From the Vault: Colt Cobra / Agent Revolvers

Republican vs Democrat. Red State vs Blue State. Pro This vs Con That. Of all the debates raging in America today, none is more heated than one of the oldest: Colt vs Smith & Wesson. Today, Brownells Gun Tech™ Keith Ford has one for the "prancing horse" fans - the Colt Cobra snub-nosed revolver. Introduced in 1950, the Cobra offered a revolutionary break from revolver tradition - an aluminum frame. At 15 oz., the Cobra was a LOT lighter than the Colt New Service or an S&W Military & Police (Model 10). It led to a U.S. Air Force contract for the Aircrewman revolver, which went a step too far with its aluminum cylinder. Caught flat-footed, Smith & Wesson quickly came out with their aluminum-framed Airweight. The Agent model was a Cobra with a shortened grip frame. Both the Cobra and the Agent had 6-shot cylinders, something S&W's J-frame revolvers did not have. The Cobra was heavily redesigned in 1971, including the addition of a barrel shroud around the ejector rod. Cobra offered the Cobra in .38 Special, .38 Colt New Police (really .38 S&W with a flat-nosed bullet), .32 New Police, and .22 Long Rifle. The Cobra has figured in some notably nefarious events in mid-20th century history, which Keith tells us about.