Colt’s reintroduction of the King Cobra is great news for shooters who want to carry a Colt revolver with more punch than the .38 special only Cobra.
January 09, 2019
By Jim Grant
Hot off the digital press, Colt Manufacturing announced the reintroduction of the Colt King Cobra revolver. Chambered in the wheel-gun favorite .357 Magnum, the King Cobra marks the second, “snake gun” to be reintroduced by Colt since 2017.
But there are dozens of .357 Magnum revolvers in the market today, what’s the big deal about the Colt King Cobra?
When the original gun was introduced in 1986, it was a more affordable alternative to the Python - a gun that has earned itself legendary status amount revolver fans. Colt fans jumped at the prospect of owning a wheel gun wearing the prancing pony for less money. And despite being somewhat similar in appearance to the Python, the King Cobra is actually based on the old Colt Trooper.
While the stainless finish on the guns in press release are nothing special, the “flawless” appearance of the photos suggests that they are in fact 3D renders from a computer, not photographs. As someone who likes hunting with revolvers, I was initially excited at the news, as Colt used to offer the King Cobra with a scope mount and six-inch barrel for handgun hunting. Unfortunately, this new revolver is only available with a three-inch barrel. Though I would suspect that with increased popularity, a longer barreled version is very likely.
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“Original revolvers from Colt are coveted for their smooth actions, and excellent triggers.” Source: Rock Island Auction The only concern I have with the new guns, is that they lack part of what make the originals so special: hand fitting.
This new guns are presumably CNC machined guns. Which is great for consistency and precision. But the old guns were works of art - and this was reflected in their price. The new King Cobra wears a price tag of $899, which might be just a little too high for shooters to consider who aren’t already big Colt fans.
“The original King Cobra was also available in a 6-inch, stainless configuration.” Source: Rock Island Auction That said, very few guns from Colt have every depreciated in value. So if this reintroduction isn’t a commercial success, shooters will certainly be able to use the pistol as an investment.
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Personally, I’m a big fan of older Colt firearms, and love my Series 70 Gold Cup 1911. If Colt can find a way to capture the magic feel of the old hand-fitted guns, while keeping the price of the guns somewhat reasonable, they’ll have a real winner on their hands. But until I get some trigger time behind a production model, this is all conjecture. Thankfully, the gun will be at Media Day at SHOT Show 2019. So you can count on Firearm News to be there, and give you all the juicy details on the new King Cobra.
Want a Colt King Cobra?
Check it out at Davidson’s Gallery of Guns at GalleryOfGuns.com !
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