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. I think I'll wait on a .357 variant. Ill probably be investing my money in a kimber k6s. The stainless steel finish of the Colt Cobra ensures durability and ruggedness. Its there, but we all know it wont look like polished steel. They locked up well, but their finish was quite rough by comparison to the Python. The all-stainless steel Colt Cobra revolver is built for concealability. Also, I always liked the looks of the Detective Special (my first gun), and Python (my third gun a Colt Combat Commander was my second gun) but by changing the grip length and barrel, they made it real ugly it now looks just like a Taurus. *After 7 months of ownership the new Colt Cobra was in my hand and operational for only 4 of those months. Here, here. , rifling 1/14 LH twist. 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. Source: Survival Trainer and Author. And I thought the K6 was vaporware too until last week. The grouping opened up only slightly in double-action. Back around 1974 I bought the colt detective special which is still my carry gun today. but Economic reasons restricted my opportunity to own one of the percussion colts in the second release in the late 20th century. They need to handle a lot more guns from the BG (Before Glock) era. Thanks for the article. The Cobra was easy to control, with a very soft recoil. Actually, the Boys in Brazil are cranking out some really nice stuff nowadays. I had to leave it there when I rotated as this type of thing, along with ammo, disarmed hand grenades, M16s and disassembled M60s were sneaking out of country on a regular basis. The Colt Cobra is a snubnose revolver, and is a lighter version of the Colt Detective Special. I can shoot my K. Cobra much better & am hoping the new Cobra is a good compromise & hoping them to upgrade it. Its gone now and I dont miss it at all. Not so great for my ex-large hand. 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. Most of Colts Institutional Memory is long gone through either retirement or lay-offs. Great to carry brutal to shoot when using the +P loads. Before they stopped making revolvers they made a Lawman (.357 mag) with a 2 barrel. The King Cobra fits between a S&W K frame and a J frame in size. https://www.colt.com/Catalog/Revolvers/Cobra, https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?Keyword=Colt%20cobra, An Israeli .308 AK? I have gone to carrying the S&W J-Frames. 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 . I was at Shot Show when they released that turd. Following your click, you would see an option labeled "Serial Number Lookup.". 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?) As a new Police Officer back in 1969 after graduation one of the first things was the purchase of an off duty gun. I see that the extractor rod is still a bit short with the 2 brl. By signing up you agree to Guns.com's I can believe its two pounds on single action. Forums exist so that people may enhance their knowledge with that of others. Six rounds rather than five rounds. Comparing the new Cobra to our Kimber K6s stubbies, though, the Kimbers are much better in terms of fit and finish and consistency and they both shoot, great. The Cobra holds 6-rounds, one more than many revolvers the same size. Quote of the Day: D.C. However, the bright side of this is that making a single-action trigger pull cleaner and lighter is a whole lot easier (especially with the Python) than doing the same to the DA. Nightwood Guns 9.57K subscribers Subscribe 60K views 2 years ago Keep the content flowing on Patreon!. Have you ever heard of the term the past repeats itself well this is exactly whats going on people have been Auto crazy for the last 30 years now we want something else a little different and a lot of these new automatic handgun Shooters have not spent any or very little time behind the trigger of a big bore revolver. The SP101 is one hell of a gun. He said it was a fluke that I got this NRA model, it has not been officially released but a batch accidentally shipped out. The best gun is the one you have when you need it. EDC, Caliber(s):.22 LR, .32 Colt New Police, .38 Special; Weight: 0.94 lbs (0.43 kg) Barrel length: 2 in (51 mm), 3 in (76 mm) Capacity: 6 . So I carry a Charter Arms Police Undercover because its over 20 oz and holds SIX rounds. The cylinder revolves clockwise, like a Colt should. 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. Leather, nylon, or Kydex holsters, it doest matter; youre going to get finish wear. I am about the same age as Mr. Hodoway and I too remember the 60s / 70s when the Colt D frame and their Smith & Wesson brethren K frames were the Glocks of their time. 38 round is more than enough with +p. The Anaconda also ships with Hogue rubber grips, which help dampen recoil. I was hoping for better reviews. A. Nor anywhere near as light as the Charter Bulldog. Trigger pull is rated from the factory between 7- and 9-pounds in double-action, and 3- to 4-pounds in single-action. Why cant the mfgs. You really shouldnt have built these pistols if you actually hope to stay in the gun industry without total failure. Of course, this revolver has a rampant Colt on its barrel. 