First Look: Colt Night Cobra Revolver

February 5, 2018

Colt is continuing its expansion into revolvers, bringing out the upgraded Night Cobra for 2018.

What you should know about the new Colt Night Cobra revolver:

It is an upgraded version of last year's Cobra tailored for concealed carry.
The Night Cobra has a bobbed double-action-only (DAO) hammer.
The revolver features a matte black DLC coating for corrosion resistance and durability.
It features a Tritium front night sight for shooting in low light and new VZ G10 grips.
Its MSRP is stated as $899, $200 more than the standard Cobra.

Last year Colt revived its double-action revolver line with the introduction of its Cobra, a six-shot revolver chambered in .38 Special. At this year's SHOT Show, Colt has given revolver fans even more reason to be happy by debuting the Night Cobra, which features a few upgrades designed to make the revolver even more suited for concealed carry.

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Namely, the new Night Cobra has a stainless steel construction with a matte black DLC coating, a new set of VZ G10 grips, a front night sight and a bobbed double-action-only (DAO) hammer. And the Night Cobra is built to handle the hotter +P defensive loads that some prefer for protection.

I had a chance to shoot the new Colt Night Cobra at the 2018 Industry Day at the Range a day before SHOT Show, and I came away mostly impressed, which makes sense seeing as I found the standard Cobra pleasant to shoot last year before it was released. Obviously, the Night Cobra is a DAO affair given the lack of hammer spur, so I was limited to the double-action pull, which, with regard to concealed carry, is not necessarily a bad thing. Double-action revolvers are among the safest firearms to carry, and because the Night Cobra has the bobbed hammer, it is pretty unlikely to snag on clothing on the draw.

I also found the Tritium front night sight to be quite serviceable. Of course, a night sight on a gun designed for carry, and which may be employed in low light, is always an appreciated feature. For those who prefer a different sight, however, it looks like the front sight is also interchangeable and can be swapped out for other options.

The VZ G10 grips were comfortable and offered plenty of support and purchase. They felt a bit larger than the original grips on the standard Cobra, which actually seemed to help in terms of fit and feel. I didn't think anything was necessarily wrong with the earlier grips, but I did feel like I was shooting better with the new VZ G10 grips.

It looks like shooters will of course have to pay a bit more for these upgrade features. The stated MSRP seems to be $899, which is $200 more than the standard Cobra. But for those searching for a good double-action revolver for carry, the new Night Cobra might be just the ticket.

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