GP100 vs King Cobra

[ejfalvo]

I purchased a 6 inch SS GP100 a few years ago, fired it once or twice. I like it but don't "love" it.

Local shop received a 6 inch King Cobra in SS. Wonderful shape - doesnt look like it was shot at all, tight lock-up and smooth trigger. Has original case and papers. Goes right to point of aim. Asking $595.

QUESTIONS:
1. Should I sell the GP to buy the KC (or save it for my son, is it worth it?)
2. Is $595 a realistic price for th KC?

 

[ClemY]

Don't know if the Colt is worth the price, but don't sell the Ruger. I try to never sell anything. I hear too many stories of seller's remorse. If you want the Colt, save for it and get it, but don't sell the Ruger or anything else.

 

[tube_ee]

Yes.

1) According to people more knowledgeable than I, the King Cobra is the strongest DA .357 ever made.

2) King Cobras are great-looking, great-shooting guns. I would expect a King Cobra to shoot noticeably better than a GP-100. The one I shoot regularly (it lives here, but it's a bro's gun) is a tackdriver.

3) 595 is reasonable for a 6" stainless... the most common configuration, and probably the best for non-concealed-carry use.

--Shannon

 

[Walkalong]

I would buy that if I ran into it around here, which I won't. I really like Mk III's, and would love to have a King Cobra to keep them company.

 

[L-Frame]

I would have to respectably disagree with tube ee when he says that a KC should shoot noticeably better than a GP-100. Any good modern revolver (GP, 686, KC, etc.) will shoot sub 2" groups from a rest at 25 yards all day long. Even a python with its tapered barrel might outshoot a GP by 1/2"-1" tops at 25 yards. GP-100's have been known as a working man's tough gun for so long that people often forget that they are superb revolvers, very accurate, and deliver greater velocity from same length barrels than most other guns.

If you are interested in any of the above guns, the Ruger GP-100, Smith 686, or Colt King Cobra, it all comes down to personal preference. Shoot them and make a decision, or buy them all. They are all top of the line. I personally like the GP over the KC but that's just me. It just feels better to me.

 

[Lone Star]

If you ever need repairs for the Colt, where are you gonna get 'em?

And, do you really like that long trigger slack? And the hard. short DA pull?

Lone Star

 

[Guillermo]

I would trade any Ruger for any Colt revolver any day.

Why?
Colt revolvers are a thing of the past, hand made craftmanship...Rugers are still being made like they always have been...Cast, heavy and bad triggers (wo work)

Buy the art...you can always get the machine made, mass production Ruger.

These opportunities are geting fewer every day.

 

[easyrider604]

Buy the KC.

Don't sell the GP if you don't absolutely have to.

Buy the KC.

 

[rswartsell]

L-Frame,

While there is no guarantee regarding what one specific example will do against another specific example there are features of Colt production even in post "bank vault lockup" revolvers like the King Cobra that will give it the edge in potential accuracy. Among these are;

1. slightly smaller bore diameter for Colt (.355 I think?)
2. higher rate of rifling twist
3. tighter tolerances in manufacture
4. higher quality and consistency in fit and finish of assembled
parts.

Also, the true Strongest DA Revolver Champion is the Colt Mk. III /King Cobra. Stronger than the 686 or even the GP100. The perception that the GP100 wears this crown is due to the more massive appearance of the Ruger's cast frame vs. forged frames of Colt and S&W. Also the common use of the GP100 as an ammunition development platform.

There IS "stacking" in the Colt trigger mechanism not found in the Ruger or S&W that some shooters will dislike, other shooters may learn and like the Colt. The long DA pull of the Trooper/Lawman Mk III's was addressed (shortened) in the Mk V which for marketing reasons was renamed the King Cobra. Again though if we award a champion for smooth, linear trigger pull that's going to go hands down to the Smith.

This is NOT a knock on the GP100 or on the genius of Bill Ruger in bringing high quality revolvers to market. Rather to be more accurate I believe that the title earned by the GP100 is really Best Value.

 

[Boats]

The "legendary" strength of the GP-100 is from its design, not mass. It weighs within an ounce of its peers given equal barrel lengths.