20 ounces loaded with 158s, a scant three ounces heavier than a loaded 642. It doesnt make sense to market a gun for concealed carry but take the time, effort, and money to put a beautiful, but delicate finish on it. Muzzle jump and flip, commonly associated with small revolvers, is nonexistent on the Cobra. I own a Taurus 605 and the Colt is head and shoulders above it. Only the Python and the custom shop got the extraordinary level of attention that the author is thinking of here. But what were seeing today is that when a new shooter goes to a gun shop and selects a small-frame revolver thats lightweight and chambered in .357, they might buy a box of ammo and take it to the range once and lose their taste for it after just a few rounds. 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. I have an original Cobra and it is a sweet handling revolver. Jim crewhead05 Im very happy Colt brought this back and frankly I wish they would bring back ALL their old revolvers (same for S&W). Cougar attacks are on the increase in several western states, and the new King Cobra would be an ideal carry gun for hikers, mountain bikers, and others who would rather not end up as kitty kibble. Its just a drag when a company comes out with something new, particularly an icon, and its nothing but complaining for the most part. The. The Colt Cobra holds six rounds of .38 Special ammunition, despite its compact dimensions. Last Edit: Nov 5, 2022 at 2:37pm by WAYNO. 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. With advances in metallurgy, they should certainly be able to make a lightweight D frame in 6 round .357 mag to compete with the lightweight S&W J frame 5 round 357 magnums. Some of their best now work at Standard Mfg./Connecticut Shotgun. They finally got semi automatic handguns that would reliably fire right out of the box to be sold for less than $600. The aqua blast finish isnt my favorite, but looks pretty nice in person. I ran the gun both strong hand and weak hand. COLT (In Stock) 3.0 (3) 642 .38 SPECIAL+P REVOLVER. Colt spent many years carefully planning before re-entering the revolver market with the 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. A vintage Colt Cobra 2nd model located in the Guns.com Vault. And if you read the article, thanks for saying it looks like my Detective Special. That $200-$300 will buy a lot of ammo. Fits my hands perfectly and is light weight enough to carry, but Ive been looking at Kimber Micros to replace it for carrying because they are so much lighter and slimmer, but just cant make the switch. The Cobra was made infamous when Jack Ruby used a Colt Cobra .38 to kill Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963. Many other guns in the same size category hold only five rounds. To make the guns royal blue and perfect is not a hard thing to do its simply tumbling the parts until you get the finished you need to apply the bluing. I must of missed something because that doesnt look healthy. Hogue overmolded grips come standard and a red fiber optic front sight comes factory installed. The Nighthawk, hands down. Dont like, dont buy it. Buy At Auction. The new .38 Special Colt Cobra delivers a new take on a classic snub-nosed revolver. Not true, the Cobra target is a 357 magnum revolver. Now we will see if the name can pull them back. I lust at them on line but not a reality. Looks good in the pictures and magazine/internet reviews, but does it really exist? We simply have not had a large selection of revolvers to choose from when it comes to full size revolvers. Epic 22 Pocket Pistol: The Beretta 71 Jaguar. To be fair, you'll get the same wear from opening/closing the cylinder on any revolver. colt python new price, reviews, problems, the new colt . I really wish I some of those Colts back todayId be a lot richer. The IWI Galil ACE Full Review, US Responds to Russians After Shooting Down Syrian Fighter Jet: We will not hesitate to defend ourselves. Should he have kept it a secret? You guys are slipping. Served me well for many years. LOL. Defender 45 ACP 3IN BBL Matte Stainless Cerakote Handgun. (If youve already posted a passing review of it, let me know I probably missed it in the deluge.). For Colt to come up with this gun as a namesake.holy shit.are you kidding me.wow Colt.what a shame. The relatively generous length of the ejector rod helps facilitate the ejection of spent cartridge cases. Additionally the reason their triger pulls are all over the map is no one left at Colt has any in-depth revolver tuning knowledge. The new Cobra sports a Hogue OverMolded grip. They are awesome. 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. Optic Ready Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0. The new Cobra (l.) sports a stainless steel frame whereas the original was aluminum. One of the earlier versions of the snake line to be retired (1981 to be exact) the Colt Cobra is a revolver designed for the concealed carry and law enforcement market. This little wheel gun is my choice since I dont have to worry about jams and all that other stuff which autos may suffer from. At $699 MSRP, that type of blued finish just isnt possible these days. I mean, look at how successful Henry is in a market thats saturated with ARs. They Python, yes, hand polished, hand-fitted parts that worked like lubricated glass. The above posters that wondered why Colt couldnt come out with a