Last year I decided to celebrate five years of service as an active duty Air Force Officer by purchasing a brand new firearm. Since I was stationed in California, my options were somewhat limited, what with registry laws, capacity restriction, and so on and so forth. I did not own any revolvers, and an article in another online publication had piqued my interest in some of the older Colt revolvers used in police and detective work before semi-automatic pistols, especially the “wonder-nines” became ubiquitous.
The revolver the other blog discussed that grabbed my attention was the Colt Detective’s Special, a snub nose .38 Special, and that article was at the forefront of my mind as I looked through the glass display case at the lone gun store on the Monterey Peninsula. The shop happened to have a Detective Special, and their specimen was an excellent “Third Generation” revolver, with slightly worn wood and bluing in excellent shape. I eagerly asked the store attendant to let me handle the snubby, and despite the hefty price tag I was certain I was going to buy it.
Before I was able to pull that financial trigger, the gun store employee helping me spoke up.
“Let me show you something a little bit newer,” the attendant said, motioning me over to another display case, “in fact, it was just put on the registry last week.”
The revolver was another Colt .38 Special, the new model Cobra, and it carried a price tag over $200 cheaper than its classic predecessor.
“I think this would be a little bit more your speed,” the friendly attendant said while I handled the stainless steel, snub-nosed revolver.
And he was most definitely correct. When was the last time a salesperson tried to down sell you? To my memory, this was first time it has happened to me.
Once I had selected the revolver, the long process of filling out the registration paperwork begins. In my home state of Minnesota, with the proper identification and permit, filling out the paperwork takes maybe five minutes and then you have maybe an hour (at the longest) to wait while the background check is conducted. In Texas, where my first duty station was, with a concealed carry permit, it almost took longer to swipe your credit card than it did to fill out the paperwork. Almost.
Not so in California. And my non-resident/resident status made it even more confusing. Luckily, the same store attendant who had helped me select the revolver was more than willing to guide me through the paperwork process. An hour later, I had paid for the revolver, the background check fee, and the exorbitant sales tax and walked out the store without the gun.
Because of the 240 hour waiting period that California mandates.
So I went home to wait for the time to expire, and eleven days later returned to the shop to pick up my new revolver and a couple boxes of .38 Special. Because the range in Monterey, CA is only open from Friday to Monday, and is often closed for random events or weather, I had a little while to wait before getting to test out my new blaster.
While I waited to head to the range, I had plenty of time to familiarize myself with the controls. This being my first revolver, I was pleasantly surprised by the trigger pull. Double action triggers on Semi-automatic pistols, like the Beretta M9/92 series, tend to have a really heavy, obnoxious pull. The Cobra’s pull is heavy, but it is smooth, and the bright, fiber-optic front sight is easy to keep on target.
I really like the revolver, and only have one complaint about it. It is proving very difficult to find a holster for it. Personally, I prefer a kydex holster, especially for a handgun that I intend to carry concealed, however not very many holster makers have put any resources into this particular model. The one holster I have purchased, a leather one, doesn’t fit very well, even though it was listed specifically to go with the revolver. If you have a recommendation, throw it in the comment section!
Normally when I acquire a new firearm, the first thing that I usually do with it is shoot at paper targets to figure out where the grouping goes. Not so with the new revolver. The Monterey County shooting range has a pretty extensive steel target range, and I decided to forgo the paper and jump straight to steel. The best plan? Probably not, but shooting steel, and hearing that satisfying ping as the round makes impact is just too much fun.
I was pleasantly surprised. The first cylinder of six .38 Special smacked into six consecutive steel plates at about fifteen yards. The rest of the range day was much of the same. Jenny and I took turns plinking away with my new snub nose revolver, poking steel targets and practicing the tedious chore of reloading a revolver. Many satisfying pings, and 200 rounds later, I was pretty content with my five-year USAF anniversary gift to myself.
Revolvers aren’t for everyone, and for those looking for their first handgun, I really wouldn’t recommend it. They’re harder to load, hold less bullets, and usually recoil sharper than a semiautomatic pistol. It was pretty evident watching the revolver jump around in Jenny’s hands, even with cheapo .38 Special range loads, compared to the recoil impulse of my Walther CCP 9mm. Especially with the recent releases of first-time oriented pistols, like the Smith and Wesson M&P Shield EZ in 9mm or .380 ACP, anyone would most likely be better served with a semiautomatic over a revolver.
But:
There is a place for a revolver in every arsenal, and while finding holsters is a pain in the butt, the Colt Cobra is a great looking revolver, at a pretty decent price. An interested revolver shooter would have an easier time finding aftermarket accessory support for a Smith & Wesson, Ruger, or even Taurus revolver, but the Colt holds six, whereas other revolvers of similar size hold only five rounds. While the Cobra isn’t my go-to concealed carry pistol, I have carried it concealed, and I can confidently say that it is more than adequate.
Does it work? Yep. Was it obsolete before it even made it to the gun store floor? A matter of perspective. However, to each their own, and for the concerned, responsible citizen, or the collector looking to expand their collection, the Colt Cobra is a pretty fun option to get a revolver in your lineup.