Colt Viper: A Rare Snake and a Great Revolver
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- čas přidán 17. 05. 2024
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Colt has released seven different revolvers named after snakes, and they have become a popular niche collection for many people. The Python is by far the best known, but several others are very rare. One of these is the Colt Viper, of which only a few thousand were made and only in 1977. The Viper is fundamentally a variation of the Police Positive Special with an aluminum alloy frame and a 4" barrel. They were all chambered for .38 Special, and in fact the only variations are in the finish - either blued or nickeled.
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By god, this is the most high-definition Ian I've ever seen.
Yes. And I've seen him live
Yeah, I can see that clearly! Hi-def Gun Jesus!
Crispy
@@petrimakela5978 lei it soak in
Rumour has it that Ian is now living his life in 4k...
That is...one of the most revolver-looking revolvers I have ever laid my eyes on. It's like, I think "revolver" and this is the exact image that comes up.
suck it is a bad one ...
@@jessicalacasse6205Huh? Please try to be coherent.
@@mrwp819300it's trash
Single-action Army, looking from the side with the ejector rod on opposite side.
@@CHEESYHEAD684 That's if I'm thinking "single action revolver."
Those 7 snake revolvers would be the Python, Anaconda, Cobra, King Cobra, Diamondback, Viper, Boa.
Thank you for that👍
Ian throwing much deserved shade at GunBroker.
I haven't used GunBroker enough to fully hate it but auctions suck so much to me.
@@themastermason1there’s a fucking reason it’s called Gunjoker. What a shit site.
@@themastermason1 I had to deal with their customer service department, once.
And I’m done, never going there again.
One time I "won an auction" on a low priced repro bayonet.
The seller only accepted payment via money order.....
This really wierded me out.
Last minute I did my research on the seller & found him linked to a ton of scams & upon looking up his bussiness address it was a random barn in the midwest & not a real store front.
So i messaged the seller & told him I changed my mind & wouldnt be buying it.
The seller reported me & gunbroker, despite me explaining all of this in detail & sharing evidence via screenshots they still banned my account for not paying up.
@@themastermason1auctions are one of the best parts and worst parts of capitalism, overall, in a general sense, across all types of industries. Because example, the idea of auction is technically an idea of “pure free market capitalism”. Nevertheless… humans are…err…uhh…human. And we always find a way to eff up even a good free market idea type of thing. Thus gun broker. Nevertheless again and again, if one “learns” the quote unquote system, it is still possible to acquire undervalued items of any sort via an auction setting and environment. And then subsequently resell them at a higher price for a good decent profit. Alas and yet nevertheless yet again, it’s tricky😂 tricky tricky tricky!!! And so, welp… such is life.
It's worth noting that the Colt Police Positive is an already remarkably light revolver, part of it's popularity lends to its weight. Originally intended to be a lighter service revolver for desk sergeants and clerks, it struck popularity in many patrolmen as well.
Would've love if Gun Jesus make a video of the Colt Snake series
Gun Jesus that’s hilarious😂❤
Serpent series, nice idea
Colt No Step On Snek
Colt's timing on introducing their Viper sucked. 10 years earlier and it would have been a smash hit. The agency I worked for had hundreds of Police Positives and Official Police .38 Specials. We probably would have loved carrying a lightweight Viper instead of a heavy steel gun of the same caliber. Unfortunately for Colt the year they introduced this the US Treasury was developing their +P+ round and convincing the US DoJ to mandate that the +P+ load Treasury had come up with would be the only .38 Special duty load for any government .38 Special revolver. At Bldg. 202 in the Washington Navy Yard we began testing and very quickly determined that not a single .38 Special (the no longer made .38 New Service was an exception) revolver Colt made was strong enough to handle a steady diet of Treasury rounds without a major structural failure (aka they blew up). Usually with fewer than 20 rounds fired, often on just 1 or 2. Similar tests with the same results were done at FLETC and other locations. In 82 or 83 the DoJ decision blessing the +P+ US Treasury load as the new Federal standard was formally issued. No other .38 Special cartridge would be allowed in duty use by a Federal agency. As far as the Federal government (probably Colt's best customer) was concerned all Colt revolvers were now obsolete and to be scrapped.
