Good morning. I am new to this board and firearms in general. (I've shot once about 2 weeks ago and enjoyed it though I did not hit much of anything). Is anyone familiar with Cobray rifles? The one I'm interested in was in the most recent Shotgun News pg 73 for Classic Arms. I like the stock, pistol grip and the 32 rd magazines. At $269.99 the price is attractive, but I wonder if it is a good buy or just a piece of junk? I hope you bear with me if some of my questions seem a bit stupid, but I am just getting started. Thank you.
Cobray rifle?
- Thread starter GI Joe
- Start date
G.I.Joe
First off let me welcome you to TFL! Remember, there are no stupid questions. Any time you have a question there is a large body of knowledge here so the answer is probably in here somewhere.
As for the Cobray, this is a variation of their pistol. It's had a stock and a longer barrel put on it. It's strictly a fun gun. I doubt whether you'd get very good accuracy with it. If that's what you're looking for, go for it. But I would suggest that you look around and see if that's what you really want. Ask yourself some questions, what are you looking for in shooting fulfillment i.e. ultra-precision, plinking, action-shooting, shotgun sports etc? Do you have a preference for handguns or longarms? Questions such as this will guide you in what you want/need.
Personally for a first gun I would pick up a single-shot or bolt-action .22 long rifle caliber rifle or a semi-auto (but only load one round at a time). Try it out with the supplied factory iron sights. This way you can learn trigger control, breathing, sight placement etc. .22lr ammunition is inexpensive so you can put a lot of rounds downrange for a very small outlay of cash. You'll find shooting to be much more enjoyable if you have at least some proficiency with the firearms you use. And always remember safety. That is the first and foremost rule of firearms!!! There is a good primer on safety on the link at the top of the page. The four rules of gun safety are located there.
Once you're comfortable then move on in your desired direction. But don't get rid of the .22. You'll probably find that you use it at least as much as anything else you may acquire. I know I put as many .22 rounds downrange as most all of my other calibers put together.
Most of all have fun. I find shooting to be the most relaxing thing going, for me at least. Why hit a defenseless little white ball when I can bang and clang
First off let me welcome you to TFL! Remember, there are no stupid questions. Any time you have a question there is a large body of knowledge here so the answer is probably in here somewhere.
As for the Cobray, this is a variation of their pistol. It's had a stock and a longer barrel put on it. It's strictly a fun gun. I doubt whether you'd get very good accuracy with it. If that's what you're looking for, go for it. But I would suggest that you look around and see if that's what you really want. Ask yourself some questions, what are you looking for in shooting fulfillment i.e. ultra-precision, plinking, action-shooting, shotgun sports etc? Do you have a preference for handguns or longarms? Questions such as this will guide you in what you want/need.
Personally for a first gun I would pick up a single-shot or bolt-action .22 long rifle caliber rifle or a semi-auto (but only load one round at a time). Try it out with the supplied factory iron sights. This way you can learn trigger control, breathing, sight placement etc. .22lr ammunition is inexpensive so you can put a lot of rounds downrange for a very small outlay of cash. You'll find shooting to be much more enjoyable if you have at least some proficiency with the firearms you use. And always remember safety. That is the first and foremost rule of firearms!!! There is a good primer on safety on the link at the top of the page. The four rules of gun safety are located there.
Once you're comfortable then move on in your desired direction. But don't get rid of the .22. You'll probably find that you use it at least as much as anything else you may acquire. I know I put as many .22 rounds downrange as most all of my other calibers put together.
Most of all have fun. I find shooting to be the most relaxing thing going, for me at least. Why hit a defenseless little white ball when I can bang and clang
I have seen and fired an accurate and reliable Cobray carbine.
However, I have also met several people whose Cobrays shattered internal parts when firing (like the whole hammer, firing pin, parts of the bolt even!). The guns would not keep the magazine locked in the well. Wouldn't feed. Getting parts is a pain and very expensive. One guy locally is selling his to an optimisitc gunsmith after firing about twenty round with no more than two shots between malfunctions.
Older Cobrays that fired from an open bolt are more reliably though no more accurate. I am not sure how many of those made out of the door before ATF made the manufacturer re-design them
However, I have also met several people whose Cobrays shattered internal parts when firing (like the whole hammer, firing pin, parts of the bolt even!). The guns would not keep the magazine locked in the well. Wouldn't feed. Getting parts is a pain and very expensive. One guy locally is selling his to an optimisitc gunsmith after firing about twenty round with no more than two shots between malfunctions.
Older Cobrays that fired from an open bolt are more reliably though no more accurate. I am not sure how many of those made out of the door before ATF made the manufacturer re-design them
A friend of mine has one and has been disappointed with it from day one. The sights are worse than horrible and reliability is poor at best. I have no problem outshooting it with my Keltec subcompact 9mm pistol. A particularly annoying feature is that the trigger "smacks" your finger with every shot making it numb after a few shots. I was also very turned off by the fact that the shock is secured with what`s basically a screen door hook! The basic concept is cool but the execution is poor. I agree with fal308,I`d advise you to get a .22 rifle first. A Ruger 10-22 makes a great first gun and the skillions of aftermarket parts would allow you to make anything from a super accurate target rifle to a .22 assault rifle out of it for little more that the price of the Cobray. Best of all it`ll be CHEAP to shoot and allow you to develop your shooting skills much better than the Cobray. BTW welcome to TFL and shooting! Marcus
Not my first gun choice, but I understand you are looking for a fun gun. If I were you and not living in CA I would look at that AK that classic arms is offering. It's only a couple of dollars more but a lot better quality and parts than the cobray. The Russian 7.62 is actually cheaper than 9mm. More target popping fun.
Thanks for the replies. I forgot to mention that I have shot 3 guns so far: a Ruger 10-22, Ruger GP-100, and a Smith & Wesson Sigma pistol in 9 mm. I agree that the 10-22 is a great little gun and very pleasant to shoot. I do have other guns that I haven't gotten around to shooting yet. I wanted to wait until the weather in Pennsylvania got warmer before going shooting. I am looking forward to testing out my other guns.