Colt King Cobra value

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MartyK2500

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Hi, i just purchased a Colt King Cobra, 6", matte stainless, colt ruber grips, from an old collector.
He was first owner, has very few dings or scratches, has seen more safe than action.
Is it worth over 1000$?
Can have pics once transfer complete, but i believe i might have commited to it too quick before researching, these aren't pythons after all.
 
It is worth more than 1K for sure if in good shape. Could be 1500+ if it has all the packaging. You are right, it is no Python (they are equivalent to a GP100 or 686) but a lot of people don"t seem to realize this. Regardless I guess, the KCs are discontinued and all snake guns have a certain mystic so people pay a premium.
 
I think gdawg summed it up pretty well. The more recent Colt revolvers (other than Pythons) seem to me to be worth more because they are out of production Colts rather than due to any outstanding qualities as firearms.
 
Cool thanks, so if i paid under 1500$ we could say i will not lose reselling if need be.
I was really in the market for a 44 mag, found this one and found it too nice to pass by, but am still unsure if i should keep my 44 mag original plan and resell this the price i paid.
 
Prices I seen for king Cobras lately are: $1800 asking, $1200 market value for non restricted, $1000 asking $600 market value for prohibited. Market value is what vast majority of people willing to pay, but Python craze has drawn in suckers at higher prices.
 
MartyK2500 said:
sailor, to be honest im a 1911 type of guy, i know very little of wheel guns, did colt stop all wheelgun production?
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As far as I know Colt stopped regular production of revolvers around 1998 or 1999. I believe they still built a few models in the custom shop up until about 2005.
 
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It's strange that the King Cobra (really just a SS version of the Trooper Mk V) commands such a premium. No better a gun than a 20+ year old 686 you can buy for 700-800 or so. The market can be a funny place.
 
sailor723 said:
It's strange that the King Cobra (really just a SS version of the Trooper Mk V) commands such a premium. No better a gun than a 20+ year old 686 you can buy for 700-800 or so. The market can be a funny place.
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While i do agree the market has somewhat over valued the snakes, i have owned an 80s 686, and can confirm the king cobra to feel more balanced and tight than my previous 686. Not double the price better, but still feels better.
 
MartyK2500 said:
While i do agree the market has somewhat over valued the snakes, i have owned an 80s 686, and can confirm the king cobra to feel more balanced and tight than my previous 686. Not double the price better, but still feels better.
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I had the opposite experience. A 6" 357 revolver was my first handgun in late 80's. I had the GP100, 686 and KC lined up on the counter at Lever Arms (back when Mr. Lever carried every model of every major manufacturer). The KC was my least favourite (though not by much) but now I sure wish that was the one I bought it!
 
gdawg said:
I had the opposite experience. A 6" 357 revolver was my first handgun in late 80's. I had the GP100, 686 and KC lined up on the counter at Lever Arms (back when Mr. Lever carried every model of every major manufacturer). The KC was my least favourite (though not by much) but now I sure wish that was the one I bought it!
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Interesting....I wonder if the KC you were looking at back then was made by replacement workers during the big strike? I understand Colt had some serious QC issue during that period. I have a Trooper MK V made in 82 (just pre-strike) and I actually prefer it to the 586 no dash I had
 
sailor723 said:
Interesting....I wonder if the KC you were looking at back then was made by replacement workers during the big strike? I understand Colt had some serious QC issue during that period. I have a Trooper MK V made in 82 (just pre-strike) and I actually prefer it to the 586 no dash I had
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Don't know but it would have been part of one of the first batches into Canada I think. There was certainly nothing wrong with it, I just preferred the 686 and then the GP.
 
I have a S&W 586 no dash from the early 80's, that I purchased last year, virtually unfired.
I can tell you this, I wouldn't trade it for a KC, from QC and shooting point of view.
Of course, Murray Charlton only made it that much better after he worked his "magic" on it....:)
 
lyle1 said:
I have a S&W 586 no dash from the early 80's, that I purchased last year, virtually unfired.
I can tell you this, I wouldn't trade it for a KC, from QC and shooting point of view.
Of course, Murray Charlton only made it that much better after he worked his "magic" on it....:)
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Murray's trigger jobs are one of the best deals in gunsmithing
 
The big and sometimes well priced, money is in the Colt Pythons & Colt Anacondas. Colt DiamondBacks are next in desirability.
King Cobras and all the other revolvers are only being driven up in price by the former desirable now high priced, Colts.
The gun resale market is a price volatile entity with some smoothing out here & there. Just look at some of the crazy asking prices for 12(6) handguns. I find it unusual that the mostly average King Cobras are reaching Python values, but the Inglis BHP which is much more desirable, languishes in price.
The original question was, is the mentioned KC worth $1000.00? Maybe...but not much more...
 
I have a stainless 6 inch king cobra with plastic case and shipping box, it cost $425 brand new back in the early nineties. I take it out maybe once a year and put a box through it, shoot my 4 inch 686-2 more.
 
The KC is a modernized version of the Mk III Trooper (not the same gun as the earlier Trooper, which is a variation of the Colt I/E frames (old 41 Colt frame size, leaf spring action, etc). The III's had mim parts, which would occasionally break (though I've had three of them for decades and no issues so far, knock on wood). The Mk V which replaced the III had cast hammer and trigger to replace the mim parts. Breakage can happen to any gun though, I've had hammer breaks on a S&W 17, and a DW. I don't know why the KC is priced as high as it is, it's a Mk V with a full lug barrel basically. But the scarceness of them combined with Colt's financial issues probably has a lot to with it. - dan
 
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