Nothing wrong with 38 special (especially with +P) and if you want something else, buy it! For starters, parts were built from 410-series steel, which is stronger than what was used on previous versions. sure he ended up dead, but it took a long time for that to happen. You do realize that 38 Special can be fired in 357 Magnum chambered guns..right? Once I learned where the sights needed to be pointed to deliver the shot where I wanted it to be, it was dead on. All this negativity 38s a weak caliber, why isnt it aluminum, a Python, an Anaconda, a 3, a 4, a 5, a 357, blah, blah, blah. Not so great for my ex-large hand. I would buy a light weight Cobra rated for +p preferably with a shrouded hammer, otherwise, no thanks. In all I may try one when the price becomes more reasonable. The Nighthawk, hands down. Lets hope Colt ups the finish quality a bit, too. Many other guns in the same size category hold only five rounds. I just dont get it. The original Cobra had numerous options/variations; will we see these or similar guns coming? They locked up well, but their finish was quite rough by comparison to the Python. The revolver features a generous ejector rod despite its short barrel as well as a full underlug. and sometimes thats a little much for non-belt carry. To correct a previous post the original Cobra was a 6 shot snubby not a 5 shot like the S&W J frames. It was quite a pleasant surprise to open the cardboard box up and see the familiar blue plastic Colt box inside, securing the new Colt Cobra revolver. Features & Specifications of New Colt King Cobra: New Colt King Cobra Common New Colt King Cobra Problems and Solutions Slide Plate Screw Misaligned The new Colt Cobra and King Cobra models are not medium frame revolvers like the old King Cobra. My father got that iconic revolver back in the estate, and it has naturally become a family heirloom. The front red fiber optic sight is an insert that can be changed, as it is set into a recess in the barrel shroud and then secured by an Allen screw through the front. It was like an afterthought for Colt to do something like that. Make the same gun in a nice HORSESHIT Colt mislead you with their verbage. Colts double action / single action system has been perfected over the years and this trigger benefits from their experience. The fit and finish was outstanding and the trigger pull (SA and DA) was a glass-rod dream. And it's not just for defense against four-legged attackers. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (My 53 Colt Cobra is about 15oz, spec sheet for the new model lists 25oz). I believe the exact opposite to be true. Colt wanted to use the trigger of the Python as the baseline for what it wanted in the new Cobra. Trigger pull is rated from the factory between 7- and 9-pounds in double-action, and 3- to 4-pounds in single-action. In 2022, Colt chose to expand its King Cobra lineup with a rimfire chambering, and the new King Cobra Target packs 10 rounds of .22 LR inside its classically styled frame. Good review. New Colt King Cobra speedloader update Well I picked up one of these bad boys last night and ran a few hundred rounds through her. Back in the mid 90s they couldnt give the King Cobras away. Posted: 1/16/2021 8:03:21 PM EST. The Cobra was a version of the Colt Detective Special, and both were made on Colts D frame. In any event, I like the DA pull weight, and it is a nice looking gun, but Id like to see it with a bit more barrel, say somewhere between 3 and 4 inches. I can recommend this gun without reservation, something I cant say about all compact revolvers. The new models are updated small frames like the old Detective Special and Diamondback. grip helps. If youre short a demonstration gun, perhaps RF could beg, borrow, or swipe an example he could slide your way for that video ? Exactly. Acting like a spoiled brat if you ask me. The. Colt didnt quite get the SF stainless series trigger right- I have a DS-II thats no better than okay, and the Magnum Carry I had was better but not sensational. I personally Believe The Colt 1851 is the most beautiful firearm ever produced. Where is the new Colt Cobra produced? Make them utterly premium products and sell them at premium prices. The original snake guns from Colt were high-polish, hand fitted masterpieces. I have an original Colt Cobra that was made in the 1950s. Tauruses triggers might be getting better but thats it Taurus is junk with a capital j. The new Colt Cobra is actually an updated Detective Special with a fiber optic front sight. The Cobras frame was constructed of aluminum alloy rather than the all-steel construction of the Detective Special. The main issues that are being reported on are cylinder lockup and light primer strikes. Source: Since I carry Two at all times I dont feel the need to run out and buy Colts for $699 to get one more round. There are a number of Colt small-frame .38s in the house here, but in the end, the one that goes for a ride in the big world most often is the Agent, the dull-finish version of the real Cobra. Whaaa, they named it something that was better OK, well get this, probably 90% of the firearm crowd has never seen an original or if they did they didnt know what it was. I owned the 3 of the snake guns. They both produced very nice groups double action with a two-handed grip at 10 yards. I just might buy another, just for old time sake. For more information, visit https://www.colt.com/Catalog/Revolvers/Cobra. Sorry for the bad news. We are confident our antique Colt Cobra will serve our children