polished, blued finish like the old ones maybe dont understand what it takes for skilled craftsmen to get that finish. Features & Specifications of New Colt King Cobra: New Colt King Cobra Common New Colt King Cobra Problems and Solutions Slide Plate Screw Misaligned I dont think it popped up in Call of Duty. Exactly. In all I may try one when the price becomes more reasonable. Although he wasnt entirely clear, I took his comments to mean that they would have more Cobra options soon. The smooth feel of the trigger pull was matched only by the exquisite exterior finish. Tradition and nostalgia are important for a lot of gun enthusiasts. And the price is WAY Too much for me to consider. As I began rummaging through my stockpile of ammunition, I realized that I had sufficient quantities to really do more than just accuracy testing with the Black Hills 125-grain 38 Special +P.Once I was equipped with all the necessary gear, I strapped on the Colt, loaded up my speed loaders and speed strips, and headed to the range. He bought it for his father, who was stationed in the Philippines while serving in the Veterans Administration. Regardless, the MSRP is $670, which means the gun will actually settle in at around $525 retail. Q. The Cobra was a version of the Colt Detective Special, and both were made on Colts D frame. Im thankful to see something not made out of plastic. KING COBRA 357 MAGNUM. As for the old Detective Specials: Sorry for the bad news. Q. A Little History According to our friends at Revolvy, the first model of Cobra was made from 1950 to 1971 with a 2-inch barrel. I may take it with me. Probably get the interest of soldiers, police and home defense and doesnt recoil as strongly as the .357 Magnum and a little more than a .38 Special but they are a hard hitter with ball or JHP bullets. Best trade I ever made. No ones making any false claims here brother. The second version was produced from 1972 to 1981 and can be identified by its shrouded ejector rod. Would it have killed them to polish the thing? the Chrome versions seem out of place today So I love my semi-autos and my VEPR in 7.62 x 54r but for a revolver newbie, which is the market think Colt is addressing, this one is a winner. And they had the gall to actually come out with a faux Cobra version of it, too. As Col. Sam Colt wrote, Be not afraid of man or beast, that walks beneath the skies When danger threatens, call on me and I will equalize!, Sincerely, Not hardly. Third, and here is the big one, why not offer it in .327 Federal Magnum with a 6 round cylinder? I have an original Colt Cobra that was made in the 1950s. Ive got a Tracker .44 that has the smoothest trigger Ive ever felt on a revolver, and Ive shot a Manurhin. Colt's King Cobra is reincarnated for 2019 as the 6-Shot .357 Magnum big brother of the Colt Cobra Double Action revolver. Call it the 1917 Combat or Marine model. I just read that S&W is coming out with some new 7-shot 686s including one with a 3 barrel AND its chambered in .357 Mag / .38 Spl+P Why oh why did Colt not chamber this roadkill snake gun the same? Colt also offers a tritium front sight as an upgrade. 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. It will show less wear and tear with use that blued or polished up. That's on purpose, as it is not proofed for the higher .357 Magnum pressures. Think they wasted a lot of effort on a gun that probably wont sell good. With its small frame, 2-inch barrel, an unloaded weight of 25-ounces, it makes for an ideal carry or backup gun. Youll never see Colt manufacture a revolver with the same quality as the old snake guns again, its just not cost effective in todays markettheres always hope though. I suspect the new Cobra will be about the same. 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. Is there any word on when these will be released? I just might buy another, just for old time sake. The new Colt Cobra is in that same vein, and while it bears the same name and specs as the original it falls short on a few key features. This weekend I will have my new holster and will switch to the Cobra. (My 53 Colt Cobra is about 15oz, spec sheet for the new model lists 25oz). We have used my 79 Dback in our Womens Intro classes in the past and it does better than do the K frames- shorter trigger reach. My guess is the the old Colts have met the same demise as the old Parker and AH Fox shotguns. Discontinued in 2005, it remains one of the highest requested line of firearms to be brought back from the graveyard. Some of these vintage gems can be found in the, Demand was so strong upon its release, the Cobra was often difficult to find. I can recommend this gun without reservation, something I cant say about all compact revolvers. Peace Officer Retired Its great to see that Colt and Kimber are offering 6-shot revolvers in concealable sizes; wish S&W would return the 6-shot K-frame snubby. I served on a jury many years ago that involved a fellow who was shot twice by the lowly .25ACP. Quick and powerful, it every bit lives up to its namesake. To me it sounds like Colt just released the Mustang II of the gun world. I used to have a colt cobra back in the day as a backup gun and it was a very accurate gun and very reliable. I dont think I ever saw one in a big gun store unless, again, I had no idea I was looking