[phezz]

Well Missouri has just become that newest concealed carry state. I was at the local gun shop the other day and I am considering between the smith M49 and the colt cobra. Both are blued and in good condition. I'd say 90 to 95%. Gun shop is wanting about $350 each. will be using as a carry gun and will leave in the glove box as well. I'm not too concerned having +P capabilities and can live without it. Anyone have experiences with these two guns? The smith is significantly heavier but only hold 5 shots.
I can't really find many opinions on the M49 on this board or the smith & wesson forum. Any opinions are appreciated.

[FPrice]

I bought a S&W M49 about a month ago and it's a nice little pistol. It points well and the shrouded hammer makes for a smooth pocket pistol that retains the ability to be thumb-cocked and fired single-action.

It would become my new pocket pistol but a few days later my dealer got a nice M649 and I am trying to break THAT in. OOPS!

I do not personally care for the small Colt revolvers - personal preference really. S&W revolvers have always worked better for me. I'd recommend the M49.

[einnor1040]

Welcome to the board phez. What part of Mo. are you in? I grew up in southeast Mo.

[Ala Dan]

I've owned a couple of Smith & Wesson model
49's over the years; and find them to be a most
excellent "fast access" pocket gun. As my friend
Frosty pointed out, the 49's retain the ability
to thumb cock the piece; which is a desirable
feature.

I've also owned one Colt Cobra. At the time I
owned it, I was in the very early stages of
handguning (and not handloading); so all types
of factory ammunition seemed like I had a tiger
by his tail! Never, ever really warmed up too
the Cobra; and finally ended up trading it off.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[phezz]

Thanks for the opinions. I was really leaning toward the smith. The shrouded hammer lends itself well to pocket carry. I actually made a payment on it so the gun shop would hold it. They offerred me the option of selecting the colt later if i choose. I currently own a 686 .357 mag and a 908s 9mm which i'm happy with. Guess I'll stick with S&W this time as well. I'm in St. Louis. Looks like it's going to be a while on the CCW issue also. Local police and anti-gunners are kicking and screaming about CCW and doing everything they can to delay. Thanks again. Oh, and great board here. First time posting.

[Ala Dan]

Welcome phezz to THR!

A mighty fine weapon you have chosen; with
reasonable care it should give you great
service. You already own an excllent .357
magnum; in the S&W model 686!

Congrat's on the new Missouri transition! :cool: :D

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[ACP230]

My first snub was a Smith M49.
It was used but served me well, until I gave it to my oldest son as a birthday present. My wife and I gave him our old Tempo too, but the M49 is still working and the car has long since been parted out.

I got a Colt Cobra later. The sights are much better than on the M49, but the trigger is not up to the Smith's trigger. The Colt holds six rounds, but is also just a bit too big to work in pocket carry.

I still have the Cobra and shoot it occasionally. My carry gun is a Smith M649.

[Preacherman]

phezz, all the Cobra's I've seen (and the two I own) are nickel-plated. You say this Cobra is blued? Are you sure it's a Cobra, and not an Agent?

That aside, I think either would be a good gun to have. I would suggest, however, that you not buy the plain "49" - it's not +P-rated, and so can't safely use the latest defensive ammunition. Buy the 649, or one of the "dash-number" models that's rated for +P. I know that in the 442 and 642, anything from 442-1 and 642-1 are +P rated. As for the Cobra, if it's the model with the shrouded ejector rod, it's OK for limited +P use. If it has an exposed ejector rod, it's not.

Additionally, if you wanted to fit aftermarket grips, there are a lot more available for the S&W snubbies (including Crimson Trace laser grips, if you so desire) but rather less for the Cobra.

[9mmepiphany]

i'm a diehard colt D-frame fan and am partial to the leafspring powered action, the longer trigger pull. the more visible sightsand the extra shot. it is a bit bigger as it shares speedloaders with the smith K-frame

we used to carry a smith K-frame as our duty weapon and a colt snubby as a BUG and our speedloaders would work in either.

if you like the shouded hammer look/function (i don't), i believe waller still makes an aftermarket shoud (looks just like the original factory model) for the little colts. the advantage over the m-49 is that the shoud opens for cleaning

[Lone Star]

You are comparing oranges to tangerines. The M49 is steel, like the Colt Detective Special. The M38 is the S&W Bodyguard equivalent to the Cobra or Agent.

