It was a few months and some 250 rounds ago I was introduced to the Colt King Cobra Target
First Impressions
The revolver is well fit, had a traditional Colt cylinder latch and clockwise rotating cylinder, and a target rear sight adjustable for windage and elevation. The hammer spur was serrated for a positive purchase when thumbing the revolver. The trigger broke about 3 1/2 pounds with minimal take-up and almost no overtravel in single action and about 9 1/2 pounds with a steady non-stacking long trigger pull in double action. An excellent trigger by any measure. The trigger guard was a bit oversized, allowing large or gloved fingers to work the gun. A transfer bar safety is present adding another layer of safety to the King Cobra Target.
The orange front fiber optic sight stood out and contrasted nicely against the rear U notch rear sight.
The wooden stocks had just a hint of a beavertail and are checkered on the port and starboard sides. The full-length ejector rod shroud is a nice touch, adding to the attractiveness of the handgun. The muzzle features a recessed crown, protecting the rifling.
Range Time
Accuracy was on point as you can see, two of the best groups of the day. The left from Defender 125gr .38 Special HP and the right Hornady 158gr XTP .357 Magnum.
3 shot groups from a rest at 25 yards
Conclusions
The Colt King Cobra proved to be quite a reliable and accurate double-action revolver. With some 250 rounds downrange with the majority being .357 Magnum and more than a few .38 Special, there were no issues or problems with the revolver. As expected, the .357 Magnum can be a bit of a handful in any handgun; the .38 Specials were a dream to shoot, especially the DoubleTap wadcutters. Many believe the .357 Magnum is the gold standard of defensive cartridges, and I will certainly not argue with that. While the King Cobra Target is a target revolver, it could easily be used as concealed carry, personal, and home defense. I am thankful to see Colt getting back into the double-action revolver market and believe this King Cobra Target is an excellent addition to the stable. If you are in the market for a versatile revolver for range or match use that can serve double duty as a defensive sidearm the Colt King Cobra Target is an excellent option. While 250 some odd rounds is not a great deal I am confident if there was an issue with this revolver it would have shown up.
Specifications
Action: Double Action
Capacity: 6
Finish: Matte Stainless Steel
Stock: Altamont Wood Grips
Front Sight: Fiber Optic
Rear sight: Adjustable for windage and elevation
Barrel Length: 4.25
Overall Length: 9.25
Features: LL2Linear Leaf Mainspring Design
Weight: 36oz.
Trigger pull: 3 1/2 pounds SA 9 1/2 pounds DA
MSRP: $999
Acknowledgments
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Happy Veterans Day to all who stood up and made the choice to defend our beloved America.
Congrats to Colt for making it with a 4.25″ barrel. It will belegal for us up here in the Great White North! The guns main competitors would be the Ruger GP-100 4.2″ and the S&W 686 4.2″. NIce to see Colt back in the market. I may have to look into acquiring a Cobra once they become available up here.
Take Care
Bob
Hunter,
Great job and a very honest and comprehensive review. I own a New Cobra and have shot the New King Cobra several times. I agree with everything you said, but I have one question. Your assessment showed a 9lb trigger pull for double action shooting.
Based upon my trigger pull gauge and experience with the new Colt revolvers, this weight seems quite high. My results were 3lbs for SA (same as yours), but 6 to 7lbs for double action. 9lbs is heavy and getting to the range where Ruger puts their triggers. The new Colt trigger is much better.
Just an observation and again, a very good report.
Thank you Brett.
I used a Lyman mechanical trigger pull gauge and usually measure a trigger a few times and go with a high average. It could be my gauge is not exactly accurate at the higher poundage.
[…] I believe in my heart this revolver is deserving of the Python rollmark, and Colt has a fantastic job with its reintroduction. I am thankful to see Colt getting back into the double-action revolver market, and it appears they are intent on taking us back to the glory days of Colt revolvers. The shooting public has been asking for this now for quite some time, and while Colt has taken their time to bring it to market, that was time well spent making sure it was done correctly. It is up to us to hold up our end of the deal and make good on seeking out that Colt revolver we all have been patiently waiting for. You can read my review of the King Cobra Target, another fine Colt revolver, by following this link. […]
[…] back into the revolver game. You can read my review of the Colt King Cobra Target by following this link and the reintroduction of the Cobra by following this […]
I was happy to see the Colt Python and the Anaconda come out. I bought both in 6”. I have a 1981 Colt Python 4”. What I have noticed is the value of my Pristine Python has no2w dropped from an easy $5000 sale to now around $3K if I was lucky if I wanted to sell it. As time goes by I can now buy them for under $2500 in excellent condition. So it is a double edged sword. I am going to buy a Cobra
[…] line of revolvers, it made sense for them to introduce essentially a scaled-down King Cobra Target reviewed here to a .22 Long Rifle version. Currently available in a six-inch and four-and-a-quarter-inch barrel […]