at one. So theres been an opening in the market for somebody like Colt to bring back theyre snake guns and trust me if they can hit it out of the park on this one they will sell. Was a lot easier to conceal than the S&W model 10 with 5 barrel. Yeah I would suppose they are changing some things I was there the day at Shot Show when they revealed that when it broke at the shooting range there was a bunch of chatter that I overheard people were not impressed. The new owners understand that abandoning the consumer market was a mistake. Gist of what I heard: Some new Colt Python problems have been widely discussed online, including heavy single action triggers and a cylinder issue covered by Youtubers like Hickok45, but Colt has taken steps to address the concerns. Ordered it in June of 2017 took 10 months. Insert your serial numbers by clicking them. Remington's Nylon 66 semi-automatic .22 LR rifles have grown from 1950s bargain buys to 21st century collectors darlings. A few days to grind down and re-polish hammer, trigger, cylinder release. Smith & Wesson does this same kind of thing with their Heritage series, and they usually have no trouble selling them. Posts: 307. The comment above does not have a single sentence without at least one grammatical error. Colt has made it clear that this is the First offering. Theyre the only Gun Company besides Caltech that you you have a constant supply of firearms being shipped back to the manufacturer because of design problems and just poor quality parts. Get ready for a new generation of stories, because Colt is bringing back the Cobra. Now sit down and ponder what that means for how solid the lockup feels. Hardly bigger than a S&W 640-1 but has a little more barrel and 6 rounds instead of 5. Cylinder lock-up? They can move that whole company to Brazil and keep it there for all I care trying to deal with their people in Miami you have to be able to speak Spanish most of the people there dont even speak English correctly its like trying to explain the missing link to the person or to describe the Bible to him its like trying to translate a Bible its ridiculous if youve got a customer service department that is based in the United States of America how about you get some people that actually speak English as their first language how about that? There have been quite a few revisions and improvements since the first run. Ergonomics on the Cobra are exceptional. 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 . The King Cobrawas re-released in 2019, and the Pythonin 2020. So much for the authorities who say one caliber or another is too weak. Keep them coming Colt! I think they missed the boat. Just got my Colt Cobra 38. The option for a shrouded hammer. III has a finer finish than this new one. Nobody has cried about price yet though i may have to scroll down more. I agree with the writer of this story on what the quality of these guns is probably going to be or their lack of. deep Colt blue and Ill take it. How come you were able to rotate the cylinder after having pulled back the hammer into single action mode shortly before the three minute mark ? Im a woman and I love this revolver. 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. Why are stories like these, involving Colt revolvers, so prevalent? 395K. So I set the gun down pointing down range and got one of the cult guys to take a look at it and he was a Salesman so he hollered over to one of the gunsmith. 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. Good review. The coroner testified that EITHER shot would have been fatal. And the option to load from light .32 S&W and .32 S&W Long all the way up to .32 H&R Magnum and finally .32 Federal Magnum. S&W 617 vs. Colt King Cobra Target .22. Retain the allure of the Python by offering only a limited run every year. And they still turn out excellent Gold Cup 1911s. I went back and forth between Nighthawk and Colt booths comparing the Cobra and the Skyhawk. Thanks , Bob. Much nicer than my airlite J-frames. I spoke with customer service rep at Colt. Never was much of a Colt lover but wish I had scooped up more of those unpopular snake guns in the 90s when you literally couldnt give them away. You all need to put a Cobra in your hand and shot a couple hundred rounds through it before you start making all these claims against it. Then when theyd gotten a feel for those, then do a test run of Pythons. In comparison a competitor in the Taurus 38, the Taurus grips resulted in no hand pain at all. To correct a previous post the original Cobra was a 6 shot snubby not a 5 shot like the S&W J frames. I wish Colt would come back with their snake guns but lets bring them back the way they were originally created instead of this mass-produced mumbo-jumbo garbage crap. The Anaconda & Diamondback blued revolvers had a pretty nice finish, but it was just a reasonable polish-n-blue job. Related Tags: I was able to find a DeSantis belt holster and a speed loader without much effort that seemed to be made for the Cobra. They should make it again . The combination of the grip angle and rubber grip makes shooting controllable and comfortable. Then re-start the Diamondback and Anaconda. The one concern I experienced was the cylinder latch button lever is loose, it works fine but shakes when I touch it. A. The double/single-action Cobra is the baby in Colts wheelgun lineup. Colt is the Premiere Firearm maker in the History. Now Im not talking about the 38j frames and all these new LC ours and things that are compact subcompact concealed carry revolvers on talking about the big boys in the only one on the market right now is Smith and Wesson still. Upon first sight I actually thought it was a photo from the Charter Arms booth. 