New Colt Revolvers!!!!!!

[themalicious0ne]

I will be very interested if the trigger is as good as we all hopeople it will be. I would love a 7lb da trigger pull with no work done.

[Technosavant]

Originally Posted by Super Sneaky Steve

Besides not having a bobbed hammer, the only reason to carry an all steel gun is to take the bite out of .357 Magnum.

Yeah, but it also takes all the pain and suffering out of shooting .38spl. I have a 2" S&W 64, and it is astonishingly easy to shoot (recoil-wise) compared to my S&W 642.

I'm not sure I have a driving need for this Cobra, but if I saw one, I might well be interested if it was going for under $600 street, if for no other reason than to be along with the renaissance of Colt's DA game. I wouldn't plan to carry it, but it could happen.

The gun intrigues me. I am interested in seeing one in the steel.

[OldMarksman]

Yeah, but it also takes all the pain and suffering out of shooting .38spl. I have a 2" S&W 64, and it is astonishingly easy to shoot (recoil-wise) compared to my S&W 642.

Pain and suffering are not the only issues, although repetitive trauma can lead to permanent nerve, tendon, ad joint damage. The other issue is rapidity of controlled shooting.

Personally, I see no reason to use .357 magnum ammunition for self defense.

Bobbed hammer? That's an easy fix. I had it done to a Ruger SP 101

[Model12Win]

.357 Magnum defenders make sense with a 4" or longer bbl.

For a snub? Forget about it. Too much recoil, blast n' flash. Loud. Stupid. A good .38 +P will do the job IF you can do the job.

[dgludwig]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Super Sneaky Steve
Besides not having a bobbed hammer, the only reason to carry an all steel gun is to take the bite out of .357 Magnum.
Quote:
Yeah, but it also takes all the pain and suffering out of shooting .38spl. I have a 2" S&W 64, and it is astonishingly easy to shoot (recoil-wise) compared to my S&W 642.

As I see it, the only reason to have any handgun made out of a light-weight alloy is for ease of carry, especially while being carried concealed. Reason enough for me to accept a little "pain and suffering" (though I'm not especially sensitive to recoil, even +P .38 Special ammunition gets a little tiresome after a box full has been fired through a Smith J-frame Airweight).

[Technosavant]

Originally Posted by dgludwig

As I see it, the only reason to have any handgun made out of a light-weight alloy is for ease of carry, especially while being carried concealed.

Depends on mode of carry. Pocket, yeah. That weight may matter a lot. Belt, not so much. It's always a personal choice for the user. I can understand those who want it as light as possible. I can also understand those who appreciate a little more weight so it's more comfortable to practice.

[shootbrownelk]

I have a Colt DiamondBack and a S&W K-22 Masterpiece and the Colt has a much, much better trigger than the S&W does. I asked around at the LGS's today and as of yet, nobody has seen one of the new Cobras. The guy behind the counter said that they ordered some, but have no idea on a delivery time, and that whatever they do get in is already spoken for. Local collectors I'm pretty sure.

[Stephanie B]

I'm not especially sensitive to recoil, even +P .38 Special ammunition gets a little tiresome after a box full has been fired through a Smith J-frame Airweight

YMMV. I can't go past 15 standard pressure loads in my Airweight before it gets too painful to continue on. I made up some mouse-phart loads with Trail Boss for practice.

[Wheelie_Fan]

Does anyone know when the new Colt Cobra's will begin shipping? haven't seen many comments or updates since the initial flurry....

just curious...

[BearBrimstone]

I want one. I would probably pay double the price of a J-frame to get one. If its more than that I just don't think I could justify the price though.

[Model12Win]

Whenever we do finally see new Colt Cobras, we'll have to fight "The Kuhlekterz" to get the first couple batches. Those guns are destined for a life of being safe queens.

[hot sauce]

Colt should be making a 357 magnum.

[Stephanie B]

Whenever we do finally see new Colt Cobras, we'll have to fight "The Kuhlekterz" to get the first couple batches. Those guns are destined for a life of being safe queens.