The Colt Viper was still born at birth. Colt products were not alone in being rejected for use with the new +P+ round. We tested dozens of other makes. Charter Arms, Rossi, Taurus, etc. Tons of burst cylinders. Only the S&Ws (and Rugers) had strong enough steel in their cylinders to handle the new cartridge. And they began making them in stainless steel too. My issued Police Positive was sadly cut into thirds with a torch and replaced by a Model 64 As a gun collector it hurt to watch. We torched shipments of Colts from around the country marked property of TVA, Colts marked AEC, Bureau of Mines, NASA, GPO, USNRL, etc. Thousands simply marked United States Property, or US. Commandos NIB with 2 and 4 inch barrels, A decision was made to include the New Services and they (some parkerized with lanyard loops) went too. GSA had multiple sites around the US where torching was done of .38 Colts owned by the Federal Government. I don';t know the total count but it had to be near 100,000 or higher. Many arrived in the original boxes, purchased forty or fifty years ago and never actually issued. The US Govt. had been buying Colt .38 Specials in bulk since the first day Colt began marketing them. Virtually every Federal agency of the 20th century had bought some. In some cases even when they had one type with many unissued and still in box spares they bought other models too. Want to know why old Colt .38s are so pricey? US Senator Ted Kennedy's mandated slaughter of the mid-80s plays a big part of that.
His nephew will do more to f the same way f anywhere near power.
I already dislike the government and now that feeling is that much more after this story.
Gotta love the government mindset.
Q. We have 100,000 perfectly serviceable guns that we don't want anymore. Should we:
A. Sell them as surplus and recoup a fraction of the tax money we spent to buy them?
B. Bend the rules a little bit and donate them to the Civilian Marksmanship Program?
C. Destroy them all at tax-payer expense?
If you answered C., congratulations. You're overqualified to run a federal agency, and should expect to be appointed head of the AFT any day now.
.38 Special +P+ was such a silly concept in the first place. If there's a need for something more powerful than .38 Special, just use .357 Magnum instead of trying to force .38 Special revolvers to use cylinder-bursting ammo.
@@charlesmckinley29 RFKook Jr is never going to be anywhere near power.
My dad has a 38 Diamondback, with maybe 50 rounds in it and hasnt been shot in 30 years, it sits in his safe, gets cleaned once a year
I like to imagine that if you scroll down a bit, there'll be a comment from a guy who owns a 38 Diamondback that he keeps in a safe, that hasn't been shot in 30 years, because he's keeping it in good condition to pass on to his son.
@@AshleyPomeroy haha! He tells me all the time, “These guns are yours, but not till I die”
Worst kind of owner honesty
My dad has been taking care of my sick mom for many years. He doesn’t have time to do the things he used to in the past, let alone keep up with shooting. You have no idea what you’re talking about
I've seen two of them in 22LR in my life. At a gun store I was working at.
With that partial underlug, I'd say that this Colt is trying to convince me to buy it.
Have a spare $6,500 laying around?
With those baby Python looks, Colt never needed to convince me to buy one, just convince my bosses to pay me a lot more and gun traders to stop jacking up the prices on anything not made of black plastic.
Naming anything after animals makes them sound more badass and Colt has proven that fact numerous times.
Really looking forward to the colt platypus
Colt Asp - Moose Edition, with the Cricket tigger :D
Kolibri?
Colt Sloth. Quick draw edition.
I used to own a colt Cow in .22 short.
Snake revolvers? So...we talkin liquid, solid, solidus, naked and venom?
And the only one using a revolver is Ocelot
P S Y C O M A N T I S ?
@@carsoncasmirri3874 tbf naked and venom get to use a revolver
You forgot 'Pliskin'!
Punished
I have a diamondback in 22lr. It shoots cloverleaf groups at 50 yards
I remember seeing one of these when I was working at the sporting goods department of a local store chain. These 70s vintage Colts were finished beautifully !
Bit they were PRICEY compared to the competition and sold slowly despite being simply gorgeous.
