Concealed Carry Handguns – August 2019

A nickel 2.5-inch

barreled Colt

Python. Rock Island

Auction photo

I had already zeroed the sights on
both revolvers so started shooting at
the plates with the 4-inch Python with
good success. Then, I tried the 2.5-inch
one. That’s been quite a few years ago,
but I believe I was ringing the plates
about as often with the shorter Python.
I know I was enough impressed that
when I got home, I let Colt know I
wanted to purchase both revolvers.

Those have proven one of the best
investments I’ve made based on current
Python prices. I have a holster for the
2.5-inch Ultimate Python, but I haven’t
really carried it very often. I’ve put stag
grips on both of the Ultimate ones and
even wore both a couple of times on
special occasions.

On the positive side, the 2.5-inch
barreled Python shoots very accurately
and handles .357 Magnum recoil well.
On the negative side, other than the
fact the barrel doesn’t show beneath
a shorter jacket as that of the 4-inch
one would, it doesn’t conceal much
better than the 4-inch Python. It also
weighs 38 ounces as opposed to 30.5
ounces for my Model 66 with the
same barrel length.

Colt made another snub magnum

revolver I like: the Lawman MKIII with

2-inch barrel. It conceals well in a holster

and can be carried in a jacket pocket. All

of the .357 Magnum snubs with 2-inch

and 2.5-inch barrels have another short-

coming for combat usage. The longer

.357 Magnum cases will not fully eject

when the ejector rod is pushed.

3-INCH ADVANTAGES

To get full ejection it normally requires

a 3-inch barrel. As a result, the perfect

“snub” .357 Magnum for use as a belt

or jacket pocket gun will have that

barrel length. The exception is the

newest S&W Model 66 revolvers with a

2.75-inch barrel that also has no detent

in the ejector rod housing, which allows

for a slightly longer ejector rod.

I’ve been fortunate enough to find a

couple of 3-inch .357 Mag revolvers

that rank among my favorite carry guns.

The first is an elusive Model 66 with

3-inch barrel. Mine has a Magna Trigger

Safety that caused it to be listed in an

auction as “broken.” However, I deduced

from the description that it was not and

bought it for less than half the going

price for a 3-inch Model 66, which was

a difficult revolver to find. A friend who

carried a revolver with a Magna Trigger

Safety had a spare ring and I now had

an excellent carry revolver that was

also proprietary if anyone attempted to

snatch it from me.

I had encountered Manurhin MR73 re-

volvers in use with some foreign coun-

terterror units with which I had contact

and had become a fan of these accurate

durable revolvers, which are designed to

fire hundreds of thousands of full-power

.357 rounds without wearing out.

I acquired a 3-inch version with Trausch

grips and a trigger shoe, got Rusty

Sherrick to make a holster for it, and

it is today my favorite revolver for belt

wear. Raymond Sasia, who had trained

with the FBI and later laid the basis

for firearms training for France’s Police

Nationale, decided that the best police

combat revolver was a 3-inch .357

Magnum with fixed sights. Though I

have used that model, the one I carry

has adjustable sights.

COMPENSATED

COMPACTS

S&W was obviously aware that there

FALL 2019 • CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUNS 37