Welcome back to another edition of TFB’s Wheelgun Wednesday where we feed your addiction for revolvers! For those who are first joining us, this is a weekly reoccurring series where TFB discusses new wheelguns, potential modifications, old wheelguns, shooting opportunities, and everything related to double-action/single-action goodness. Chances are there is someone here at TFB who can offer you advice or simply new information regarding revolvers you might not have encountered before. This week I will be offering everyone a more intimate look at the newly reintroduced Colt King Cobra Target!

The Colt King Cobra Target chambered in .357 Magnum is possibly one of the most exciting revolvers to be announced this year! Many of us wheelgun junkies deeply yearn for Colt to bring back their entire line-up of double-action revolvers that we so fondly remember. I personally collect a lot of older vintage double-action revolvers so when I saw that the Colt King Cobra Target was reintroduced sometime back in August, I was ecstatic!

After simply handling one, the timing is as crisp and tight as you could dream of from a Colt revolver. The wood grips are attractive and do the model and Colt name justice while the stainless steel polished finish pairs beautifully as well. This is the 3rd model within the King Cobra series from Colt rounding out the family nicely. A speed rundown of what this revolver is all about from the YouTube video above can be helpful, but let’s dive in and take a more intimate look at this revolver.

The mission of the Colt King Cobra Target was to take the King Cobra family of revolvers and adapt it to the competitive space of wheelgun shooting. To accomplish that, they gave it a longer barrel, a more moderate sized grip, adjustable sights, and a slew of other features to help revolver aficionados improve their accuracy at the range.

The current MSP of the Colt King Cobra Target is $999 and they are very difficult to find available even after being out on the market for 4+ months now. That simply speaks to their popularity and likely the desire for consumers to want to see more double-action revolvers in the future (*cough*… please make a Python… *cough*).

The barrel on this revolver has a recessed crown to help improve accuracy and protect the rifling and crown from being damaged if you experience a Homer Simpson “D’oh!” moment by dropping it. This is sometimes a touch that can go unnoticed, but if you drop your revolver you will be glad it is there.

The front sight looks like it is permanent to the barrel, but it is actually held in place by a very small Allen screw from the front. While the black rear and fiber optic front contrast well between each other, the small Allen screw leaves the door open for the owner to switch out the front sight to whatever might trip their trigger.

From nearly every angle that you look at the Colt King Cobra Target, it has a glistening finish that is devoid of machining marks. You cannot see circular patterns on the stainless from polishing, the seams join flawlessly, and being as the entire revolver is completely forged from American Stainless Steel you get a singular, attractive stainless appearance.

While this variant from the King Cobra series of revolvers is being marketed more towards competition-style shooting, it could definitely serve a valuable purpose as a carry gun. Whether it is your everyday carry (EDC) or something you take with you in the outdoors. It is actually very slim and the most wide part is the wood grips.

Speaking of the wood grips, Colt decided to bestow the King Cobra Target with a set of their Altamont Wood Medallion Grips. They are large enough to fill your hand (this coming from an individual with medium-sized hands), but not so large you cannot control the revolver. It is definitely a nice balance.

The Altamont Wood Medallion Grips also boast light pressed checkering that not only adds a nice aesthetic to them, but also serve the more meaningful purpose of improving your dexterity. The most notable centerpiece to the grips is by far the little coin pony near the top.

The Colt King Cobra Target is a good ol’ six-shooter chambered in .357 Magnum allowing owners to also shoot the slightly more mild recoiling .38 Special if they so choose. The cylinder release is also of the classic Colt design where you pull or draw it backwards to let the cylinder hinge open; unlike nearly all other revolvers where a button is pressed forward.

You are getting a 4.25″ Full-Lug Barrel with the Colt King Cobra Target which is a nice middle-ground between a large (and sometimes cumbersome) full-frame revolver, and the little snubby revolvers which can be very difficult to be accurate with. The full-lug barrel additionally puts more weight towards the muzzle which marginally helps cut down on muzzle flip.

For everyone in the blessed United States, this revolver is essentially fair-game everywhere except for some likely culprits: California, Massachusetts, and Maryland. All of our brethren behind enemy lines in those states, unfortunately, cannot purchase this revolver, and can only admire from afar.

This wheelgun is outfitted with an Elevated Fiber Optic Front Sight and paired with an Adjustable, Black Outline Rear Sight. This has a nice contrast to it and should make it a very “shoot-able” revolver, but if you feel motivated to change out the front sight you definitely can because of the Allen screw holding it in near the muzzle.

Once again, the Colt King Cobra Target has a running MSRP of $999, and they are very scarce in the marketplace. While I am sure Colt would love to make hundreds of thousands of these for consumers, they just cannot make them fast enough at the moment for everybody interested.

For all of our wheelgun junkies in the audience, what do you think? After getting a little bit more cozy with the King Cobra Target is it everything you would expect it to be? Is there a feature absent on the revolver you would like to see? Let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.