Unless a Colt Cobra is the gun of some TV hero down the road, I don't see them having significant collector's value until well into the second half of the century. Even if they aren't on the market for long. NIB Colt A-A 2000s aren't going for any significant money.

[shootbrownelk]

If Colt stops building them, they WILL become collector's items. I also checked the spec sheet on the new Cobra. It weighs 25 oz. unloaded, or quite a bit more than a J-frame. I think I'll stick with S&W. I'm also betting that the price paid for the Cobras initially, will be over the MSRP or $700+.

[Radny97]

So I was able to attend SHOT show today and handle the new Colt Cobra. Very impressed. Trigger was about 8 pounds and pure silk. Single action was perfect. Like a performance center revolver. No creep or anything. Finish is very nice and I love the size of the trigger guard and the sights.
Downside is they only had one on display, which tells me they are likely still a ways a way from full production. I hope the models coming off the line have as nice of a trigger.
Here's a pic

[SansSouci]

I'm not surprised. On July 1, 2017, ALL standard capacity mags in CA will become illegal to possess regardless of how long one might have owed them. Only mags holding 10 rounds or less will be legal. I believe NY has a similar law.

[SansSouci]

I had no clue that Colt has reintroduced the Cobra: http://www.colt.com/Catalog/Revolvers/Cobra

I've just checked it out. If they're available for sale in CA, I'll buy one.

[Wheelie_Fan]

I believe that they are now able to be ordered by distributors and dealers.... according to what i read yesterday. Can't wait to see one myself and hope they are as nice as Radny97 indicated.

I've never fired a Python or any of the other Colt revolvers for that matter, so my comparison will be to Smith's, Rugers and such.... Can't wait to fondle one.

[SansSouci]

Good Morning, Wheelie_Fan,

I darn near hate to admit this: I live in CA. Every handgun offered for sale has to be approved by CA DOJ, which means it might be months after the Cobra is offered for sale that it might be offered for sale in the most gun hostile state in the country.

For bipedal self-defense, I'm all about semi-autos. However, I do love revolvers. A good-quality 2" .38 Special that's +P rated has a lot of utility. Even in urban So Cal, a hiker in local So Cal mountains would put him in danger of mountain lion attack. Loaded with shot capsules, it's a darn good rattler gun, and we have rattlesnakes all over So Cal.

I was never much of a .357 Mag believer. In fact, when I've carried a .357 Mag for bipedal self-defense, it was always loaded with the FBI load, which is 158 grain LSWC or LSWCHP +P. Even out of a Model 60, the FBI load is not fun to shoot. I couldn't imagine shooting a .357 Mag round our of a "J" Frame.

If terms of efficacy, one isn't going to get appreciable results using a .357 Mag round out of a 2" barreled handgun. The impressive if not fabricated ballistics of the .357 Mag round were obtained (if they really were obtained) out of 8.375" barrels. Out of a 4" barreled 586 that I once owned, the best I could get was ~1250 FPS with 158 grain .357 Mag loads.

The .357 Mag has a lot of negatives to be a good self-defense gun. Foremost, it's a revolver that holds 6 rounds and takes too much time to reload. A .357 Mag revolver has to be heavy to manage its recoil. Managing recoil is essential to retaining sight picture. Shoot a .357 Mag round in an enclosed area such as a bedroom, and the excessively loud report will leave you disoriented. That's never a good thing were a bad guy to want a good guy at room temperature. Finally, muzzle flash, especially out of a 4" barreled .357 Mag revolver, will blind space station astronauts, which means it will cause its user to lose sight picture, which is a bad thing were a bad guy shooting at a good guy. Oh yeah, I've been exposed to personal accounts where the .357 Mag failed to live up to its manstopper billing. (There is no such thing as a manstopper tactical handgun.)

The FBI load out of a 2" barreled revolver ought to give 12" of penetration, which is the industry standard. Hence, it ought to perform as good as a .357 Mag when fired from a 2" barreled gun.

