This year, exclusively through Custom and Collectable Firearms of Tyler, Texas, Colt has re-released the most sought after of all the Snake Guns, the Colt Boa. And they did it right.
The original Colt Boa was sort of a mongrel mashup…forgotten and cast aside, unwanted by its maker. Of course, America loved it.
According to the old Lew Horton Distributing advertisements, the original Boa was meant to be its own product line, falling somewhere between the Trooper Mark V and the Python. And that’s exactly what it was, a Trooper Mark V frame with a Python barrel, all done up pretty in Colt’s “Royal Blue” finish with pretty wood stocks.
We don’t know why Colt decided to drop the line, but we do know that Lew Horton Distributing saw an opportunity. And what an opportunity it was.
Lew Horton Distributing bought the entire line, 1,200 guns in all. Half of them were 4-inch (the odd serial numbers) and half of them were 6-inch (the evens) guns. The first 100 of them were sold as pairs with sequential serial numbers. The entire run lasted only one year, 1985. That was it. They were never made again.
These weren’t better guns than the Pythons. They didn’t have the same level of hand fitting and because of the Mark V’s action, the triggers weren’t as smooth.
Purely because of their rarity, prices soared. They are without doubt the most valued of the Colt Snake Gun collectables. The highest price I saw for an original Boa set was on Gun Broker for just over $65,000. Individual Boas in excellent condition, in box, sell for about $25,000 today, some higher. Considering the original retail price was $525, that’s not a bad investment.
Where the original Boa was a middle ground between two existing guns, the modern Colt Boa is essentially a really pretty, really limited Colt Python. It’s simply a beautiful gun. The new Boa is either 4.25-inch or 6-inch Python, high polished midnight blue, with a brass bead front sight and absolutely gorgeous Santos Rosewood (Pau Ferro) grips.
It’s not labelled “Python.”.The roll mark, like the originals, states simply “BOA .357.” Particularly nice is that the modern Boa isn’t marred by that atrocious QR code found on other modern Colt revolvers. When the new Pythons came out, this is what people wanted them to look like. I didn’t think it would happen — at least not yet — and I’m very glad I was wrong.
For all of the modern Boas, Colt made the guns and provided all of them to just one outlet, Custom and Collectable Firearms. How popular are they? CNC says that demand has outstripped the year’s planned production in the first five days.
What’s the total amount that will be made, you ask? So far, nobody knows. Or at least nobody is saying.
Delta Force operator and firearms historian supreme Larry Vickers noted in a July, 2026 Firearms Friday column that this will be a one-year run only. We don’t know how many will be made in that year (this year), but after that, there will be no more.
CNC has verified that this won’t be a reoccurring SKU and is strictly a limited edition item. If you’re looking for an investment, these guns are already selling for about $1,500 above the $1,999 MSRP on the secondary market.
If you like safe queens, this is the wheel gun for you. I, however, shot the hell out of mine.
It shot exactly like you’d expect a new Python to shoot. That is, exceptionally well. I got a few of the new Pythons when they first came out, carried one as an EDC for a couple of years, and shoot one of them at least every week.
I have many thousands of rounds through them. I also have almost every one of the original Colt Snake Guns and I stand firm on the notion that the modern Pythons are the best revolvers Colt has ever made. The Boa is certainly no exception.
As for the critical dimensions, the cylinder throats measured at .358″ on a minus pin gauge set and the major bore diameter was .357″. Cylinder end-shake measured at .002″ with a brand new feeler gauge. At full lockup, the Python’s legendary “bank vault lock” was proven once again.
Like most of my review guns, I put 500 rounds through the Boa in about a week’s time, most of them in .38 Special. Like all of the new blued Python’s I’ve tried, empty .357 Magnum casings were a little stiff coming out of the cylinder for the first few cylinders and then slid right out like normal.
I’m wiping the guns off before shooting them, but not cleaning them, so maybe it’s some machine oil or something in the cylinders making them sticky at first. Whatever it is, the issue resolves itself in short order.
That’s the only mechanical issue, and a very short-lived one that I had with the Boa. It never failed to fire, the cylinder never failed to turn. It worked fine in double and single action, and the accuracy was outstanding.
The 158gr Armscor .38 Special FMJ loads shot right at 1-inch groups. That’s a great, very inexpensive round that seems to fire pretty well in just about anything. Another often high performer, Barnes 140gr XPB .357 Magnum, shot just under that puttin gup .9-inch groups.
What has proven to be an ideal Hill Country deer, pig, and coyote-killing round, the Buffalo Bore 180gr JHP (1,390fps chrono’ed!) printed 1.3-inch groups. All were five-ound groups shot over four shot strings and averaged, untimed, off a bag.
There are other people shooting this gun much better and posting their results online, but this is what I got under the Texas sun, in 110 degree heat, with my old eyes and hands.
Beyond just being gorgeous and shooting well, this was also the easiest of all the Pythons I’ve had to shoot. That brass bead isn’t just for show. It really pops well sitting over the dark rib. The big thing, though, is that grip. Beyond just the beauty of the Santos Rosewood, they seem to be cut a little bit thicker than the others I’ve owned and shot. The result, at least for my size large hands, was an ideal grip size and shape.
The new Colt Boa is already a great investment, but this time, it’s not just because of its rarity, but also its quality. Most folks who buy one will just put it in the safe, and if you’re looking for a gun to appreciate in value, that’s a good plan. But it’s also a shame.
This gun deserves some fine leather, hands on its grips and eyes on it in the bright light of day. The new Colt Boa is a wonderful tribute to the original, and a better gun in every sense. With its release, there’s only one last snake left to fill out the “Seven Serpents” line.
Specifications: Colt Boa Revolver
Caliber: .357 Magnum
Finish: Blued
Front Sight: Brass bead
Barrel length: 4.25” (6” available)
Grips: Santos Rosewood
MSRP: $1,999 (sold online now for around $3,500 and up)