Here is some eye candy for fans of fine firearms. Made for the 1981 nuptials of Lady Diana Spencer and HRH Prince Charles, this Westley Richards & Co. side-by-side, 12 gauge shotgun was engraved by the Brown Brothers with gold crests and floral accents. The British royal seal and other heraldic emblems of the couple are included in the decoration. This amazing piece is now in the NRA Museum Collection.

Princess Diana’s Westley & Richards Shotgun
It’s not an uncommon practice for people who like firearms to be given one for a big occasion, such as a graduation or a birthday. Today’s GOTD was given to a very special person on a very special occasion that took place 35 years ago today. This 12 gauge Westley Richards side-by-side shotgun was given to Lady Diana Spencer when she married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981. The gun was engraved by the Brown Brothers — Paul and Alan — and features a variety of artistic elements, including the royal seal and the couple’s wedding date.

Photos courtesy NRA National Firearms Museum, www.nramuseum.org.

We are NOT qualified to hand out investment advice, particularly in these troubled economic times when all the “conventional wisdom” has gone by the wayside. Nonetheless, it appears that demand for fine firearms remains high. In particular, “classic” high-grade revolvers have been appreciating even while stocks tumble and home values sink.

Colt Python — An Appreciating Asset
Among the most desirable of double-action revolvers is the Colt Python, preferrably with Colt’s famous high-polish Royal Blue finish. Pristine blued Pythons sold for $800.00-$900.00 just a few years ago. Now the same revolvers are fetching up to $1900.00 at auction. The mint-condition 1977 6″ Python shown below sold for $1850.00 just last week on Gunbroker.com, and there were 15 bidders! (See Completed Auction 125683644.)

Would a Python be a good short- or long-term investment? You have to decide that for yourself. But consider this: Colt stopped producing Pythons in 2005, so the supply is fixed. And the recent Pythons are not (yet) considered as desirable as Pythons made in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. So the price of the older Pythons keeps rising. Pythons were produced with 2.5″, 4″, 6″ and 8″ barrels. All lengths are popular, but the 6″ Python seems to be the most sought-after currently.

If you’ve ever carefully inspected a Royal Blue Python, and worked the action, you’ll understand why they are so popular. The liquid-like ultra-smooth blued finish is simply the best ever offered on an American handgun. Chuck Hawks writes: “Colt’s Royal Blue is the ultimate polished blue finish for steel guns. No other blued production revolver can compare to the beauty of Colt’s Royal Blue Python.” And the Python’s double-action trigger is considered by many to be the smoothest ever made. The triggers on S&W Performance center revolvers are very, very good, but the trigger in a 60s or 70s Python is better — right out of the box. Typically, Pythons are extremely accurate, shooting sub-inch at 25 yards. Ergonomically, Pythons are a pleasure to shoot because the bore axis is lower than on most other large-frame revolvers. Chuck Hawks agrees: “Subjectively, this finest of all DA revolvers is a soft shooter… most shooters feel that the Python kicks less than other DA magnum revolvers of comparable weight.”