Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Pictures Of New Repro Colt Model 357 Grips

Someone asked that I post pictures of them when they arrive, so here they are.





Fit is pretty damned good:





Here's what one looks like with the original factory grips on it. You can see that the repros are very close.

I bought this gun about fifteen years ago for a song. The gun store that had it for sale thought it was a Colt Trooper, and priced it accordingly. Back then, Troopers weren't going for much. I, however, knew that it wasn't a Trooper, but a Model 357, which was Colt's Cadillac (i.e., premier) .357 Magnum revolver offering, receiving the very same level of skilled, hands-on, work at the factory as the (not yet introduced) Python.

Colt assumed that their main customer base would be cops who wanted the very best, bar none, .357 Magnum revolver on the market. Almost immediately, however, target shooters requested a version of the Model 357 designed just for them, rather than for cops. So Colt quickly came out with the Python, which was the exact same gun, but with a full underlug and vent rib.

The only problem was that mine didn't come with its factory original grips. I've been searching all these year for a set of originals, but whenever they came up for sale on eBay, the prices being asked were more than I paid for the gun.

At one point I tried an Asian-made reproduction, which was beautiful, but I just couldn't get them to fit on the gun. Perhaps if I was skilled in wood working I could have modified them to work, but didn't feel confident that I could, so sent them back, rather than making a mess of them.

I also tried the US based company that made these, but every time I looked at the site, I was informed that they were out of stock, but that they would (at my request) email me when they made a new set. I never, however, got an email.

Then, a week or so ago, a member here sent me a link to that company, and I found that they were in stock, so I ordered them. Right after I placed my order, they were again marked "Out of Stock."

They arrived yesterday.

I had a Trooper in .38 Special, it was a great shooter, especially with HS-6 and a Sierra 110 Blitz bullet. I'd DA frogs in the pond with it, launching them 20 feet into the air. Great fun.

Would have fooled me.

Yeah, right? Thanks.

Thanks for posting when you got them!

Looks great.

Dadddy Like!!!

Okay, post a link to those, I may want to pick up a set for my Python as my knock around grips, and put my factory grips in the box.

Thanks. I got them at www.deerhollowonline.com

PS My Model 357 Colt revolver was made in 1961, the last year of production. The model was introduced in 1955.

I think they stopped making it due to the popularity of the Python, which was just a little more expensive, so those who might have bought the Model 357 were opting for the Python instead, due to its more distinctive looks, or for the much less expensive Trooper, which had about the same looks as the Model 357, just lacking the same level of hands-on attention at the factory.

Damn nice grips TRH.

👍

Do they fit the new Pythons?

They should, same grip frame.

They have repros of all generations of Python grips.

.357 and first gen Python's had the full checker grips like Hawk's...Those are my favorite.

They look great, and shoot great, but I now know why they changed the design later on. The problem with it is that you cannot eject all six spent cases by just tapping the ejector. One case will always get stuck at the top of the left grip panel, and will require you to pull it all the way out with your fingers. If this were a carry gun, I'd change to a later generation of the Colt Python grips for it. As is, though, I like the original style since they are more authentic.