I don't care for Colt snubs for two main reasons. One is that they tend to not shoot "to the sights" as often as S&W's do. The other is that they lose their cylinder timing sooner; the S&W design is simply better in this regard, and was more-or-less copied by Colt in the Mk. III and later guns.

Preacherman, you need to see more Cobras. Most are, in fact, blued.

Lone Star

[Majic]

Most .38sp Colts shoot POA with 158 grainers. I have seen very few that didn't. Though many speak of Colts coming out of time. They have to get severly out of time to cause any real problem. This seldoms happen and when it does it comes from a lot of rapid DA shooting or abuse. The fact is that all revolvers come out of time and a lot of them today are if you carefully check. Most of them are not out far enough to cause problems. Treat a Colt with respect like you would any other revolver and it will last a lifetime without trips to the shop.
Considering the well known fact of the lack of qualified Colt gunsmiths and the sheer number of Colts on the market, if the timing issue was as bad as some protray then a vast number of them shouldn't be showing up at the ranges or in holsters.

[Lone Star]

Majic-

I don't doubt your word, in your experience, but Colts are notorious for not shooting to the sights. When Col. Askins selected that brand for the US Border Patrol, he had to turn the barrels on almost all to get them shooting right. I had bad experiences with Official Police examples while in the USAF. One year, I wouldn't have even qualified on the range, had I not switched to an S&W M10.

I once tested a new Police Positive Special and a Diamondback when those were still made. Even the latter, with adjustable sights, was 'way off on target. I reported this to the Colt PR lady (she's now long gone) and she said to just tell my readers to use "Kentucky windage"; they wouldn't fix the problem. That is an excellent example of the reason why Colt has become a second-rate gun company.

In fairness, I have had good experiences with their Govt. Model .45's and two Pythons, although I sold the latter when they went out-of-time. They do this MUCH sooner than do S&W or Ruger .357's.

Lone Star

[tbeb]

I had a model 49. I also had a Colt Detective Special which is the all steel version of the Colt Cobra. I preferred the Colt--that's what I'd buy. I think you'd be getting the most for your money.

For what it's worth, if you plain to pocket carry then I recommend an empty weight of 16 ounces or less. The Cobra weighs about 16 ounces, but dimentionally it is a little bigger than the 49. You might want to ask the shop if they could get you a S&W model 38. It is the lightweight version of the model 49, and it weighs about 15 ounces.

A shrouded hammer or internal hammer is probably best for pocket carry. But, don't discount one with an external hammer that has a spur. I use a pocket holster for my snubby that has an external, spurred hammer. My pocket holster fills the pocket and covers the hammer spur. The spur does not snag on anything when gun is drawed.

[PX15]

I have 2 Cobras and two J-frame Smiths. Both of the Cobras are 1st series (exposed ejector rod) and are more fun to shoot (for me) than the Model 49 Bodyguard. The trigger just feels better. I liked the "ugly" looks of the model 49 so much that I purchased a new bodyguard model 638.. World of difference in the trigger.. Model 638 has a wider (target style) trigger and is a pleasure to shoot. The old model 49 trigger would get very tiresome very quickly if shot a great deal at one outing. I put CTC laser grips on the 638 and of the four I have it is by far my choice of concealed carry in a revolver. I don't think you have to pay much more for a new model 638 than they are charging you for the used 49/Cobras. If you really prefer the S/W try and hang on and buy the 638, it's so much better than the 49. I don't know how to explain this but the Cobra's just have "soul" or something lacking in the Smiths. For what it's worth in my opinion the CTC laser grips are well worth the money. All the talk of a snubby being inaccurate goes out the window when you see the difference in accuracy between a CTC gripped J Frame and one without. JMHRO:)

[Erich]

I have an Agent (shorter-butted Cobra) - got rid of a S&W 5-shot when I picked it up. It is every bit as easy to carry as the 5-shot J-frame (I suspect the longer butt of the Cobra would be a little more difficult for front-pocket pants carry).