New Colt King Cobra

[willie]

Willie, I’ve read that quite a number of intensive shooters went to S&W (or Ruger) because Colts went out of time far faster. IIRC, one user here commented on finding bunches of out-of-time Colts in department armories.

I just now saw Stephanies' post about older Colts and timing issues. That is correct. And the smaller frame revolvers like the Detective Special seemed to have even more timing issues than the larger frame guns. The Colt hand hits each cylinder ratchet "dead on" and is held in that position until the trigger is released upon firing. This upward pressure forces the cylinder notch against the cylinder stop. This bank vault tightness instead of bringing about perfect chamber to barrel alignment may cause the alignment to be off the same amount in each chamber. This rigidity and the pressure required to maintain it are two primary causes of timing issues because this system accelerates wear. With older Colts, one part affects the next part and so on. For this reason they are more difficult to fine tune. Fine tuning includes timing.

Colt has endured various crises since WW2. Labor problems are one. Poor leadership is another. Colt quality control has had its many ups and downs throughout the years. The older revolvers cost too much to make. They were labor intensive. Years ago I read an NRA article written by a Colt retired master fitter. He said that double action revolver fitters were given a frame with barrel and cylinder and yoke fitted to it. From that point and within one hour, a master fitter could put together and fit 4 regular revolvers like the Official Police. The same fitters could put together 3 Pythons in the same time. Tools were lead bar, files, and stones. I would guess that files were used more than stones. The lead bar was the big hammer.

Most here came along after the demise of the general gunsmith. Many of these guys could repair the entire line of Colt and S&W revolvers along with every other shotgun and rifle sold in America. If they had not been able to, they would have starved. The older Colt action would not have been a mystery to them. I've heard several say that they preferred working on Smiths rather than Colts because the Smiths were simpler.

In bullseye target shooting the Colt Officer's Match reigned supreme. Men and women who shot Colts would not have considered shooting a Smith. At least that's what a local trooper told me in the early 1960's after he won the Nat'l Pistol Championship with one. My opinion is that a properly fitted older Colt would satisfy mine and your requirements about timing. Many of these fine revolvers have slipped through my hands over the years. I regret that.

[FrankB]

I just now saw Stephanies' post about older Colts and timing issues. That is correct. And the smaller frame revolvers like the Detective Special seemed to have even more timing issues than the larger frame guns. The Colt hand hits each cylinder ratchet "dead on" and is held in that position until the trigger is released upon firing. This upward pressure forces the cylinder notch against the cylinder stop. This bank vault tightness instead of bringing about perfect chamber to barrel alignment may cause the alignment to be off the same amount in each chamber. This rigidity and the pressure required to maintain it are two primary causes of timing issues because this system accelerates wear. With older Colts, one part affects the next part and so on. For this reason they are more difficult to fine tune. Fine tuning includes timing.

Would one see this wear occur over time, or is it quick once something starts to go? My 1952 DS seems perfect in every way, and I’ve only been shooting one cylinder per week. The cylinder stop on my DS looks much stronger than the new Cobra’s.

[willie]

I have seen D frame guns go out of time with little shooting. My opinion is that in these instances the revolvers were inexpertly fitted. I have two 60 year old D frames that I have shot sparingly over the years. No problems of any kind have arisen. If I were a young man and wanted to continue shooting older Colts, I would investigate having the action treated with hard chrome or electroless nickel. Of course, it would make sense to have an expert carry out any needed action work before plating. I would start by talking with the folks at Robar which also has good smiths. Perhaps MAS could advise us whether or not plating the action would alleviate timing problems.

[Trooper224]

Colt has endured various crises since WW2.

Let's be honest, Colt has endured various crisis since 1860.

In bullseye target shooting the Colt Officer's Match reigned supreme. Men and women who shot Colts would not have considered shooting a Smith. At least that's what a local trooper told me in the early 1960's after he won the Nat'l Pistol Championship with one. My opinion is that a properly fitted older Colt would satisfy mine and your requirements about timing. Many of these fine revolvers have slipped through my hands over the years. I regret that.

Very true. While this Model 14 put me in the winners circle many times over the years, if I'd had the Colt when I was shooting Bullseye the S&W never would have left the safe. S&W didn't start to leap ahead of Colt until PPC overtook Bullseye as the more popular form of competition. When that happened, the double action trigger of the S&W was clearly superior. The widespread opinion was the Colt made better barrels. (I've never really seen a difference.) That's why you'd see "Smythons" in competition, an S&W with a Colt Python barrel. For fast double action work the non-stacking S&W trigger is the clear winner.

