Cobray...why?!?

[Tom Servo]

Local shop has one of these in stock. We were joking around, and he let me handle it. Okay, I know it's only $289, but gadzooks, this is the worst POS I've ever encountered. What's the appeal?

Sure, it's "hi-cap" (IF you can get the spent magazine out), but beyond that,

• it's got the ergonomics of a Victorian chastity belt,
• lots of sharp edges, worst of which is around the trigger-guard,
• it's too large for what it is,
• the trigger is a crime against nature,
• it takes real strain to pull the bolt,
• the aesthetics have all the appeal of an East German housing bloc.

Even at >$300, what's the point? Just curious. Even mall-ninjas would avoid this. Am I just missing something?

 

[Old Dog]

Erik, I think your take on those things is right on ... I think it's a gun only a gangbanger could love. Maybe it's 'cause it looks like something a bad guy would use in the movies (seen Transporter 2 yet? Lola?)

I knew a guy in San Diego had one; told him I'd pretend I didn't know him if he ever dared bring it to the range ...

 

[chopinbloc]

wow, the gun snobs are out in force today.

my friend has a mac 10 in .45 and his wife just bought him one of the sorta new micro macs in 9mm. neither are cobray. just knocoffs. they're lots of fun and ugly as sin. my friend is not a 'banger, he's not particularly poor and his carrt gun is a kimber ultra carry ten II. he just has an eclectic taste in guns. he also keeps the mac 10 in his car. figures 30 rounds can be handy and the sight of the weapon might just keep him from having to use it. it is a very intimidating, no-nonsense kind of gun. most people are likely to figure that the guy with the "machine pistol" is not screwing around.

look, every gun doesn't have to cost over a thousand dollars and gleam with lustrous bluing or highly polished chrome. i'm starting to suspect that the people who post threads like this - or the age old "highpoints are for vagrants" threads - are merely trying to let everyone know how rich and beautiful and generally superior they are. okay, then to all of you racists, bigots and elitists who hate the idea of a poor man having an effective weapon: you are sooo much better than the wretched, teeming mass of humanity which writhes in anguish at your feet. you, who are ABOVE such abominations as highpoints, aks and macs are worthy of all that is colt - or maybe kimber. does that make you feel better? does it make you feel secure at the top of the pile?

as for me, if i had a very limited budget to buy only one gun for all my defensive needs, it might very well be a mac-type gun. they hold a grip of ammo, will cycle nearly anything and though they might as well be smooth bore for all the accuracy they display, they're accurate enough to get it done at defensive ranges. they're compact enough to take with, though not particularly suited for ccw. 'course if i could only afford a mac-type gun, i probably wouldn't be able to afford the $160 or so plus ammo, food and gas to get my ccw permit.

for the record, i do not own a mac, hipoint or lorcin. i do have:
three ars
two aks
one mini-14
one m1a
two 1911s (one kimber, one auto ordnance)
three glocks
one eaa witness
two .22 rifles
my girlfriend also has one ar, a makarov and has appropriated one of my glocks.

i mention this because i understand the preference for higher quality guns but i don't understand snobbishness.

 

[1 old 0311]

Yea.....It doesn't have NEAR the quality of a AK, or a SKS,

Kevin

 

[gbelleh]

This is one of the most entertaining threads I've read recently...

I actually like the looks of the MAC series of guns. I've been considering getting a semi-auto 9mm just for fun. They definitely bring back memories of bad 80s movies, and I'd like to pick up an example for my collection while they're still cheap.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I dunno about you.....but I really like my Cobray!

 

[MCgunner]

I know guys that have 'em. I have a friend that has a full auto cobray with a silencer, $400 in licensing just for the privilege. It ain't me, thanks. I have no use for such and the guys I know who have such guns, Uzis, the like, just take 'em plinking. For some reason pulling the trigger fast as they can seems to give 'em jollies, never mind they're not hitting anything but dirt and sky.

But, then, I prefer more the traditional except for guns that have a definite purpose/use, like the new compact 9s for concealed carry, that sort of thing. There's nothing I could do with a Cobray I couldn't do better with a 12 gauge.

 

[MCgunner]

the aesthetics have all the appeal of an East German housing bloc

Great one liner. I gotta remember that one, ROF!

