Some revolvers are built to be admired, and Colt has many. The Colt King Cobra, however, was built to be carried. When Colt brought the King Cobra back at SHOT Show 2019, the company had spent the better part of two decades out of the double-action revolver business.
The original King Cobra ran from 1986 to 1992, and its bloodline traces all the way back to the 1908 Police Positive.
Image: Creative Commons.
Image: Creative Commons.
Revolver Colt King Cobra .357 Magnum
The reborn version is a six-shot, all-stainless .357 Magnum with a 3-inch barrel, a full-length underlug, Hogue overmolded grips, and an unloaded weight of 28 ounces. It launched with an MSRP of $899.
However, the model that really caught my attention arrived a few months later. Colt bobbed the hammer, cut the barrel to 2 inches, and called it the King Cobra Carry.
Then came the King Cobra Target with a 4.25-inch barrel and adjustable sights.
Today the lineup runs from a belt-friendly snub to a service-length six-gun.
So where does it actually fit?
The Case For A Carry Gun Is Strong
One could start with concealment, because that’s what Colt designed this weapon for. The King Cobra Carry weighs about 26 ounces and holds six rounds.
By comparison, Smith & Wesson’s 2-inch Model 60 holds five, and Ruger’s 2.5-inch GP100 holds seven but tips the scales at 36 ounces.
The Colt splits the difference nicely.
The King Cobra stands out with an outstanding trigger.
Colt’s LL2 linear leaf mainspring delivers a smooth, even double-action pull.
Gun Tests measured its DAO Carry at 8.5 pounds with very little stacking, and the Colt posted the fastest time in their first speed drill at 0.89 seconds, edging out a pair of lightweight Smith & Wessons.
That’s the payoff for carrying a few extra ounces of steel.
More weight soaks up muzzle flip.
The Hogue grip gives you something to hold onto when the magnums start going off, though shooters can also opt for the .38 Special +P.
One more round, too. Out of a snubnose.
The cylinder accepts the old Colt Detective Special pattern speedloaders, so reloading gear isn’t hard to find.
Colt has also added a DA/SA version of the Carry with a spurred hammer.
If you’re carrying concealed, I’d opt for the DAO with the bobbed hammer.
Snag-free matters when you’re drawing from under a shirt in a hurry, and nobody is thumb-cocking a hammer in a gunfight.
The Size And Capacity Are The Trade-Off
The King Cobra is not a pocket gun. Shooting Illustrated found the size and weight too much for pocket carry, but well suited to strong-side carry inside or outside the waistband. I agree.
This is a belt gun, and a stiff gun belt and a quality holster aren’t optional.
Then there’s the .357 Magnum out of a 2-inch tube.
You lose velocity, gain a fireball, and your follow-up shots slow down. The beauty of the platform is that it eats .38 Special and +P loads just as happily.
It’s a smart option to use a quality .38 Special +P defensive load in the snub, saving full-house magnums for the 3- and 4-inch guns.
Capacity is the elephant in the room. Six rounds against a modern micro-compact 9mm carrying 12 to 15 is a real gap, and reloading a revolver under stress is slower than seating a fresh magazine.
Anyone who carries a King Cobra should carry a reload and practice with it…constantly, until it is second nature.
What About As A Duty Weapon?
Revolvers once owned the duty holster. Smith & Wesson’s Model 19, Colt’s Trooper Mk III, and Ruger’s Security-Six were all used extensively by law enforcement.
The FBI’s last issued service revolver was the Smith & Wesson Model 13. Those days are gone, and I don’t see any agency going back.
But isn’t the old-fashioned revolver obsolete? That depends on your perspective.
“Duty” covers more ground than a patrol officer’s holster.
Game wardens, rural deputies who carry a backup, armed security, ranchers, and folks who work in the backcountry all want a six-shooter that keeps running when it’s wet, dirty, or neglected.
That’s where the King Cobra Target earns its keep.
With a 4.25-inch barrel, a 9.25-inch overall length, a 36-ounce weight, and an adjustable rear sight, it’s a legitimate service-sized revolver.
Colt also offers a variant with a front night sight and black Hogue rubber grips, which, in my opinion, a working professional should buy over the wood-gripped model.
The longer barrel also lets the .357 Magnum do what it was designed to do.
Full-power 158-grain loads out of a 4-inch barrel built the cartridge’s reputation, and AmmoLand tested the Target at 25 yards with both .38 Special and magnum ammunition.
A revolver is also forgiving in ways a semi-auto pistol isn’t.
There’s no magazine to seat, no limp-wrist malfunction, and no slide to rack if your support hand is out of action.
If a round fails to fire, you pull the trigger again.
That simplicity is why many experienced shooters still keep one in the truck or on the nightstand.
The King Cobra Is Expensive, However
Prices have steadily risen since its launch. Current King Cobra and King Cobra Carry models carry MSRPs in the $1,150 to $1,190 range, though street prices run lower.
That’s real money for a stainless sixgun.
The Guns.com reviewer, who also owns a 3-inch Python, found the King Cobra trimmer and quicker in the hand, if a bit more utilitarian.
That’s a fair assessment.
You’re paying for the trigger and the Colt name, and the trigger is worth it.
If I were buying just one, I’d pick the 3-inch.
It conceals nearly as well as the 2-inch Carry, gets more out of the magnum, and shoots noticeably better.
Guns.com found the same thing when they shot the two side by side: the 3-inch outshot the snub everywhere except at 5 yards.
If it is a backup gun for hunting or out on a ranch, I’d choose the 4-inch.
The King Cobra was designed to be carried, and it is an excellent pistol.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications