I think Colt was trying to produce what people were clamoring for in the Python but at a price people would actually buy one for. There was no way to produce the original hand fitted version and keep it affordable. They used modern CNC machines to make parts with close tolerances and take out the hand fitting. From what I have heard the frame is slightly modified to strengthen it and make it more able to withstand a steady diet of full house magnum loads.
There are a lot of guns that priced themselves out of existence that they claim would be too costly to produce today. I would love to see what the CNCs could do with the Winchester 88 (one of the few guns that was actually improved in 1964) and the Savage 99 and maybe the Sako Finnwolf. Would they be the same as the original? No but if they could make them at an affordable price wouldn’t we be all the better for it?
