Cobray M-11

[Schofield3]

Hi guys, I'm considering a Cobray M-11 (9mm) for $350. worth it? anyone have one? just looking for a little advice thanks-

Like this one-

 

[Trebor]

The semi-auto Cobray is a heavy blaster best suited to turning ammo into noise.

You get that whole 80's "Miami Vice" feel.

What you don't get is accuracy or reliability.

Your money, your choice. Me, I'd pass for something that is really more useful.

 

[Mikee Loxxer]

A buddy of mine used to have one. The operating handle on his broke off when the bolt slammed into battery. Although I never fired it I didn't find it too impressive. It had non-adjustable sights and fired from a closed bolt.

As a semi-auto I just can't see the point unless it fires from the open bolt which would make it somewhat collectible.

 

[xsquidgator]

A guy at my range let me try his Cobray (like the one in the picture but in .380ACP). It was fun to shoot a few rounds through but I wouldn't spend a couple hundred dollars on one either. The .380 Cobray jammed quite a bit and had pretty primitive sights, not that it's a target pistol anyway. If that's the kind of gun you want, I'd spend a little more and get either a Glock of some kind with a few 30 round mags, or maybe one of those Kel Tec .223 pisols, the PLR-16 I think it is.

 

[rogertc1]

I have a M-11 I got back in the 1980's for $179. when I had a FFL. Still have the semi-auto. It is a fun gun to impress people at the range. I never had a misfire for the over 1500 or so rounds I have put through it fast by bump firing. Mine has a threaded barrel. Only exception was once when I tried to shoot it when holding it upside down...had a jam then. Keep a few extra "C" clips as they can slip off the pins.
The price is about right depending on how many magazines come with it. You can sure bet it wil be ban after the next election.
Rog

 

[MadMercS55]

I had one years ago. The safety lever broke off, and the pin broke in two shortly after that. Replaced the whole lever and didn't have any problems. After about 1100rnds the trigger wouldn't release anymore, found the trigger system basically broke. Replaced that and had 350 trouble free rounds through mine before trading it to a friend. I bought mine with a leather shoulder rig with double mag pouch. Novel as heck but totally impractical. On a side note, mine fed everything from FMJ to JHP with no issues at all, and was pretty accurate out to 20yrds or so when I did my part. Mine had a threaded barrel and I enjoyed the fake suppressor it came with. Again, novel as heck but not horribly practical.

 

[Schofield3]

Well thanks for the advice, I was kinda hoping to be talked out of it, i don't really need for anything other than looks- I'll wait an save a bit more for the SR9 I want-

 

[Flash!]

I have one and its a blast to shoot... keep in mind it is a fun toy, not meant for any serious self defense business... its spray and pray...and do keep some extra c clips for the little pins that hold the trigger assembly in place....

 

[volfandan]

I have an SWD with threaded barrel. I put one of the SMG bolt handles in it, which is taller and a lot easier to operate. Mine has jammed maybe twice in 2000+ rounds, and is a heckuva lot of fun to shoot.

 

[BBroadside]

I gather that one of the pitfalls of the Ingram family is that, without a suppressor or barrel extension, you don't have any really good place to put your weak hand. Too far forward, and there's a slight chance of your fingers getting in front of the barrel. Too far back, and your fingers could actually reach the ejection port! There's a picture of someone holding a Cobray that way in Duncan Long's The Terrifying Three (it's not a product of ignorance ... it's a demonstration shot of how to break your fingers).

That book was ideal for me, because it had great pictures to salivate over ... of weapons that I don't actually consider worth having. (The others are the Uzi family and the Intratec family; basically if it was as powerful as a pistol and weighed as much as a rifle, it could make it into the book.) Also, there are plenty of interesting modifications people have done ... one of the options for weak hand placement is a (full-size!) Mag Light rigged up as a sort of tactical light/forend ... it about doubles the length of the rig. (Not nearly as weird as the picture I've been looking for online of someone who slung his Cobray under his 37mm flare launcher; it was almost postmodern.)

I think of it as a gun suited to the era of Phil Collins and cotton ties, when people expected AR-15s and 1911s to be made by Colt, when people thought plastic guns could slip through metal detectors, etc. (That said, the MAC-10 would have made a great gun to drop to anti-Nazi resistance movements, had it been designed a few decades earlier.)

 

[RyanM]

You'd be better off getting a Masterpiece Arms MPA30. Should be able to get one brand new for $350 or less. Looks identical, has a way better trigger, is reliable, not too inaccurate, and takes cheap Sten mags.

 

[smullen]

I picked up a Master Piece Arms about a year ago or so... Mines in 9mm...

I don't shoot it much, its mostly for my collection and I thought it was cool to look at...

I can shoot it fairly accurately and it never Jams I'll give it that...

I just hate loading those 32 round sten mags... Which I need to pick up 4-5 more just to have...