 

[boofus]

Good enough for John Wayne, good enough for me.

 

[3rdpig]

C'mon, I don't have one but have shot one that belonged to someone else. They're cheap, they're fun and they work. I'm not tossing my High Power in the trunk of my car, but wouldn't have any problems doing so with a Cobray. Of course I'd choose a folding stock AK for that personally, but what the heck, different strokes for different folks!

Personally I don't see the point of semi auto submachine guns at all, they're either a big clumsy pistol, or a severely underpowered rifle.

But if it's just for fun, why not?

 

[WillBrayJr]

Despite its looks, the Cobray PM-11 9mm semi-auto pistol version of Hkmp5sd's Mac-11 9mm subgun. Take a SBR MP5 or Uzi non selectfire, They make excellent utility/home defense weapons.

 

[chopinbloc]

Yea.....It doesn't have NEAR the quality of a AK, or a SKS

to be honest, the fit and finish on my friend's example probably isn't as nice as on an average ak, let alone an sks. i admit they aren't pretty but they're a bucket of fun.

 

[albanian]

"Yea.....It doesn't have NEAR the quality of a AK, or a SKS"

Why are you picking on SKSs? Aside from the Chinese SKS, most SKSs are actually pretty well made. It just shows what you know about said guns.

Also, I have to agree with Erik F on the Cobray. If it were a full auto like it was originally meant to be, then we would have something. As it is set up for the consumer, it is a pistol with no stock and semi-auto. It is big and heavy and not accurate and hard to shoot one handed.

These gun are only there for the coolness factor because they offer ZERO in terms of what is usefull. I can stick a 30rd mag in my Beretta 92 or Glock 17 and be able to hit better with it. It weighs a fraction of what the Cobray weighs and can actually be shot one handed. Somebody tell me why a Cobray is better than a regular hi-cap pistol with a 20-30 round mag? Most pistols do have the stick mags so a BHP or a Ruger will do the same thing as a Cobray right?

The only good thing I can say about the M-11 is, at least it is not a Tec-9. The Tec-9 is a true POS. Most Cobrays I have seen do work. Every Intratec product I have ever owned or personally seen shoot was a total POS. I keep hearing these urban legends about Tec-9s or Tec-22s that are reliable but like most urban legends there is never any proof.

 

[WillBrayJr]

Careful what you say. The Tec-9 is junk, but the original subgun that looks like the Tec isn't.

 

[chopinbloc]

Somebody tell me why a Cobray is better than a regular hi-cap pistol with a 20-30 round mag?

better? mmm, not likely - but can you buy a glock or m9 for about $250? hell, you can't buy a new ruger or fn hi-power for that price.

i agree though, it mostly comes down to the cool factor and plain old fun. it's still a good option for those who don't have a whole lot of cash.

my friend (same one who owns the mac10) has an ab10 - the awb version of the tec9 - and it functions well with certain brands and bullet weights as well as the right magazine but anything else will choke it up.

 

[albanian]

"better? mmm, not likely - but can you buy a glock or m9 for about $250? hell, you can't buy a new ruger or fn hi-power for that price."

Well not new but you can buy a used Ruger for that price easy. I bought a used S&W 6906 for $235, a Ruger P-95 SS for $225 and a Ruger P-89 for $200. I would take any of these with a 20-30 round mag over a Tec-9 or a M-11 anyday.

 

[chopinbloc]

sure, i'd take a ruger over a mac or tec9 any day - for any practical job. for plain old noise makin' range fun, there's nothing wrong with the "assault pistols" and the fact that they make liberals wet their pants is reason enough to love 'em. more i think about it, the more i want one.

 

[That One Guy]

Oh No! The evil Tec-22 was brought up! I owned one and can assure you it's the cheapest POS I've ever fired. If you can get through a 30round double stack with only one stovepipe you're doing amazingly well. That said, it was a ton of fun for what it was worth. 30 rounds and no recoil? No popcan or milk jug in the backyard is safe! I'd never pay money for one again (and honestly felt guilty selling it, dispite explaining Intratec's issues to the buyer repeatedly to avoid "Hey, I want my money back!") It was a learning experience, I'll stick to my Mk II for .22 plinking.