What’s The Story With Colt?

by
posted on May 29, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
gsagi2015_fs.jpg
The famed gunmaker’s financial challenges have been in the news a lot, but the company has one asset its competition eyes with envy—fan loyalty. It can’t be entered into a spreadsheet, but on the used market the firm’s firearms are so popular that they continue to command top dollar. undefined

The Colt Python debuted in 1955, and as late as 2006 was coming out of the company’s custom shop. It’s been on the top of GunBroker.com’s best-selling used revolver list for a long time, including last month. It has been there since February of 2014, when the Smith & Wesson 686 occupied the top spot—in a combined new-and-used revolvers listing in which the snake was still in second place.

I admit they’re one of most finely crafted revolvers ever made, but that’s a lot of Pythons. Unfortunately, GunBroker, doesn’t list prices, although Rock Island Auction does. Its April event included several of the snake guns. A first-year-of-production Python, serial number 170 went for $17,250. Another went with a high bid of $8,050, although about two dozen rather run-of-the-mill production models averaged somewhere in the $3,000 range.

undefinedThose are impressive numbers for used revolvers that have yet to attain “antique” status. The monster bid of the day was $414,000, for yet another Colt. In this case, it was a Paterson with the earliest known factory engraving.

Firearm enthusiasts have an undying loyalty to the Colt name that defies Wall Street analysis. I admit the company faces some tough challenges, but if there’s ever been a company capable of surviving, it’s Colt.

Latest

Star Model B Ihtog 1
Star Model B Ihtog 1

I Have This Old Gun: Star Model B

Of the many Spanish-made firearms to emerge throughout the 19th and 20th century, one of the most recognizable is the Star Model B, largely due to its similarity to the Colt Model 1911.

New For 2025: Kimber Next Generation 1911

For its latest M1911 offering, Kimber Mfg. borrowed design elements from its double-stack 2K11 pistol to create what it calls the Next Generation 1911.

Review: Charter Arms Double Dog

Charter Arms is an American gunmaker that has offered its own versions of compact, double-action revolvers at fair prices for more than 60 years.

Rifleman Q&A: Mysterious “Broomhandle” Bring-Back

"My favorite gun is inoperable, so I have not shot it. It is one of two weapons that my dad brought back from the Philippines after World War II, the other being a sword."

New Jersey Town Supports CCW With Fee Refund

The city of Englishtown, N.J., recently made a move to reduce that financial barrier, sparking widespread optimism that a statewide, even nationwide, trend may be on the horizon.

Review: Savage Arms Revel

Lever-action rifles have experienced a revival in recent years, and Savage Arms is getting in on the act with its Revel series rimfires. To understand it, you may have to read (backward) between the lines.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.