 

[gpr]

sten mags

http://www.ohioordnanceworks.com/parts/magazines.html

 

[TG13]

it would be nice to have one in .22, either Long Rifle or Magnum.. for the fun of shooting it, and the inexpense of .22 rounds..

or, .17HMR.. that would really be fun..

 

[hankdatank1362]

Run.

 

[oda226]

Don't waste your money! Save it for something more practical. I have an NFA M-11 that I picked up in 89 for $900.00 that is worth considerably more now, but it is a real **** weapon. Stay away from it!

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

My shootin' pard has one; it's a great single shot.

Sam

 

[smullen]

http://www.ohioordnanceworks.com/parts/magazines.html

Thanks for the link, I think I'll order a 10 pack this weekend when I get paid...

 

[Soap]

If you have every single gun in the world in your collection already...this would be the one you can complete it with.

 

[AK103K]

gather that one of the pitfalls of the Ingram family is that, without a suppressor or barrel extension, you don't have any really good place to put your weak hand.

I guess with the pistol version without a stock its more of a problem. I have the full auto version with a stock and I just use a firm Weaver type stance/grip and have never had any troubles with it. The whole "strap" thing is pretty silly though.

I have an NFA M-11 that I picked up in 89 for $900.00 that is worth considerably more now, but it is a real **** weapon. Stay away from it!

I bought mine new in 85, paid $225 for it. Mines been a lot of fun and has many, many tens of thousands of rounds through it at this point. The only trouble I had with it was early on shooting real hot Spanish SMG ammo through it. 2000 rounds of that cracked the upper tube and sheared off the charging handle.

With good mags, they are reliable. I have a bunch of zytel mags and only had a couple that were trouble. I never had any luck with the metal ones. I tried ten and only got one out of the ten to work for a whole mag.

These guns (the select fire versions) are really not near as bad as many will tell you. They may not be a MP5 or a Thompson, but they do work, and are easy to shoot well, with just a little training and practice.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Only exception was once when I tried to shoot it when holding it upside down

I think they are meant to be fired sideways (from car windows)
I'd love to have a FA one and a can just to have one. It seems like they are a pretty popular entry level MG (if you can consider almost $4000 entry level).
What's with that nut on the barrel? Is it a Kali model or do they not thread them anymore? Where are you going to put your fake suppressor/barrel shroud/thing that goes up?

 

[MCgunner]

I've got a buddy that bought a select fire M11 with silencer. I've fired it. He can have it. I couldn't afford to feed it. Went through a thousand rounds in less time than I can type this post. It was rather uncontrollable in full auto until he screwed the hand grip onto the barrel. The collapsible wire stock seemed sorta useless, too. Using a forward grip I could hold the muzzle down. It had a little strap, otherwise, worthless. LOL He had no subsonic, so the silencer seemed to me to be a bit worthless. But, then I thought about it, all 115 grain FMJ stuff he had to shoot in it.

Not my cuppa tea. I'm a one shot, one kill kinda guy. If I need something to spray and pray with, I can do that with one of my shotguns and at least have a chance of hitting something.

BTW, he bought his about 18 years ago and gave 600 for it and another 200 to register the gun and 200 more to register the silencer. I thought he was stark raving nuts, then! At 4K, not no, but HELL no! Whadda waste of money. But, it was a damned good gun investment, I reckon.

 

[Hiland]

Wow, what a can of worms! I have had nothing but good luck with MACs I have dealt with but, if you read web sites, there are more manufacturers and models made than you can count. Some are good and some are awful. Does anybody but me remember when they advertised the open bolt model with the mag well welded shut to try and get around the open bolt ban? Plus everybody has a justifiable opinion of a particular gun, good and bad. I own a KG-99 and a Volunteer Arms Commando Mark V both of which are about the most cussed firearms out there and both have shot thousands of rounds for me with very few problems. On the other hand, I bought a brand new Colt Mark IV Series 70 when they first came out and it was the biggest piece of garbage I have ever owned. No gunsmith could keep it from jamming. I know that was an exception. Peter Kokalis calls the MAC "despicable" but I have enjoyed them. Maybe they would let you take it back if it gives you trouble within a week or two?

 

[AK103K]

It was rather uncontrollable in full auto until he screwed the hand grip onto the barrel. The collapsible wire stock seemed sorta useless, too. Using a forward grip I could hold the muzzle down.

The trick to the full autos isnt trying to hold them down, when you do, you get the usual fight, and climb in the direction of the shooters grip hand. What you need to do, is learn to relax, and ride them like a high pressure fire hose. With a little practice, you can easily make full mag dumps into groups not much bigger than a paper plate at 10-15 yards. This goes for any of them too, not just the MAC.

The wire stock, while not appearing to be very substantial, is actually very effective and usable. Trying to shoot the gun without one, will simply place all birds and aircraft in the area in great danger. Anyone standing in front of you will be fairly safe.