Picked up this Colt Cobra today...

Hammer059

Cosmetic issues aside, you got a heck of a deal at $325!

There is a similar discussion elsewhere here. Seems like the consensus is no revolvers sell like hotcakes anymore. Guns have to be plastic now. It's the invisible hand of the free market.

Nice gun. I'm green with envy.

Revolvers around here demand a HUGE price at local stores. I saw a Colt Detective Special for $750 a while back. Old beaters are priced at $500 and up so I think you done good.

I actually pulled all my handguns out today and updated my records. I have more plastic than I do steel but not by much.

I have one old Colt , and I just love the lock up and accuracy. You got a great deal , congratulations.

The one thing I do not get is why Colt left the ejector rod fully exposed.
(Possibly subject for a new thread - don't mean to hi-jack...)

Colt advised to have the alloy guns (Cobra, Agent) checked at the factory after firing 1,000 rounds of Plus P ammo. Steel guns (Det. Spcl., Diamondback, Police Positive Special) should be examined after 3,000 rounds of Plus P.

This is not an Internet rumor. It was a Colt announcement. I think the concern is possible frame stretching.

Colts go out-of-time much sooner than do comparable Ruger and S&W revolvers and often, the fixed sight models do not shoot to the sights. I had one Diamondback that didn't either, not enough sight adjustment. I quit buying them years ago.

That said, if your gun does shoot where it should and you don't dry fire or practice a lot with it, you should be pleased. They were usually very well made, apart from some late model Agents with rough gray finishes and less good fitting, in some cases.

Given how old most Colt revolvers are now (even the alloy framed ones) I think if 1,000 or 3,000 rounds of +P was a problem, we'd have heard about a LOT of Colt small-frame revolvers with stretched frames. Has anybody here actually had one with that problem?

I used to own an unfired Cobra. It was recommended to be inspected every 1500 rounds and the rounds were supposed to be mid range only, no +P.

It was a nice gun, I carried it for quite a few years before selling it.

I'll say you got a good price. I just put one on layawy that was about $500.00 and I thought THAT was a good price around here. The one I've got did come with a T-grip and an old school OWB holster that was what really caught my eye. If not for the T-grip and holster, I probably wouldn't have really paid much attention to the gun.

It's in about the same condition as yours and the S/N dates it to about 1961. It very likely will become my carry gun.

Colt always listed the Cobra for normal .38 Special loads, no limiting it to mid-range target loads.

In the 1940 era, they even listed their small frame .38's (all steel then) for Hi-Speed ammo although I'm sure they didn't expect those to be routinely used.

I wish S&W or Ruger would make a pocket size 6-shot revolver like this, it feels no different in my pocket than my 642.

Click to expand...

Smith & Wesson made prototypes of what they called the model 73, built on a C-frame (Slightly enlarged J-frame, with 6-shot/.38 Special cylinder). It never made it into production because management decided they're wasn't a big enough market between the J and K frames.

That was a great price. Forget about all the fear monger talk of frames stretching and timing issues that some people love to talk about and enjoy your new gun....I have a pile of D frames and use them as much as I want. I have never had a problem.

$325? That's the price of a Kel-Tec! Yea, it was a darn good deal.

Deaf

Rock Island makes a good Detective Special copy in the M206.

The Armcor/Rock Island gun may look similar to a Colt, but it is not a copy. A Colt uses a flat mainspring. The other gun uses a coiled mainspring.

Forget about all the fear monger talk of frames stretching and timing issues that some people love to talk about and enjoy your new gun....I have a pile of D frames and use them as much as I want. I have never had a problem.

Click to expand...

You may or may not have had problems. It largely depends on the condition of the revolver, how much it has been (and still is being) used, and with what ammunition.

But from personal experience I can say that some have had issues because in some instances I fixed them.

So I will ask again, in the event that something does crop up, where in today's environment does one turn to get (whatever) repaired?

As has been pointed out, historically these revolvers when used on a regular basis have required occasional tune-ups.

If you had an automobile that required special mechanics - and they're next to none, repair parts were almost nonexistent, and the factory offered no assistance, how long could you keep driving?

This is not to say that these unquestionably fine handguns should be completely retired. But today's owners should use good judgment based on a realistic understanding of the current (and likely future) situation.

I don't really worry about who's gonna fix a 300 buck gun if it breaks. If it happens, I'll sell it for 200 bucks and get another one.

Colt snubs, particularly the alloy models, make in my opinion and experience, excellent carry and back-up revolvers. I carried one when I was working security limited to or issued K-frame .38s. In a pinch the K-frame speedloader will work in a Colt Detective/Cobra/Agent. Mine had the factory hammer shroud installed on the 1967 Agent.

If you had an automobile that required special mechanics - and they're next to none, repair parts were almost nonexistent, and the factory offered no assistance, how long could you keep driving?

Click to expand...

On the other hand. If I don't use it because it might break, it might as well BE broken.

Either way I can't use it.

QUOTE: The one thing I do not get is why Colt left the ejector rod fully exposed.

There is the argument that in the event the ejector rod on revolvers without an ejector housing was to get bent while the cylinder was open, you might still be able to close the cylinder and it would cycle (continue to rotate on its axis). A bent ejector rod, however, might not fit back into the finely-fitted ejector housing, rendering the revolver inoperable until the rod got straightened. An esoteric argument to be sure but it does have some merit in, albeit, unusual, if not contrived, situations.

On the other hand. If I don't use it because it might break, it might as well BE broken.

Click to expand...

What the Old Fuff said was:

This is not to say that these unquestionably fine handguns should be completely retired. But today's owners should use good judgment based on a realistic understanding of the current (and likely future) situation

Click to expand...

I don't really worry about who's gonna fix a 300 buck gun if it breaks. If it happens, I'll sell it for 200 bucks and get another one.

Click to expand...

I'll ignore the unlikelyhood of someone buying a decent Colt hand-ejector for $300 unless it's chambered for an oddball cartridge, although it does happen.

Then it begs a question: How much did the dealer give the former owner?

As far as what junkers go for, the last one I bought earned the owner $45 and he as glad to get it. Yes, I did rebuild it into a shooter.

That said, I not sure everyone has the discretionary funds you seem to have, and it's more likely the non-functioning revolver will be valued closer to $600 or more - possibly much more.

Somehow everyone seems to be ignoring my simple question: If it does break who is going to fix it and how? :banghead: