Colt's Cobra: Verdict?

[Panzerschwein]

It's been a year or better since the new Colt's Cobra .38 pony gun hit the market. I have heard VERY little on these guns since the initial reviews. I happen to think they probably aren't selling very well.

How is the quality and durability? Are they well made and smooth? Pros/Cons? The LGS has one for the mid $600s and it does look handsome in person though I've not handled it.

Thoughts?

 

[Riomouse911]

Man, I like mine a lot more than the J frame Smith's and SP101 I own.

Fit and finish are great, and the trigger pull is outstanding. I hope they do sell, but I know they're priced higher than the S&W's. Anyone in the market for a snub nosed revolver should take a peek at them.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Man, I like mine a lot more than the J frame Smith's and SP101 I own.

Fit and finish are great, and the trigger pull is outstanding. I hope they do sell, but I know they're priced higher than the S&W's. Anyone in the market for a snub nosed revolver should take a peek at them.

Thank you for the reply, Riomouse911. I am worried that the line will be discontinued and we will be back in the same boat with Colt not being able to service the guns in the long term. We all know how Colt is doing financially and that's another problem.

 

[Riomouse911]

Ya, they're annually on the firearms manufacturer death watch. I'm hoping the 1911's and Cobras keep them afloat

 

[Sergei Mosin]

I still haven't seen one.

 

[Zendude]

The Cobras seem difficult to find. When I do find one, the price is often above the $699 MSRP. I was hoping Colt would increase production by now.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I haven't seen one in person yet either.

 

[WestKentucky]

I have seen 3 all at the same shop. I handled one, if I recall correctly it was marked $749. The shop had snapcaps in it and handed it over the counter with the cylinder swung out with the red snapcaps clearly visible. Trigger was good but no better than a slicked up Ruger or S&W, but it did feel different. I was $600 impressed, but not $750.

 

[Pudge]

Saw and handled one side by side with a Kimber K6. The Colt was $6ish and the Kimber $8ish if memory serves. I just think Colt has placed it in a difficult niche. It is more $ than a Smith or an LCR, and holds an additional round, but it is limited to .38. So, you're paying a premium for the extra round, and the fit and finish and trigger were nice, but the Kimber was nicer, and the .357, while not always fun to shoot, is an option denied the Colt. It seemed to me to be a good gun, and the price for what you get was about right, however you can save money by going Smith or Ruger, and if you want something really nice, there's the Kimber. I would sure own/carry/shoot the Colt, but I haven't bought one.

 

[buck460XVR]

I was $600 impressed, but not $750.

....and I'm borderline on being $600 impressed for a .38 snub. I think Colt was testing the waters with this gun, to see if those Colt fanboys really would buy anything new they put out in the revolver market. I'd suspect like Kimber, they may make variations of the same model but hold off on any new calibers or models now that the demand has dropped off severely in the handgun market. The minimal one year warranty against only manufacturer defects, does not display a lot of confidence to me as to whether or not they will be serviceable by the mother ship a decade or so down the line. Time will tell, but for now, my .38 snub needs can be filled just as well for half as much. JMTCs.

 

[CoalTrain49]

I'm just not interested in buying anymore Colt's although I bought a few new ones before they went into chapter 11.

The company is being used as a tax write off by the hedge fund that owns it.

Lots of stores won't stock their products because of their weird dealer requirements.

 

[mcb]

{tongue firmly in cheek}

Cylinder release goes the wrong direction and will get you kill on the streets, three times...



Somewhat seriously its sort of big and heavy for just 38 Special +P and yet still a snubby. Can't see it replacing my 442 as a pocket revolver and it does not have a long enough barrel to replace my Model 10. The cylinder release does goes the wrong way for someone that is a hard core S&W shooter. It would take serious practice to retrain my brain to Colts cylinder release.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

I haven't shot one, but I did fondle one briefly in the store and was not favorably impressed. The size is perfect, as is the feel in hand, but other guns have that. The .38 Special only restriction is a strike. Really the biggest strike for me was that it just doesn't have the beauty that I expect from Colt.

 

[RugRev]

I recently acquired a new one off GB. I tracked a lower priced one with the auction ending at an odd time and figuring price, shipping and transfer fee at the local dealer was in it for $670. I think they can be found if one is patient. The double action is about 8.5 lbs according to my gauge which is a little more thanmy tuned Speed Six (8.1 lbs). It is clean inside and out unlike new Rugers I have acquired in the past. With a few modest improvements such as Altamont wood grips, a tritium or gold bead front sight and a few custom touches such as chamfering for speedloader use etc. I think it will suit me fine. I imagine in the future if it takes off there will be "Magnum Carry" versions and perhaps a Diamondback knockoff (that would be nice in .357). Lighter and less expensive small frame snubs can be found so it comes down to whether one wants or needs the 6th round or something different. I imagine some do and some don't have the 6th round requirement or desire variety. In that regards it is about what the market picture was in the 1990s with the D frames, J frames and SP out.

