While watching the National Geographic American Genius Colt vs (Smith &) Wesson episode, I GOOGLE 'Colt' and came across this:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/colt-defense...nday-1434310925

I wasn't even aware that Colt has been in financial trouble.

I only know I haven't seen too many of their revolvers like the Python and the Diamondback laying around at gun shows and in gun stores.

Oh no!

I still want to get a Python.

Now that will be impossible because the prices of existing Pythons will skyrocket and even now, they are already at astronomical levels!

Well when you consider the quality of those handguns, It's pretty understandable. I had one, lost it in a house fire, still miss it to this day.

Poor management. Adopted a haughty attitude with the "If it is not a Colt, its a copy" mentality.
Ignored the Civilian market, let quality slide, and lost the Military contracts to FN.
Oopsie.

I should had bought a Python back in the early 80's.

I used to see a ton of them at gun shows back in those days for $600.

And they haven't brought anything new to the market for years. Most of the AR-15 development has been by other brands. They only have one product (AR-15/M4s). 1911s still sell on the civie side, but they're dead elsewhere. And I think more people are moving to newer designs. Revolvers are a niche. Why haven't they made something new?

There is one reason I never bought a Python or Diamondback in the 80's and I came close many times.

I didn't like the cylinder release on them.

Instead of pushing out away from you with your thumb, you had to push it in toward you with your thumb and it hurts your thumb to do that.

They'll rebound, rinse , and repeat in 10 years. It's the Colt way.

As long as they don't let QC slide on their ARs I don't really care though. Their sole purpose in my life is to provide affordable quality rifles to build off of (even though I'm a BCM fanboy).

interesting.


http://blogs.wsj.com/bankruptcy/2015/07/01/morongo-tribe-rides-to-colts-rescue/

Heck if I had the money I would buy Colt too.

I have a Colt Peacemaker, Colt 'Series 70' 1911, and a Colt M-4 AR-15.

Love them all. Never a problem.
Plan on passing them down to my grandsons.
One thing for sure, no matter what, they'll hold their value.
Nobody will argue that.

I knew lots of guys I worked with that owned Pythons and Diamondbacks, the problem was the calibers.
They were quality weapons, but .357's punch small holes in people. You hit the wrong spot, and you get shot back.
Great for target practice. Lots of guys on the pistol team used them.
But most of them sold their .357's after S&W came out with the large K frame revolvers.
The 9mm semi-autos were next to come out...too small a round, the department wouldn't even approve the 9mm round for on duty. Good for shooting dogs, but that's about it.

Then they came out with some good semi-autos....the Glock .40 was then issued to us.
I didn't like it, but with 16 hollow point rounds, it was good enough....for free.

Hit them with a .45 and you'll at least get another shot, while their body tries to recover.
Or they get up off the ground .
Never seen a guy get hit with a .45 cal. round, and return fire.
I'm sure it's happened, somewhere, sometime.....but my money is on the .45 round.
The .41 mag and .44 mag are nice, but pack quite a recoil, hard to get off that second shot if you miss.

The .45 was made to shoot humans, and I think it's still the best round for that purpose. Period.
If you like to target shoot, other weapons are much better.

Just my personal opinion.

Not so sure about that Murph.
I shoot cast in my High Standard 1911 and reload for less than .15 cents a round.
I can take that thing to the range and shoot till I get tired for the price of a box of factory FMJ ammo.
I use a hard alloy so leading isn't a problem and my target load is easy on the wrist and still doubles as a self defense round.
The lead bullet will flatten when it hits and it won't come out the back so the target gets all the energy.
Also, it makes a good home defense round as well since the bullet will splatter if it hits a wall, greatly reducing the potential for collateral damage.

As to the rest of your opinion regarding the .45 I agree completely.

Jim

What was everybody running for ammunition?

Anyway I hope Colt gets bought out by worthy folks and not by the likes of Freedum group or becomes a shell of a brand in the way of Winchester.

Amazingly, back in 1970, when I joined, they issued us a .38 special.
Nobody, well...MOST guys, bought their own handguns, and elected not to commit suicide by carrying a .38.

Most that could afford it, bought the .357 when it came out. But they had problems in the city with the round passing through the perp and hitting someone on the next block sitting in their living room. Which is why I like the .45 auto round. Slow, big, and deadly.

When the .41mag and .44mag came out, they jumped all over those, and eventually the large 'K' frame S&W's, .45 long colt, and .45 AutoRim, or used clips for the .45 auto round in the revolver.
They wouldn't let us carry the 1911, it was considered unsafe, with the safety. And would have to be carried without a round in the chamber, to be safe.
In theory, guys would forget to flip it off, or leave it off, with a round in the chamber.
It was never approved for use on duty.
Hence the acceptance of the Glock semi-auto. Carried with a round in the chamber.
Some guys stuck with the .357 - it's a good round, if you hit bone or a vital organ.
But who wants to take that chance, when the other guy has a weapon in his hand?

