Question for owners of New Colt Cobras

SteadyD said:

the lock work similar to the Colts of old?

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Only in so far as it uses a V mainspring. The new Cobra is little more than a MIM'd rehash of the short-lived SF-IV, and owes little to the classic Colt actions.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. By most accounts it is a fine, though pricey, gun.
A Diamondback it ain't, though......

SteadyD said:

Does the difference in lockwork make them easier to be worked on?

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At the factory, sure. Basically, you have a bin full of, say, transfer bars and you keep trying different ones until you find one that's in spec. The SF-VI action was specifically designed to be simple, inexpensive and easily assembled by low-skilled workers at a time when Colt was facing imminent bankruptcy.

On the flip side, MIM parts typically have a very thin hardened surface layer that cannot be ground or polished much without getting into the soft material beneath, making traditional trigger jobs difficult or impossible.

No!
MIM parts are through-hardened.
Denis

What I can tell you is that I've got about 800 rounds through mine, and it's been splendid. Excellent accuracy, and a great trigger. The DA pull has smoothed out and has a nice roll, the SA pull is terrific. I can't find a thing to not like about it.

Locks up like a bank vault, timing is perfect. You can change the fiber optic inserts in the front sight, don't know if there's any other options out there.

The Night Cobra has a night sight so maybe the front sight is somewhat interchangeable?

DPris said:

No!
MIM parts are through-hardened.
Denis

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During sintering, yes, but typical firearm stainless such as 4140 or 17-4 will typically through harden to 18-25 RC,-too soft for sear surfaces, for example, which need better wear resistance. Hence they will be conventionally surface hardened afterwards to achieve something in the range of 35-45RC depending on the material.

I keep going back to wanting one but I already have a mint detective special and a really nice agent. It’s hard to justify not buying one of the old d frames

I have both the Colt Cobra and the Colt Night Cobra, and they are both sweet-shooting durable guns.

I bought the Cobra shortly after it came out. I ran approximately 1600 rounds through it, 1000 being factory range ammo and the balance mid-level reloads. It has a trigger pull at least as nice as my Smith PC guns, and shows no signs of wear from use.

I liked the gun so much that I traded out a Kimber K6S to get a Night Cobra. And I have not been disappointed. I did swap out the grips for
Hogue grips similar to those that come on the original.

Carried in a CrossBreed IWB SuperTuck, the guns make for excellent EDC.

I do not believe you would regret getting one (or two) of the new Colts.

BOARHUNTER

Mine has several hundred rounds through it, from +P defensive loads to 148 gr DE wadcutter w/Bullseye target loads.

It came with an outstanding trigger from the get go, I can say over time it's better than any other revolver trigger I have.

No sign of flame cutting, mistiming, end shake or other common revolver malady to date.

Stay safe!

I've been told by Ruger & Smith their MIMs are through-hardened.
I'm not aware of any firearm application where MIMs with thin surface-hardening only are used, and sintering is an older form of MIM not in current use.

When I once discussed S&W MIMs with Jerry Miculek, he told me just the opposite of what you're saying about action jobs with them- they are MUCH easier with MIMs.
Denis

SteadyD,

I have not tried pocket carry with the Night Cobra for two reasons. First, I already keep a Smith 43c 22 in my pocket. Always. And second, the Night Cobra is a bit large and heavy for my personal pocket carry. Which is precisely the reason, though, it makes such a good and easy shooter.

BOARHUNTER

DPris said:

I've been told by Ruger & Smith their MIMs are through-hardened.
I'm not aware of any firearm application where MIMs with thin surface-hardening only are used, and sintering is an older form of MIM not in current use.

When I once discussed S&W MIMs with Jerry Miculek, he told me just the opposite of what you're saying about action jobs with them- they are MUCH easier with MIMs.
Denis

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https://www.optimim.com/blog-metal-injection-molding-powdered-metallurgy

All MIM is sintered after extraction of the binder material, that's when the part loses its porosity (and shrinks). You're thinking of Pressed Metallurgy (PM) sintering like what Colt used on the old Mk3 triggers and hammers.
Since MIM is a process, not a material in and of itself, the alloy being molded will largely determine whether it will require surface hardening or heat treatment after machining operations. Some will, some wont- depends on the applications. Anyone who has ever tried messing with a modern MIM hammer can attest that they are super hard on the surface to avoid deformation, but soft on the inside to prevent shattering- a common problem with PM gun parts which were not of a uniform hardness.

Bottom line, any alloy, whether MIM, cast, or forged, can be hardened by heat treating. I don't doubt that some gun makers specify using softer materials for some internal parts to save wear and tear on their machine tooling bits at the cost of accelerated wear and shortened part life cycle. It all depends on the application and the alloy- not the forming process.

Check out the design guide at the link below- it does a great job of explaining MIM-
http://www.smithmetals.com/

And that's all I'm gunna say 'bout this to avoid thread drift. No worries, mate.

I have worked on MIM S&W 60 hammer and a Browning HP safety lever (reshaping them) and I didn't notice any surface hardening - both were thoroughly hardened. And quite tough if I may add.

Mizar said:

I have worked on MIM S&W 60 hammer and a Browning HP safety lever (reshaping them) and I didn't notice any surface hardening - both were thoroughly hardened. And quite tough if I may add.

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AR 15 hammers are notorious for this phenomenon as they are carbon tool steel, as are many MIM 1911 parts like those used on the Rock Island autos. The M60 hammer was casehardened and the HP safety likely stainless, yes? These are subject to extra heat treatment after the MIM process- just depends on the material.

While I understand some folks' concerns about the ultimate reliability of MIM parts, I don't think this thread needs to devolve into discussions of pro vs. con with regards to MIM parts in handguns, since the topic has zero to do with MIM. Y'all can debate MIM til the cows come home, I'd rather talk about guns.

The OP asked about a specific handgun.

As I have one, and like all my guns, it's a hard-use gun and has been reliable to date. If any MIM parts break, I'll be sure to let y'all know. By the way, I've gone through any number of S&W revolvers since the advent of MIM parts, as well as many recent production Springfield Armory, Kimber, Colt, FN, S&W and SIG pistols, all well-renowned for their MIM parts … and would you believe it? No failures of any MIM parts. But what do I know? I've only been shooting handguns for fifty years, guess I'm just lucky …

NIGHTLORD40K said:

The M60 hammer was casehardened and the HP safety likely stainless, yes?

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I don't think that MIM S&W hammers are case hardened - they neither look, or feel (filing it) like that. And the BHP safety is definitely carbon steel. But Old Dog is right - we are drifting the thread in the wrong way for which I apologize.

While some are debating the MIM issue, SteadyD, Old Dog and I are out shooting the heck out of our Cobras and having a great time doing it. The guns are fine. Get one; you won't be disappointed.

BOARHUNTER

Sights: When the Cobra was announced Colt stated they would sometime after initiation of production offer gold or brass bead and a night sight items that could be ordered after purchase of the gun. So far, I have not seen any offered. I would think a good gunsmith could fashion a gold bead front sight.

I only have about 300 rounds through mine, but it's been flawless. The ergonomics are excellent, it's trigger is superb and it's more accurate than I am. I was pleased with the cylinder release having the slightly more hooked shape that facilitates opening quickly. Something very useful in a quick reload

We are not debating the USE of MIMs, we are responding to a question about how easy they are to work on in Post 3.
Since the Cobra is substantially constructed of MIM parts, the topic DOES have more than "zero to do with MIM parts".
Denis