Opinions on Cobra CB38?

[Guest TargetShooter84]

I was at couple pawn shops today and ran into couple of those and thought it was interesting, both were priced below $200.

Was wondering what everybody thought of those? Good guns or bad guns? Consider or Run away?

I know .38 Spl is hard to find nowadays so thats one of my concerns is the ammo firsthand.

(Pic for reference)

Any thoughts are welcome.

[Guest coldblackwind]

I haven't had any trouble finding 38 spl, I own a few. I used to have a .357 derringer, that I fired .38's out of, even with the heavier frame, it was a handful! I mean, stout. As for Cobra, don't have any first hand experience with them, but from what little I do know about them, they don't have a stellar reputation for quality.

[morrisster]

Cobra - their NEW gun prices are around that of the jennings/raven/phoenix/hi point (not grouping those all in the same quality group) just saying prices NEW should be like $120-150. At a pawnshop in hixson (outside chattanooga) recently they had this same gun for $69.

If you want a small gun that packs a punch - NAA 22 Mag revolver - 5 shot little beast.

opinion on the cobra (what you asked for) run away. save the money and put it towards a gun you really want. $150 saved from this + $150 saved from another 'saturday night special' purchase = $300 good gun = you happy

[Guest TargetShooter84]

I've heard mixed reviews on Cobra so I wanted to ask......

I don't think a little gun would suit me too well...maybe keltec or ruger lcp or something like that in 9mm.

.38spl is like going on a treasure hunt around here....I only managed to find one box of 100 rd .38spl last month, first time I've seen it on a shelf at wallyworld.

[morrisster]

i know its quite a bit bigger but i carry a keltec pf9. I can conceal under a t-shirt and shorts and my wife only notices when I ask her if she can tell i'm packing. Only then does she notice the bump of the handle (i wear fairly tight t-shirts) 7+1 in a familiar round is comforting to me (winter time i carry a g19)

[chadbuddy]

I vote to run away too. Im tempted to buy one of the bond arms but I have to keep telling myself that they aren't practical.

[MacGyver]

Unless you want to shoot up a grocery store with an accidental discharge like happened over in Clinton last year, run away...quickly.

[Guest coldblackwind]

Unless you want to shoot up a grocery store with an accidental discharge like happened over in Clinton last year, run away...quickly.

Well...I suppose that would be exciting anyways.

[JAB]

Cobra - their NEW gun prices are around that of the jennings/raven/phoenix/hi point (not grouping those all in the same quality group) just saying prices NEW should be like $120-150. At a pawnshop in hixson (outside chattanooga) recently they had this same gun for $69.

If you want a small gun that packs a punch - NAA 22 Mag revolver - 5 shot little beast.

I've always kind of wanted a little two-shot 'Derringer' type pistol and the pricing on the Cobras makes them tempting. In fact, just yesterday I was looking for info about them on the 'Net - specifically the .38 Special model as that is the one I think would be the most interesting, to me. I figured that, if nothing else, I could carry it in the woods with shot shells. Well, I ended up finding a .pdf of their manual. I didn't care much for what I saw in it. For one, it said in two or three different places to never carry one of these with a live round in the chamber. What's the use in that? Another thing was that it said you can use shot shells in the 9mm and .22 WMR versions but not the .38 Special version. Not very useful, IMO.

Another thing that turns me off of them was something I found out when my grandfather-in-law looked at buying one of the .22 WMR versions a year or two ago. The person at the counter was telling him that when you load it you have to look and make sure that neither of the firing pins are protruding (which, apparently, they sometimes do) or it could fire when you are closing the action. No, thanks.

Back around Christmas, I bought a used NAA .22 WMR revolver with the 1 5/8 inch barrel in really good shape (as in looked almost new) for $160. Not as powerful as a .38 Special and certainly not a long distance shooter but with practice I can keep all five in the head/face area of a standard silhouette target at five yards with my weak hand (when it gets carried, it is in my weak side pocket.) It is smaller/less bulky than those Cobras but has three more shots. It also has safety notches between the cylinders for the hammer to rest in so (with a pocket holster) is safe to carry fully loaded. I tested some CCI shot shells out of mine a couple of weeks ago and was impressed with the results. The only advantage the Cobra might have is that the grip might fill my hand a little better - but I'm planning to order some boot grips from NAA (better grip than the little birdshead but not as bulky as the big rubber grips like on the Black Widow) which will make that a non-issue. With what I already knew about the Cobras in addition to what I found in that electronic version of their manual, yesterday, I think I'd spend about the same amount of money and get another NAA mini - maybe a different model like the PUG or the Black Widow - before I'd buy a Cobra.

This is the link to the manual that I found:

http://www.cobrapistols.net/pdfs/Products/Cobra-BigBoreDerringer-Manual.pdf

Edited June 30, 2010 by JAB

[Guest TargetShooter84]

Thanks for the feedback guys,

I did see a NAA .22 WMR revolver at the pawn shop but never really looked at it nor the price either.

I'll stay away from the Cobra brands then! Appreciate the info and pdf file, JAB!

[Oh Shoot]

I've got Cobra .38 derringer.

Always goes boom. Plenty safe enough long as you keep it on half cock, has a cross bolt safety too.

Needs to be on half cock to load, if you force it closed not on half cock, THAT's when The Bad Thing could happen.

Very heavy, fairly crudely cast, not quick to deploy, hard to recock with one hand, has 42.4 lb trigger pull, shouldn't use +p.

Other than that, great weapon.

- OS

[JAB]

If ever there were a handgun that is virtually begging for faux-pearl grips, that is it (or maybe faux-ivory with a pair of dice or a 'dead man's hand' - aces and eights - engraved into them. But, dangit, OS, I had talked myself completely out of getting one of those and here you come along and start shaking my resolve.

[Oh Shoot]

If ever there were a handgun that is virtually begging for faux-pearl grips, that is it (or maybe faux-ivory with a pair of dice or a 'dead man's hand' - aces and eights - engraved into them. But, dangit, OS, I had talked myself completely out of getting one of those and here you come along and start shaking my resolve.

Btw, just got back from few days in 'Nooga. There was LOTS of .38 there, at two Walmarts I went to, and Sportsman's Warehouse, and Academy, and I think at Dick's also.

So, there oughtta at least be some WWB .38 FMJ around the Knox Wallies.

Also, re the ones OP has seen at the pawn shops: standard price on these is $150 new, + tax/TICS.

Usually see a few of them at gunshows for that price, if you don't see them anywhere else.

- OS

Edited July 2, 2010 by OhShoot