Wow, a double action revolver on Forgotten Weapons. More of these, please.
If it’s a modified police positive perhaps it should have been a “guard-er snake”
Copperhead perhaps?
Colt only had like 3 frames. So all their revolvers are just modified versions of a different revolver.
*baddum tish!*
@@festeralldayyou ruined the joke
@@jmjedi923 or is it a meta joke? If it's all the same gun then the are all a form of lingerie
The blend of history and craftsmanship in this piece is simply remarkable.
Great video Ian. I've never heard of the Viper or the Boa. Can't wait for the Boa video.
Same here!
BOA had a very limited run in 1986. Simply put, a Trooper MKV frame mated with a Python barrel. Six hundred in 4" & additional in 6". Ultra-rare!
Correction- late '85
Damn you, Ian! I have been jonesing for a Viper for YEARS. Sadly, prices on them are in the unaffordable range for us common folk. I even considered buying one of those Viper barrels you mentioned and converting my Detective Special.
My grandfather had a blued Viper! When he died I was SUPPOSED to get it but it along with his 8” S&W 29 and my Winchester 94 30/30, turned up “missing”!
My uncle, coincidentally pissed I was inheriting them, claimed my grandfather sold them to pay medical bills. He had Medicare and Medicaid and they were 3 of several firearms he would NEVER sell! Needless to say, only one pistol of 3 firearms I inherited had any special meaning to me. Every family has one of THOSE types and my uncle was ours. There was no way to prove it was him, even tho he was the first family member to gain access to the house after my Grandpa passed and he was openly mad that it was known what firearms was going to which sons and grandsons! (and HIS sons weren’t getting any)
That's terrible.
Yeah I got relatives like that.
They took more then they needed.
Will's And Testaments are important in paper and video or audio.
Ironic that your uncle is a Viper. God hates thieves. Was it worth it?
@@nopc9728 They don't matter a damn if the relative in question gets to the house first. A good chunk of the family silver my Mum was supposed to inherit 'went missing' like this. It was listed in the will and all, but that doesn't matter if the items aren't there to be distributed because some relative decided they wanted them and took them.
@@rupertboleyn3885
So true. I was the executor of my aunt’s estate. The inheritance tax appraiser hated me. My inventory was over 3000 items. I even had a residual beneficiary sue the estate. The silver was to go to one of the granddaughters. I was stunned at how little was left from what I remember from family dinners. My aunt had been selling it piece by piece. My uncle’s gun collector had been sold off over the previous twenty years. There were a couple I would like to have purchased but did not find out about the sale until after the sales.
For anyone contemplating a joint will, leave everything to the surviving spouse explicitly.
@@rupertboleyn3885 EXACTLY! I couldn’t imagine being in such a rush to go through the valuables of a lost LOVED one! I was DREADING going to my grandfather’s house! Then to get there and hear people arguing over and ransacking his stuff was sickening! I was more upset about losing him than I was not “getting his stuff”!
Happy you're still posting! Never forgotten!
"You'll cowards don't even smoke crack" - Samuel Colt, apparently.
"Whats up with that?"
Great another crack head pushing calling out to you = @peepsbates
Learn English and maybe we can understand what you’re trying to say.
@@nomansland4811 bro doesn't get it. tragic.
@@nomansland4811 if you just smoked some crack you wouldnt be such a coward.
I've never thought about owning a revolver until today
The viper is so clean
Another fantastic video as always Ian, well done. I find these obscure guns rather fascinating and it pleases me that you give them the spotlight they rightfully deserve after having been overshadowed by more successful models for so long.
Thank you for your work.
I remember when Colt introduced these. They were never very popular. Basically the Colt Cobra (The Cobra has the aluminum D frame) snubby with a 4'' barrel or like Ian says a Police Positive with an aluminum frame. I think what hurt it was the fact that by the time it was introduced people that wanted a 4'' revolver wanted adjustable sites and not the supplied fixed sites. Police agencies and military interests wanted 4'' barrel guns but they wanted steel frames for heavy use.