[willie]

Trooper is correct on all statements. About Colt barrels, people would write that the Colt barrel tapered slightly from rear to front. I never saw data backing the claim. However, one fact was documented. Instead of being .357 or .358, Colt .38 barrels were .354. I have no explanation. In the era of standard pressure lead bullets, this fact was no concern. They would not hold up well under the shooting and dry firing regimen of today's shooters. Yes, department armorers could keep issue guns running--theoretically. That day has passed of course. The Smith revolver is not necessarily stronger. It is, though, vastly simpler, has a fine double action, and is less fragile than the Colt. I won't say that the Colt is not as good. I won't say that it's obsolete. I do know that police departments ceased issuing Colt revolvers when they were still available. I think that if they were still on dealer shelves, many who now seek them would be complaining about Colt actions' idiosyncrasies and would be bitching like hell about Colt customer service.

[LockedBreech]

I really, really, really like this 3" King Cobra. I have wanted a 3" for a while but the Ruger option is either too bulky (GP100) or 5-shot (SP101) and all the Smith options I want have the stupid lock on them.

I like this one a whole bunch. After waiting my customary year for the beta batch this may be a winner for me.

[TheNewbie]

I really, really, really like this 3" King Cobra. I have wanted a 3" for a while but the Ruger option is either too bulky (GP100) or 5-shot (SP101) and all the Smith options I want have the stupid lock on them.

I like this one a whole bunch. After waiting my customary year for the beta batch this may be a winner for me.

Have you considered the Kimber K6? I would really like to try one of the exposed hammer models.

[JonInWA]

Does the new King Cobra have the same lockwork and surface-hardened action components as did it's predecessors, the MK V Lawman and Trooper, and then the original King Cobra? If that's the case, about the only tuning possible will be with spring substitutions/modifications, and the surface-hardened only components preclude and significant gunsmithing/smoothing, etc.

One thing that I do like on the new King Cobra is that the triggerguard loop is suitably enlarged; on the older Colts, the bottom tip of the trigger was very, very close to the inner surface of the triggerguard-on my Lawman Mk V, it actually rubbed against it. My gunsmith was able to adjust the trigger, but I still wasn't too happy about the design-I felt that Ruger's Security Six and subsequent GP100 had a better set-up.

Kuhnhausen on his Colt double-action shop manual stated that the Troopers and subsequent similar Colt .357 revolvers were some of the strongest made. I think that assertion pertained to the basic gun, not to the smaller sintered or cast components.

I'm also curious if the modern King Cobra has a cleaned up double action-that was historically the bete noir of the Colt DA revolvers, especially when compared to contemporary Smith & Wessons.

My Lawman Mk V was beautifully made (especially considering that it was Colt's entry LEO revolver, and made in the middle of the low point of their labor/management issues), but the DA trigger was heavy and stagy. A nice semi-classic revolver, but I sold it without regrets; I believe it's in a museum in Montana now. I much prefer my Ruger Security Six and GP100, but I'm kind of a heretic that way.

Best, Jon

[willie]

Not a good answer: only Colt can describe their parts' miming. My guess is that surface hardening is present. Thickness depends on their specs and the vendor's quality control. Flitz polish and hand application will do wonders. Shoot it and dry fire first. If you decide to keep the revolver, spend the money to have Robar plate action parts. Then a lighter mainspring will likely provide reliable ignition. Even if not, action will be smoother. Until then, sparingly lubricate with molybdenum oil or grease.

[Totem Polar]

Man. I just got to check one of these out at the range an hour ago. Sooooo good. Great trigger, great fit and lockup, great ergos and size, great balance from the lugged 3" tube, and a really nice brass bead gathering up available light on the front sight. Must have.

They were asking full retail (899) and I just couldn't do it. But that says more about how cheap I am, and nothing about the revolver--which was just about perfect. As in, classic, retarded internet forum (others besides P-F) "if you could have only one gun" question perfect.

Man alive. I mean, if someone doesn't like revolvers then it's a real snooze, but any fan of medium frame .357s... I just can't see this one not checking some boxes. When they come down a bit in similar fashion to the 2017 fiber optic Cobra, and the Night Cobra, I will totally buy one.