The Colt Python story continues....

[Michele]

Make em provide the product you paid for…the discrepancies are not acceptable for a new firearm of that caliber

 

[Bobster]

I finish and polish my P80 builds better than Colt finishes their own guns. Not "FTQ!"

That looks like an oversized and/or dull/damaged punch was used and they re-used the roll pin. I'd send it back again--after talking to a higher-up...

 

[Racer88]

I found an email at their corporate parent site: info@coltczgroup.com

And just sent this. I tried to keep it as brief as possible, but there's a lot to tell.

To whom it may concern,

I purchased a 2020 Colt Python on October 31, 2023. I was very excited to get it and missed a factory blemish upon inspection. The top strap of the frame in the area of the rear sight pin was bulged out on the left side. Also during dry fire function testing, the trigger would stick back in the rearward position and the cylinder would spin freely in the closed position.

Since I completed the purchase, I could not return it to the dealer, and had to call Colt. The CS rep told me she would email me an RMA#. She told me I would be contacted within 2 weeks with the decision made by Colt. I never heard back, even after sending an email inquiry at 3 weeks. Then I suddenly got a shipping notification email. According to the attached warranty service invoice, I would be getting the same gun back "refinished to factory spec."

I was surprised they could fix that bulge, but they did. However, in the process of doing that, they apparently "re-polished" the surrounding frame. And it looks like it was done with a Brillo pad. It is a scratched / brushed appearance next to the original factory finish beyond that area.

Furthermore, the rear sight pinhole on the left side is quite "boogered up," as is the pin inside of it

I am VERY disappointed with what was a long-planned purchase of my "dream gun." I have fired it at the range, and it functions well and is quite accurate. I enjoy shooting it, but I purchased what should have been a NEW gun, not a blemished gun and then a MORE blemished gun after warranty service. This is not my dream gun anymore.

I am anxiously anticipating your reply and some resolution.

 

[Racer88]

I feel like a fool for spending $1500 on this piece of shit. I feel like a fool for not catching the original blem when I inspected it before taking possession of it.

And I just took delivery of a case of .38-SPL ammo.

I've never sold a gun and do not trust the process of selling it to the general public. I know people who were robbed in the process of trying to sell a gun privately.

 

[Alex]

I feel like a fool for spending $1500 on this piece of shit. I feel like a fool for not catching the original blem when I inspected it before taking possession of it.

And I just took delivery of a case of .38-SPL ammo.

I've never sold a gun and do not trust the process of selling it to the general public. I know people who were robbed in the process of trying to sell a gun privately.

I have sold a few guns to friends. My state is a universal background check state so we go to a LGS to do the transfer. In a couple of instances we did a trade, one time for some tree work, another time for a puppy.

The dog trade was a similar circumstance to yours, buyer's regret on my part. Although dealing with a puppy has given me a case of trader's regret.

 

[Racer88]

I have sold a few guns to friends. My state is a universal background check state so we go to a LGS to do the transfer. In a couple of instances we did a trade, one time for some tree work, another time for a puppy.

The dog trade was a similar circumstance to yours, buyer's regret on my part. Although dealing with a puppy has given me a case of trader's regret.

I wouldn't sell it to a friend.... not if I want to keep that friend! LOL!

 

[Racer88]

I may have to start my next build to take my mind off this Python shit show.

Maybe the PF45 "Rebel Yell" G20!

 

[Bongo Lewi]

When it comes to entering a legit complaint, I've found the bottom-up process doesn't work well for complicated problems. You get the CS dude in Uzbekistan who says his name is Bob. His boss, who has no vowels in his name, is not empowered to do the right thing.

It's a game. The deck is stacked against the majority who follow the rules. It takes a lot to piss me off but once that line is crossed I am relentless.

As YouBoob gun pundits all know, a negative review gets far more eyeballs than one that's positive. Somebody in the Colt hierarchy is going to either care or be embarrassed about the company's handling of this matter. Especially those charged with turning around their sullied reputation.

GunMag Warehouse gave me a full refund in return for pulling a negative review of some CZ mags. After a little back and forth with a pissy CS rep and his boss, Ms. Snippypants, I prevailed. They didnt even make the mags. They just wanted the negative press about GMW to disappear.

 

[Hvymax]

For that money you could have gotten a 1911 jig and built your own Stacatto.

 

[Racer88]

When it comes to entering a legit complaint, I've found the bottom-up process doesn't work well for complicated problems. You get the CS dude in Uzbekistan who says his name is Bob. His boss, who has no vowels in his name, is not empowered to do the right thing.

It's a game. The deck is stacked against the majority who follow the rules. It takes a lot to piss me off but once that line is crossed I am relentless.

As YouBoob gun pundits all know, a negative review gets far more eyeballs than one that's positive. Somebody in the Colt hierarchy is going to either care or be embarrassed about the company's handling of this matter. Especially those charged with turning around their sullied reputation.

GunMag Warehouse gave me a full refund in return for pulling a negative review of some CZ mags. After a little back and forth with a pissy CS rep and his boss, Ms. Snippypants, I prevailed. They didnt even make the mags. They just wanted the negative press about GMW to disappear.

There is no avenue for "top down," since there is no contact info for such people. Hell, the Colt website contact page doesn't have ANY email. You have to call.

