Review - KWC Colt Python 357 6" Chrome

[Jonny]

 

Introduction

 

So you like revolvers, not only that but you are a cheap ###### as well! Let me introduce you to KWC’s 357 Python Revolver. KWC makes several revolvers in a variety of sizes raging from 2 to 6 inches and in finishes such as black and chrome. The revolver I will be reviewing in particular today will be the 6” Chrome variant.

 

What’s in The Box

 

The outside box is rather flashy and presents the contents quite nicely. Inside the box you will find the lovely gun itself loaded with 6 brass shot shells, a shell loader, a shell un-jamming pin, a small box of 100 count .2g KWC branded BB’s, an adaptor for KWC’s “Power Bombe” external gas rig, some shooting targets, a hop-up diagram, and a well illustrated manual in English.

 

Build Quality

 

 

Texture and Finish

This isn’t a Tanaka or Marushin, but surprisingly the finish is better than I expected. The entire gun is covered in a decent chrome finish. However it’s not completely smooth as the plastic underneath has a slight texture to it and on the barrel it is tad rough with some minor pitting and bumps along the way. Not a big deal, but I don’t expect something in this price range to be completely flawless. Other things to note are the obvious seam lines which haven’t been refined in the design. Not a big deal, but again it’s worth mentioning. As for the sighting system it is pretty cheap as well.

 

Sighting System

Expect your standard front ramp site which is fixed to the frame and the standard notch styled sights for the rear. What is interesting is that the rear sights are fully adjustable for windage and elevation!

 

Weight and Feel

This gun doesn’t feel cheap, but it does not compare to higher end revolvers made by Tanaka or Marushin, though it does not feel like a cheap toy either. The revolver weighs in at a decent 500g which isn’t disappointing at all and feels pretty solid in the hands. Amazingly it falls 180 grams below the Tanaka Colt Python 6 inch! There is no barrel wobble and remains solid even if you shake the gun from side to side. However the grips do feel a tad cheap and plasticy as they are made of a soft material.

 

Final Remarks

There are however no actual real trademarks present on this gun. On the barrel it is marked “Model 357” and on the grip there is a small brass colored KWC emblem.

 

Metal parts on this gun are hard to find because some parts feel like metal and look like metal and I honestly cannot tell which I guess is good! I have a feeling a majority of the internals are metal, the extractor, trigger, the inside of cylinder, shells, and possibly the hammer.

 

Function and Usage

 

 

Loading Up

Like all revolvers they are straight forward in terms of usage. The first thing you want to do is release the cylinder which is done by pulling the cylinder release backwards and pushing on the cylinder from the right side out. It’s a bit hard to push out and requires a bit of a nudge, but once its out it’s easy to slap it back in. Since this uses shells all you have to do is tilt the gun back, or use the extractor lever at the front of the cylinder to eject the shells. Once the shells are loaded up, simply pop them back into the gun, and slap the cylinder back up and in. This also sometimes requires a bit of a push, you simply can’t just flick your wrist and slam it shut. Push it in until you here the click of the cylinder release snap in place.

 

The removable shells on this gun are a joy and really add to the realism. A pack of 6 shells will run you about $33.00 CAD and are readily available from Red Wolf Airsoft. Each shell is made of what appears to be brass and has the words “Super Magnum MM357” are stamped along the bottom of each cartridge. Inside the shell is a spring which retains the BB’s. Each shell holds 4 BB’s for a total of 24 shots (4 shots x 6 shells). To load the shells all you have to do is grab the loader they supply you with, roll in 4 bb’s and press down to seat the BB’s in the cartridge. You can also pop in 4 BB’s using your hand by just pushing them in one at a time. All that is left is to gas up which is done by filling up a small tank which is located in the grip. Turn the gun upside down and fill it just like any normal GBB magazine. Gas will spray out once full. This gun may use either duster or propane! It takes roughly 3.5 – 4 seconds for a fill. Each charge can fire up to 48 shots as claimed in the manual.

