Colt’s New Snake Gun: 6-Shot Cobra .38 Revolver

I had the chance to catch up with Paul, one of the VPs of Colt, who agreed to go on camera and talk about their new double action revolver, the Colt Cobra.

I first saw this .38 Special +P, 6-shot revolver at SHOT Show. Sadly, I didn’t have time to shoot it at the range, but I wish I had. At first glance, while walking around their booth in Vegas, I thought that it was just another .38 revolver as if the world didn’t have enough of them already.

I had some misgivings about it, like why isn’t it polished up for its demanded price tag? Where is the .357 Magnum revolver at? Why not give us what we really want, which is another .357 Magnum Snake Gun? (think Python, Anaconda, etc., not those guns designed to kill slithering serpents)

I do have to admit, though, that my thoughts changed after talking to Paul about it and really getting my hands on it. This isn’t just another .38 revolver …

First, let’s get the price out of the way. $699 is a decent chunk of change, especially when there are plenty of others on the market for a lot less than that. Then again, this is a small-framed 6-shot .38 revolver capable of handling the extra pressure the +P cartridges provide.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe any of the other major gun makers currently offer .38 revolvers in a 6-shot platform in a gun of this size. This, by itself, is a huge benefit of the Colt Cobra that seems to fill a gap in the market.

After all, if given the choice between five or six cartridges in my self-defense gun, I know I’d pick six all day long.

Revolver VS Pistol, which is better?

Let’s move on.

One thing that drives me absolutely nuts about most revolvers, and why I don’t own as many of them as I’d like, is the overall small size of the trigger guard. Most of the revolvers out there right now offer a very narrow gap between the trigger and the steel that protects it.

I have huge hands with sausages for fingers so you can imagine why this would be a problem.

In fact, I can barely get my finger inside those small guards, and the size of the gun doesn’t really seem to matter because even the bigger revolvers tend to have a very narrow guard.

Extended shooting periods, especially where rapid fire is involved, tend to chew my trigger finger up on the only revolver I have right now, a Charter Arms Off Duty.

Compare the guard of the below picture, with the Colt Cobra above, and you’ll see what I mean:

The Cobra is a bit bigger than many of the other revolvers in this category. It’s got a snubby 2” barrel, but Colt extended the grip out a bit more, increasing the overall length enough that you wouldn’t want to stick the Cobra in your pocket holster.

Overall length is 7.2 inches with a height of 4.9 inches, and it weighs in at a hefty 25 ounces (empty). I say “hefty” because the average snub nose revolver is in the 14-17 ounce range.

While the Colt Cobra seems heavy, remember that you’ve got a cylinder that’s a bit bigger, with all steel construction. Most others are an alloy.

Here’s another offering from Colt, while at SHOT Show 2017:

Plus, when it’s all said and done, that extra weight will only help the operator manage the recoil of the higher pressure +P self-defense cartridges.

While I wasn’t impressed at first, I’m currently pleased that Colt decided to offer this small snake gun up. The next step for me, is to actually get my hands on one to solidify my argument for it. What do you think? Is this a home run for Colt? Or, should they have gone in a different direction? Let us know in the comments below.

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They also just released their newest snake gun, the King Cobra in 357 Magnum. Check it out.