Posted on 03/14/2015 5:24:28 PM PDT by DonPaulJonesII
Freepers, please accept this as a warning to avoid purchasing firearms manufactured by Cobra Enterprises of Salt Lake City UT.
I will summarize my experience in the hopes that you will not repeat my experience. In early February 2015 I purchased a Cobra Enterprises Big Bore derringer (CB9) in 9mm. After completing the purchase through my favorite FFL dealer I took my new pistol home only to discover that once loaded the barrels would not lock into firing position. Unable to trouble shoot the problem myself I had to spend $68 to send the pistol back to Cobra Enterprises for repairs. Keep in mind that this had to be done on the same day of purchase.
Five weeks later my pistol was returned to me. Now if this was the extent of my experience I would have let it be but it was not. During the very first time that I loaded and fired the weapon I found, much to my chagrin, that I could not extract the spent casings. No amount of effort succeeded in removing the spent casings.
I try my best to buy American whenever possible but it is my duty to inform the general shooting public that, for whatever reasons, Cobra Enterprise firearms must be avoided at all costs.
Perhaps a small amount of honing can enlarge the chamber just enough for easier extraction? The chamber should be conical and accurately made, but who would know in a derringer? It's not for long range shooting, and you aren't going to remove more than 0.001" of steel anyway. Here is something to read about the process. It's not like you can make it worse... unless you plan to ship the firearm to the manufacturer again, or to contact a local gunsmith.
If you want a gun like that, get one from Bond Arms. Very high build quality and built like a bank vault.
Aren’t you supposed to use a wooden dowel to remove spent casings?
I really don’t want to invest any more money into it. Thank you for the information. I have bookmarked the page and will try it.
I have a High Standard derringer in .22 Mag and it works fine but the rifled portion of the barrel is so shallow and short that the bullets keyhole at anything beyond a couple of feet. Not a whole lot better than a knife.
It sounds like your chambers need to be polished - can’t imagine the fired brass could stick that hard in the chambers unless they are loaded with tool marks.
Ha! Had one, broke it. Now I need one. Next moved to the aluminum cleaning rod. Needle nose pliers did the trick.
Not sure why anyone would even have a ‘Derringer’ type handgun, except for a paperweight or a conversation piece. People have different tastes I guess.
To me, they are little more than metal toys that happen to fire projectiles. If one is looking for a ‘small’ defensive weapon, get a damn short hammerless revolver in a .357. Ruger makes some good ones.
The extractor would move them up but from there they were stuck. The problem seems to be related to the extractor ( I guess). I first tried to remove with a wooden rod which promptly broke. I then inserted an aluminum cleaning rod (with no tip on it) and pushed it against a wall with no luck. I did not want to be too rough with it and break something. Lastly I had luck with a pair of needle nose pliers.
Too funny. Guess I earned that!
I looked at one of their other firearms, a Patriot 0.45 ACP. I thought it was a low budget and passed on it.
“Ravens were good guns.”
Sunrisingly so. I took one on a debt once. It was reliable and accurate. Just too bad it was .25 which is pretty much useless.
My first semi-auto was a Jennings .22. It was reliable about 50% of the time, so it quickly found a home in a box.
(My first handgun was a Ruger Single Six, both cylinders.)
I knew a guy who carried a North American .22 mini-revolver, a tiny thing, and that as his main carry gun.
I suppose the tiny size would make it easier for someone with a real gun to take it from him and shove it up his ...
My backup now is a Springfield XDS .45.
If it’s going to be a: “He had a gun, and the other guy had a gun ... “ narrative, and the other guy has a real gun, why would you want to be the guy with a ‘mouse gun’ like a derringer or .22?
Just saying.
My Raven .25 worked ok.
My Jennings .22 was a jammer.
The worst was a Sterling .22 about 40 years ago.
I got none of them now.
That’s a shame. Whether it was expensive or not, you had every right to expect quality from an American manufacturer.
I’d call or write the manufacturer and demand that they fix it or buy it back. I used to be Vice President of a top rifle telescope company and we always fixed anything our customers were satisfied with.
I always recommend spending as much money as feasible on something your life may depend on. I own an original .32 PPK and it’s pricey but it never, ever fails.
Need more info.
What caliber?
Shooting factory, non+P ammo?
Do you have the hammer in the half position to load and unload?
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