 

Firing

Of course this is the best part of any Airsoft gun! There are 2 ways you can operate this gun. Your choices are Double Action, or Single Action. Double action is the process where by your simply pull the trigger to fire once the BB’s are loaded up. It automatically rotates the cylinder for each trigger pull requiring you to do nothing more. To do this, you do not have to pull the hammer back after your load up your BB’s. Just a squeeze of the trigger will fire and rotate the cylinder. The other way to operate this gun is through single action. Single action requires that you pull the hammer back for every shot. To do this once you close the cylinder and have loaded up, you must pull the trigger back. It will rotate the cylinder and be ready to fire. Then it takes a squeeze of the trigger to release the hammer and fire a shot. You must pull back the hammer for every shot.

 

 

Each shot lets out a rather loud “puffbt” sound. Since this is an Airsoft revolver there will be absolutely no recoil or blowback of any sort, so don’t expect something spectacular. For each trigger pull 1 of the 4 BB’s loaded per shell will fire off and rotate the cylinder to the next shell. The gun will not stop to signal when all your shells are empty. You will have to periodically check or remember how many shots you have popped off because you can still fire if it is empty. For realism sakes you could load 1 bb per shell. On a final note KWC recommends that for maximum power and accuracy you should operate the gun in single action mode.

 

Power and Accuracy

This gun has been advertised as being able to achieve 210 FPS. I am unsure what gas they used to perform the results and may perform higher on propane gas. I have not had a chance to field, or clock this gun yet but judging by the manual you will get distances up to 40M before drop off using .2g BB’s. The hop-up is fixed for .2g’s. It appears that .25’s will begin to drop off at around 35M. It does seem to pack a decent punch when fired. Once I get more results on how it performs I will post it. But at 210 FPS it doesn’t seem very reliable or useable. However since I am unsure under what conditions it was tested I won’t give a definite answer.

 

 

Conclusions

 

After much thought, I would recommend this gun to collectors, people with a few bucks floating around, or somebody that’s a cheap ######. Now this gun I highly doubt will be field worthy but indoors might hold up quite well in shorter distances. It has a great finish, feel and it generally just fun to operate. While it falls short of higher end revolvers from Tanaka and Marushin this is still a great piece to have in any Airsoft collection. For $59.00 USD it’s definitely affordable for anybody on a budget!

 

Tru has a black one comming in on his next order I believe so YOU BUY NOW

Edited July 10, 2005 by Jonny

[GigaScythe]

Good review, I'm going to rep you for it.

Edited July 10, 2005 by GigaScythe

[blitz]

yeah, where abouts can i get this from in the UK?

 

ive always wanted a revolver

[blitz]

sorry but i am really wanting one of these

 

there only £74 on airsoftmart, ive been told by many people that they suck big time

 

but this review says its pretty good, can anyone else confirm some more infotmation/?

 

thx alot , i just dont wanna waste £80

[Jonny]

Like i've said, dont expect preformance or accuracy from it. I reccomend it if you want a nice looking and functioning piece in your collection thats very cheap. Useability wise; this isnt the best thing. But you gotta admit for the price its selling at, its just fun to own!

Edited July 15, 2005 by Jonny

[Sledge]

I'm not quite an unbiased observer (mine broke after a couple of months), but that's about right. If you want a fairly cheap revolver to plink, get this or a TM. For skirmishing, Tanaka. And Marushins are nice, but expensive and usually 8mm.

 

[blitz]

yeah im only a plinker and collector

 

i like to show guns of to friends, but if this will brake soon, or crappy power i wont bother

 

thx

 

 

btw how does this finish compare to the TM DE HK chrome??

 

if the finish is bad ill get black, because its also cheaper

Edited July 15, 2005 by blitz

[Jonny]

The power is only about 210 FPS as advertised, if im lucky I will clock it by this weekend using propane and .20g BB's. The chrome finish on TM is a hell of a lot nicer of course because TM took the time to refine the finish and make it perfectly smooth, even and perfection free. It doesnt feel like a cheap toy either, feels hefty and solid for something this cheap.

[blitz]

i think 210 fps MUST be using 134a

 

id expect green gas/propane to hit around 280 with that 6 inch barrel