1975 Colt Cobra

[awp_101]

This was what my maternal grandfather kept in a soft case by his chair. I don't really know if he bought it at a show in the late-90s or early 2000s or if it was given to him by a widowed neighbor in the mid to late 2000s. AFAIK he never fired it. He passed away a little over 6 years ago and I never knew about this revolver until his dementia started ramping up. Apparently it got moved when the furniture had to be shuffled around for a couple of weeks and he couldn't find it. Even after my grandmother put it back when the furniture got put back, he never could remember where it was and he'd ask me about it.

My Dad ended up with it and might have put a box through it over the past 6 years. Maybe. Thanksgiving he brought it over and gave it to me. I haven't fired it but it feels much better in my hands than any J Frame I have or can remember handling which borders on blasphemy since I've long been a S&W guy and generally consider Colt DA revolvers overrated.






DA feels fine but there's a hitch right at the end when I pull the hammer back for SA. I can feel/hear the bolt drop when I start pulling back, feel/hear it as it locks up the cylinder and then it's almost like the sear has to jump over the SA notch for the hammer to stay back (I sure hope I'm describing this correctly). Any ideas?

[HeavyDuty]

I remember my Diamondback had a similar SA “hitch” - it may be the nature of the beast. Gorgeous gun!

[penates]

DA feels fine but there's a hitch right at the end when I pull the hammer back for SA. I can feel/hear the bolt drop when I start pulling back, feel/hear it as it locks up the cylinder and then it's almost like the sear has to jump over the SA notch for the hammer to stay back (I sure hope I'm describing this correctly). Any ideas?

The lockwork of Colt revolvers from that era have a stacking trigger pull. It will gradually increase in pull, a hitch, then the break.

[awp_101]

Thanks! In DA I don’t notice it but it’s very pronounced in SA.

[Poconnor]

Great gun!!

[penates]

Thanks! In DA I don’t notice it but it’s very pronounced in SA.

To check the lock up, dry fire in SA and hold the trigger back. The cylinder should have no endshake at all. Unlike S&W, the Colt's do not lock up completely until the trigger is pulled. At least that is the way it worked on the Colt revolvers I have owned (Python, New Service, Army Special, and Three Fifty Seven).

[11B10]

That's quite a story - and a superb looking revolver! Thanks for sharing both.

[Dave T]

That hitch at the end of the SA cocking motion is the gun telling you to bob the hammer and only shoot it DA. (smiley face goes here)

Dave

[BillSWPA]

The bolt should always engage the cylinder as soon as the hammer is fully cocked, but pulling the trigger will push the hand against the extractor to further restrict cylinder movement. With the trigger all the way back, you should have absolutely zero cylinder movement. Any cylinder movement at all with the trigger all the way back means the gun needs to be serviced.

DO NOT dry fire the gun without snap caps. Doing so with the hammer-mounted firing pin will eventually break the firing pin. I know this from personal experience.

If you do remove the hammer spur, remove as little hammer mass as possible in order to preserve ignition reliability. Light strikes from bobbing the hammer is a known issue with Detective Special and similar revolvers like the Cobra. The hammer needs as much mass as it can get.

[RAM Engineer]

Instead of bobbing the hammer, you could try to get a shroud from "I'm With Roscoe".

I need to find some grips like that for my Cobra which currently has Pachmayr Presentation Grips on it for some reason.