A few other chamberings were offered—.256 Win. Mag., .38 S&W Spl., .41 Mag. and .44 Spl., but these are also quite rare. Collectors should be very wary of fakes.

Once a neglected collecting category, Colt’s Python remains one of the hottest tickets today. Here is the half-century history of the “King of the Seven Serpents.” ...