CZ/Colt King Cobra Target 357 Magnum...

[JM]

I shot one the other day. 4" barrel with a rubber grip. An older gentleman owned it & struck up a conversation with me during cease fire at the range. He handed it to me with a cylinder full of 38 Special. It came to hand very well. Felt smaller than a Python. Perhaps Ruger Security Six sized. First shot in S/A with the rest in D/A. Action was very smooth. I was surprised how nice it fit & felt to operate. Don't know where it was manufactured. Looked like new production.

I want one.

[Encore64]

I've never bought into the not shooting 38 Special in 357 Magnum Revolvers. Mostly because I've been doing it since 1979 with zero problems.

Sure mine will see mostly 38 Special +P Loads. It's just too small of a gun to shake loose with heavier loads.

[aciera]

That’s great to hear. And the price sound better
CZ can do a hinge right
Yet then they stopped building the 527&550.......and prices shot up.

[Encore64]

This gun has some interesting dimensions to it...

The cylinder is only 1.398" in diameter. Outside walls measure .059", inside walls .068". This is definitely a Petite 357 Magnum.

My Uberti 38 Special P Jr Cylinder measures 1.437"...

The barrel certainly seems well suited to cast bullets!!!

The bore measures .345" with no thread choke and the groove slugs a tight .355". Forcing Cone is .359", so that'll sure provide a tight fit on cast bullets...

[tdbarton]

[Encore64]

Thanks Tim...

I asked Tim to post these so I could explain how I eliminated a small problem with this gun.

Actually "problem" probably isn't the right word, so I'll say characteristic.

The gun had about .002" endshake. I hate endshake!!!

As posted earlier the .004" barrel gap gave me very little wiggle room. With a Starline Case in the chamber, a .002" feeler gauge wouldn't go between the case head and recoil shield.

So, I came up with an idea. I had some assorted shims for Ruger Blackhawk Endshake.

I disassembled the Cylinder Assembly and installed a .002" Shim under the star extractor. Since the ratchet is on the extractor, this lenthened the assembly .002". Shouldn't get hammered here like they do in front and should last a long time.

I'm not sure why the measurements didn't add up in the end. Now the gun has a .0015" barrel gap, .0035" behind the case head, all with zero endshake.

[tj3006]

I would like to own one of these,
But I have Model 19 no dash, And it gets little use, I just like my OM flat top much better for most uses, So I probably should buy something else !

[Encore64]

This gun is simply awesome. So small and solidly built. I'm a sucker for a well built gun.

Hope the 22 LR is as well built...

[tdbarton]

Jul 30, 2022 19:48:04 GMT -5 Encore64 said:

This gun is simply awesome. So small and solidly built. I'm a sucker for a well built gun.

Hope the 22 LR is as well built...

How would you compare it to a K-frame or SP101?

[Encore64]

Great question Tim. I've actually been comparing those three.

I have an SP101 357 Magnum, but no S&W K-Frame. Luckily, my LGS does have a S&W 66 in stock.

Of course, the SP is a 5-Shot. So, the S&W is a better comparison.

The S&W 66 has a cylinder diameter of 1.446". The Colt is smaller at 1.397". But, the lock notches are at 90° to the chambers on the S&W and offset considerably on the Colt.

The two are very comparable in price, so it comes down to preference.

I've always wanted Quality Colt Revolvers, but never thought I'd see it again. I have to give credit where it's due. CZ seems to be getting them back on track.

All this and no unsightly safety hole on the Colt made my choice easy...

[Encore64]

Ruger SP101 357 Mag 4.2" - 29.8 oz...

Colt King Cobra Target 357 Mag 4.2" - 34.6 oz...