No side plate.
Offset cylinder notches.
Front and rear interlocking cylinder/yoke assembly.
Does not rely on the ejector rod for anything other than ejecting.

Colt's are nice. I have Gen 3 DS, but there is merit to the argument that it is getting increasingly difficult to get them fixed. I don't shoot my DS as much as I'd like due to that issue alone.

 

[rswartsell]

p.s. Colt still accepts their DA revolvers for repair. I also hear very good things about Cylinder and Slide. There is also Grant Cunningham and a few other Colt specialists but good luck in getting them when they are accepting new orders.

Regarding Colt repair and the King Cobra it should be noted that Mk III and post Mk III Colt revolvers were no longer hand made by fitting each oversize part with a stone and file, reducing the required skill necessary in 'smithing them. They also no longer employ the "bank vault lockup" lock works design that can eventually have timing problems when "load bearing" parts such as the cylinder hand wear down. There IS a true concern about dry firing Colts without snap-caps because a broken firing pin has but 1 option, back to Colt where their massive and expensive machine for installing the pin in the frame can be used. Buy and use A-Zoom snap caps in Colts. There should be no extraordinary reliability- longevity concerns about King Cobras though experienced 'smiths ARE scarcer (but not extinct).

Thanks for the correction Boats, a tip of the dixie cup to you.

 

[Beagle-zebub]

p.s. Colt still accepts their DA revolvers for repair. I also hear very good things about Cylinder and Slide. There is also Grant Cunningham and a few other Colt specialists but good luck in getting them when they are accepting new orders.

Regarding Colt repair and the King Cobra it should be noted that Mk III and post Mk III Colt revolvers were no longer hand made by fitting each oversize part with a stone and file, reducing the required skill necessary in 'smithing them. They also no longer employ the "bank vault lockup" lock works design that can eventually have timing problems when "load bearing" parts such as the cylinder hand wear down. There should be no reliability- longevity concerns about King Cobras though experienced 'smiths ARE scarcer (but not extinct).

I was just about to ask the very question you just answered! Warped minds think alike, I guess.

 

[rswartsell]

Beagle,

Maybe we've been in the Peoples Republic of Chicago for too long, eh?

 

[Eustachius234]

Do new GP100s come with internal locks?

 

[BullsAndClays]

Hi...This is my first post on here, and I'm glad to find a bunch of wheelgun lovers. I just sold my first centerfire handgun, a 6" GP100, in order to buy a S&W 627 PC. I was about to put $350 in gunsmithing for that GP when I found the 627. I miss my GP, but love the 627. The GP can always be replaced for cheap, and a great deal on an arguably better revolver should always take precedence.

As for Grant Cunningham, I got on his list for 2009 (my SP101 DAO is going to be sweet!) with a little patience. I had extensive conversations with Mark Hartshorne at Pinnacle Guns in regards to my GP and I was going to have him work the gun until I found the 627. Had I not gotten onto Grant's list this year, my SP101 would have gone to Mark's shop for the work.

Buy the KC..you will have no regrets.

 

[Boats]

AFAIK, the Ruger DA wheelguns are still free of locks.

 

[Eustachius234]

Thanks Boats

 

[AirForceShooter]

It's a Snake!!!

Get it.

AFS

 

[ArmedBear]

Ruger frame, S&W action, Colt barrel, fitted and finished by Freedom Arms. That would be a gun.

 

[svtruth]

Get It

I have one of each. The KC started out with a stinky feeling trigger and light strikes on about half the primers. Sent it back to Colt and they fixed it. The Ruger is wearing a 2X scope and I can actually hit the target at 50 yds. The comments about better accuracy of the Colt may make me swap.

 

[PhrankKastle]

All I can say is I traded my King Cobra years ago and have regretted it ever since, but I just last fall traded my 3" GP100 to use towards my Alaskan 44 and I must say the GP is right up there in my remorse column and I am seriously thinking about getting another 3" GP next month.
I would say if you can get the King Cobra and keep the GP you're better off. But in the end either will serve you well.

 

[charleym3]

I had a python for several years and hated it everytime I had to open it. Something un-natural about a "pull to open" system. My neglect until needed handgun is a KGP160 with night sights and compact grips.
The Colt is an investment for the future.