This week, we saw further confirmation of the incoming Pietta Blacktooth that leaves us with a big question: How do you determine if something is the genuine, real deal? Is a gun’s identity in its name, or in its mechanical bits? Reviving old revolver designs @ TFB: Cimarron Firearms Master Engraved Frontier .45LC Package Gun Review: Cimarron 1873 "Evil Roy" Edition Wheelgun Wednesday: Colt Single Action Frontier Scout 22LR The Rimfire Report: J.P. Sauer & Sohn Western Marshal 22LR Review Pietta’s new reproSam first told us about the Pietta Blacktooth when he handled it at the SHOT Show in 2026. Here’s what he said then:“The Blacktooth replicates the internal mechanism of the original 1950s Python, not the modern CNC version. That means the classic V-spring action, and the tight lockup that made the Python legendary. I worked the sample's trigger and hammer extensively. The double-action pull was smooth with no grit. Single-action break was clean. If someone blindfolded me and handed me this revolver, I could have been fooled into thinking it was an actual Colt …“... The bluing was even, the vent rib properly crowned, and the grips sat flush without gaps. Apparently, from what I heard, Pietta has been developing this design since at least 2015.”High praise indeed. In the months since, some might have wondered if the SHOT Show teaser was all a fake-out, but no, Pietta says the revolver is still coming. At first, it will be distributed exclusively through Sports South, and indeed, it appears on their website (see here) … but it’s still marked as being not available. And there’s no arrival date listed. And so we’re still waiting. Bummer. It’s also listed as double-action only, but that’s almost certainly a typo. If this is a faithful recreation of the original Python’s internals as our initial reports indicated, then it should be usable in either single action or double action. However, it is worth noting that Pietta’s website also lists the Blacktooth, with MSRP now at $1,150, a slight increase from the $1,104 figure that Sam was given at SHOT Show. And it’s in their Italian-market catalog too. As for the other specs he was given, they appear to be unchanged from the figures quoted back in January.Blacktooth SpecsCaliber: .357 MagnumBarrel: 6 inchesFinish: BluedGrips: Checkered walnutSights: Fixed front, adjustable rearOther details: Ventilated rib, Six-round cylinder, full-length underlugPietta will almost certainly introduce some variations on this theme in the future. Just as the original Colt Python was available in a range of barrel lengths, so will the new Pietta Blacktooth, we expect. Some different options for grips, finishes. We’ve seen no indication of similar Colt reproductions in .22LR or .44 Magnum from Pietta, clones of the Diamondback or King Cobra revolvers. Although, we can certainly dream …What’s real: The name, or what’s inside?The Pietta Blacktooth appears to be an interesting copy of the old Colt Python, with internals faithful to the original (parts are allegedly able to swap between first-gen Pythons and the Blacktooth) and hand-fitted final assembly. In other words, Pietta says this revolver is put together the way the Colt originals were made. This is a stark contrast to the current-generation Python, which relies heavily on CNC’d parts to achieve tight tolerances, not hand-fitting. And it wasn’t just a change in the manufacturing process itself; the number of parts is reduced, and some other parts (like the frame) saw their design changed. Some shooters might welcome a beefed-up Python; all the better for handling hot loads, right? But others want the original design, made from 1955 to 2005, and if they want that, they can buy the Pietta Blacktooth (if we are to believe the marketeers, and Sam’s first report does seem to confirm that).So that leaves us with the question: What is the real thing? The updated, and arguably upgraded, revolver that is made by the same company, with the same model name? Or is it the slick copycat model that feels the same, with the same internal parts, if what Pietta tells us is accurate? And are you willing to pay more for the first option, or happy to pay less for the second? It’s an interesting quandary, and one that is actually very common in the firearms world. Lever-action shooters have faced the same thing for years. Should they buy a modern Winchester or Marlin with a safety button? Or should they buy a reproduction that might not bear the same name as the original, but doesn’t have unwanted upgrades? And what if those reproductions aren’t as finely-fitted as the originals, but they’re just as good as later-production Remlins or New Haven-built Winchesters? And where do you factor the price into all this?It’s an interesting question that gets into not just branding and national pride, but even similar what’s-in-a-name philosophy like the old questions about Theseus’ Boat. If only we had Plutarch here to sort it out. But he was an Athenian, and maybe questions about guns would be better-off left to the militants of Sparta?All images: Pietta