Colt King Cobra .22 LR

Shooting Delight

I’ve often asked how many .22 revolvers would equal “too many” in a collection and I’ve yet to find the definitive answer. Each one, even of the same design and model, tend to have their own personalities. One likes CCI Target ammo, while the other excels with Federal Gold Medal Match. One thing they all can do though is shoot anything you can fit into those modest chambers. From .22 CB Caps and shot cartridges, to the hottest .22 viper-killer loads, guns like the Colt King Cobra can manage them all, even all in the same cylinder full. How fun is that?

I fired about 15 different loads through the Colt, mostly target loads, a few classic hunting loads like CCI Mini-Mag HPs and a couple of special loads like sub-sonics and the Aguila “Colibri” low-velocity load. I also tried a few CCI .22 LR shot cartridges just for fun, too. Everything went bang, every single time, which is a good thing as sometimes .22 handguns can be fussy with some loads. Not this King Cobra.

Cutting to the chase, using a Ransom rest (their manual shooting rest, not the fancy fixture one) and my very best shooting glasses, some loads could chase 2″ or even 1.75″ at a full 25 yards. I think it could do even better once you discover the “magic” load it really likes — and get someone who can see better than I can to do the shooting.

All in all, this is easily a 25- or 30-yard squirrel-getter and my 8″ 80-yard steel gong went “tink” neatly time after time. Sheer .22 pleasure, if you ask me. I don’t normally get too caught up on the accuracy of specific loads when testing a .22 due to the fact each gun will vary, sometimes wildly, from load to load and you honestly need to target your own gun with a good cross-section to find the loads it favors most.

In our test gun’s case, that Federal Gold Medal Match mentioned shot very well, as well as CCI’s Select Precision Lead Round Nose. I think this could be a 1.5″ gun easily. But they all shot fine. I’d call this a sort of do-everything .22 revolver. From targets and plinking, to small game, hiking, camping, farm and ranch and even home defense in a pinch, the King Cobra can manage the job. Add in a good field holster and a few accessories and be prepared for a great time.

I’m shamelessly pleased to see Colt return to the fold like this. Some may wring their hands and doubt, worry, name-call and argue on the forums about “Colt this” or “Colt that …” but I’d hold comment until you get a new gun in your hands. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt the particular bit of satisfaction you get when you say, “Oh, this? Why — it’s a Colt.”

MSRP: $999

Subscribe To GUNS Magazine