I do love good quality revolvers. I wish I owned a 4" Model 27-2, what many handgun aficionados call the best .357 Mag revolver ever made (no slight intended to Python fans). But I don't. I do own a 4" blue steel GP 100, which is a decent handgun, but it does have its problems. BTW, I consider a 4" barreled revolver maximum length for a bipedal self-defense weapon.

Anyway, if the Cobra is ever offered for sale in CA, I'll own a copy.

[Wheelie_Fan]

Hey there SansSouci,

i really can't wrap my head around the approval process that CA requires... I would think that CA would actually prefer ownership of revolvers over semi-autos for fairly obvious reasons. (I'm in CT where the situation isn't much better) But let's hope you can get your mitts on a new Colt Cobra sooner than later. I'm actually rooting for Colt on this one and hope they have a winner on their hands.

Regarding caliber...I've always been fine with .38 Special and/or .38 spl +P given the right loads. i really don't have a urgent desire to start packing .357 mag for my SD needs, especially in a concealable package. I understand that there can always be the exception in any situation, but at this point, i'm comfortable with my decisions.

That said, i'm limited in my ownership of semi-autos, but i'm really considering the new Sig P225-A1. CT also has a 10 round mag capacity law on the books... so we've got that going for us....

[4V50 Gary]

I wonder if Colt will release a Python II, that is Python barrel with newer Trooper type action?

[DPris]

Handled two booth samples at SHOT, talked to a design engineer on the Cobra project, and the head of Colt's Custom Shop.

The gun honestly impressed me.
If they can keep production guns to the same quality levels I saw, they'll sell.

Machining well done.
DA trigger smooth & linear, no "Colt stacking" like the older V-Spring actions produced.

They've kept costs down by using MIM technology & tightly toleranced parts to the point where the ONLY part in the gun that's hand fitted is the hand.
And they're working on a process to eliminate even that hand fitting.

The new action provides the same "bank vault lockup" noted in the classic V-Springs from the past, done by the hand bearing strongly against the ratchet at the moment of firing, when the trigger's pulled.

I was told this should not result in the timing issues caused by hand wear in the older Colt design, Colt's using "better materials now".

Even if you do shoot the new Cobra enough to develop hand wear, Colt will actually HAVE new replacement hands & it should be an easy repair if you return one for service.

Other models are planned, other sight options, other accessories.
Denis

[Model12Win]

Very cool. I'd like a bank vault tight new revolver. Haven't seen one of those in a while!

Can't wait for it. Colt knows how to make a wheelie. Also looking forward to their fullies if they bring one out.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by DPris

Handled two booth samples at SHOT, talked to a design engineer on the Cobra project, and the head of Colt's Custom Shop.

The gun honestly impressed me.
If they can keep production guns to the same quality levels I saw, they'll sell.

Machining well done.
DA trigger smooth & linear, no "Colt stacking" like the older V-Spring actions produced.

To add to the above, Colt folks at the SHOT Show said the trigger is 8 pounds in DA and 4 pounds in SA. I probably fondled and dry fired at least half a dozen at the show, and they all felt exactly the same. And that was very smooth, as DPris commented. I asked if the main spring is the old Colt Vee spring or the later coil spring style action, and the answer was "Neither." The lockwork is different from all previous generations of Colt DA revolvers. I could see that there was a LOT of interest in the new Cobra, and a lot of the talk I was overhearing indicated that people were very favorably impressed.

Ironically, one of the Colt people I was chatting with mentioned that pretty much all of the Colt employees who were around in the days of the snake guns have retired. Colt is cross-training the people who currently build the SAAs to assemble the new Cobras, and he said the cross-training is also resulting in better-fitted SAAs when the people switch back to making cowboy guns.

I wish I could report on how it shoots, but I missed range day thanks to weather stranding me at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport while American Airlines tried to find me another flight to Las Vegas after DFW was closed down for several hours and my incoming flight was diverted through New Orleans.

[DPris]

It does use a V-Spring, but not the old one.
Denis