The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Colt Cobra LW from 1961. I like my old revolvers, this one is no beauty queen and I don't mind putting it in my pocket when I am out and about and don't feel like gearing up with another Colt. (Defender) It is a damn nice lightweight six shot .38 SPL. My postal scales call it 15.4 ounces, 5 oz. lighter than my S&W model 36 that is a five shot revolver. The Cobra is a lot of firepower in a small package. While I wouldn't shoot +P ammo in this one I don't consider standard velocity .38 SPL inadequate at close quarters.

The most famous user of this type revolver was Jack Ruby in killing Oswald. Ruby's was a bit older and he had a hammer shroud installed on his. Ruby's was a very early four digit serial number and this one is a low six digit number. They started making these again a few years ago but now they are injection molded frames and sleeved barrels, redesigned lock work and other changes to make it like the little birdie sings, cheap, cheap, cheap.

Cheap is how everything remade seems to be made now, and pretty much everything else as well. At one time people cared, and the ones in the know wouldn't spend their money on cheap junk unless they set out to buy cheap junk and it was priced accordingly. Things like this revolver weren't cheap, and those who paid the price to own one knew that, there was no fooling them with a crappy imitation.

That's what my Grandpa carried on the NCSHP most of his 33 yrs. I consider a standard .38 spec.round lethal too. LEO's wanted something more, for heavy metal vehicles of the 50's, and the 60's &70's for PCP psycho's swinging axes and such that wouldn't drop after a .38 round. My model 37 airweight is 14.8 oz.empty, just a half oz. less. My son (Sgt. Brown) has the cobra now, I never thought to weigh it..

I guess we will have to see whether the quality will go up or down now that CZ has bought Colt.

steelbuttplate wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 1:21 pm That's what my Grandpa carried on the NCSHP most of his 33 yrs. I consider a standard .38 spec.round lethal too. LEO's wanted something more, for heavy metal vehicles of the 50's, and the 60's &70's for PCP psycho's swinging axes and such that wouldn't drop after a .38 round. My model 37 airweight is 14.8 oz.empty, just a half oz. less. My son (Sgt. Brown) has the cobra now, I never thought to weigh it..

By the 1920's police and government agents were engaging in gun battles with bootleggers and mobsters who had choppers, and heavy, expensive cars with doors that .38 specials wouldn't penetrate. When S&W got tired of hearing the bitching they came up with the .38-44. Using the .44 special frame, what we call the N frame today, they simply reduced the barrel to 38 special spec, and the chambers, they overcharged the .38 special case to near what is now .357 magnum spec, and called it the .38-44. This allowed police to stay within agency regulations regarding what they could carry, .38 special for most, but gave them more punch when going up against Capones boys, and Joe the Boss's gang. The .38-44 revolver was the same as the .44 special, but drilled smaller in .38 special. They quickly realized that it was a bad idea having two outwardly identical rounds with one being enough to blow some earlier .38 special revolvers. This is why S&W came up with the .357 magnum.

Longcolt44 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 7:27 pm I guess we will have to see whether the quality will go up or down now that CZ has bought Colt.

It can't do anything but go up.