New Model Colt King Cobra, notes, thoughts, options

[Sharps40]

I just fired my RP63 sxs with my new Colt King Cobra.

Rossi has a better/wider trigger pad. It feels better on the pull and although the pull is slightly heavier than the Colt, it feels lighter.

Colt has a better brass bead front sight than the RP63 came with from the factory, but not as good as the newly installed Ameriglo Orange/Tritium on the RP63.

The Colt factory grip (Hogue) is too long an narrow, same as the RP63 (Hogueish) factory grip.

The Rossi is easier to hang on to with full house loads (Underwood 158g bonded #125) with its newly installed Taurus 856 boot grip. Both are less slap, less sting and less torque with full house 357 loads than my skin ripping Ruger LCR with 38 Special +p loads. (Incidentally, if you want a skin ripping 38 Special LCR, I have one for sale/trade, even comes with pink and purple grips should you be seeking a firearm for a girl or just props for Woke-ness from the current wilted strawberry generations.)

Both guns hit on the sight with 148g LWC and 125g FMJ +P at 7 yards

Both guns hit 2 to 4 inches high at the same range using 357 mag 125g JHP and the Heavy Underwood 158g bonded load noted above.

The Colt has a shorter trigger pull but the Rossi moves back smoother (and its subjective, the Colt is nothing if not smooth).

Both triggers have a wall to stage at, the Rossi wall is a bit easier to break over than the Colt. (This may only be feel due to the wider RP63 trigger)

The Colt has a prettier finish.

The Colt rear sight is very usable as is, the RP63 rear sight had to be opened up to be as quickly usable.

Double taps with both are equally easy to accomplish.

Both guns are equally loud.

Both guns are filled with MIM parts, on the Rossi the MIM circles are hidden, Colt left the MIM circle exposed on the trigger. (The MIM circle shouldn't be exposed at the Colt Price Point, JMHO though.)

The Colt front sight is easier to change and its square bottom (mortise and tenon) profile means you can easily make a sight up from stock or likely modify another makers to fit.

Soooooo........

The Colt King Cobra needs a grip and front sight. Both are inbound.

Once the updates are made to the Colt, I am sure that.....

I like both equally the same. Naturally the Colt will get a high end engraved holster but it'll be carried regular with the Rossi. The Rossi is probably what will be on my hip when I'm working though, scratches on it should "cost" less than on the Colt.

In the final analysis, glad I bought both. IF forced to sell one, it'd be the Rossi, simply because the other is a Colt and a Colt Snake gun has always been on the Bucket List.

 

[Sharps40]

I was gonna buy a new anaconda but I saw this.

Cylinder to bolt fit may need adjustment. Colt cylinders spin up faster than about any other make. It happens, easy fix but frustrating on a new piece. Could be as simple as adding a slightly stiffer bolt spring....or just cleaning the guts.... No one will bash it much since its a Colt, but a Taurus/Rossi, Oh My, Flame ON!

As for light strikes, simple enough to shim the mainspring with a pin in the 3/4 hole provided or drill and install a tension screw or even sandwich under the bottom foot. But...... Folks bitch both ways, trigger to heavy so they buy new springs and risk light strikes with hard primers, trigger nice out of the box but occasional fails with hard primers....more bitching....compromises and consequences, it pays to know how to work on your equipment....parts swapping is the beginning of knowledge but not the middle or end by any means.

Either way, I'm sure Colt/CZ will make it right.

 

[cskiles]

I really enjoy reading your posts, you my friend are a wealth of knowledge, thanks for taking the time to share it!

 

[basstracker89]

I like the older King Cobra, I don't like the shape of the new trigger guard. I do like the looks of the new as well as the old Python. However the Colt double actions just don't fit my hand well. I tend to be a big S&W fan though. I do like the SAA and autos that Colt makes. I like their rifles too

 

[Sharps40]

Just looking things over to potentially address light strike issues without a factory return.

First, the firing pin return spring is stout! There is plenty of protrusion, the tip can nearly reach the rear face of the cylinder. But, that inertial firing pin needs a good wack to fly forward and hit hard....compounding the issue is a transfer bar which also must be accelerated by the hammer.

As you can see the mainspring is free to move about in its slot in the grip. When fully forward, foot abutted against the circular cutout in the frame, there is a .153" gap between the leaves at full cock. e.g. the main spring is not compressed as fully as it could be.

 

[Sharps40]

And here, mainspring is shoved back, not as far as it could go, but far enough back that the foot of the mainspring is no longer in contact with the circular cut out in the frame.....at full compression, the gap between the leaves is .126". e.g. the mainspring is more compressed, under greater tension, a longer stroke of the spring brings more potential power to swing the hammer. That repositioning the spring is almost an 18% increase in the total compression.....with leverage/geometry it could amount to sufficient energy for the hammer at DA to move the transfer bar and the firing pin more firmly into those hard primers.

A malleable plastic pin, inserted in the frame hole at the foot of the main spring would do to hold the entire assembly rearward and not bind the spring to breakage. A brass/aluminum/other metal pin could be used as well, simply fit so the mainspring is not bound tightly between pin and grip frame.

 

[Sharps40]

Fully assembled, you see that the natural resting spot for the mainspring is a bit forward of the back of the grip notch. The spring is not getting the fullest possible compression. I note that in dry firing, the mainspring walks forward, thereby reducing the amount of total compression/power available to move the hammer/transfer bar and firing pin assembly.

The mainspring can actually sit further back in the notch, without bind, and have an increased compression/power to hammer blow. In addition to shimming the mainspring further back into the notch, it should be possible to deepen the notch thereby moving the mainspring back even further for more compression. Careful fitting is indicated.

 

[Sharps40]

And, should you be of the wilder minded type, Colt SAA one piece grips can be split and fitted flat or inlet for backstrap surround and you'd have a one of a kind Plowshare King Cobra......

 

[Bypass]

Cylinder to bolt fit may need adjustment. Colt cylinders spin up faster than about any other make. It happens, easy fix but frustrating on a new piece. Could be as simple as adding a slightly stiffer bolt spring....or just cleaning the guts.... No one will bash it much since its a Colt, but a Taurus/Rossi, Oh My, Flame ON!

As for light strikes, simple enough to shim the mainspring with a pin in the 3/4 hole provided or drill and install a tension screw or even sandwich under the bottom foot. But...... Folks bitch both ways, trigger to heavy so they buy new springs and risk light strikes with hard primers, trigger nice out of the box but occasional fails with hard primers....more bitching....compromises and consequences, it pays to know how to work on your equipment....parts swapping is the beginning of knowledge but not the middle or end by any means.

Either way, I'm sure Colt/CZ will make it right.

Do you think that's common with all the anacondas or just a fluke?

 

[Sharps40]

Don't know....don't have another snake gun to compare it to. Nature of the beast even if spring position/compression is not a shared issue. Folks are demanding light triggers, even target light on EDC guns. Colt decided to come in with a good compromise weight of under 9 lbs DA - 4 lbs SA for EDC/Safety/Practice without making the entire line up totally unreliable with the crazy light target pulls many folks feel its necessary to have on a defensive firearm. As with any lightened pull, its long been known that hard primers (CCI,Russian/ComBlok, Etc.) increase risk of FTF in DA, sometimes even in SA.

For now, mines popping CCI's just fine but if it shows a potential for flawed ignition, I may proceed as indicated above prior to resorting to a long slow factory repair. The changes I've outlined are reversible and shouldn't cause warranty concerns.