I have had several Pythons and K and L frame S&W revolvers. I’d give the edge to S&W for how light the single action is. However, the Python and its relatives (the pre Mk. III trooper, Police Positive, Detective special, ect.) use a leaf spring for the trigger and hammer. The S&W uses a leaf for the hammer and a spring for the trigger.
Jerry Miculek uses S&W because the separate coil spring gives a much faster trigger return. I used to shoot falling plate matches, and I found the Python’s DA stack up to be much smoother and even than a S&W and more accurate for me. Even with lighter competition springs, the S&W trigger gets heavier as you pull, then lets off before the hammer drop. That is just the nature of a coil spring. A pro who spent a lot of time dry fire practicing with a S&W would blow mw away in competition, but I find a good Python style action easier to shoot well DA.
Pythons also were polished to a high gloss before bluing to give a deep lustre to the finish. I have seen very nice bluing on S&W’s, but you can see the difference if you compare one to a Python side by side. The S&W model 28 had more of a matte finish compared to the M27 and others, because less time was spent in polishing the bare metal before bluing, and that is what makes the Python bluing look so good.
A used Python today can go as high as $3k.
And the Smith’s are not very difficult to learn to shoot well, they’re just a little different.
I do notice the sudden hammer fall and focus on a steady wrist. The rest takes care of itself.