on this forum I was able to find several forum threads that referenced mis-aligned or missing Python/Snake-Gun barrel roll markings, so I guess the possibility exists that if the roll marks on the barrel weren't grinded/polished off or the barrel wasn't replaced, it could have just come from the factory like this. My plans for this Python have been, and will be, to fire it and enjoy her as a shooter; however, I would like to look into my options for having the gun barrel marked properly as it would have come from the factory.

Are there any gunsmiths that would be recommended to stamp the roll marks onto the barrel, as I did see some old postings on this forum where it was mentioned that some gunsmiths or collectors were in possession of official colt factory roll marks and did this type work?

Does anyone sell factory replacement barrels for the 6" bright stainless python that would have the correct roll marks on both sides of the barrel? If one could even be sourced, are there gunsmiths you would recommend that have experience replacing barrels on the python, particularly one with such a polished finish?

I have attached some pictures of the gun for reference. Thank you in advance for any possible answers, and or recommendations you can provide!

Have a great day!
Chris

Gun Revolver Trigger
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#2 · (Edited)
first thing i would do is to verify through colt archive the model number on the gun.....this will verify if the gun is originally bright stainless ....bright stainless model number will end with a 1.....or post a good picture of the serialized label on the box

ebay has had a lot of nos python barrels currently and lately ...yours would require the single sight pin type so threads would match (obviously if the gun is a correct bright stainless gun you could also buy a correct satin finish barrel and have it polished) ...as for gunsmiths i use Frank Glenn in Az but there are others but they need to have correct colt tools and experience to fit a python barrel

do know that some barrels were produced without roll marks for engraving but i assumed those were "clean" on both sides but i do not know
 
#4 ·
Errors do occur from time to time and have been done so from Colt. Yes from Colt. There was another person on this sight who had a Python which had no markings what so ever and informed Colt about it and Colt asked them to send the gun back so they can fix the error and I don't remember if they did so or not but I do recall reading about it. Even though we all believe Colt walks on water and they always make perfect guns and there are no mistakes in polishing, stampings, barrel lengths and etc. Hate to be the guy with the bad news but I have a secret to lay on you. Colt does screw up and I think you may have one in your hands. Check the search area for the topic and you will see some other errors. I would first check with Colt if the Python you have is what it should be then get a letter confirming the gun. Now you have a error and there are guys who collect error guns. I have seen a Python with the script upside down. So does it happen yes they are human and people make mistakes.
 
#5 ·
Even though we all believe Colt walks on water and they always make perfect guns and there are no mistakes in polishing, stampings, barrel lengths and etc. Hate to be the guy with the bad news but I have a secret to lay on you. Colt does screw up and I think you may have one in your hands. Check the search area for the topic and you will see some other errors. I would first check with Colt if the Python you have is what it should be then get a letter confirming the gun. Now you have a error and there are guys who collect error guns. I have seen a Python with the script upside down. So does it happen yes they are human and people make mistakes.
"We?", kimosabe?
Really, only the unenlightened and impractical ( ...retentive?) types will have such a perspective. I reckon it probably has something to do with the expense involved with acquisition of Colts in general, and especially with the cost of nice ones.
And just the roll marks can be upside down, slide serrations can be applied backwards.
The Company doesn't really surprise anyone who has been handling these things for a while. In fact, there is a whole subculture who actually are interested in the oddball manufacturing errors the get through.
If I had a factory defect like the one in OP, I would just as likely leave it as is, in evidence of the natural fallablity of the Company.
YMMV.
That thing is somebody's grail gun.
Like an unmarked Romulan Disruptor.
 
#7 ·
Thank you for the kind welcome and all the good suggestions! Per recomendation, on monday I'll try to contact Colt archive services. I'll pursue the official verification they provide. I had just used the online tool that colt has to verify that it was a python for this particular gun, but no gun finish info was provided.

When I was researching guns I was interested in buying I did leave a message for colt archives inquiring about verification of a serial number of a snake gun and I think it was a Paul had a message he was on paternity leave and wouldn't be back in office for quite some time. I left a very kind/easy going message about my inquiry and unfortunately that I would have needed the info to bid on the gun in short order. He actually got the message while he was on leave and had one of his co-workers call me back with info about the gun I was looking into. Very cool, I was impressed!

Good info on the Ebay replacement barrels and Frank Glenn as far as python gun work. I'll start with the colt archive info and will pursue other options from there. I'll update forum of my progress. Yeah, I totally get the possibility of an error from the factory. I did see a decent amount of forum threads about this happening from time to time. It's understandable. I guess we'll see.

Some pics attached of the guns blue box cover label. Sorry they keep posting upside down. I'm doing this from my phone and keep rotating them, but no success.

Thanks again everyone, I appreciate it. Have a nice weekend!

View attachment 556066 View attachment 556074 Electronics Technology Electronic device Audio equipment
 
#8 ·
According to the serial number it's a early 1990's gun and the label looks good to me but I'm no expert on boxes or labels.
 
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#9 ·
When you make many thousands of anything mistakes happen, and it happens with any brand of firearm.

As I've related before I once knew an wealthy advanced collected out west who collected factory error guns, preferably new in the box.
He had some of the most outrageous and incredible mistakes I ever heard of, and you could only wonder how on earth they ever made it out of the factory.
He had revolvers from several companies that had barrels that were un-rifled and even only partially drilled that were shipped, in spite of supposedly being test fired at the factory.