and perhaps our grandchildren and great grandchildren as well. After the release of a YouTube video where the The 2020 Colt Python was seen to malfunction, people have made claims that Colt is recalling the firearm. (Photo: Kristin Alberts/Guns.com). We worked hard to ensure that if the market wants more Colt DA revolvers, the Cobra design would be flexible enough, and robust enough, to handle future model variations that customers may want. A few days to grind down and re-polish hammer, trigger, cylinder release. And to the .357 issue: yeah, well, I had the Magnum Carry but after shooting it with .357 Gold Dots in a darkhouse shoothouse I never loaded it with .357s again for defensive purposes: the flash and concussion alone was self-defeating. It will show less wear and tear with use that blued or polished up. This revolver is of the same quality as a Taurus 85. The problem here is that many of the writers at TTAG havent been around enough guns that arent made from injection-molded cheez-whiz in their lives. The Detective Special here is the older, pencil barrel one and goes 25 ounces loaded (who cares what an empty gun weighs.. you dont put it in your holster or belt empty, do you?) Insert your serial numbers by clicking them. I almost slapped down my credit card right then and there, but Im married so Ive been saving up for it. These have the same general size of frame and the same size cylinder as the older small frame models. This seems to be SOP for any new gun these days regardless of manufacturer. And this one froze so bad it was rendered a paperweight on one of the brands most important days of the year? The Colt Cobra holds six rounds of .38 Special ammunition, despite its compact dimensions. Leave the .357s to longer barrels where they belong. I havent found a stainless version of the old Detective Special. But maybe this is the first attempt at revolver building since the cancellation of the king cobra and Anaconda series. Carried it a tour and a 1/2 and it came in quite handy on several occasions. But if you criticize the company for its perceived poor communication skills, perhaps you should sweep off your own porch before commenting on anothers mess., Im disabled combat veteran that was blinded in Afghanistan by an IED I use voice text and I cant check my spelling very well or my sentence structure and I live in Florida so I think I know about the people in Miami a little bit better than you. Looks like a charter arms for a whole lot more money and who wants heavy, big, bulky, outdated, .38spcl caliber either yawn waste of time reporting on this dead out of the gate no one wants revolver . The problem with that was a sharp contrast of the polished muzzle and the blued barrel. Im no exception; in fact, the very first handgun I purchased with my own money was a Colt Lawman. Running a hit piece like this because a demo gun jammed up during range demo day is silly and irresponsible. Im thankful to see something not made out of plastic. The success of the Cobra saw Colt bring two more of its iconic revolvers out of retirement. Problem 1 (after one month of ownership) = Broken firing pin (sent to colt, one month to be returned) Problem 2 (after one more month) = Broken hammer exactly like sikov's (sent to colt, one month to return) However, it showed my lack of skill with revolver reloads using speed loaders or strips. Interesting reading, I dont believe any of it. Thank you . The latest Cobra also features a redesigned leaf mainspring that . Reminds of the giant software companies and their vaporware products. I ran the gun both strong hand and weak hand. Making the parts on CNC, EDM or MIM machines does, however, more than suffice in a S&W or Ruger. And I thought the K6 was vaporware too until last week. By signing up you agree to Guns.com's Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I see that the extractor rod is still a bit short with the 2 brl. Youd have to go back to the pre-Depression double guns of Parker, Fox, et al, and some custom-orders from Winchesters custom shop prior to WWII. Six rounds rather than five rounds. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. An astute study of the new Cobras internals reveals several Metal Injection Molded (MIM) parts, including the hammer and trigger. The Detective Special I carry is probably only an 85% finish gun; thats why I carry it. Why are you so sensitive about this? I would expect a gun brought in by Colt as representative example of their work would have been gone over by them with by a fine-tooth comb before it was displayed. Another modification has been made, this one to trigger geometry. In that era, Colts Python was, in many ways, the last hurrah of the excellence that once used to be available in American gunmaking. Colts rotate into the window. Ill probably be investing my money in a kimber k6s. Perhaps Batman as well. To prepare for my trip to the range, I pulled down that box of holsters that all gun guys tend to have and undertook my best effort to find something that the Colt would fit. Specifications: Colt King Cobra. Rather than a smoothly swept oval, the trigger guard has a noticeable stutter, appearing right below the tip of the trigger. And this was refinished and repaired in 2007 so its been 10 years but I had sent another Colt back just recently and had the same bluing done they call it royal blue finish and it looks just as good as my 6 inch python thats never even been shot. Look at which way the cylinder rotates. Dont need 357 magnum. The SP101 is one hell of