During our publishing break –knowing well the variable weather of my home state – I arranged trips to the range as I could. I was still getting some use of the loaner radar chronograph from Garmin and I also wanted to get the loaner Colt King Cobra 22 “on paper” for accuracy.
From my previous report – all the way back in September (time flies) – the aspects of the gun that are relevant include size and weight, sighting arrangement, holster fit and accuracy.
My friend Bill Bell believes the Colt King Cobra Target is reminiscent of the 22 Colt Diamondback. It’s smaller than the M617 and GP100 guns, it’s larger than the J-frame 22s from S&W and the Ruger LCR. It fits a bit loosely in a Galco belt holster and the Simply Rugged Sourdough made for my GP100.
Like the older Colt 22, the King Cobra Target has a vent rib over the barrel, a full length lug under the barrel, has adjustable sights and is finely finished. Unlike it, the KCT has a 10-round cylinder. Showing its Colt heritage, the cylinder locks up at the rear and turns clockwise. The case heads aren’t recessed like on DA 22 revolver offerings.
The gun – empty – weighed 30.4 ounces. The single action trigger press is light and crisp. The DA is smooth.
The gun has the 4 ¼” barrel. I’ve not a six-inch version yet.
The front sight is a red fiber optic, the rear is adjustable for windage and elevation. There’s the Colt windage locking screw on the left top side of the sight blade slide – get a hex wrench at .050 in dimensions. The windage screw and elevation screws are slotted for a flat headed screwdriver – of different sizes.
The Hogue-made stocks are rubber, have the Colt emblem and have Hogue’s “pebble” texture.
As the range table was set fifteen yards from the target line, I set up there. I rested my hands on a range bag and was seated for the accuracy and velocity check. Groups were 10-round, not five, and why not?
I also got 10-round velocity data, likely a better sample to check consistency. As far as the revolver goes, I found the single action trigger, while breaking clean, requires a deliberate press. It’s not light. The sights are easy for this old-timer to see; while it was overcast, the front fiber optic sight was bright.
Before heading to the range, I got the .050” wrench and gave the tiny locking screw on the rear sight a bit of a twist. Not surprisingly it was a little loose, likely from the shooting I’d done with the reasonably heavy 22 revolver before this trip.
Not sure what I’ll do about that.
My notes appear below.
Ammo brand/type Ave. velocity Accuracy, notes
Aguila 38gr 1096 5 1/4" group with flyer. The main cluster of the 10-shot group was 3", with the best six rounds into 1"
Winchester Wildcat 1128 10-shot group measured three inches with a flyer. The best eight out of ten clustered into 2 1/4"
CCI MiniMag 40gr 1037 2 7/8" 10-shot group. The best seven of ten went into 1.5"
CCI Std Vel 40 gr 928 10-shot group was 3 3/8" with the best six going into 1 1/4"
The best 10-shot group was fired with CCI MiniMag – though it wasn’t by much, as the 10-shot group was only 1/8” smaller than the three-inch 10-shot group fired with Winchester Wildcat. And before someone points out the largest 10-shot group – Aguila 38 grain – note that the best six-of-ten rounds clustered into an inch. Without a mechanical fixture, the smaller number is the more likely indicator of what the gun would do with that ammo at that distance from, say, a Ransom Rest.
The “best six” measurement of the slower CCI Standard Velocity load very nearly matched it.
So it’s a wash. Pick your poison – or whatever you can find during the next ‘ammo shortage.’
This is a sweetheart 22 revolver. While it’s not the only one out there – you might find a copy of the S&W M617 or a used Ruger GP100 22 -- it’s the only Colt DA 22 currently available.
Get it while you can.
— Rich Grassi