Davidson's Drops Round-Butt Colt Python and Anaconda

Last updated May 2026 · By Nick Hall, covers revolver launches and tracks the modern Colt Python and Anaconda revival for USA Gun Shop readers

Quick take: Davidson’s and Colt just dropped two exclusive revolvers: a 2.5-inch round-butt Python in .357 Magnum and a 2.5-inch round-butt Anaconda in .44 Magnum. Both list at $1,699 MSRP. The round-butt frame and the 2.5-inch barrel are both firsts in Colt’s modern revolver line.

What it is: Two Davidson’s-exclusive Colt revolvers. Python in .357 Magnum (SKU PYTHON-RSP2TS) and Anaconda in .44 Magnum (SKU ANACONDA-RSP2TS). Both with 2.5-inch barrels, round-butt walnut grips, and semi-bright stainless finish.
Price: $1,699.00 MSRP each. Davidson’s distribution typically lands below MSRP at the dealer counter through the Gallery of Guns FFL network.
Where: Davidson’s-exclusive. Available through any Gallery of Guns FFL nationwide. Press release dated April 30, 2026.
Why it matters: First round-butt frame on the modern Python and Anaconda. Only 2.5-inch barrels in either line. The closest Colt has come to a carry revolver in the modern revival.

Most distributor-exclusive Colt revolvers are either color-of-the-month variants (TALO blued, Davidson’s-only stainless trim, polished commemoratives) or limited-run engraved pieces nobody actually carries (the 175th Anniversary engravings, the Wiley Clapp variants, the gold-plate auction guns). These two are different. They’re the first round-butt frames and the shortest barrels Colt has put on the modern Python and Anaconda lines, which makes them the first Davidson’s exclusives that change the gun’s actual character rather than its finish. We pulled the spec sheet straight from Colt so you don’t have to.

How we tested: Every pick here was run through our testing methodology. Minimum round counts, accuracy and reliability protocols, the failures that disqualify a gun. If we haven't shot it, we don't recommend it.

The Round-Butt Frame Is the News

The round-butt Colt is a 1980s Lew Horton thing. Lew Horton Distributing ran a series of custom-shop Colt revolvers in the 80s and early 90s, and the round-butt frame was one of the configurations that defined the run: Python BOAs, round-butt Detective Specials, round-butt Diamondbacks. Those guns trade for $4,000 to $8,000 on the secondary market today, partly because Colt never put the round-butt frame back into mainstream production.

When Colt revived the Python in 2020 and the Anaconda in 2021, both shipped with square-butt frames only. The modern revival has been about reliability and trigger geometry rather than carry ergonomics. The Davidson’s exclusives are the first time the round-butt has come back as a factory option, not a custom-shop conversion.

What the round-butt does practically is shorten the grip frame at the bottom and round off the corner. That makes the gun pull cleaner from a holster, prints less under cover, and seats better in a small hand. A square-butt Python with a 4.25-inch barrel is a range or duty gun. A round-butt Python with a 2.5-inch barrel is a carry gun. That’s the gap these two SKUs are aimed at.

Two Calibers, One Frame Treatment

The Python ships in .357 Magnum, 6-shot, 2.5-inch barrel. The walnut round-butt grip is finger-grooved with gold Colt medallions inset on both sides. Sights are an adjustable square-notch rear paired with a red ramp front, which is the same combination Colt has used on the standard Python since the revival. Trigger pull is published at 3.5 lbs.

The Anaconda ships in .44 Magnum, 6-shot, 2.5-inch barrel. Same walnut round-butt grip, same gold medallions, same 3.5-lb trigger. The sight package is different. The Anaconda gets a HiViz tritium front sight with an orange outline. That’s a deliberate choice for the larger-caliber, harder-recoiling gun, which lives more often in field and bear-defense contexts where low-light visibility matters more than precision target work.

Both guns wear the same semi-bright stainless finish that Colt has used on the modern Python and Anaconda since the revival started. It sits between the brushed satin of the original 60s Pythons and the polished mirror finish of the high-end commemoratives. Easy to clean, harder to scratch than a true polish, and it photographs well enough to hold buyer attention in dealer-counter displays.