Ian got the graphics update
I remember many years ago being offered a blued version and couldnt take advantage however I have a Police Positive with the heavy barrel that belonged to a friend and its a cherished possession, almost NIB too.
sometimes I watch Cody’s Lab to learn stuff about chemistry things and, one time, his video introduced me to the term and phrase, “danger noodle” when he was exploring an abandoned mine for silver and mercury to do chemistry experiments with. Therefore, I want a danger noodle collector gun.
Local gun shop - in central Ohio - had a NIB nickel Viper about a year ago. Shop had purchased a collection of many fine Colt revolvers. Priced at $7,000. Sold within a week .
I’m an old infantry Marine (M-60 gunner) and grew-up hunting and shooting. After 50 years I like to think I’m pretty well-informed about firearms but I’ve never HEARD of this model so thank you for expanding my knowledge! 🫡
I only own one Colt, a Cobra in .38 spl. (An aluminum frame version of the Detective Special that I found for a great price)...what a fantasticaly smooth and crisp revolver with an amazing trigger. Someone carried it for likely many, many years due to the bluing wear, but apparently used it very little. One of the finest firearms ive ever put hands on. My Uncle owns a Python .357Mag and a Diamondback (im thinking .38 spl. but may be .357mag, I dont recall) and my Dad has an Anaconda, 44 mag. These guns are what gave Colt the reputation they enjoy today, and if you can find and afford one of these vintage snakes, get it.
The Cobra is so good that it really makes an actual crime of Colts reintroduction of the name on a totally different gun. The aluminum frame with a six round cylinder is a winner.
I have a Trooper from the 70's in 357Mag. It's one of the best shooting revolvers I've ever seen.
I always liked those troopers and the viper is one of my favorite
Seven Revolvers named after snakes and not one of them are called BOOMslang. Shame!
I was so certain I'd _just_ read about this the other day when looking up the Python and Anaconda but it turned out what I looked up was something else entirely, variants of those two named after bears instead (the Grizzly in .357 and Kodiak in .44).
a beautiful and very interesting video and the wheelgun \Mr.GJ.have a good one.
On the topic of a wheel gat switcheroo, I have a trooper that shared a s/n with a python in the same year and I’ve had the funny thought about yoinking a blued python barrel at some point
Thanks, Ian--as always--great vid. My Colt "snake' collection-limited to a King Cobra--love it!
So the 4” version of the Cobra, which was a very popular revolver. Interesting video.
Colt sure does build 'em pretty.
I'd love to see a series on all the snakes!
Beautiful gun!
Great looking gun.
I have spot in the safe for one. If only I could find one. Never seen one in real life. I love me some revolvers.
These are very elegant-looking pistols.
I want to see Ian do a backup gun match as Revolver Ocelot now
COLT RELEASED TODAY new for 2024 Colt VIPER, Colt GRIZZLY, Colt KODIAK. sweet looking guns all around.
Damn, would have been cool to do a meet and greet in Minnesota
Although not a " snake" gun, my trooper mklll(1974) had been tuned when i bought it and is an awesome revolver reflecting Colt quality.
the Colt Viper is truly a gem in the revolver world! Its rarity adds to its allure, making it a must-have for any collector. The craftsmanship and history behind it make it a standout piece.
**blink** Okay, a piece of Colt history I wasn't aware of. Thanks for the great info!!
vipers are on every continent but Antarctica and Austrailia. Still a cool gun though.
Our other snakes in Australia probably ate them...
Vipers make great target practice for Coastal and Inland Taipans.
That's a good-looking snek.
Always been asked to visit a website but didn't realize I actually could.
You should try to track down some smolts and the other weird one brands frame with another’s barrel that were somewhat popular in the wheel gun era. That would make an interesting episode going over the history the whys etc.
Colt should have made a ladies’ small revolver called the Garter Snake
Wow! Incredible! I remember it in a snubby but blued/black . Was that possible? I'm just remembering one with the obvious aluminum frame in wear spots.
Fantastic video. Great job brother.
God bless all here.
