Colt King Cobra: Info, please

R

Rich Lucibella

Staff
I recently came into possession of a King Cobra with 6" barrel. It's in pretty good condition and shoots well. However, I'm told by the local gunshop counter-guru that these are real garbage. Ostensibly these are famous for development of timing problems and were manufactured at a time when quality was very poor.

Anybody have any information on this?
Rich
 
I've had one for about a year. It was slightly used when I bought it. Six inch barrel, stainless. I've shot the heck out of it in the last twelve months, with every load of .357 I could get my hands on. Some very hot, some not.

The gun is very acurate, and the trigger puts my Python to shame. It is ALWAYS in my range bag when I go shooting.

I've had no trouble with mine so far. If it melted down into a lump tomorrow I would go buy another with no hesitation. I have less than 2000 rounds through it, so I can't speak to the prospect of it living a long and productive life. I never really tried to find out when it was made. My guess is in the '90's sometime. Doesn't really matter to me. It is sweet.

I know this doesn't give you the information you want. My hope is that the gun shop guy didn't know what he was talking about.
 
Greeting's Rich,

I've only seen one Colt King Cobra in it's short
life span. I didn't really pay much attention to
it, as I opted for a 4" Colt Trooper MK-V with
the then new Coltguard finish. It was a real
beauty; but never achieved the fame of the Colt
Trooper MK-III or the Colt Python. I once owned
an early model Python s/n 29554 with a 2-1/2"
barrel that also developed timing problems.
This problem must run in the Colt family of
fine firearms?

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
Rich, I believe the guy you spoke to at the gun store didn't know much about Colts. The King Cobra has a totally different timing mechanism the the older Colts. The chances of it getting out of time are extremely rare. The lock work is much different then the older styles, but it still retains the "second hand." The gun is extremely rugged and strong. Quality of these gun are very good. I believe the guy that told you this was lacking in information on Colts. I've dealt with Colt revolvers for a very long time.
To put it in a nut shell, you own a very fine depenable revolver.:)
 
Thanks for the info, so far. I know my guy...he's a (ahem) businessman. I immediately asked him if he had any Colts in stock (he does a good used gun business). Answer was "no".

I know Colts have risen in price since the demise. Think he may have had an ulterior motive?
Rich
 
dont put too much credibility on a gun store employee or owner for that matter.as you can tell buy these web sites everone is an expert with a war story.cobra is a damm fine gun.
 
Go shoot it for about 20,000 rounds and let us know. Or if your to busy, ship the gun and ammo to me and I'll be more than happy to test it for you:)
 
I think you need to make up your own mind. I inspect the guns I'm interested in and make my decision based on my wants/needs rather than somebody else's recommendation unless I have real trust in them.

The Colt revos with their Rube Goldberg lockwork are historically not as strong as a comparable S&W model, however, I think a one-owner Colt revo will last a lifetime for anybody other than a competitive shooter who burns cases upon cases of ammo. The Colts are also more accurate in the 38 Special caliber at least, due to a better chosen twist rate. My Agent was a real laser for a lil light thing. I've also had a Python and a Dick Special that were trouble free. Alas, they went the way of all guns. They were sold traded for sumpin else. :(
 
Ditto 4thHorseman. I bought mine several years ago. In researching it before buying, I found that the King Cobra was designed as an answer to the criticisms of Colt's durability in earlier designs for the "magnum age". Mine has the best out-of-the-box DA triggers I've ever had. Others I've seen at the range also have good triggers. Using group size as a measure, mine groups well on any .357 Mag load I've put in it but gets finicky about its 38 Special loads--Go figure! Since your gunshop guru thinks they are junk, have him send all theat he gets to me and I will dispose of them for him!
 
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