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Freeper Warning: Avoid Cobra Firearms
DonPaulJonesII | 03/14/2015 | DonPaulJonesII

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.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: avoidbuying; banglist; firearms; junk; lemons
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To: tumblindice

At one time I owned well over 200 guns, most of them handguns.

I would guess in my lifetime I have probably had over a thousand. I did a lot of trading and swapping.

I have owned several Jennings and every one was totally reliable tho it would not surprise me if someone had one which wasn’t.

My carry gun most of my life has been either a 1911, a Browning Hi-power, a Sig P226 or a Glock 17 or 19. Many others would do as well.

I am getting to where I don’t do much hiking but when I did, I usually would just put a Walther PP in .22LR in my pocket. It doesn’t hit hard but it hits hard enough.

There are plenty of reasons to carry a tiny gun, most of them being for back up.

If someone was holding a Beretta Jetfire in .25 auto on me, the last thing I would try to do is take it away from him. If I did, he just might put 7 bullets in me for my efforts.


41 posted on 03/14/2015 6:23:54 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
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To: DonPaulJonesII

You didn’t use +P ammo, did you?

I think honing the cylinders might work. Try measuring the depth of the cylinders first to make sure they’re deep enough.


42 posted on 03/14/2015 6:28:29 PM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

Interesting that you would mention the Sterling .22. If I had to name the worst gun I ever owned it would probably be the Sterling. I bought one after reading an article in one of the gun magazines praising it to high heaven.

Also the fact that I had owned an Italian made .22 auto which the Sterling was a knock-off also influenced me. That little Bernardelli was a jewel.

My Sterling never fired more than one shot at a time. That is right, it had a 100% malfunction rate.


43 posted on 03/14/2015 6:29:10 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
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To: yarddog

**That is right, it had a 100% malfunction rate.**

Same for mine. Even sent it back to the company and they did not fix it.
Load a magazine, place it in the pistol, pull back the slide, let go and an instant jam every time.


44 posted on 03/14/2015 6:34:45 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

Probably the second worst gun I ever owned was a Parker .45 auto. New, it had about an 80% jam rate. I returned it to them and I noticed they did a really high polish of the stainless steel barrel where it touched the barrel bushing or slide. I can’t remember now if it had the standard bushing or not.

Anyway after they had worked on it, it was much more reliable. It then only jammed about 10% of the time. It would sometimes go through an entire mag without a malfunction.


45 posted on 03/14/2015 6:49:39 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
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To: DonPaulJonesII

Try steel cased ammo. It doesn’t expand like brass cased ammo does in an ill-fitting chamber.

Steel-cased solved an extraction problem with a friend’s Indian army surplus Enfield where it took excessive force to eject brass cases.

Academy Sports (local here in Texas) carries Monarch ammo as a house brand. It’s Russian made, steel-cased and uses a copper-washed, steel jacketed round that worked perfectly in my S&W 9mm (until it fell out of the boat.)


46 posted on 03/14/2015 7:04:46 PM PDT by JJ_Folderol (Diagonally parked in a parallel universe...)
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To: PeaceBeWithYou

Caliber is 9 X 19 mm

Ammunition used was Winchester white box 115 grain FMJ target rounds. Not +P.

Hammer was in the half cocked position so that the safety could be engaged to unload the weapon.


47 posted on 03/14/2015 7:10:38 PM PDT by DonPaulJonesII (WARNING: Poster does not play well with others!)
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To: Chainmail
I will do so. My first experience was rather difficult though. The company email told me that my emails were undeliverable (?)so that leaves calling them. In order to ship the weapon back UPS demanded an FFL from Cobra. Took me about 45 minutes on hold while a receptionist (she was helpful as she could be just not trained on what to do which is not necessarily her fault)went to figure out how to fax one to UPS for me. Waiting on hold for the tech department prior to shipping was another exercise in patience and the tech's only advice was to return the weapon.

I have no other recourse at this time but to see what Cobra will do to rectify.
48 posted on 03/14/2015 7:18:31 PM PDT by DonPaulJonesII (WARNING: Poster does not play well with others!)
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To: smokingfrog

No, I did not use +P. I used Winchester white box 9mm 115 grain FMJ.


