King Cobra Target

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Mr. Mosin

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Blast it all. Hell's Bell's, I just discovered the new King Cobra Target. Gorgeous gun. Bearing in mind that I've never had the ecstatic pleasure of owning or shooting an old production Colt (though I have shot an old Smith. The trigger was pure ecstasy), how would this King Cobra Target fare as a belt gun, and how would it stack up against the Ruger GP100 in shootability, durability, and longevity ? I might just buy a .357 instead of a .45 Colt now. Blast it all, I've got to stop cruising the internet. All sorts of new guns.
 
Blast it all. Hell's Bell's, I just discovered the new King Cobra Target. Gorgeous gun. Bearing in mind that I've never had the ecstatic pleasure of owning or shooting an old production Colt (though I have shot an old Smith. The trigger was pure ecstasy), how would this King Cobra Target fare as a belt gun, and how would it stack up against the Ruger GP100 in shootability, durability, and longevity ? I might just buy a .357 instead of a .45 Colt now. Blast it all, I've got to stop cruising the internet. All sorts of new guns.
Well they're kinda new so not sure how they fair in the durability department. Haven't heard bad on any of the new cobras. But msrp is around 1000 bucks.
 
I've been wanting to look at one in person myself, but have seen exactly zero in the wild up here. Based on my experience with my 3" King Cobra, I'd have to believe that the Target would be a great belt carry gun. I can tell you that the trigger on this one is swweeeet! Both my Cobra 2017 and King Cobra 2019 have been totally reliable thus far with a few hundred rounds of everything from the light JHP fast-movers to the heavyweight hard-casts.
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I saw/held one about two weeks ago, it looks and feels fantastic. I must say I didn’t dry fire it, as the $989.00 price tag meant it was held gingerly for sure!

Stay safe.
 
^^ I should say I held the 4" target model. I was also shown a 3", but the 4" version was what I was interested in.
 
It's not a fair comparison of the new Colt to the Ruger GP.
The Ruger is a medium frame and cylinder revolver, while the new Colt's are small frame and cylinder revolvers.
The new Colt models are essentially the same size frame and cylinder as the old Colt "D" frames like the Detective Special.

The new Colt King Cobra Target is basically a Colt Diamondback in size and configuration so it's noticeably smaller then a Ruger GP-100, and more on the order of the Ruger SP-101.
 
It's not a fair comparison of the new Colt to the Ruger GP.
The Ruger is a medium frame and cylinder revolver, while the new Colt's are small frame and cylinder revolvers.
The new Colt models are essentially the same size frame and cylinder as the old Colt "D" frames like the Detective Special.

The new Colt King Cobra Target is basically a Colt Diamondback in size and configuration so it's noticeably smaller then a Ruger GP-100, and more on the order of the Ruger SP-101.

Wondering why they don't pull a S&W and bring back a "Detective Spl Classic", minus S&W's Hillary Hole, or any confounded lawyer safety.
 
Be wery, wery careful about buying Colt revolvers. I had a very bad experience with Colt Single Action Revolver that I purchase new. The chamber throats were way oversized and I never found a large enough bullet to give me good accuracy. What really made me mad was I sent it to Colt and they returned it untouched with a note saying it was within specs. I have not read any independent reviews as to the quality control on their new revolvers and have my doubts if Colt is upping their game any.
 
Be wery, wery careful about buying Colt revolvers. I had a very bad experience with Colt Single Action Revolver that I purchase new. The chamber throats were way oversized and I never found a large enough bullet to give me good accuracy. What really made me mad was I sent it to Colt and they returned it untouched with a note saying it was within specs. I have not read any independent reviews as to the quality control on their new revolvers and have my doubts if Colt is upping their game any.

I'll bear that in mind.
 
I think the 4 inch Target model of the King Cobra is beautiful and the only version I would consider. The big worry for me is recoil as I get older. I can shoot 110 grain .357 magnums comfortably in my Security Six and 586, but while I can still shoot the hotter 125 grain ammo, it gives my hand a workout. I wonder how bad the recoil would be in an even lighter gun.

Jim
 
I personally *want* a Detective Spl in .38 Spl.

They are great pistols

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The chromed pistol is sometime early 1960's. It is well made. I have a couple of 1970's models, and the internals are crap. The early DS's and Police Positives, the lockworks are well defined, probably only took a couple of swipes with a file to make them time up correctly. The later pistols, the lockworks look like they were carved from soap chunks. It is evident the final assemblers were handed rough, barely finished parts and had to massively file them to fit. That shows a complete collapse of the quality aspects of the production process. No doubt the machinery prior to final assembly was so worn out that management tossed metal chunks at the final assemblers and told them to "make it work". It is a sad time when the final assembler has to correct non conforming parts with a file. It is totally evident that Colt Management extracted the maximum amount of profits for themselves, and let the factory run down, before flipping the carcass to other, greedy individuals.

