Keep the Colt King Cobra or buy newer DA

[Clearwater]

Hello,

The THR looks like a great site so I had to sign-up and join. Of course, I also came looking for some help in answering questions about a revolver I just purchased. This is also my first center fire revolver.

Last weekend I purchased a used Colt King Cobra 357 mag. in stainless, stock rubber packmeyer grips with gold emblem, 4 inch barrel, adjustable sites with orange front site, with original box and paperwork included. The gun looks to be in great shap, nice smooth trigger pull, no scuff marks, good clean sites, no rust, clean cylinders and barrel. I understand Colt doesn't make these revolvers anymore and thought this gun would make a great carry/practice gun where I can shoot both 357 and 38 loads. I also thought the Cobra would hold it's value with the actual price less then $400.

How does the King Cobra compare to newer guns like the S&W 686 or the Ruger GP 100?

Would you keep the Cobra or sell it for a new S&W or Ruger?

Will this gun go up or down in price and did I pay to much (less then $400)?

I'm really not sure if I made a wise investment or not and I'm still considering selling or trading for a new revolver in the same size and barrel lenght.

What would you do?

Again, I have no practical experince and really was all set to buy a new revolver when I found this gun and it seemed to be a nice deal.

Thanks for the help,

Gregg

 

[GUNKWAZY]

Hello and welcome aboard.
The King Cobra is not being made by Colt anymore and has not been made for several years.
You did not overpay for yours that's for sure.
It's not going to go down in value, that's also for sure.
The King Cobra is a very well built gun and will serve you well. Shoot it, if you like the way she shoots, keep it. If you don't like the way she shoots, sell it and get something you would rather have.
The Colt will be right in line with the GP100 and the 686.
I've owned them all and still have my King Cobras.
I would guess that as long as you take good care of your King Cobra, you would be able to shoot it for years and sell it anytime and get more than your money back. that is if you decide to sell it. It's a classic, a fine shooter, it has one of the best known names in firearms on it, and is a fine collectible all rolled into one.
Hope that helps.

FYI: Colt has announced that production has stopped on ALL double action revolvers. Due in part that the public is not willing to pay the high prices for quality built guns. Therefore, Colt can't sell enough to stay profitable and cannot compete with companies making cheaper revolvers. They have NO plans to resume production. The prices on Colts DA guns have been on the rise. Especially the PYTHON.

Jeff (GUNKWAZY)

 

[XavierBreath]

I really can't say it any better than Jeff did, except to say you got a deal on your CKC, and the price will not go back down, ever. In fact it can be expected to rise right along with the Python and the rest of Colt's revolver line, keeping about the same averaged increments in price. I would keep the King Cobra, or trade it and some cash for a Python very quickly if I were concerned about market value.

In five years, I would not be surprised to find Pythons practically unobtainable, and King Cobras over $800. When Supica's 3rd edition of SCS&W is published at the end of this year, expect the collectible P&R S&W prices to rise and stabilize. By contrast, expect the Colt revolver prices to get extremely volatile until the Pythons are essentially off the market. The prices of either Colts or S&W will not be going down, but Colt's have the greater growth potential on the market.

Of course, if you are buying for investment, guns are not the place to invest. Let me tell you about plastics...........

My King Cobra

 

[Marshall]

I have the same gun as you do in bright stainless. It's one of my favorite revolvers! The dang thing is so pretty I hardly ever shoot it, much less carry it. I would say it is a step above Smith and Ruger in terms of smoothness and craftsmanship. I love my Smiths and Rugers, I just think this is a little nicer gun. Congrats, nice price too!

 

[YodaVader]

How does the King Cobra compare to newer guns like the S&W 686 or the Ruger GP 100?

Would you keep the Cobra or sell it for a new S&W or Ruger?

Will this gun go up or down in price and did I pay to much (less then $400)?

I'm really not sure if I made a wise investment or not and I'm still considering selling or trading for a new revolver in the same size and barrel lenght.

What would you do?

