https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1020959374
3" 10-8 with some "flair"....
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1020959374
3" 10-8 with some "flair"....
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
I dislike pinto's on general principles, but I would use it as a beater.
Is anyone making a run on that gun? If they are, I will stay away until you are above your max price.
Not I as well. But as @awp_101 insinuated, it kinda interesting. The more I looked at the pics, the more I liked it.
Heck, I've only recently found out what "Pintos", "bicycle guns", and "Velo Dogs" from threads here...
Good luck if you go on this SS!
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
^^^^The obvious question is, why replace perfectly good S&W and Ruger barrels with Python barrels?
This started IIRC in the 70s. That's pre-S&W L frame time. S&W K frames were regarded as having the best DA triggers. Python barrels were considered to be the best for shooting hollow-base wadcutters due to their faster rate of twist (one turn in 14", compared to the one turn in 18-3/4" on S&Ws). The faster twist does a better job of stabilizing the HBWCs, plus the Python barrels tended to have tighter groove diameters (.354-.355" compared to .357" with the S&Ws), and they were choke bored, meaning the groove diameter decreased from the breech end to the muzzle.
The main shooting game these guns were used in was PPC, which was shot with .38 Special wadcutter ammo from 6" revolvers at ranges to 50 yards. I can personally vouch for the fact that .38 Special HBWC ammo from a stock 6" S&W M14 will often leave slightly oblong holes in a 50-yard target, showing that it's on the ragged edge of stabilization. The faster twist Python barrels improved that. Plus, they look cool as all get-out.
The gunsmithing involved was pretty high-end. The threads in the S&W frame and on the Python barrel are different, and matching them involved cutting new threads in the frame. This led to barrel makers producing match-grade barrels threaded for S&Ws, which made it easier for gunsmiths and less expensive for shooters. Those barrels were often rifled one turn in 10", which gave even better stabilization, and the barrels were pretty hefty to counteract the jarring recoil of the .38 wadcutter ammo.
Smythons were also done with 4" barrels for LE and private individuals. They were built for increased accuracy and for the recoil damping provided by the underlug, but I think mostly because they looked so damned cool.
IMO, the main reason L frames and GP-100s have barrel underlugs is for the coolness factor. They mitigate recoil too, but that's just a nice-to-have byproduct.
About 10-15 years ago, Numrich had new stainless 3" Python barrels for $60. I'm still kicking myself for not having bought one. It would've looked great matched up with my M19-3 with the whole thing hard-chromed.
"Everything in life is really simple, provided you don’t know a f—–g thing about it." - Kevin D. Williamson