a gun. How about a Smith and Wesson level of fit and finish, guys? The double/single-action Cobra is the baby in Colts wheelgun lineup. Some of their best now work at Standard Mfg./Connecticut Shotgun. The finger-tip on that cylinder advance lever looks a bit DAINTY. Thank God I Had a Gun: True Accounts of Self-Defense Paperback February 1, 2014 I believe that they were never cataloged. Firstly, go to the "Colt" site and select "Customer Service.". So one of the guns locked up at range day. A target load of a 148-grain wadcutter at 700 fps offers excellent accuracy. Buy At Auction. Some of these vintage gems can be found in the Guns.com Vault. Glad to see Colt offering the new Cobra. The rear is a groove milled into the topstrap of the frame. Great to see a Colt with the heavier steel frame.My only concern is the compressed metal parts ( trigger ,hammer) instead of the machined ones on the original Colts. My experience with other Colt revolvers like the Anaconda is that they were NOT premium handguns. The first six rounds through the gun were impressive; the double-action pull seemed to roll predictably. The polished stainless finishes were nice, as were the nickels. Colt was not happy with their original CNC shop and switched after finding a machine shop with state of the art machines and equipment that could fit their needs better. A. If you have ever traveled to Miami and toward the Taurus plant its like going to another country South of the Border no one speaks English like a sweatshop, And I really appreciate the crappy comments in the little side antidotes youre obviously a younger person with s*** for brains. Had my dear ol grey haired Mother ship it to me as soon as I had an firm address. Substantial recoil but not uncomfortable recoil. Are you sure about the specs? Additionally the reason their triger pulls are all over the map is no one left at Colt has any in-depth revolver tuning knowledge. So I carry a Charter Arms Police Undercover because its over 20 oz and holds SIX rounds. Could it have beed dressed up a bit more? I spoke with customer service rep at Colt. That would be the bomb. Ergonomics on the Cobra are exceptional. (Photo: Kristin Alberts/Guns.com). Colt King Cobra - Problems, Malfunctions, and Failures OH MY! Clearly, I am a fan of moon clips! In my early teens I read about the Different Gun Smiths in the late 1800 that were doing conversions to make it possible to use black powder Cartridges in the Percussion Pistols. It holds 6-rounds of .38 Special and is capable of firing the hotter +P ammunition as well. The general lines of the frame and hammer also bear a resemblance, but the new Cobra is a larger handgun7.2 inches in overall length compared to the original snake gun's 6.75 inchesand with its stainless steel construction, a hand-filling 25 ounces next to the First Issue's weight of just 15 ounces. After WWII, the quality of American gunmaking took the first big step down, with Remington leading the way, and Winchester following them down the chute into the crapper. We fed a mix of ammo to the test Cobra with decent accuracy. In either case, our data indicates that the new Python hasn't impacted the demand for the original. If you're worried about problems with the new Colt Python, be like the rest of us and wait for the bugs to get worked out before you go out and buy one. https://www.colt.com/Catalog/Revolvers/Cobra, https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?Keyword=Colt%20cobra, An Israeli .308 AK? The Anaconda also ships with Hogue rubber grips, which help dampen recoil. So who will see it? By comparison I recently purchased the S&W 638, NIB, $419.00 and Sig 320 sub-compact for $485.00. The combination of the grip angle and rubber grip makes shooting controllable and comfortable. When I dress Western, nothing beats the classic good looks of my Smith & Wesson (S&W) 586 .357 revolver. THE SATIN NICKEL FINISH & METAL ARE IN GOOD CONDITION. Related Tags: Good Lord guys, Colt does the unthinkable and comes out with a revolver and all you hear is complaints. People are getting over the polymer Plastic Fantastic guns now and were reverting back to a cold piece of Steel a hog leg if you will. When. I have been a Colt fan all my life. Bought a 4 inch stainless high polish one for 300 bucks around 93, left it in a closet forever, traded it in 2010 for an Arsenal SGL21 Russian made AK. They need to handle a lot more guns from the BG (Before Glock) era. Not the first rimfire "snake" gun-- Colt marketed the original circa 1950s first issue Cobra in .22LR and made a .22LR Diamondback into the early 1990s-- the new Baby Snake fills a hole the . I handled one at my local gun shop and all I can say is WOW! In comparison a competitor in the Taurus 38, the Taurus grips resulted in no hand pain at all. If we see the type of success with this model that we hope to see, it will be an easy transition for us to expand on the theme and develop additional models that will appeal to other customers. The LCR is the same story. The cylinder revolves clockwise, like a Colt should. I dont expect Master Blue but still, this Cobras finish is pretty dreary. Well, after reading all this, I know now why the older S&W and Colts are demanding higher prices than the new models. Let us make you an offer! Give us the option of a nice fat trigger (like my K.Cobra). And with 7 shots? Ive never owned a Colt, but that may change when the initial hype cools down. Not too small nor too big. Immensely popular in law enforcement circles, the 38 Special, six-shot