I would shoot it and if it shot to my liking I would keep it and never look back! For the $400 you paid you will NEVER lose any money and like the others said you can make money later if you decide it is not for you.

Even though I own Smiths I sure as hell would not get rid of a King Cobra for any of the currently produced Smiths or Rugers. Unless , it just plain does not shoot worth a hoot. But take it out and enjoy it - that is what I would do!

 

[Erich]

Kuhnhausen said that he thought that the King Cobra was the strongest .357 available in its time (a time when the 686 and GP-100 were also available) - I'm keeping mine!

 

[BozemanMT]

Keep it
you got a good price if it shoots
well balanced, well made and strong.
can't go wrong with that.
And, prices on Colts are only going to go up.

 

[JNewell]

Just joining the chorus. You got a great gun at a great price. The 686 and GP100 have nothing on the KC, really. You might get a marginally better trigger out of the 686, and the Ruger has incredibly simple takedown, but they ain't makin' the Colts any more and I predict (based on past personal experience) that you're likely to regret selling it if you find you like shooting it at all. Give it a fair test over a few months and see if you like it. If so, do not make the mistake of selling it.

 

[aufevermike]

Keep her, love her, shoot her. Put her to bed every night. In the mean time save up for a new one to carry daily. One day you will see something that you just can't live without at which time you trade off the one you used to love.

 

[Clearwater]

Thanks everyone for your help. Your advice really helps and after all, it's really not that much money out the pocket to just hang on to the Colt KC.

However, after checking the gun over, I can't help but wonder how much this gun has really been fired. Is there an easy way to tell? What about the index line around the cylinder, the line on this gun looks very pronounced.

Here she is.....

Also, I did buy a Bianchi Cordura side holster for packing in the mountains, even though is says the holster fits this gun, it's very stiff, takes a lot of effort to load and unload from the holster. Should I return this for something else or do these holsters break in eventualy?

Thanks again,

Gregg

 

[dfariswheel]

These later Colt's are designed to allow the bolt to ride the cylinder, just like the S&W and Ruger designs.

For that reason, it's completely normal for them to have cylinder lines.

There's really no way to determine how many rounds a gun has been fired.
A careful owner will clean a gun quite well, some owners don't clean at all.
It's possible for a lightly used gun to look worse than a well used one.

Many of the nylon holsters are designed to allow the gun to form-fit the foam that's between the inside and outside nylon.

Put the gun in the holster and leave it over night to allow the holster to form to the gun.

If you remove the gun and leave it out for several days, the foam will return to it's original shape, and the fit may be tight again.

 

[JNewell]

I can't help but wonder how much this gun has really been fired. Is there an easy way to tell?

If the gun passes the various tests outlined in the "check out" thread at the top of the forum, it doesn't really matter. This is a very robust revolver, and many .357 revolvers never see more than .38 Special loads.

 

[Clearwater]

If the gun passes the various tests outlined in the "check out" thread at the top of the forum, it doesn't really matter.

That's exaclty what I did and the gun passed with flying colors. After a thorough cleaning, I checked the barrel to cylinder alignment, barrel to forcing cone spacing, trigger and cylinder play, extractor, checked inside the cylinder and barrel, checked the screws and overall apperance and it all checks out and looks great.

I purchased the Colt from a private party and he said he mostly stored the gun in a holster near the bed and shot the gun very little. He told me maybe 12 shells total, I pretty positive that was a lie, but the gun is still in excellent shape.

So I'm going to keep her and not worry anymore about the purchase. If I decide I need something smaller for CCW, then I'll have an excuse to buy another gun, which is always a good thing. Now I need to go shoot and see how the gun really handles.

Thanks again for the help,

Gregg

 

[Standing Wolf]

I wouldn't even consider selling a King Cobra. I don't own one, and won't until I've got all the Pythons I want.

 

[JNewell]

He told me maybe 12 shells total

I've bought a couple of revolvers that had significant turn rings but I think had been shot very, very little. Don't forget how easy it is to dry fire a revolver. You can rack up significant revs on the cylinder just snapping at the TV. (<- grin but serious)