49 posted on 03/14/2015 7:20:10 PM PDT by DonPaulJonesII (WARNING: Poster does not play well with others!)
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To: DonPaulJonesII

Several people have told you what to do to correct it.

First make sure there are no burrs etc on the mechanism which extracts the shells.

Next wrap some 600 grit polishing cloth around a wood dowel. Constantly turn the dowel in the same direction until you have a high polish on the inside of the chamber, being very careful not to lengthen the chamber at all.

If you have a cratex tip and are careful you can polish the chamber to where the inside is just plain slippery.

Also be careful not to polish to long at any one spot.

The 9mm has a fairly sharp taper so should be pretty resistant to sticking already so I would guess you have a really rough chamber or really hot ammo.


50 posted on 03/14/2015 7:22:18 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
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To: Chainmail

I gave my wife a PP in 32 My son took the H&K P7 I am a smith revolver person


51 posted on 03/14/2015 7:25:32 PM PDT by Greg223 (tobacco)
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To: DonPaulJonesII

Stick with proven products, there’s a whole graveyard of US gun makers who produced nothing but crap.


52 posted on 03/14/2015 7:28:59 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
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To: Greg223

Your Son made out like a bandit, but I too am a Smith guy.


53 posted on 03/14/2015 7:32:44 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
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To: yarddog

“If someone was holding a Beretta Jetfire in .25 auto on me, the last thing I would try to do is take it away from him. If I did, he just might put 7 bullets in me for my efforts.”

I got one of those for my 16th birthday. 50 years later I still use it as a BU gun in my car. Fine little firearm.


54 posted on 03/14/2015 7:35:41 PM PDT by Afterguard (Liberals will let you do anything you want, as long as it's mandatory.)
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To: OKSooner

The Hi-Standard 22 LR semi-auto is a really accurate firearm. Used to train OSS back in the day, and then later models well into the 60’s. But... they are not small like a close in derringer.

Alternatively, a Walther 380 with special rounds is small and quite deadly close in.


55 posted on 03/14/2015 7:54:08 PM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: DonPaulJonesII
Just get something like a Taurus PT22. Its essentially a 8+1 derringer and you can't hit much beyond 10ft. The weapon is mouse/belly gun category. It is pretty much a contact range weapon like a derringer and far more reliable. Even though it is 22LR, 3-4 quick rounds into a soft area like groin,neck or throat should tip the scales. Backed up with a blade you should be good to go at least in the short term.

Its concealability,multi shot capacity and surprise value are better than nothing. If you want a step up in quality go to the Berreta 21A Bobcat. I called it my ATM gun at least until that damn canoe tipped over.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpRM-IKl8-o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYsrE8wpuEw

56 posted on 03/14/2015 8:12:38 PM PDT by Polynikes (What would Walt Kowalski do. In the meantime "GET OFF MY LAWN")
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar
The worst was a Sterling .22 about 40 years ago.

Wait, you forgot about the Lorcin. Yeah, the Lorcin it was REALLY the worst.

57 posted on 03/14/2015 8:26:47 PM PDT by super7man (Oh why did I post that, now I'll never be able to run for Congress.)
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To: Chainmail

Bersa makes a very good copy of that PPK 32acp. It has never jammed or failed in any way in the first three hundred plus I’ve put through it. But get good ammo for it if you intend to carry it. I like mine so much I bought a laser to fit under barrel for it. As an aside, the CZ82 is the best small gun I own. And I won three of them and have given several to family members.


58 posted on 03/14/2015 8:34:19 PM PDT by MHGinTN (Is it really all relative, Mister Einstein?)
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To: DonPaulJonesII

I like my small Beretta Tomcat in.32acp - very concealable. And also the flip barrel is a great feature making it easy to clean.


59 posted on 03/14/2015 8:50:47 PM PDT by SkyDancer (I Was Told Nobody Is Perfect But Yet, Here I Am ...)
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To: DonPaulJonesII

PS - it’s loaded alternately with Glaser Safeties and Hydra-shocks.


60 posted on 03/14/2015 8:51:57 PM PDT by SkyDancer (I Was Told Nobody Is Perfect But Yet, Here I Am ...)
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