People wonder how a Python could be shipped with no barrel mark, but when you consider that inspectors see hundreds guns a week for years, you understand that a barrel mark is is just "always there" and so normal that when one isn't there the eye just doesn't see it's missing.

Last, don't think that a roll mark can't be removed from a barrel and not leave signs of the removal.
You'd be amazed at what a good metal worker or polisher can do and leave no traces.

If you want the correct markings put on the barrel, there are a few places that may have original type roll dies, or they have them done by a good hand engraver.

Here's a couple of companies that may still do it....

http://www.fordsguns.com/

https://www.customshopinc.com/

http://turnbullrestoration.com/

http://www.ronsgunshop.com/

One word on Ford's. A couple of years ago several members sent Pythons in to Ford's for refinishing and refreshing the roll stamps.
They got back absolutely butchered guns with stamps that looked like they were done by a kid with a rusty nail.
Apparently they'd hired a new worker and he was a gun butcher.
Whether this situation has been corrected or not is unknown so use them at your own risk.

Personally as a possible factory oddity I'd keep it as-is.
 
#10 ·
Yes KMKCOLT, that is what the online search I performed indicated as well, a 1995 gun. I guess I'll find out for sure when I contact archive services next week. Cool about the box label, I was also thinking it looked basically the same as anything I saw listed online for other similarly finished pythons.

Wow dfariswheel, that is a crazy example of some factory mistake guns! I absolutely can believe that, but still amazing none the less. I could imagine it would get extremely monotonous to inspect the same item over and over every day, especially when such a small percentage of the inspected items would have any faults at all. I sure would've hated to be the poor guy who would have shot some of those unrifled or partially drilled barrel guns without inspecting first....ouch!! Thanks for the POC info on the potential vendors who might still remark barrels. Pending what I find from colt archive services I'll at least look into some of those contacts......but man-oh-man I sure hope the rusty nail butcher has moved on to another profession where his skills, or lack there of, are better suited. LOL
 
#13 ·
I would keep it as it is.
Not only do you have a desirable bright SS but you have a unique one at that.
It goes without saying that it is a Python. No need for roll marks to inform the uninformed.
It kind of goes along the lines of "if you need to ask how much it is, then you can't afford it".

Enjoy it and to heck with 'Colt correctness' !
Thanks for sharing.
 
#16 ·
The point to some of the collectors factory error guns is that some of them were not capable of being test fired.
The question is, if the gun could not physically BE fired, how did it make it through the factory inspection and test fire procedures?

It's been many years ago and i was only able to take a fast look at some of his collection, but among others he had a factory new revolver (S&W??) that had one caliber cylinder and a smaller caliber barrel.

A Colt Officer's Model Target from the 1930's when quality was at the very top that looked like someone in the factory made up a gag gun as a joke. The OMT was Colt's top of the line back then.
It had about everything wrong that could be wrong, with a blued finish that looked like it had been polished with a finger nail file.
It was badly out of time and just looked like crap.
How could that get out of Colt's factory?

He had any number of rifles chambered in one caliber with the wrong caliber stamped on the barrel.
I once saw one of these at my old club when we held a sighting in day for deer hunters.
One man had a brand new Remington 742 stamped 30-06, but was chambered for .308.

The point is, make lots of something and strange things happen and don't get caught by even the best inspection system.

And as we've seen on this forum a number of times, don't ever think that someone can't remove stampings from a gun and not leave any sign of removal.
 
#17 ·
For what it's worth I was the one that posted photos of a 6" stainless Python with no markings several years ago. It had the "VP" stamp and the inspectors stamp near the grip frame but no other markings, Colt did request that it be returned for correct markings. The gun belonged to a friend of mine and he decided to keep it as is. I still have photos of it but they are on an old hard drive and I haven't taken the time to retrieve them. I ordered a letter from Colt without letting them know that it was for the unstamped Python. It is the earliest known Python (by letter) to be shipped. It was shipped 1/11/83 to a dealer in NY. My friend sold the gun without letting me know and to this day we do not speak to each other because of this. Some day I'll dig out the old hard drive an repost the photos. D*
 
#18 ·
Interesting Daryl, I think yours may have been one of the previous posts that I read from many years ago that made me realize that this could potentially be a mismarked gun from the factory and not a re-barreled gun or possibly having been refinished. Thanks. Sorry it didn't work out with the gun and your friend.

I was able to contact Paul from Colt archive services today and he was very helpful with my inquiry. When I started to describe this situation he stopped me and asked if I had a posting on the Colt Forum about this topic, as he frequents this forum and had read my posting and some of the replies. I thought that was cool, and sure simplified my explanation. I requested an official letter on the gun which should contain its original surface finish, among other things. UNOFFICIALLY, purely based on just what he saw in my pictures and description, he thought everything looked good-to-go with the gun as far as it being a bright stainless finish from the factory, with the possibility that it may have just been partially marked during production. If you're reading this again Paul, thanks for the help, it was nice talking with you.

I appreciate the great advice from all perspectives provided so far as well as the resource POC's for various gun services. I think at this point I will at least look into some of the gunsmith POC's provided and see what I would be looking at as far as time and money to alter this gun back to original (correct original-HaHa), but I am leaning heavily towards just shooting it and enjoying it. Like it was mentioned several times earlier, I know what the gun is, not needing a stamp on the side to remind me, and the fact that even though it doesn't look as it was intended to look from the factory, it's quite possible now that it most likely left the same factory with this altered appearance, so I guess it's original, kind of...LOL
 
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