Colt Cobra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Colt Cobra is a small, short-barrelled revolver chambered in .38 Special and .22 LR formerly made by Colt's Manufacturing Company.
This revolver is the same overall size and configuration as the famous Colt Detective's Special except the Cobra has a lighter weight aluminum-alloy frame compared to the all steel frame of the Detective Special. The Colt Cobra was produced in calibers .38 Special and .22 LR. The Cobra .38 Special was available in 2 inch and 3 inch barreled models. The Cobra in .22 LR was available only with the 3 inch barrel.
Jack Ruby used a Cobra .38 Special with the serial number 2744 LW to kill Lee Harvey Oswald.
The Colt Cobra is prized by some for its light weight, smooth trigger action, and ability to hold six rounds (as opposed to the competing Smith and Wesson Airweight model revolver that only holds five rounds). These Colt guns are no longer in production, adding to their allure and collectability.
The Cobra is a double-action snubnose revolver, a class of gun known affectionately to gun aficianados as a "snubbie". As the name "Detective Special" suggests, this class of gun was historically popular for use as a concealed weapon by plainclothes police detectives. Despite the increasing advent of semi-automatic handguns, the snubnose revolver remains extremely popular among law-enforcement officers and civilians alike for concealed carry, due to its small size, light weight, ease of operation and near-total reliability.
Use of high-pressure +P ammunition in the lightweight Colt Cobra is not advised. The alloy frame of the gun is not designed to endure the shock generated by this type of ammunition and repeated use of high pressure ammunition may stretch the gun's frame, destroying the gun or rendering it unsafe to shoot.
[edit] External links
- Official Safety and Instruction Manual (.pdf)
- [*The Snubnose Files The Snubnose Files]
| .38 Calibre |
|---|
| Cartridges |
| .38 Long Colt (1875) | .38 S&W (1877) | .38 ACP (1900) | .38 Special (1902) | .380 ACP (1908) | .38/200 (1922) | .38 Super (1927) |
| Revolvers |
| M1899 Revolver | Smith & Wesson M&P/Victory | Enfield No. 2 Mk I | Colt Detective's Special |
| Pistols |
| Colt M1900 | Colt M1902 | Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer | Colt M1908 Pocket Hammerless | Browning M1910 | Walther PPK |
| Lists |
| List of handgun cartridges | List of rifle cartridges | List of firearms |
