Colt Anaconda .44 Magnum Review

Hello guys, it is time to take a look at Colt and its biggest snake, the Anaconda in .44 Magnum. It is a hefty beast, but it is a beauty as well. After the reintroduction of the King Cobra and the Python, the Anaconda takes its well deserved place back on the throne as the king of the snakes.

It has been a long awaited move as not only the Python but also the Anaconda had its admirers. Let’s face it, the Python is the Cadillac of the revolvers in .357 Magnum, but the Anaconda is nothing less in .44 Magnum. It is a large frame revolver, you can have it with a 6 or 8 inch barrel, and the capacity is 6 rounds. However, these are just facts. What you need to look at is the balance, the trigger, the tight cylinder lock, and the finish.

While the new Anaconda is still a real Anaconda, there are some differences to the old model. This begins with new materials for the production that benefit from the advances made in metallurgy and manufacturing. There has been a gap of nearly 30 years between the old and the new, and neither times nor developments stand still.

Besides the .44 Magnum, you can also shoot the .44 Special. This is a good training round for beginners, but offers otherwise no real advantage. It has the same bullet diameter but is weaker than the .44 Magnum. At the same time, it costs more, so that usually when you go on the range, you will probably go for the full power fun. This is also a better training overall as you do not want to go easy on the range and be surprised by the recoil when you really need to use it, be it for self defense or hunting.

It comes in a bright stainless steel finish that looks almost as if the gun is permanently wet. The 6 inch version lends itself to faster pointing and is a little bit lighter. However, if precision and range is what you are going for, the 8 inch barrel is your way to go. Thanks to the extra weight, it will also reduce the felt recoil. That is a big advantage when shooting .44 Magnums especially when you shoot really hot loads.

A new feature is the front side that is now replaceable. Also, the top strap is thicker as well as drilled and tapped so that a scope rail can be mounted. Furthermore, the adjustable rear sights are new as well.

A really nice new are the Hogue rubber grips. They give you a better hold of your revolver as well as dampen the recoil. The good thing is that even with these features, the appearance of the Anaconda did not change. Its original shape is retained. This means, there are a lot of holsters available. Also, the shape of the grip is still the same so that there are enough after-market options out there.

Modern Tweaks

Taking a closer look at the new Anaconda, one gets a very good first impression. Especially, the fit and finish are up to the Colt standard and in one word outstanding. The crane locks into the frame in a way that it is tight and incredibly precise. This makes the whole gun look like it is made of just one piece. In short, the fit can only be described as perfect.

The trigger pull in single action comes in at around 5 pounds. It is very crisp, but even more impressive is the double action trigger. It is very smooth, like glass, and without any grit. This you get with the Anaconda coming right out of the box. There is no need for a trigger job as smoother would be almost impossible. The Hogue grip has even more merits, as it becomes apparent very fast. It lends itself very well to not only holding the gun and dampening the recoil, but also to manipulating the trigger as well as the hammer and the cylinder latch without any problems. Easier is all but impossible.

At The Range

Going on the range, the Anaconda soon shows what she can deliver, this is .44 Magnum loads on target with little effort at 10 yards as well as 15 and 25 yards. With 240 grain projectiles it was just fun to hammer these rounds on target and even knock them over from time to time. In single action, hitting was never in question. In double action, it went even better. The balance of the gun made it easy to bring it right where you want it to be and the recoil was not too hard.

Some shooters might complain about the serrated trigger face, but that is nothing to complain about. In fact, it helps get a good control of the trigger and keep the feeling for when the shot is about the break.

Together, the great trigger including the serration, the balance, and the recoil dampening, make for a very good accuracy. Going 25 yards with 240 grain Hydra Shok JHP (jacketed hollow point) rounds, the Anaconda was dead on. With a muzzle velocity according to the manufacturer of 1210 feet per second and an energy of 780 foot pounds, this was as real as it could get. Groups of 2 inches or less are no problem to achieve at this distance, and they would be better with a little bit of extra practice. This was shooting from the bench to make it as fair as possible for the Anaconda.

Shooting this fine piece of American ingenuity brings you back into the older days when life was easy and Anacondas and Pythons roamed the land. This alone is a great achievement. Bringing back a gun is always a temptation to make it better. Not always does the better that is intended turn out to be actually for the better for the shooters, but in this case, Colt has done a superb job. It is still in most parts an Anaconda and the changes do have their merits while being subtle enough to not change the appearance or feeling of this good old wheelgun. It is gorgeous, deadly accurate, lies nicely in your hand, and just functions smoothly.