Where Davidson’s Pricing Lands

MSRP on both guns is $1,699. That sits roughly $100 above the standard Python and standard Anaconda at $1,599 MSRP for the 4.25-inch and 6-inch variants. The premium isn’t huge, and the round-butt frame and shorter barrel justify it for buyers who want a Python or Anaconda specifically configured for carry or duty rather than range work.

Davidson’s distribution model usually beats MSRP at the dealer counter. The Gallery of Guns network lets buyers walk into any participating FFL nationwide and pick up the gun at the dealer’s actual cost plus a transfer fee, which typically lands $100-200 below MSRP for guns in this price tier. Expect street pricing in the $1,499 to $1,599 range once dealer inventory settles.

One more thing worth knowing. These are Davidson’s-exclusive SKUs, which means they don’t show up at Brownells, Palmetto State Armory, or the big national retailers. You either order through a Gallery of Guns dealer or wait for the secondary market. Production runs on Davidson’s exclusives are typically limited, which is part of why the 80s round-butt Lew Hortons trade for what they do today.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Davidson's exclusive Colt Python and Anaconda 2.5-inch round-butt revolvers?

Two Davidson's-exclusive Colt revolvers announced April 30, 2026. The Python is chambered in .357 Magnum (SKU PYTHON-RSP2TS) and the Anaconda is in .44 Magnum (SKU ANACONDA-RSP2TS). Both wear 2.5-inch barrels and round-butt walnut grips. MSRP for each is $1,699.

What is a round-butt grip frame?

The round-butt frame has a rounded grip-frame profile at the bottom rear instead of the square-cornered shape of a standard Colt frame. It pulls cleaner from a holster, prints less under cover, and seats better in a small or medium hand. Round-butt Pythons were a Lew Horton custom-shop offering in the 1980s and 90s but never made it back into mainstream Colt production until now.

How are these different from the standard modern Colt Python and Anaconda?

The standard modern Python and Anaconda ship with square-butt frames and longer barrels (4.25-inch and 6-inch typically). The Davidson's exclusives are the first round-butt frames and the first 2.5-inch barrels in the modern line. Everything else (action, trigger, finish, materials) matches the standard production guns.

Where can I buy the Davidson's exclusive Colt Python and Anaconda?

Davidson's-exclusive SKUs ship to dealers in the Gallery of Guns FFL network. You order through a participating dealer or via Gallery of Guns online and pick up at the local FFL. These don't appear at Brownells, Palmetto State Armory, or other national retailers because Davidson's holds the exclusive on this configuration.

How does the 2.5-inch round-butt Python compare to the standard 3-inch Python?

The 3-inch Python is the closest existing Colt Python configuration. The Davidson's 2.5-inch round-butt cuts another half-inch of barrel, swaps the square-butt for a round-butt frame, and adds the gold Colt medallions to the walnut grip. The result is a more concealable, more carry-oriented Python.

What sights ship on the Davidson's Anaconda versus the Python?

The Python ships with an adjustable square-notch rear sight and a red ramp front sight, which is the same combination Colt uses on the standard modern Python. The Anaconda gets a HiViz tritium front sight with an orange outline, which is brighter for low-light and field use. The rear sight on the Anaconda is the same adjustable square notch.

What is the MSRP for the Davidson's exclusive Colt Python and Anaconda?

Both list at $1,699 MSRP. Davidson's distribution typically lands $100 to $200 below MSRP at the dealer counter through the Gallery of Guns network. Expect street pricing in the $1,499 to $1,599 range once dealer inventory settles.

Are these limited-edition revolvers?

Davidson's-exclusive SKUs are not officially limited-edition, but production runs on exclusives are typically smaller than standard production. Historically the 1980s Lew Horton round-butt Pythons that these new SKUs nod to have appreciated significantly, partly because Colt never re-ran the configuration. Whether these 2026 round-butts hold or build similar value depends on production volume and how long Davidson's keeps the SKUs in the catalog.