I have a question about Cobra Firearms

[Mustafalis]

I would really appreciate an honest opinion about Cobra. I really like this blue .380 they have which is more a pocket pistol. It is very cheap and I was wondering if anyone out there has purchased a Cobra Firearm and could give me a little insight. The one Gun Shop Owner I talked to (and trust) said Cobra's are not that high quality of a piece; however, I believe he has never owned one but I am not positive. So if there are any Cobra handgun owners out there who could give me their opinion I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you all.

[Sparxfly72]

No, I don't own one. A few questions though. What is your intended purpose? If it is for a conceal carry piece, there are better options. I would look past the cheap price and invest in a better quality brand to defend your life. Is it just for fun pot-shots at the range? Again, there are better options. Is it a bug? there are better options.
When I was a kid, I admired my fathers' gun collection. Well, his rifle collection I should say. His handguns collection consisted of a S&W model 28(which I loved) and about a half-dozen pieces of shit he kept scattered all over the house ....loaded with no safeties. As I got older, I asked him once why he didn't just sell those pot metal pieces of crap and get something decent. He didn't put much into handguns...his position..not mine.

[harold63]

I really like this blue .380 they have which is more a pocket pistol.

If it is for a conceal carry piece, there are better options. I would look past the cheap price and invest in a better quality brand to defend your life.

Gotta agree here, not to mention if you are talking about the same .380 I'm thinking of, it can be used as ballast, so to carry it in your pocket would be like putting a small anvil in there.

If you gotta buy cheap, I would rather have one the Patriots. At least it is thin and light enough to actually carry in your pocket, should you choose to.

[knight0334]

I'm a connoisseur of cheap guns.. ..so this isn't biased against them because of being a gun snob.

There are certainly better quality guns out there than the Cobras.

Last I recall the FS and CA models are still made from a zinc alloy, which isn't very strong. They wont take thousands of rounds through them, but if you only shoot it occasionally, or just enough to get it's blowback action "broken in", it will suffice. I've owned a few of the CA models of each, the .32 and .380, produced by Cobra and one of it's prior Ring-of-Fire companies. None gave me any problems, but I didn't shoot them much.

The Patriot model is made of better material(poly frame and stainless slide), and should last longer than the zinc alloy models. But, like all things cheap - you still run the risk of it falling apart. I wouldn't expect it to last as long as better quality gun, but its better than nothing at all.

[wellcraft]

cobras are cheap guns and comparable in quality to bryco, jennings, lorcin, etc. if all you can afford is a cobra i would suggest you save your money and buy something that's of better quality than the cobra. the ruger LCP is pretty cheap as well as the keltec and SW bodyguard. milsurp guns like the makarov are still readily available for less than 300 and are light years ahead of the cobra in terms of quality and reliability.

[Arrdy]

I have one of their derringers in 38 spl.

Yes, they are cheap and heavy and I did look into their .380's but shyed away when I heard of their failure rates.

As others have said, there's better. I'd reccomend looking at the Tauraus TCP738.

[bortle]

I've looked at them and was not impressed. You get what you pay for.

[stringplucker]

Inexpensive? Yes
100% American made? Yes
Lifetime warranty? Yes

I have the Titan Derringer, and like it. I've never had issues with it.

No experience with the .380

[c45man]

I would really appreciate an honest opinion about Cobra. I really like this blue .380 they have which is more a pocket pistol. It is very cheap and I was wondering if anyone out there has purchased a Cobra Firearm and could give me a little insight. The one Gun Shop Owner I talked to (and trust) said Cobra's are not that high quality of a piece; however, I believe he has never owned one but I am not positive. So if there are any Cobra handgun owners out there who could give me their opinion I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you all.

I concur with the poster that advised to save a little more and get a quality firearm that delivers value relative to price. I am not familiar with Cobras, but for those who compare them with Jennings, Lorus and the other ring of fire guns is compelling enough for me not to recommend them. Besides, if you purchase a Cobra and spend time shooting, you probably will be looking to replace the weapon in short order. The final regret you may have in purchasing such a weapon will be the refusal of many stores to consider accepting it in trade.

[stringplucker]

After reading between 40 and 50 different reviews, I'd stay away from the .380. However, the Patriot .45 by Cobra Arms has gotten some decent reviews as far as truck or tool box gun. It's a bit funky/clunky and only likes hardball ammo.

If you are looking for a cheap .380 to carry, look at Keltec or Bersa...both are cheap and easy to conceal, and light years ahead of Cobra.