Cobra 38 deringer

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Pends on what ya want. Something to carry for self defense, no way. Something to shoot somewhat accurately, probably not. Something made of steel, and with fine workmanship, again a resounding no. But, if you just want to spend a hunnerd and sumptin on a range toy that goes bang, kicks pretty hard, and might actually hit a large target at 10', it will do that. Or at least mine does.:D
One thing I might mention. The trigger pull is somewhere between the weight of a modern compound bow, and Rosie O'Donnell. It also has an unusual direction of pull that takes some, no a lot of getting used to. That might be part of my minute of side of barn accuracy.
 
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We have had a couple of customers at the shop who had issues with them, still, we were selling them for $100 at one time last year, the 22 mag perked my interest for a minute,but just a minute.
 
We used to sell guns like that with the recommendation that folks shoot them once to make sure they work, then never shoot it again until they need it, and MAYBE it will still work
 
Love mine!
It was inexpensive, just for fun aand it could save your butt if ya had to shoot it.
Kicks pretty good with factory 158gr, and don't shoot nothing heavier with it!!!
My buddy made me some squibs with 95 gr bullets and an unknown propellant charge. Loud and they DON'T kick. Very fun to shoot! I shoot a few then go th the real stuff.
Face it, you're not gonna get a S&W grade gun for the price but it's guarenteed for LIFE!
I have a Davis .22 also. Now, CB caps are a real blast with it!
Real .22's shells expand and need to be poked out with a Golf Tee.
For snakes? Yea just try and hit one...
Feral Dogs maybe.
Buy it, it's almost free when ya want a conversation piece!
ZVP
 
I would like to have a wmr model, just to play with. but if tis was the only thing I could afford and I needed a gun, I would go hi-point instead. if you already have lots of guns and are just interested n it, then go for it.
 
but if tis was the only thing I could afford and I needed a gun, I would go hi-point instead. if you already have lots of guns and are just interested n it, then go for it.
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This is good advice Fox84. You haven't said if you are considering a Cobra for SD, or just a cheap novelty range toy.
Personally, for the latter I do think they are worth the money. Also, if you get bored with the 38 Spcl, they sell additional barrels in 32 H&R, 380, and 9MM. I think for around fifty bucks.
 
I've had several Davis and Cobra derringers, just for fun. I still have one in .22 magnum that I sometimes take on walks, two CCI snake shots chambered just in case and several more regular rounds in a small pouch. Other than the very hard trigger pull ( and I consider that a type of safety ) they are not bad guns, they have lifetime warranty and Cobra will honor the old Davis guns warranty. As already been noted they are not the best gun for CC but they are a lot better than a sharp stick.
 
I also had the davis industries' .380, up until a couple years ago, it was the only gun I owned:eek: (I had no idea how crappy they were, it got shot a couple times and put in the nightstand. I guess that's probably how 99% of gun owners do it. it sat for about seven years, I took it out to make sure it still worked, and the first trip out the chamber cracked with one box of crappy WWB. still worked though, I didn't notice the crack for awhile. outside of that, the thing always fed the next round and went bang. horribly inaccurate, but I don't know if I was shooting it correctly back then. I would not buy another, hi-point is the same price and twice the gun, literally.
 
They are all pretty much alike. I have a Davis derringer in 38 special. It is ultra easy to carry and I can count on it to go bang two times. Out to 7 or 8 yards it will hit center mass, more or less :D, each time. I figure if someone is farther away than that I will be moving away from them anyway. It serves me well, I wouldn't consistantly carry anything heavier, what more is needed? Buy it, you'll like it.
 
I bought my Davis .38 derringer back in the early 90s. I hand load for it so I have no problems consistintly hitting a human size target from 50 feet. I load for it with a 105 grain bullet and 4.4 grains of red dot and for CCW I use a 115 grain Hornady XTP.

I was in college when I bought it and it fit nicely in my jacket pocket with one of those quickloader strips. I have had to use it against a person twice and I have no reservations about using it with my reloads.

It also makes a good snake killer and I carry it with Speer shot capsuls that I also load.

Are there better derringers you betcha. Is it accurate enough..... that depends on you and if you can do your part.
 
Sorry Cheapshooter, but if I (God forbid) am in a situation that I can't leave to get out of. Then blowing two 1/2 inch holes through a miscreants torso is quite sufficient to let me leave the situation. I do not need pinpoint accuracy for that. The Davis I will be likely to carry while my Beretta 9 stays in the drawer. What someone is willing to carry is better than what someone leaves in their drawer.
In truth I have only had one situation where someone intended to mug me in the wee hours of the morning. Didn't draw or shoot anyone, just made sure he could see I had my hand near the holster, he chose to go away. Isn't that, after all the whole point of being armed?
 
Out to 7 or 8 yards it will hit center mass, more or less , each time
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My point isn't that pinpoint accuracy is needed, but center mass more or less, especially the less part is not what I want if attacked. From my experience with the Cobra 38Spcl. I have is that if being attacked first there is cocking the hammer. Not the easiest hammer to clock. Second a very stiff trigger pull that, on mine at least, takes some special attention to be able to break at all. Third, when it does go off, at much over bad breath range it is a carp shoot weather it will hit anything on an attacker that would stop the threat. Then, as a #4 reason, if it doesn't stop the threat, we're back to the whole cocking a stiff hammer, pulling a stiff, and tricky hammer, and hopefully getting a bullet to an area that will stop the attacker.
Like I said, great fun to play with on the range, but very poor choice for self defense.
For the same 14 ounces, and less than an inch increased length I can have 6+1 rounds of accurate, easier to shoot, 9MM+P in my Kahr CM9.

Then blowing two 1/2 inch holes
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BTW, when did they increase the bore size of the 38 Spcl from .357 to .50?:eek:
 
You arguing minutia. A 38 special, especially a hollowpoint (which I habitually use to help insure a round won't penetrate my walls to go into a neighbors house), will indeed destroy more than a 1/2 inch hole in flesh, more if it tumbles as sometimes happens in my Davis. I refuse to continue in arguing minutia with you, it serves no purpose to the original poster and neither of us can possibly convince the other of anything. I wish you well.
 
Just too cheap to me and this is coming from a guy that proudly defended my Hi-Points when it was not common/popular to do so--it literally took over two years for anyone I knew, including snobby forums ;) for Hi Point to finally earn respect for what they are, namely, low-priced, ergonomical, heavy, fugly guns with two purposes in mind; range toys or HD/truck guns (can't see them in CCW role) or maybe free weights ;).

3K rounds down range with my HP .45 handgun/carbine combo and even more 9mm with my C9 (thank goodness 9mm prices are back to normal).

Long story short, I passed on the cobra's as my original hope of Hi Point competition "had arrived" quickly faded...

Happy Holidays

ETA: All this talk about a "range toy" suddenly has me placing a "Cobra" on my list to Santa...
 
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Just too cheap to me and this is coming from a guy that proudly defended my Hi-Points when it was not common/popular to do so-
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Well, I agree, it ain't no Hi-Point! Boy, does that ever sound strange! :D:D:D
But for a range toy, throw back to the 1800's novelty, the Cobra deringers are kinda fun, and to me worth the cheap price just to have, and play with.
However, in no way am I going to sacrifice performance for nostalgia when it comes to self defense.
 
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