anyone seen the- Cobra Shadow 38spl

[JD]

hhhmmmmm.... Davis, Lorcin, Raven, Jennings, Jiminez........

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[crue2009]

Would that be COBRA Enterprises in Utah?
I would not trust a firearm made by them.
BTW: they are not showing a S&W Type J-Frame on their website yet so it must be pretty new.
Here is a link to their site ~~~> Cobra

If money is a problem - you would probably be much better off with a pre-owned Smith & Wesson until more is known about the quality of the COBRA. They actually LOOK well made and decently finished.

There are a few of them listed on gunbroker. Price range around $349.00
They actually look pretty good & OK for +P - though none of the other COBRA guns are +P rated.


and you can get one in pink.

yup, that's the gun..doesn't look like cheaply made but who knows..i've never heard of the company or even seen one of these in a gun shop.

[SpringerXD]

yup, that's the gun..doesn't look like cheaply made but who knows..

Um... the frame is made of bubble gum.

[CAB]

Just purchased the pink one for my wife. Haven't taken it to the range yet.
The gun appears well made but after she pulled the trigger several times she complained that it was a little stiff.
Then she had trouble releasing the cylinder. So I decided to open it up and see what could be done to improve
the performance. After tinkering with it for 4 hours & took a break as nothing I did improved the operation.
The next day I started over determined to make some headway. Took me a while to figure out why the slide that
is connected to the thumb piece was sticking. Apparently the round pin that actually pushes the cylinder pin is
dragging against the aluminum frame. If you push the thumb piece parallel with the barrel there is no binding.
But using your thumb normally there is some lateral pressure that causes the pin to bind. My fix was to use silicone
grease (food grade) to replace the oil. Then I took 3 coils off the spring that loads the cylinder pin. This has helped.
This is not a problem with my S&W 66 Stainless. I think a better design would have the cover plate prevent this
slide from moving laterally by having a tighter cavity. As for the trigger pull I thought about reducing the hammer
spring as it has no thumb pull on the hammer. Fear of a miss fire stopped me. Maybe I can fins a replacement spring
set later. So I attacked the problem by polishing the parts that rubbed together. This did little to help. I then cut
several coils off the trigger return spring which helped the trigger pull but the trigger would not return all the way.
Next I took several coils off the Cylinder Stop spring which helped a little to allow the trigger to return but it would
still catch sometimes & not return. So I had to add some shim stock to the trigger return spring to make it reliable.

At this point the trigger is somewhat improved but still a little stiff compared to my model 66. I think the main difference
in performance between the Cobra & the S&W is that the S&W has tighter tolerances and the problem with the aluminium
case. My 66 feels very smooth in all functions whereas the Cobra does not.
The parts look nearly the same. I wish I still had my S&W 36 to compare exactly.

Please do not try any of the modifications I mentioned. I would like to try a lighter spring set if I knew they would work in this gun.
I would also like to get a target trigger to help with the feel.

Just my ramblings.

[TX-JB]

I think you answered a lot of questions about the quality of the Cobra... It looks much like the internals of a 642, except a 642 works... You have had to make fairly major modifications to the gun, just to make it cycle and you haven't fired it yet... Would you really trust your wife's life to this gun?

No thanks, I'll stay with S&W or Ruger. If I was going to go to a second tier gun I would choose Charter Arms, Taurus or Rossi...

[CAB]

Well the gun works, just not like I would like it too. I think it will fire when needed but if I had it to do over again
I would spend another $100 and get a S&W 642.

[Dumbledork]

Thought I'd revive this thread, since I just picked one up last week for around $300, brand new. I bought the titanium anodized version. After taking it home, taking a look at it, and cleaning and lubing it up (yes, I clean guns before shooting them, even if they're brand new), I took it out to a friend's range to put some rounds through it. Here's what I thought:

1. It's as accurate as a S&W. I had a M642, and it shoots just as well.
2. The trigger is rough, but I was able to stage it easily enough.
3. It feels like a M642 in my hands. I'm sure you'd be able to swap out parts for it easily, like grips.

Now the bad:

1. For some reason, the cylinder wouldn't line up right. This was after 100 rounds of shooting jacketed wadcutters, not +P stuff, which it is rated for.
2. The ejector wouldn't work right. It would push out the shells about 1/8", then I had to pull them out by hand. They came out easily enough, so I don't think it was due to the actual chambers, so it must be an issue with the rod.
3. After taking it home, I sat on the couch dry firing it. The firing pin broke.

I'm sending it back to Cobra after the holidays, with a detailed report. If they can fix the problems, I'm still going to sell it. I could probably get back my money for it on the secondary market. I think that for the price, Cobra could have done a better job with this gun. I have two of their derringers, and they've worked flawlessly. The Shadow acts more like a $100 revolver than a $300. You get what you pay for. Next time, I'll spend the extra $100 and buy a Ruger SP101, used.

[dukalmighty]

Well the gun works, just not like I would like it too. I think it will fire when needed but if I had it to do over again
I would spend another $100 and get a S&W 642.

I don't "think" my SD guns will fire if needed,I wouldn't trust my wifes life to a gun that the Company is known to build cheap guns that aren't reliable.Do what you want but there are better options available for the same money,you just might have to buy a used gun

[royal barnes]

We have now heard from two people who own them. Does anyone want to run out and buy one for themselves. I handled them at a trade show and was not impressed with the fit or function. Save your money and look for a good used S&W for about the same money.

[HotGuns]

1. For some reason, the cylinder wouldn't line up right. This was after 100 rounds of shooting jacketed wadcutters, not +P stuff, which it is rated for.
2. The ejector wouldn't work right. It would push out the shells about 1/8", then I had to pull them out by hand. They came out easily enough, so I don't think it was due to the actual chambers, so it must be an issue with the rod.
3. After taking it home, I sat on the couch dry firing it. The firing pin broke.

This is typical for Cobra. Their guns are notmade to shoot, they are made to look at,fondle and play with, but dont dry fire it.

Their biggest sellers are the Derringers. I've messed with several, they start out life as pieces of crap, they go through life as pieces of crap and they all end up the same...as pieces.

Why people would bet their lives on cheap pieces of crap is beyond me. Usually its because they are broke, uneducated about guns, uneducated, dumb and or living off of the goverment mammary gland or one of the ignerint unwashed masses that put the current administration in office.

No discerning,gun savy individual would own a Cobra unless it was truly a mistake. If they are smart, they learn from that mistake and never buy another.

[303british]

For $75 more Bud's sells the S&W 642 with out a lock. With free shipping.

S&W M642 38 1 7/8 No Lock Stainless $375.00 SHIPS FREE

[Haywood]

I read they can't be dry fired.

[TonyDTrigger]

If the peice is reasonable and it works reliably, it could be a very useful tool. Not everyone can afford a Smith.

I had to return a brand new Bodyguard .38 special because it was literally falling appart. Parts were loose all over it.True, I bought it when it 1st came out, but still, just saying it can happen to any brand.

[Richard58]

I would like to see a company make a 38 derringer the size of cobras derringer but with the quality of Bonds derringer. As it is Bond derringers are just to heavy and big for two shots. The reason I either carry a smith j frame or a small auto.

[nightsonge]

I would like to see a company make a 38 derringer the size of cobras derringer but with the quality of Bonds derringer. As it is Bond derringers are just to heavy and big for two shots. The reason I either carry a smith j frame or a small auto.

Well it's not a .38 but how about a 9MM or .45?
Heizer Defense Introduces - DoubleTap