 

[ATLDave]

From the example I handled in a store, it definitely has a utilitarian feel to its finish, which might be a little misplaced for the revolver marketplace. I don't think anyone expected the old Colt Royal Blue at anything like that price point, but I think most people drawn to wheelguns as carry pieces these days are eschewing the black plastic for at least somewhat aesthetic/enjoyment reasons. Similarly, the giant trigger guard (which is pitched as a selling point for its usability with gloves) kinda threw me off, too. I was still tempted, though, by a pretty good DA pull; and the forward weight bias from the older Colts remains, which should make it unusually flat shooting for a snubbie.

 

[CraigC]

Might have more to do with availability than sales. They just posted a black version on Facebook.

 

[1KPerDay]

....and I'm borderline on being $600 impressed for a .38 snub. I think Colt was testing the waters with this gun, to see if those Colt fanboys really would buy anything new they put out in the revolver market. I'd suspect like Kimber, they may make variations of the same model but hold off on any new calibers or models now that the demand has dropped off severely in the handgun market. The minimal one year warranty against only manufacturer defects, does not display a lot of confidence to me as to whether or not they will be serviceable by the mother ship a decade or so down the line. Time will tell, but for now, my .38 snub needs can be filled just as well for half as much. JMTCs.

wise counsel. I am a Colt fanboy and I wasn't overly impressed with the one I handled. It seemed "okay" but nothing spectacular. I would rather have a Kimber or a nice older Model 10.

 

[ATLDave]

Might have more to do with availability than sales. They just posted a black version on Facebook.

View attachment 775727

A black, DAO/spurless version?

They're really committing to the matte finishes.

 

[CraigC]

....and I'm borderline on being $600 impressed for a .38 snub. I think Colt was testing the waters with this gun, to see if those Colt fanboys really would buy anything new they put out in the revolver market. I'd suspect like Kimber, they may make variations of the same model but hold off on any new calibers or models now that the demand has dropped off severely in the handgun market. The minimal one year warranty against only manufacturer defects, does not display a lot of confidence to me as to whether or not they will be serviceable by the mother ship a decade or so down the line. Time will tell, but for now, my .38 snub needs can be filled just as well for half as much. JMTCs.

IMHO, it's silly to buy a warranty when it comes to firearms. Automobiles, absolutely. Electronics, you bet. Tools, sure. Cell phones, without a doubt. Guns? Never. Ruger has no warranty at all but do they not take care of their customers? You really want to deny yourself the pleasure of owning/shooting/hunting with a firearm just because the factory won't fix it any more? The idea is absurd.

 

[ATLDave]

That's a fair point, although the intricate and idiosyncratic workings of older Colt revolvers means that finding a gunsmith to competently fix one that has gone out of time is getting pretty challenging.

It would be great if the Cobra induced at least a couple more 'smiths to learn about clockwise revolver guts!

 

[CraigC]

Yes but in my opinion, the fear outweighs the reality.

 

[ray15]

IMHO, it's silly to buy a warranty when it comes to firearms. Automobiles, absolutely. Electronics, you bet. Tools, sure. Cell phones, without a doubt. Guns? Never. Ruger has no warranty at all but do they not take care of their customers?

To be fair, Ruger has no stated warranty because the have a commitment to customer care that exceeds one. Not all companies see it that way, and may leave their customers holding the bag for any reason once enforceable warranty provisions have lapsed.

That said, I choose a gun and take the support that goes with it. It's just more likely to be a Ruger than most because their warranty is a moot point. And less likely to be an EAA, Taurus or such.

 

[reddog81]

I happen to think they probably aren't selling very well.
Thoughts?

What makes you think that? I've been on the look out for one since they hit the market and have yet to find one in person. Most the ones online are marked up over MSRP. It's one of the few guns that is consistently not available at any of the typical online retailers.

 

[Zendude]

That's a fair point, although the intricate and idiosyncratic workings of older Colt revolvers means that finding a gunsmith to competently fix one that has gone out of time is getting pretty challenging.

It would be great if the Cobra induced at least a couple more 'smiths to learn about clockwise revolver guts!

Might need to send them to Charter Arms. Theirs go clockwise.

 

[Whiterook808]

Now that they have a D frame in production, I am hoping for a Diamondback look-a-like. Imagine a DB snubby with a high polish SS finish!