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Thread: Colt Cobra

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy


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    Colt Cobra

    Went into a pawn shop and there at the back of the bottom shelf was a revolver. Whazzat I asked ?
    Hmm, except for a little bluing missing from the inside of the backstrap at the bottom ---
    No dings, scratches, rust. I'd say 95%. We dickered, I bought.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master Guesser's Avatar
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    Nice, very nice. Is it in 38 Special or 38 S&W or ....?

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Cobra is a D-frame .38 Special. They also made these in .32 Colt NP and a 3" barrel version in .22 LR.

    In Exc.+ condition they are highly valued as collector's items, about $1000 with box and paperwork, about $200-250 less without it, depending upon where you are.

    DON'T use +P in one of these if you want it to last, but great carry gun.
    The ENEMY is listening.
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  4. #4
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    rintinglen's Avatar
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    I'd have bought that in a heart beat--it would pair great with my late fifties vintage Agent. The advice on staying away from +P ammo is well taken. You stick with Standard velocity or mid range 38's and life will be better. Colt used to recommend overhauling their D-frames every 3000 rounds, 1000 rounds if +P ammo was used, and that was for the later, under lugged barrel versionsClick image for larger version. 

Name:	kids 131.jpg 
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ID:	207215. Lousy photo of my old Colt.
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  5. #5
    Boolit Master

    Lefty Red's Avatar
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    Great pistol!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    I'll be needing that for squirrels and such.....

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    FWIW, the most effective load for a light alloy frame snubby which can't handle +P is the Winchester 110-grain Silvertip NON+P JHP load. This load is optimized for 2-inch barrels and expands reliably at the 850-870 fps velocity obtained. It is not hard on the guns and is accurate.

    If your revolver fixed sights were regulated at the factory for the old 158-grain LRN load, then use wadcutters
    http://mousegunaddict.blogspot.com/2...8-special.html which have mild recoil, shoot close to the sights, give good crush and decent penetration.

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  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy


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    38 special

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master Artful's Avatar
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    Nice - love them 6 shot colt D frame pocket guns.
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  9. #9
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    Sweet!
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  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    I bet your Cobra would really like a 148 grain wadcutter over 3.1 grains Bullseye. Easy to shoot, super accurate, and the sedate wadcutter has comparable (sometimes even more) penetration than +P hollowpoints. This is all I feed my S&W 637.
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy


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    3.1 of Bullseye is my favorite charge for swc's. Thanks

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    Bullseye and .38 Special just have a certain magic, don't they?
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master
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    A late-series DetSpec is one of my Grail Guns. 6-shot form, +P capable (within reason, the FBI 158 LSWC/HP would get the nod) and the OEM grip set actually fits my hand--as do Pachmayr Compacs. The single-best 2" 38 revolver ever developed in this country, AFAIC.
    I don't paint bullets. I like Black Rifle Coffee. Sacred cows are always fair game. California is to the United States what Syria is to Russia and North Korea is to China/South Korea/Japan--a Hermit Kingdom detached from the real world and led by delusional maniacs, an economic and social basket case sustained by "foreign" aid so as to not lose military bases.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    Agree with you 100%, 9.3. If Ruger added a sixth round to the SP-101 we might just have the ultimate evolution of the Dick Special. It wouldn't be hard as the SP is already quite big for a five shooter. It would be an instant buy for me. I do have a kind of low-rent DS, a Rossi 461. It is a 6 shot .357 very close in size to the former two, in fact it uses the same holsters. Mine has a 3" tube and is a good shooter. It is currently on a trip back to Miami to have excess barrel to cylinder gap corrected.
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

  15. #15
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    rintinglen's Avatar
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    +1 to what they said^^^, though it would still be a bit on the heavy side.
    I have a Detective Special 3rd issue, and a Cobra , as well as the above depicted Agent.
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	012.jpg 
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ID:	207351 My Cobra with the huge over-size mustang Grips in the upper left.
    Last edited by rintinglen; 11-07-2017 at 04:20 PM.
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  16. #16
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    Had a series 3 and really enjoyed the revolver. Long story that I don't still have it and really miss it.
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  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    I gotta be honest, I am sorely tempted to try out the Armscor revolver that is loosely based on the Colt design. They are only $200.00 new.
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master Dan Cash's Avatar
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    Always the new Colt Cobra and the Kimber. Bothe nice but not THE Classic.
    To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, the trouble with many shooting experts is not that they're ignorant; its just that they know so much that isn't so.

  19. #19
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    I've had a few Colt "D" frame snub nose revolvers, Detective Special, Cobra & Agent. They are unique in the snubnose world.
    6 rounds, nice grip frame and a little smaller than a 2" S&W K-frame. It was a good concept.
    In terms of size and weight, they fit between the S&W J-frame and 2" K-frame.

    The feel of the Colt DA pull is different from a S&W (fair amount of "stacking" with the Colt) but they can be quite accurate.

    I still have my 3rd edition Detective Special and wish I had held onto one of my old Cobra's or Agent's.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master smkummer's Avatar
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    You have the later short grip frame cobra so you have several options with stocks (grips). For d-frames like yours, I usually add a pachmayr grip adapter which uses the original stocks. You have the option of using the 1972 and later wraparound stocks that was a feature with the later shrouded barrel. Plus some choices of compac, gripper and even target rubber grips from pachmayr.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check