So, based on what I have, look for mid 1960's and earlier. The earlier the better workmanship.
 
I have S&W now, but in the past I greatly preferred Colt. Having used S&W for a little while now, I'm not sure I would maintain my Colt-bias. Even if I did not have to pay 3X or 4X as much for a comparable Colt, I have some doubts that it would be better than a S&W. But I'm not a S&W "fan boy." I really have no affinity for them. It's just that they work. I don't really see any shortcomings of the GP100, but I also don't see anything that compels me to switch. I do have and enjoy as many Rugers as I do S&W, but they happen to be single actions.

With the introduction of new Colt revolvers in 2017, I was certainly attracted. At the time, I was mostly turned off by their exclusive chambering of .38 Special. Since then, they have expanded their line to include 357 models and now a longer barrel, but I have also had more time to assess the new Colt's -- not just personally, but based on what people with understanding are saying. I'm not talking about dudes on the internet and I don't expect anyone to take my word for it. Check what industry insiders and well-known, widely-recognized revolver experts will say about it. Some of these people are professionals that are still in the midst of their careers and its ill-advised for them to publish unsolicited negative opinions. But if you get around, meet people and talk to them in person, most of them are willing to talk. Go to classes, go to training, go to SHOT show or the NRA convention. Find them and ask questions.

My personal impression is the fit and finish of the new Colts is very, very poor. When I hold the revolver, it's so obvious they did not put a lot of effort into this. I heard one recognized expert revolver gunsmith describe the trigger as "gritty." I don't share that criticism but it confirmed a negative impression for me.

Notice that Colt has really failed to invigorate enthusiasm among the hard-core revolver people. It's anticlimactic. What should be super exciting as Colt re-enters the revolver market is greeted with near-total lack of enthusiasm beyond the obligatory press-release regurgitation and the inevitable references to legendary "snake guns" of the past. Nobody that's steeped in the revolver world is actually doing anything with them. They're not in competition. There are no high-end gunsmiths customizing them. There are no aftermarket companies popping up to compliment them with upgrades. It seems obvious that Kimber has maintained more enthusiasm than Colt in spite of the Colts being a year or two newer.

We have to understand that while revolvers are made under the Colt name again, it's not the same people making them. Colt layed-off or fired their DA revolver people. They went more than 10 years without making double-action revolvers. They didn't just keep the craftsmen waiting around that long. They actually fired their best people.

I've heard some people describe how Colt has outside contractors make the parts for the new Cobra line. I haven't confirmed that but whatever the case, I think the results speak for themselves.

The value seems very poor. The gun appears to be similar to Charter Arms but it sells for the price of a S&W Performance Center gun. Compare a King Cobra to the same or lower priced PC Model 19 Carry Comp or either Ruger Match Champion (SP101 or GP100). The S&W and Ruger are so clearly much better guns.

I know that many Colt fans, and I consider myself a Colt fan, are hoping for a new Python. I don't, because I can only imagine it will be a terrible disappointment. Look: the Korth is a better value. There is simply no way today's Colt can make anything like an old Python without it costing the consumer more than a Korth. There are only two possible "new" Pythons. One will be glorious but priced over $5000. The other will suck. If a person has more than $2500 to spend on a revolver, the Korth delivers more per dollar than Colt could in my wildest imagination. But I'm personally not into highfalutin luxury revolvers. S&W and Ruger are good enough for me.
 
Be wery, wery careful about buying Colt revolvers. I had a very bad experience with Colt Single Action Revolver that I purchase new. The chamber throats were way oversized and I never found a large enough bullet to give me good accuracy. What really made me mad was I sent it to Colt and they returned it untouched with a note saying it was within specs. I have not read any independent reviews as to the quality control on their new revolvers and have my doubts if Colt is upping their game any.

In the early-mid-nineties, I purchased a Colt Combat Elite .45ACP and loved it. I then purchased a Combat Commander. Also excellent. Same for their Sporter Match HBAR rifle I also bought.

I ponied up the money and bought their premium-priced Single Action Army (at that time, they were produced by the custom shop). It arrived with a broken half-cock notch and poor sight regulation. Accuracy was poor. The cylinder throats were so large that a .454" bullet would drop straight through them. I sent it back and they replaced the hammer and turned in the barrel to improve the POA/POI issue but said the cylinder was in spec. Accuracy is still poor. At least it's pretty to look at.

Their new revolvers are also what I'd consider to be in the premium price range. But I'm "once bitten, twice shy." It seems like lots of people are raving about the excellent triggers. I'm tempted by the 3" model...
 
