I actually like both more than I thought I would. I have to admit that I have a hard time getting passed how shallow the rear sight is on the fixed sight Cobras and King Cobras. The original King Cobras were offered in multiple barrel lengths. I swapped the Hogue Monogrip from my King Cobra onto the King Cobra Target early in the first range session. Ok, three complaints: there should be some Loctite on that sight screw, too. From the top: The Colt Anaconda in.44 Magnum, the Colt Python in.357 Magnum, and the Colt Viper in.38 Spl, which was a 4-inch variant of the Cobra made in the 1970s. Because I did not have a holster that fit this revolver, all drills called to be fired from the draw were fired from a compressed ready. Gun Review: The.357 Magnum Colt King Cobra Carry The release of the target model continues Colt’s recent resurgence and development of its snake family of revolvers. I’ll be honest with you guys: it was not my best work. Nor, as I mentioned earlier, can I maintain this grasp under even mild recoil. At first glance, the most distinguishing feature is the full-shroud surrounding the ejector rod. Do you think this is as close as we’ll get to a modern-day Python? There’s none like it, anywhere else. I was duly impressed. Simply file the knurling down to a diameter small enough that it doesn’t get stuck in the channel. I think these stocks were designed to facilitate SA fire, by letting the hand ride up under recoil, where the thumb could get to the hammer spur easier—kind of like the SAA. I was surprised by some of my own groups with this gun and wish I’d had the opportunity to stretch its legs just a little more. Sight regulation wasn’t drastically altered, and the blade was an appropriate width for the rear sight, though just a tad wider than the OEM front sight. . Windage adjustments are made via a screw on the right side of the assembly. Were I to use it in one of these roles replacing the grip would be imperative. I fired a total of 569 rounds in three range sessions from the Colt King Cobra Target. This three-inch, “Goldilocks” .357 has become one of my favorite handguns period, and certainly my favorite carry revolver. The Colt King Cobra Target is very similar to the previously-released King Cobra, but with some noticeable differences. However, I feel the utility of the King Cobra Target extends well beyond the target realm and it will doubtlessly be used as a home defense, trail defense, and possibly even concealed carry revolver. I can’t wait to see where this trend goes, and I’m proud that RevolverGuy is leading the way on reporting about it. Since it’s built on a modified D frame, it will be interesting to see how a steady diet of .357 Magnums, especially in the 125gr bullet weights, affect the guns. Obviously I could not do this to the King Cobra Target as it was a T&E loaner, but I would recommend this mod to anyone purchasing either of these guns for serious use. First, I wanted to see how much difference was made by using single versus double action. Colt's Manufacturing Company - firearms, handguns, pistols, rifles, revolvers. I thought about re-shooting because this clearly was not the gun’s fault, but I felt weird about that, too. In some of the groups recorded below you will notice printing to the left. Total: 174 rounds, 08 November 2019 All groups were also fired with the OEM, fiber-optic sight. Further, it leaves the hand low on the grip frame, unnecessarily raising the bore axis. I know you don’t plan on keeping it, but if you did, I suspect a trip to the polishing wheel would be in order, to get rid of the squared edges on that trigger. ©2016 to 2019 RevolverGuy.com, All Rights Reserved, ©2019 RevolverGuy.com, All Rights Reserved, Shootists 35th Anniversary Bisley Single Seven, Field Report Standard Operating Procedure, The Biggest Little Roundgun: The 3-Inch Kimber K6s. Then it hit me: the front sight is missing! I know you’ve resisted bench resting guns. Weirdly the single-action pull was heavy, both proportionally and absolutely. Each one of these reviews costs several hundred dollars and many hours of time. The new stocks also check the box, and they suffer the malady common to most “Target” stocks. Its great to see Colt giving S&W a run for their money compared to the rereleased K frames. I’m not sure I succeeded to my own satisfaction on that count, however. With MacGyver-like ingenuity, I pulled the brass bead front sight off of my King Cobra and tightened it onto the King Cobra Target, and shot that way until I found the AWOL part. Now, that’s apples-to-oranges because I fired eight rounds from the 648, and it doesn’t take into account my differing lags between the buzzer and the first shot (which I dropped from the averages), so let’s look at the splits. Ejector rod throw with the King Cobra Target was .860″ which is on par with other revolvers from the King Cobra line. I fired ammo along the power spectrum, from full wadcutters all the way up to Buffalo Bore 180-grain LFNs, and about every “level” in between. Colt forges the revolver from American stainless steel, and it comes with a six-round capacity. I found the full power Magnums (Speer Gold Dots and the Buffalo Bore fodder) fairly unpleasant to shoot, and had to cajole myself into firing a second cylinder of Buffalo Bore 125s for a group. GA … Colt is probably playing the smart odds that most owners won’t fire 100 rounds in the gun’s lifetime. I totally agree on the larger ejector rod bulb. For accuracy I wanted to test this gun as near as possible to its most probably use-case(s). This is an excellent size; while technically designated a small frame, it handles and shoots like a “real” revolver. It’s good to see Colt’s back in the game with such a variety of models! This Colt would be tempting, if I did not already own a GP100 with a 4.2” barrel. Were you able to get a replacement hammer to modify or did you have to change the original? However, I’ve twice seen competitors shoot an entire stage without a front sight and have excellent runs. Colt has expanded the King Cobra line with the 2″ King Cobra Carry, a 2″ DAO model and the subject of this review, the Colt King Cobra Target. The average split for the King Cobra Target was .262 seconds while the average for the S&W revolver was .298 seconds. On to the good news: trigger weight and