Colt Cobra .38 Special

[VegasGeorge]

Christy and I just received a Colt Cobra .38 Special revolver as a gift from a good friend. It looks to be in new condition. This is the first .38 I've owned. I bought a box of Remington 38 Special UMC FMJ 130 GR. for trying it out. I saw some +P ammo on the shelf but didn't get it. Will the little pistol handle +P OK? For Christy, I want to keep the recoil to a minimum. For me, I want the hottest load that is safe to shoot. Do any of you have this gun, and what ammo do you suggest?

[pioneer461]

I'd give Colt a call. Give them the serial number and they should be able to tell you for sure, then you'll know for sure.

[VegasGeorge]

No response directly from Colt. But, I found an article on the gun that says the newer Cobras, with the shrouded ejector rod like mine, can handle the +P ammo. But, the author didn't think it was a very good idea to use it over a long period of time. Apparently, the newer Cobra frames are stronger than the older ones, but still not specifically designed for the +P ammo. I'll stick to the regular .38 Special ammo. That's plenty hot for me anyway.

Incidentally, I took the gun in cold to shoot the CCW qualification. I shot 30 rounds. At the conclusion of the test, there was a nice hole about three inches in diameter in the center of the target, and one small hole from a flier. Sweet little gun! :D