I prefer a large caliber round.

IMHO the 45 long colt, is the round I would NOT want to get hit by.
The .44 mag, would ruin my day also.
A .45 semi-auto....would hurt, very much.
Anything less, and you stand a chance of returning the shot, and survival.

I thought, back in your days, the only 'hot' round they had on hand for the 38 Special was the stuff from SuperVel and the standard rounds being round nose lead.

There was decent hollowpoint ammo available from mainstream manufacturers for .38 and .357 revolvers from 1972-73, not sure how quickly it caught on though.

Anyways Murph, did they teach single or double handed shooting in your early years?

Almost always two hands.
We shot 12 rounds during qualification (every six months) with the right, then left hand only. The rest of the 500 rounds were with two hands. When I pull out my handgun, my second hand automatically goes under the right.
I don't do the 'wrap' and interlace your fingers thing. Good for target shooting, but if you want to shoot fast, it takes a bit longer to get situated. I just slap my right hand onto my left. It just feels natural.

And you don't rip off your thumb....lol....

Seen a lot of that, when we were qualifying.

Harry - They came out with the .44 Mag back in the 60's.
Dirty Harry just made it famous with the public in the 70's.
After that movie, you couldn't find a .44 Mag in any gun shop, for years.

What I had to wait for was the 'money' to buy the S&W .45 revolver. The 'Model 25' was the one I really wanted.
That was out back in 1955, way before my time.
The Model 29 was the .44 Mag.
Both had 6 1/2" bbl's. Both were very expensive on my pay, had to save up for quite a while, raising a family.
It was a lot of gun to pull out, but working uniform, it was a good feeling of security when I felt it in my hand.
I was involved in a shooting with it once, the other guy had a .30 cal. carbine.
He shot up our car, pinned my partner down under the dash. He had just shot his girl friend.
It was quite an experience.

When I was transferred to Vice, I just carried a .38 in my boot most times. And I remember the Super Vel's. .
They really did 'crack' louder, I think it was about the best .38 round you could find.

When I worked in the DB I carried the .45 for a while, under my suit coat, big shoulder holster rig, then just gave up, and carried my old .38 down my back for a year or so.
Then they finally issued us the Glock .40 cal. I was happy with that. Hoping I'd never have to use it. It seemed like a light round to me. But 'much' better than the .38 special, or 9mm.
Especially when you used hollow points.
The Glock is actually easier to carry than the 5 shot .38 revolver.
It just fits better, doesn't show at all, and doesn't slide down, flat and 'L' shaped.
I still carry that the most, it's like my wallet, never notice it.
But I don't use a holster.
Right side above the back pocket, handle to the right.
It just fits. You want my wallet, you'll get my Glock.
Holsters are pretty......but they show too much, and I can get my Glock out just as fast, from my belt.
It looks just like I'm getting my wallet out of my back pocket.
To each his own....it's your life.

I sold the S&W Model 25, when I retired and moved up here, to the forest.
The trigger was just too touchy, I shot it a lot. Some bluing was wearing off.
I actually traded it for a brand new semi-auto Browning, 'Buck Mark' .22 target pistol with a bull barrel.
I'm sure someone has already had an accidental discharge with my old S&W.
I swear, the trigger pull was about 2 oz's. Breath on it, and it fired.

A Model 25 loaded with Glaser Safety Slugs is what I keep by the bed. It's been modified to double action only though. (There is no way a lawyer is ever going to convince a jury that it went off unintentionally.)

As far as revolver speed reloading go, it's hard to beat full moon clips.

It must have been expensive shooting a lot of factory .45 Colt!

How well did the M25 hold up as far as tuning and maintenance?

Did it have any trigger work?

Yes, it got expensive.
I learned real fast to buy a reloading press, and dies.

The trigger was worked by the guy I bought it from, he was on the Department Pistol Team.
I ended up working with him, and he sold me the pistol.
I still see him at our quarterly 'breakfasts'.

I'm sure it had thousands of rounds run through it before I ever saw it.
Then I fired thousands of rounds.
By the time I was done, that trigger was really worn a little too much.
I could have had it redone....but I was retired and needed a target pistol for those pesky chipmunks
So I traded for the Browning, and stuck a 4x scope on the top.
Head shots at 150 feet. Very seldom miss.

I never did anything to the S&W, except clean it every time I shot it, and never abused it.
Fired every time, without fail.
Shot straight, very straight, with that 6 1/2" bbl.
The trigger was very smooth, and very light there was NO trigger pull, just 'touch'.

Nice weapon.
Wish I'd bought the Browning and kept the S&W, should have had the trigger fixed
Looking back....I've never been happy, after selling a weapon.
Ever.

I'd rather take a hit from a .45 than a .357 magnum any day of the week. That being said, my preference is to not be hit by either as they're both proven man killers and excellent for self defense.