pull! Elevation is adjustable by loosening and tightening a screw on the top of the sight assembly. The tip of the rod is knurled, and is every-so-slightly wider than the rod itself. Both sides bear a silver Colt medallion. Revolvers between the five-shooter and full-sized revolvers were few and far between. The release of the target model continues Colt’s recent resurgence and development of its snake family of revolvers. Both the top of the barrel and the frame’s top strap are conspicuously flat and unadorned. My target is below. That would probably make a huge difference. I’m also glad they didn’t add an exaggerated Target-style hammer. they combine to form a single, long slab of metal that scans as a bit inelegant, though I admit that after handling it for just a couple of weeks I hardly notice it. colt cobra, 2" spc, 1952, un fired! – 14 rounds Winchester Defender 130-grain JHP, .38 Special +P Since SA fire no longer rules the day, they eliminated the traditional features that catered to it, and instead went with more modern, DA features. M4 Carbine Series. The revolver, chambered in .357 Magnum, featuring adjustable sights and other notable upgrades, answers immense customer demand, according to Colt. Total: 165 rounds, 12 November 2019 I found that while shooting my hand had a tendency to drift higher and higher on the “neck” of the grip. However, the upper portion of the panels narrow significantly. Total: 230 rounds. Double-action pulls averaged a beautiful, silky-smooth 9.25 pounds. I recovered the target, filled in the marginal data, and stowed it. I feel shooting in single action goes a long way toward “norming” the triggers of various revolvers. Rifles. I draw such a hard line because north of around 175 or so rounds the gun becomes painful to shoot. The gun is still well balanced and points well. ... King Cobra Series. Otherwise I had no issues at all, despite performing no maintenance at all for the entirety of this test. After stapling another target to the carriage I grabbed another box of ammo and loaded up. – 25 rounds Fiocchi 148-grain wadcutter, .38 Special It is your money, your time, and your choice. Normally when I say a revolver needs a “better trigger” I mean that the internals operated by the trigger need polishing, tuning, or outright replacing. I’ve seen a photo of a Korth with a “combat trigger shoe.” I wonder if that might solve the issue you had. With Fiocchi’s 148-grain wadcutter in single action I was able to produce a 2 1/4″ group. I don’t like square edges on a trigger face, so I agree with you that those have to go, but I’m hesitant to ask for a wider, SA blade. My second iteration of the drill was fired from five yards. Silhouette Holster For Colt King Cobra/Python/Smith & Wesson L . There’s nothing definitive in this last test, unfortunately. Leaving service after eight years in the U.S. Marines, Justin continues his involvement with a variety of government agencies to this day. This issue presented itself immediately with the King Cobra Target. The King Cobra is chambered in .357 Magnum and is available in barrel lengths of 2.5-, 3-, 4-, 6-, and 8-inches. The rear sight is fully adjustable for windage and elevation. Great blog. The newer King Cobra Target is a phenomenally accurate and shootable gun. There are few firearms that have excited me like the new Colt King Cobra. The new King Cobra features a 4.25-inch barrel, adjustable rear sight and elevated fiber-optic front sight. I would be glad to bring a 3″ GP 100 and 3″ SP 101 for comparison with the King Cobra and a 6″Gp 100 for good measure. Interestingly, the rear sight also has some positional indicators for a hasty zero; there is a single dot on the traveling portion of the windage assembly, and three coarser dots on the stationary portion. Rifles. I measured them and compared the group sizes. And to be honest, we don’t disagree about the hammer, either…mostly, haha. If your hands are sized differently than mine this might not be an issue, but I found it to be intolerable. That gun’s trigger is heavier and not as smooth, though ours has gotten smoother with use. Texas Hammer. It has a capacity of 6 rounds, a double action mechanism. $214.95. However, I do think Colt’s needs to come up with something – something on par with the triggers seen in Kimber, Ruger, S&W, and even Taurus revolvers – that is not unpleasant after 10 minutes of dry practice and not painful after 150 rounds of live ammo. With a .357 Magnum, I would have much preferred a 4-inch gun. Test #1: I shot five-shot groups with both the 610 and the 648, in both single-action and double-action. williamsburg, nm: new old stock: 11/29/2020: $840.00 Justin, thanks for such a thorough and excellent review! 2 inch " barrel benwood, wv 26031: new: 2/10/2021: $1,621.00 .357 mag. Since this is a 4″ gun with adjustable sights and since its moniker is as a “target” gun, I fired groups at a full 25 yards. I think Colt’s probably made a good choice to retain the narrow, “DA” trigger face of the baseline, New King. As you discussed, in an earlier era, a “Target” designation would usually indicate a gun with several unique features, such as: Upgraded, high visibility, adjustable sights; Target-style stocks; A wider trigger face, possibly grooved; A redesigned hammer spur, optimized for SA fire, and possibly; An improved action. – 5 rounds Speer 125-grain Gold Dot JHP, .357 Magnum – 20 rounds Speer 135-grain Gold Dot Short Barrel, .357 Magnum A spring forces the sight up as the screw is loosened, making for some “play” of the whole assembly; if the rear of the assembly is pressed down, it will pivot on the roll pin holding it into the frame. The S&W Targets were the same, narrowing too much at the neck, which is why most of the old wood was immediately replaced by rubber—especially in police holsters. I handled one of these in store yesterday and that trigger definitely stood out along side the slimness. Let’s take a look anyway. Just because THIS exemplar shoots a 2.1″ group with X load doesn’t mean yours will; each owner is going to have to do that work for him or herself, and Do you think for home defense, this Colt offers a better all purpose-gun for everyone in the family, rather than a larger framed Ruger or Smith? I’ve had different issues with other revolvers, like triggers so heavy they tire my finger.