About to get in trouble: Colt King Cobra or Smith 27-2?

[bikemutt]

Lets say I have a choice between these two, and further, the price difference is inconsequential.

Both are very, but not perfectly minty, 6" barrels. Colt is stainless, Smith is blue.

Purpose is a collectible shooter.

And no, I can't afford them both.

I need help deciding, or avoiding, or maybe a better suggestion?

 

[Onward Allusion]

Colt King Cobra all the way, especially in SS. It will outlast everyone of us in this forum while shooting full pressure loads. If you happen to get it dinged up, it is so easy to get it out. Yes, I had one...I miss it...

 

[Karys]

Ok. First post.

It depends on what and how much you want to shoot.
If you want to shoot a lot, you can't got wrong with the Smith 27.
The King Cobra might not handle a steady diet of full power, heavy .357 loads.
I shot mine loose and had it repaired twice and finally traded it away after several thousand full power 158 and 180 grain loads.

If you're really looking for a tank of a .357 revolver, check out the Ruger GP100. While the trigger may not be as nice as a Smith or Colt, you can learn to shoot them well in double action and they're really hard to break. A used GP100 will likely be less expensive than either the 27 or the King Cobra.

 

[bikemutt]

GP100 is off the table for me. It's not so much the trigger action I don't like, it's the trigger direction. For some reason, the GP100 trigger has me pulling UP on it, not BACK on it. The results are not pretty.

 

[Guillermo]

King Cobra is one of the strongest .357s ever made.

And a classic.

If the 27 were an earlier model I would not know what to do.

 

[Zebraranger]

Between the KC & the S&W 27-2, I'd go with the Colt. Nothing against S&W because I like them too, but the KC's are not getting any cheaper and they're getting harder to find in mint condition. I also have the 6" GP100 and its trigger has had some work, its a very nice trigger and I like the gun but I really like the KC. Its just a nice solid shooter and I'm a little more accurate with it. Just recently installed these Hogue checkered Rosewood laminate grips on it and the feel and grip is a perfect fit for my hand, especially compared to the factory Pachmyr Presentations grips that was on it.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

The King Cobra might not handle a steady diet of full power, heavy .357 loads.
I shot mine loose and had it repaired twice and finally traded it away after several thousand full power 158 and 180 grain loads.

You must have gotten an ultra rare bad KC if you shot it loose twice. The Colt MK III, MK V, and KC actions have been said by a famous gunsmith to be the strongest mid-framed .357 made. They are forged, unlike some of the other guy's cast jobs.

I have more than one King Cobra. My pet 6 incher has had well past 20k rounds shoved thru it, with the majority of them being full throttle magnums. For years I shot Blue Dot loaded 125 grainers until Alliant came out with a warning not to use that combo anymore. That particular gun is as tight as it was the day it was new. Just a couple of weeks ago, I feed it about 300 125 grain JHP's in one day. After 20+ years it still runs like a Swiss watch. As a matter of fact, it's got a smoother trigger pull than some of my other popular Colt models.

 

[bikemutt]

Well, for now at least, the Colt appears to be in the lead.

I have a good foundation with Colt so far, I'm stunned quite often how accurate I am with my 4" Anaconda.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

If you have an Anaconda, definitely go for the KC. The Anaconda is not much more than a KC on steroids.

 

[bikemutt]

Just recently installed these Hogue checkered Rosewood laminate grips on it and the feel and grip is a perfect fit for my hand, especially compared to the factory Pachmyr Presentations grips that was on it.

I'm rarely speechless, perfection apparently is achievable. Simply gorgeous, thank you for sharing.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

This would have been KC perfection for me if Colt had only gripped 'em this way.

 

[bikemutt]

ColtPythonElite, I too prefer grooveless grips, my fingers instinctively know where to find the sweet spot it seems.

The flow of the woodgrain in Zebraranger's post I find remarkable, I'm happy he combined form and function in such a fashion to suit himself.

With the risk of jacking my own thread, grips after all, do connect the hand with the gun, and the eye with the beauty, as such they should not be underrated.