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We have to understand that while revolvers are made under the Colt name again, it's not the same people making them. Colt layed-off or fired their DA revolver people. They went more than 10 years without making double-action revolvers. They didn't just keep the craftsmen waiting around that long. They actually fired their best people.

I have a shooting bud who worked for a time at the Remington Rifle Company in Alabama, and I know another who actually had a plant tour. Remington redesigned their weapons so machines could do 99% of the work. In the front of the production line are machining centers, no humans, except for ones walking around picking up things that fell off the conveyor belts, or answering an automated alarms from a machine. At the end of the production line there was a bunch of "twenty somethings" all standing, no chairs, and these were the assemblers. These guys simply assembled the pieced together and did not make any adjustments. They do not have files according to the guy who visited. The bud who worked their stated they designed and built their guns so the assemblers only had to screw the things together. Instead of having individuals who understand the design, function, inter relationship of parts, what Remington wanted, and got, were people who could be trained to do their job in 15 minutes. The same people could work at a fast food Restaurant for their production lines are set up so anyone can come in, and within 15 minutes, make burgers. System Engineering of production flows eliminated the short order Cook. A short order Cook was a skilled individual, the guy could make a hundred different recipes, and had to sequence the food out the door by table. System engineering broke the tasks down to the point that the replacement worker did not even need to read or write, just simply follow a few simple directions. The newly engineered production lines allowed instantly replaceable, low skilled workers at starvation wages!

Firearms made by these individuals will function, but if you expect a smooth action, aligned sights, don't be surprised if you don't get either. The guys on the floor are incentivized to "get them out the door", they are not graded on whether the action is gritty as hell, and they would not know where to start. They can't adjust off center sights. And they can be replaced in an instant with another Monkey if they cause trouble.

If you send a defective firearm back, they will send you a new one in return. These sort of facilities may not have a gunsmith in the facility. I am old enough to remember the TV repair man. The TV repair man was skilled, often a WW2 Veteran who had electronic repair training during the war. When the semi conductor revolution hit, manufacturer's decided against building electronics that could be repaired. If it broke during the warranty period, they sent you a new replacement, or if the model had been discontinued, the new model. The broken electronics went to the scrap yard. If the item broke out of the warranty period, you could not get the thing fixed, and had to buy a new one. Now, with Apple electronics, the people who waited all night for an Apple 6S phone in 2015, for $800, have now found their device is unsupportable! Planned obsolescence is a bitch!

I am sure the firearms industry has been working an planned obsolescence strategies that will become obvious in the years ahead.

The cylinder throats were so large that a .454" bullet would drop straight through them

It has only recently been revealed in the inprint press that the third Generation Colts have 0.458" diameter chamber mouths. The only bullet types that will shoot well are plain lead hollow base bullets. I am glad I never purchased a Colt SAA. The Cowboy shooters types still trip over themselves for Colts, but they are not really into accuracy, they are more into dressing up.
 
I have a shooting bud who worked for a time at the Remington Rifle Company in Alabama, and I know another who actually had a plant tour. Remington redesigned their weapons so machines could do 99% of the work. In the front of the production line are machining centers, no humans, except for ones walking around picking up things that fell off the conveyor belts, or answering an automated alarms from a machine. At the end of the production line there was a bunch of "twenty somethings" all standing, no chairs, and these were the assemblers. These guys simply assembled the pieced together and did not make any adjustments. They do not have files according to the guy who visited. The bud who worked their stated they designed and built their guns so the assemblers only had to screw the things together. Instead of having individuals who understand the design, function, inter relationship of parts, what Remington wanted, and got, were people who could be trained to do their job in 15 minutes. The same people could work at a fast food Restaurant for their production lines are set up so anyone can come in, and within 15 minutes, make burgers. System Engineering of production flows eliminated the short order Cook. A short order Cook was a skilled individual, the guy could make a hundred different recipes, and had to sequence the food out the door by table. System engineering broke the tasks down to the point that the replacement worker did not even need to read or write, just simply follow a few simple directions. The newly engineered production lines allowed instantly replaceable, low skilled workers at starvation wages!

Firearms made by these individuals will function, but if you expect a smooth action, aligned sights, don't be surprised if you don't get either. The guys on the floor are incentivized to "get them out the door", they are not graded on whether the action is gritty as hell, and they would not know where to start. They can't adjust off center sights. And they can be replaced in an instant with another Monkey if they cause trouble.

If you send a defective firearm back, they will send you a new one in return. These sort of facilities may not have a gunsmith in the facility. I am old enough to remember the TV repair man. The TV repair man was skilled, often a WW2 Veteran who had electronic repair training during the war. When the semi conductor revolution hit, manufacturer's decided against building electronics that could be repaired. If it broke during the warranty period, they sent you a new replacement, or if the model had been discontinued, the new model. The broken electronics went to the scrap yard. If the item broke out of the warranty period, you could not get the thing fixed, and had to buy a new one. Now, with Apple electronics, the people who waited all night for an Apple 6S phone in 2015, for $800, have now found their device is unsupportable! Planned obsolescence is a bitch!

