Colt KC durability?

[Cattle_Dog]

I am asking a question for the "toughness" of a 6" Colt King Cobra.

I am picking one up at the the end of the month and was curious to know how much of a pounding it can take with steady use of .357 ammo. I have read earlier of the thread to stick with the 158gr ammo that mentioned mostly Smiths and Rugers- I believe it is safe to say it applies to Colts as well.

During inspection of the King Cobra, I checked the timing and various other things to lookout for in the awesome sticky THR has on Revolvers (thanks Jim March ). It was all good from as far as I could tell- Appears to have used sparingly (comes with original case, owners manual)

One of the salesman mentioned that I should mostly stick with .38spl's. He said around 1,000-1,500 rounds of .357 will put it out of timing. But, I am kind of skeptical of this because it shares the V frame as the Anaconda- which is quite stout.

Anybody with knowledge on this matter? Should I just stick with .38spl's or can I drive through with .357's?

Thnx, ACD

 

[GrandmasterB]

Some regard the King Cobra as the one of the strongest DA .357 guns ever made. I don't think you will have any problem at all with feeding it a steady diet of magnum loads.

 

[Nightcrawler]

Remember, the King Cobra uses the same lockwork as the Anaconda. It's a very modern design, and it's in the same class as the GP100 or the L-Frame in terms of strength.

 

[BigG]

The King Cobra has lockwork akin to S&W or Ruger rather than the classic Colt DA lockwork used on the Python and older revolvers. You shouldn't have any timing troubles with that gun.

 

[JMag]

The KC is one of the strongest .357 wheelies ever made. Shoot it and don't have a second thought about it if it checks outs.

 

[Cattle_Dog]

Hey, thanks all for the clarity

.... hopefully done the road I'll try and pick up an Anaconda too if one is to be found here in tricky CA. Would it be safe to assume a good condition Anaconda can handle the same high mileage of a Redhawk .44?

 

[XavierBreath]

The Colt King Cobra is generally accepted as being the strongest .357 magnum available ever. It will handle any and all .357 magnum, in a steady diet.

It's only drawback is if the firing pin ever breaks, a trip back to Colt for removal and replacement is the rule. A special vise is required to remove the firing pin, and without this vise, an exuberant gunsmith biting off more than he can chew will warp the frame attempting to remove it. The firing pin is quite durable, but because of this idiocincracy, most knowledgeable owners dry fire it with empties or snap caps in the cylinder.

The KC does indeed use the Anaconda lockwork, which is nothing like the Python. Make certain you like the grips. Wood replacement grips are scarce,and expensive when you find them. Rubber ones can be had on ebay for $20 or so.

Tell the salesman you want 50 bucks off to help convince you to take this poorly made and fragile revolver off his hands.

here's mine.

 

[Cattle_Dog]

hehe, XavierBreath...

I already paid for it about a 45 days ago. It has been a circus trying to get this in my hands. It was a consignment sale- was on display for only a few hours from what I was told. Anyhow- the gun itself had to go through a 30-day background check, then a 10-day check on myself. But, in the meantime I picked up a Colt 1911. That has put in a time frame of things to wait till the beginning of February for a gun I paid for in November

Anyways, I love the 1911. I'm sure the KC will be worth the wait

Thanks guys. THR- gotta' love it

 

[Bart Noir]

I put Hogue Monogrips on my 4-inch KC just recently and haven't fired that setup yet. These grips feel like they put my hand just a little lower on the frame than the rubber ones and I don't know if that will matter. Sure looks better!

I got the extra checkering to be able to keep a good hold of that gun. But be advised that you have to hammer out the grip alignment pin from the bottom of the frame, to use the Hogue Monogrip models, either rubber or wood. A brass hammer is needed, and then the pin has to be stored without loss for the rest of the time you own the gun. Or you can never go back to the factory grips.

Bart Noir
Who wonders how long before he loses the pin.

 

[Lone Star]

The salesman who told you that it wil go out-of-time easily was probably thinking of older style Colts, like the Python.

Most salesmen in gun stores know very little in comparison to what they THINK they know.

Some will also steer you to what they have in stock and want to sell, and will lie about guns they don't have on hand, to make a sale.

 

[Confederate]

The frame is perfectly sound on the King Cobra, but the weak spot might be the pawl/hand and ratchet interaction. On the Python, the hand is so small that yes, the gun needs timing every couple of thousand rounds or so. Whether this is true of the King Cobra, I don't know.

 

[22-rimfire]

You won't have any problems. Enjoy it. Colt made the best revolvers.

 

[Old Fuff]

The King Cobra not only had a heavy-duty frame similar to Ruger's GP-100, but was machined from a forging as well. Jerry Kuhnhausen, who wrote a series of shop manuals on various handguns considered the King Cobra to be the strongest of the mid-frame .357 Magnums. Fragile it is not. There is no reason to limit yourself to 158 grain loads.