1.The Quick Method: It is the simplest method for reading colt serial numbers, and all praise goes to modern technologies. I need a crappy built replacement model snake gun like I need a big hole in my head. The extra-large trigger guard allowed ample room for gloved fingers and the hammer pull and mechanics were slick and sound. I believe that if Colt can get their act straightened up this would be a good run for them. Q. I read you Email every time I receive it, I enjoyed your Stories and reviews and look forward to them. 38 is a bit light for a defensive caliber. the blued versions werent especially great. Intro NEW Colt Python: WHY IT'S A "NO-GO" Gun News & Reviews 68.7K subscribers Subscribe 101K views 1 year ago in 2020, Colt re-released an 'updated' version of the classic Python revolver. Smith & Wesson Model 586: Reviewing A .357 Revolver With Class. Need Help?service@guns.comCall (866)582-4867, PO Box 1131 13800 Nicollet Blvd Burnsville, MN 55337 2023Guns.com. The problem was that she used jacketed round nose, because that was all she had at the moment. Colt on the other hand is EVERYWHERE. And at a price shipped of $580 was a darn deal. My dad has a story of his own, which he is quick to tell. It made a solid click when I press the cylinder into the gun and I rocked the cylinder left and right to make sure that it was locked up previous to shooting. After I received the gun and had a chance to shoot it for a while, the people at Colt were gracious enough to let me rapid-fire some questions about the new Colt Cobra at them. Just my $0.10 worth. There still are some jigs that survive at the East Hartford plant in the testfire area but they look rusted beyond salvation. Was that just my experience? groups within a 2-inch circle at defense distances with no problem in single-action. Never gonna happen, Colt left most of the Python tooling in the old Colt building in the area where US Patent/US Firearms was making their SAAs. Q. A. We fed a mix of ammo to the test Cobra with decent accuracy. Colts rotate into the window. We have stopped carrying them at our store because at one time theyre semi-automatics and their revolvers were coming back at least a couple guns a month to be shipped back to Taurus. Light. I almost slapped down my credit card right then and there, but Im married so Ive been saving up for it. With an MSRP of $699, the, The Colt Cobra: A Capable Snub-Nosed Snake Gun. This seems to be SOP for any new gun these days regardless of manufacturer. Excellent suggestion. Wide rear sights have very easy to adjust screws for windage and . Now old and retired, it is my wifes preferred concealed carry, and we both love to shoot it just for fun. I am very interested in the Cobra for these very same reasons. I waited almost an hour to shoot it and when it was my turn to shoot I got handed the revolver and I loaded it went to take my first shot and the cylinder stuck in between Chambers and locked up and even the cult Smiths that were there couldnt figure out what happened so they just put it away. You could get the Cobra in .38 Special, .32 Colt New Police, .22 LR, and a few were produced in .38 S&W. This should steer some of you towards the new Colts. Anyone who wants a small (concealed carry) revolver can choose from Smith and Wesson, Ruger, Taurus, Charter Arms, and probably more. That was the shortest part of the article and didnt seem to be central at all. One of the defining features of the line is the hand fitting of parts and highly polished exterior, things distinctly missing on the new Cobra handguns. A buddy bought a new Colt King Cobra 3" when they first came out. The first six rounds through the gun were impressive; the double-action pull seemed to roll predictably. I dont think my small town gun stores carry them. hand. I think Colt, like Ruger to a certain extent, has the potential to carve out a great big place in the market if they double down on good steel. The original snake guns from Colt were high-polish, hand fitted masterpieces. 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. Rather than a smoothly swept oval, the trigger guard. Colt a message from a customer that youve had since the early 1980s please hire some gunsmith and have a revolver line that was made exactly the same way youre early guns were. It was clearly the gun I remembered seeing at the 2017 Shot Show (click this link to see our coverage from SHOT Show 2017). The reason why the snake gun revolvers werent selling very well in 1990 through the discontinuation of them was simply because everyone had made the jump from revolvers to semi automatic handguns such as a clock. I cant think of any other gun from any other manufacture that got the level of attention and finish that the Python did in its heyday. I stopped buying 38s years ago and Ill tell you why. I agree with you that would have been a much better plan of attack.