I am sure the firearms industry has been working an planned obsolescence strategies that will become obvious in the years ahead.



It has only recently been revealed in the inprint press that the third Generation Colts have 0.458" diameter chamber mouths. The only bullet types that will shoot well are plain lead hollow base bullets. I am glad I never purchased a Colt SAA. The Cowboy shooters types still trip over themselves for Colts, but they are not really into accuracy, they are more into dressing up.


The thing with "planned obsolescence" is, a decent revolver will last lifetimes.
 
The thing with "planned obsolescence" is, a decent revolver will last lifetimes.

It used to be appliances lasted twenty, thirty years. I had to replace my 30 year old refrigerator because the door hinges had worn through the sheet metal, and the door plastic was deteriorating, but the thing worked. And had I been able to replace the door, it could have lasted another thirty years I am sure! The replacement may last seven years according to the Home Depot Customer service lady. These new appliances have computer boards, they took out all the simple, reliable relays, and put in computer boards in which the capacitors short out on average, in seven years.

These companies hire very smart people who are dedicated to extracting the maximum amount of money from their customers. Never say never. These guys have changed our society, and will continue to change our society, for their betterment.
 
It used to be appliances lasted twenty, thirty years. I had to replace my 30 year old refrigerator because the door hinges had worn through the sheet metal, and the door plastic was deteriorating, but the thing worked. And had I been able to replace the door, it could have lasted another thirty years I am sure! The replacement may last seven years according to the Home Depot Customer service lady. These new appliances have computer boards, they took out all the simple, reliable relays, and put in computer boards in which the capacitors short out on average, in seven years.

These companies hire very smart people who are dedicated to extracting the maximum amount of money from their customers. Never say never. These guys have changed our society, and will continue to change our society, for their betterment.
That's the ticket- "for *their* betterment", not society's betterment
 
[QUOTE="labnoti, post: 11293842, member: 250174"
My personal impression is the fit and finish of the new Colts is very, very poor. When I hold the revolver, it's so obvious they did not put a lot of effort into this. I heard one recognized expert revolver gunsmith describe the trigger as "gritty." I don't share that criticism but it confirmed a negative impression for me.

[/QUOTE]

When the Cobra was first introduced, I read all the same commentary about how horrible they were. Some time later, I saw one at the local gun store, and found the trigger pull to be very smooth, better than any out of the box revolver trigger pull from S&W or Ruger. I ended up buying that one. The fitting on my example is fine. The finish on the first Cobras is most deserving of criticism, though I would characterize it as mediocre rather than poor. The finishes on the King Cobras seem much nicer, similar to the S&W matte finishes.

I've owned many S&W revolvers (and still have some of them) and aside from the integral lock versions, tend to prefer them. The Cobra is my only Colt revolver, but I wouldn't mind having a King Cobra Target, it seems like it would be a nice compact size 6 shot revolver.
 
All of the Cobras that I have seen look pretty good to me. I am no gunsmith, but the trigger on the two that I have shot were better than any newer model Charter, Smith, Ruger, or Taurus I have used.
Are they built by craftsmen one at a time like the old days? Nope. But those craftsmen had bad days too.
 
It used to be appliances lasted twenty, thirty years.....

There is a very serious "problem" widely recognized among gun control advocates. Firearms can last hundreds of years. They would think it wonderful if guns would self-destruct within a short period of time so that restrictions on new manufacture and acquisitions would be meaningful.

The thing with "planned obsolescence" is, a decent revolver will last lifetimes.

It could last lifetimes if it's never shot. It will certainly not last lifetimes of shooting without parts replacement and repair. Hands wear out, the pawl on the cylinder wears out, the cylinder stop notches wear, the cylinder stop wears, and the timing goes off. Barrel face and forcing cone erosion also happen, and top strap flame-cutting, though I think the former are the bigger problem.

Even the best Colts like the Pythons have a reputation for being "high maintenance." If they're shot a lot, they can be expected to need significant attention from a gunsmith. As long as there are competent gunsmiths that can perform the work, and a supply of replacement parts, lasting lifetimes of shooting and not just sitting in the safe are still reasonable to expect, but the farther Colt falls from the collective consciousness, the less likely this will be the case. The supply of Pythons has stopped increasing and prices have gone way up. Some replacement parts are hard to find, and most gunsmiths competent to work on Pythons are retired. Anyone from a new generation looking to get into gunsmithing is better off, business-wise, to make a line of Glock upgrade and customization parts.
 
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