Very Interesting , Thank you Ian , 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥
Early gang lets frickin go
On the day of the eclipse gun Jesus lets out a video of a snake
Its perfect! Like a colt gave birth to a model 19
Love your videos, especially when talking weight i think it would be positive if you also mention the weights i both metric and imperial units...
No.
Viper '38*:+p, aluminum frame, 4"barrel 😍
Guess that makes it the Police Positive VERY Special.😂
Woo! Yus!
I wish I could afford a Colt revolver...
Good stuff as usual. Thanks.
Hi Ian, I’d like to suggest a video on the Colt 1909 revolver if the opportunity presents. I had one of these come in my gunsmith shop a week or so ago, and I don’t know much about them. Thanks!
You can always use colts online serial number lookup tool . . . and that should tell you and the ATF [a number of things]
Dam,cool,colt
Is the aluminum frame on the blued version anodized?
I looked hard for one of these back then. Never found one.
Knew about the other 6 this is new to
Looks very similar to the Colt Trooper III.
Great video. Just curious. I watched To Kill a Mockingbird the other day and they have a scene where Atticus finch shoots a rabid dog and I couldn't figure out what rifle was used. Just wondering if you did
I do have a soft spot for revolvers and this one looks like a pin up model.
Hey Ian, have you ever thought about doing a video on the 1966 BAR hunting rifle? I've tried researching the mechanism and can tell it's some kind of short stroke piston but info is crowded out by things written about the m1918
It's a rotating bolt action with a long action bar that gets impinged on by a tappet style short stroke piston, it's very similar to most self loading shotguns in design except it has a removable box mag. Very well made guns, maybe not the most well designed but they are excellent pieces of craftsmanship especially the engraved and polished models like the Safari. I've got a 7mm Mag Safari II and my grandpa had the same in .300 Win Mag, mine was my dad's that he bought in '94 which my grandma used to hunt with after he died and then it finally got passed down to me when grandpa died and now grandma is hanging onto Grandpa's rifle and his Python. The Wikipedia page for the BAR has all the links you could need to learn more.
@hornmonk3zit The bit about the tappet system is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. Do the bolt and carrier group look like they were inspired by any rifle in particular? I've stared at technical parts drawings I found before but nothing's obvious to me
@@matthewsukalac5629Well the bolt itself actually uses an interrupted thread locking system so that's pretty neat. The op rod is like someone took a dual action bar shotgun action and had it all nest together into basically the shape of an M1 Carbine's op rod but without the dog leg charging handle, which makes sense given the time frame it was designed and the popularity of the M1. As far as the whole action goes, like I said it's pretty reminiscent of a lot of self loader designs but I couldn't tell you who came up with it first.
Good memories. Had a semi replica toy as a kid.
I missed out on one years ago
I just love it when Gun Jesus pulls his snake out for all of us to be blessed!
you should put links to websites you mention in your description.
Colt's answer to S&W model 12.
And yet another gun I didn’t know existed.
Nice.
Double down / Such a great "Video ". Appreciate it !!!!!!
Do aluminum barrels wear out faster or warp?
Thank s
I cant wait for the cobra video
Boy I met found a boa recently in an attic some family had
My grandfather had a .38 and a .32 colt cobra. When my stepdad needed an edc he got a Python in 72. And in 1990 when he married my mom she got him a King Cobra . They all look new all get shot and all perform flawlessly.
Can anyone tell me what the "38 CTG" on the barrel means? I have my fathers S&W model 10 with the same designation on the barrel,
38 Cartridge; it means .38 Special.
@@ForgottenWeapons Thanks
It's interesting all the colt revolvers name after snakes. 🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍
Today, I subscribed to this channel for the 4th time, maybe 5th, I've lost count....
There was a U under the serial number. Does it have any meaning?
Weird that looks almost exactly like my mother's S&W .357 except hers is blackened
What shooting mat do you use?
I don't care if they are obsolete, good revolvers and lever guns have a special charm. In semiautos you need to go for a Parabellum or a C-96 to get that level of charm.
My heart says viper, my wallet says RIA M200
Revolver at the BUG match!
Huh? Oh sorry, I was staring at that Spectre M4 for 7 minutes