revo dominated concealed carry . Right hand drive The new Cobra, like the Colts that came before it, has a cylinder that rotates clockwise (or to the right), as viewed from the rear. Im pretty sure Colt got rid of their custom shop so now who knows you probably cant get it done anymore. Additionally Colt isnt even accepting old Pythons back to the factory for repair because A) They are out of most of the partsand more importantly B) Most if not all of the Colt employees who could actually time them are gone. Im pretty sure that particular model has been out for quite a few years. Although we expected no less than perfection, the Cobra fired all ammo with 100 percent reliability. Also they should make a Centennial type concealed hammer as the exposed hammer is a huge disadvantage in concealed carry draw, prevents it from being able to reliably fire through a pocket or purse and a liability in a self defense situation when the perp claims you cocked the hammer on him before you fired. One shot (they think the first) entered under the right armpit and transited through the right lung to puncture the heart. He didnt say it, but I expect larger revolvers are coming. (Photo: Kristin Alberts/Guns.com). Colt on the other hand is EVERYWHERE. They call em like they see em, warts and all. You have entered an incorrect email address! Hell, TAURUSs stainless looks better than that. And if you read the article, thanks for saying it looks like my Detective Special. Things like this happen when you hire a VP from Sony Entertainment to make your critical decisions. The finish looks like a car in primer. I own a Diamondback and a detective, both are good quality revolvers. Colt Python 4.25 Problems Early reviews of the Python had a few guns that appeared to fail. 327 Meteor. In my admittedly limited experience with various revolvers, the only one Ive personally experienced that locked up (and not in the good revolverish way) was a colleagues Taurus. Colt 1911 Combat Commander Series 70 Steel Frame c. 9MM LUGER 1911 COMMANDER COLT COMBAT SEMI AUTO PISTOL LIKE NEW IN BOX G PETERS 1500-6. Alberts achieved six-shotgroups within a 2-inch circle at defense distances with no problem in single-action. I found that rather than splitting the dot, I needed to cover it; otherwise, I tended to land a little low. Fans of Colt revolvers have been clamoring for a new model for years, and the Colt Cobra addresses that desire. deep Colt blue and Ill take it. *After 7 months of ownership the new Colt Cobra was in my hand and operational for only 4 of those months. Colt Viper 38 Special Revolver (Like New in Box) Notify Me When Available; Brand: Colt; Item Number: VIPER USED; Colt Cobra 38 Special +P Double-Action Revolver $769.99; . I think its too little too late. I have not seen the new Cobra. I would like to have seen it in the original aluminum. The machinists who made the guns what they were have moved on and Colt in the post-bankruptcy worldmight not have the cash to invest in restarting the line properly. I just replaced it with the Ruger LCR 9 when the Colt made it in steel . They finally got semi automatic handguns that would reliably fire right out of the box to be sold for less than $600. Following your click, you would see an option labeled "Serial Number Lookup.". Just like if youve been in a car crash, you dont go run a marathon the day after you get out of the hospital. I guess you have to fill up space and sell clicks but coming out of the gate with a slam like this is a bit lame. Im a woman and I love this revolver. That's on purpose, as it is not proofed for the higher .357 Magnum pressures. Hell, before Kimber changed things up, revolvers were even plastic. For those of you who need to know about speedloader compatibility as I did, the short version is use speed loaders for a Smith & Wesson K frame. At $699 MSRP, that type of blued finish just isnt possible these days. In 2017 the costs are totally reversed, and hand-fitting would make the new Cobra a $2,000.00+ gun instead of a $699.00 gun. Six shots at 7 yards in double-action. Those 12 and 16 ounce revolvers are too light. There still are some jigs that survive at the East Hartford plant in the testfire area but they look rusted beyond salvation. I dont see anyone reducing the price of Colts. Was that from closing the loaded cyl. My wife gave me a new King Cobra Target this morning for Christmas, and it's a dud out if the box. That was the shortest part of the article and didnt seem to be central at all. It was my backup and off-duty weapon since I bought it used in the 1960s and it has never failed me or jammed. It holds 6-rounds of .38 Special and is capable of firing the hotter +P ammunition as well. Instead of a high polish it looks like Colt went for a bead blasted exterior. The second shot entered at the base of the skull and ended in the soft palate in the mouth. Like the 6 rounds. Your email address will not be published. This article originally appeared in CONCEALMENT Issue 13. Someone else said if Darth Vader had a 38 snub, this would be it. They kept the same good looks but modernized the internals. Upon inspection of the insides of the Cobra, it became apparent that this was a complete redesign. The trigger guard of the new Colt King Cobra, like those of the new Cobra and Night Cobra, looks as though the gun was dropped on it. The Colt Cobra, used by such notorious individuals as Jack Ruby, remained in production across several variants into the 1980s, then was recently reintroduced in 2017 as Colt made a return to.