So, I've sent emails to the CS rep who sent me the RMA and to the CZ group corporate info email.

If I don't hear back from them next week, I'm going scorched earth on the interwebz.

 

[Hvymax]

Yeah I'll be calling Crimson Trace this week. It has been perfect for over a year then it just started getting brighter and brighter till it went out. New battery didn't help. Like an LED supernova or something.

 

[Racer88]

Like an LED supernova

Wow. Usually lasers just peter out.

 

[Bongo Lewi]

For that money you could have gotten a 1911 jig and built your own Stacatto.

Except it would be a fake Staccato. Like this guy who pretends to own a Ferrari.

Anybody remember those fake CB antennas that JC Whitney sold? So someone could smash the window on your truck to steal the CB you didn't have.

 

[Racer88]

Except it would be a fake Staccato. Like this guy who pretends to own a Ferrari.

View attachment 16239
Anybody remember those fake CB antennas that JC Whitney sold? So someone could smash the window on your truck to steal the CB you didn't have.

Love the "F40 / Testarossa hybrid" theme he's got going there! LOL!

 

[Bongo Lewi]

I am not a fan of compromise.

The Dalmore 30 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The Dalmore Distillery has been producing exceptional single malt whisky since 1839 and, for almost a century, was owned by the Clan Mackenzie. The clan’s defining influence on the distillery is still evident to this day, with the iconic royal stag’s antlers – taken from the Mackenzie family...

woodencork.com

I'd rather have one shot of Dalmore than a gallon of Cutty Sark.

 

[bkbrno]

Modern businesses are slaves to social media. The old fashion hand written letter is going to get you nowhere because you and the recipient are the only ones that know about it. I love Palmetto State but when I had a problem, nothing happened until I posted a negative review on their site. I got CCed on an email from "management" to "get that slide back right away". All my calls and emails got me nowhere. Strangely, the negative review has never been posted in their reviews section for that slide. It's the way of the world now. Instagram, FB and other immediate forms of social media seem to work the fastest.

I can clearly see where they spot refinished the frame. It is very difficult to capture in photos but easy to see live. The frame has a matte semi-gloss finish and the repair has a brushed straight grain. That would bug the crap out of me. Watches routinely combine brushed and polished surfaces for contrast. Rolex can refinish a watch to look like new but it is a complete process. I know from my watch making that you can't spot treat an area. It will stand out no matter how good you are. The polished area ages, so to speak. Even stainless steel tarnishes and when you redo one area, it will look different than other areas done at a different time. That entire gun would need to be completely done front to back just like the day it was built. There are specialist that can restore a severely damaged watch case to like new. Damage very similar to your buggered roll pin hole can be repaired but it would involve laser welding the hole and redrilling it, then a complete refinish of the frame. A watch case doesn't have the heat treat requirements of the top strap of a magnum revolver and it may not be advised here. It costs several hundred dollars for this laser welding service.

The damage is done and there is no way to make it perfect. The two options are refund you about $500, that's what it would cost for a laser weld and complete refinish. Or, replace the gun with a new undamaged one. It is a shooter for you, the first option may be best. A partial but substantial refund would take sting out of it.

 

[Racer88]

On the Colt forum I'm now being accused of causing the damage myself by trying to install the Wilson sight I purchased - which is still in the original packaging. Nice, eh?

 

[bkbrno]

Did you take a video putting it in the box before you sent it? Video opening the box when you got it back? Including 10x macro shots of the problem areas? With a newspaper background showing the current date? No?

GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!

Again, from working on watches. What looks really good to the naked eye looks absolutely horrific under 10x magnification. Once seen, can't be unseen. I don't own a Rolex, never will, but they pass 10x scrutiny with flying colors and their owners get really upset when they don't. For what they charge for a watch, it's expected. I seriously doubt that the person working on you Python did the work under a stereo microscope or with an eye loupe. It probably looked good without magnification.

The bottom line is that they used a different process to refinish the area they worked on. The original finish looks like some kind of bead blast and the refinish was a brushing process. You can do one or the other but you can't mix them on the same surface. Unless you want a subtle urban camo pattern. May as well full tiger stripe it like a Desert Eagle. They could have sent it back to the line and blended the area with the same process but they didn't.

 

[Bongo Lewi]

On the Colt forum I'm now being accused of causing the damage myself by trying to install the Wilson sight I purchased - which is still in the original packaging. Nice, eh?

Well, you should know that most forum dwellers are a-holes

But seriously... the gun-specific forums are full of fanboi's. They can't imagine the gun and the maker they love ever having a fault. To the point of being irrational. They climb all over anybody who makes even the slightest complaint. The "I'd rather push a Chevy than drive a Ford" types. The stereotypical man-child. I've given up on those brand-specific gun forums. The have an overabundance of grumpy old men whose prostate is the size of a grapefruit and young men who couldn't find a date in a whore house with 100 bills sticking out of their ears. A forum or social media is the only place they can experience an illusion of being important. Because no one in the real world likes or listens to them.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

This week I came across a forum post, at an AZ gun forum. The guy was selling a new Colt Python, that he buggered up the roll pin, installing his Wilson sight.

Made me go Hmmmmmmmmm.