Ruger Redhawk
Member
Yeah it's sad the way all the old Craftmen have long since gone. I used to be a S&W fan back in the mid to late 70's. Little by little you could see a change in their quality.Not at all surprising and you're right Ruger Redhawk. As the older gun assemblers died off, there were fewer employees at Colt who could assemble and time the older D, E or I frame action. Many of us "kids" remember how in the late '70s the quality was slipping. First it was the finish (like the face of the cylinder) which wasn't so high polish and then other less noticeable parts weren't as well polished. The timing became an issue in the late '70s and '80s as the old timers retired. Newer Pythons of the '80s were rarely of the quality and fit as the older ones. Colt developed the Trooper MK III action to simplify the lockwork and to simplify things for its less skilled workforce. Recall that the older Troopers had a Python type lockwork and but for the finish and a slight difference in the frame (it was stepped down where the frame met the muzzle), could if rebarrelled pass itself off as a Python.
My teacher, Rob Dunlap, used to refer to the newer lockwork as something blind high school drop outs on drugs could work on.
I wouldn't mind finding a old Python but not for what they are asking for them today. I have a few older Colts. I have a NIB unfired 6" Diamondback in 22 LR and NIB Unfired Trooper in 22mag. Then I have a couple of the older Detective Spls. One is unfired NIB and the other looks to be unfired with the non shouded ejector rod in 32 New Police.