Cobra Enterprises CB38 Derringer Range Report.

[Poogsdad]

Many of you may know from some of my previous posts or my Sig line that I am a Cowboy Action Shooter.

A while back I purchased a Cobra Enterprises Model CB38 Derringer for use in Derringer Side Matches at Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) Cowboy Action Shooting Events.

The CB38 is a modern replica of the Remington Arms Double Derringer that gained quite a bit of notoriety among gamblers and prostitutes in the mid to late 1800s. It also retained a following well into the 1930s.

In addition to Cobra Enterprises, Bond Arms and American Derringer Corporation make Derringers based upon the Remington Arms Design. Both companies make a product that is superior to the Cobra Derringers, in my opinion; however, as of this writing, Bond Arms and ADC derringers are not approved for sale in California. For those of you considering the purchase of a “Derringer” for whatever reason, unless you can find a serviceable Bond Arms or ADC derringer for legal PPT, you’re limited to the Derringers produced by Cobra Enterprises.

Though I purchased my Cobra Derringer expressly for Cowboy Action Shooting, I realize that there are many people who may look at the derringer as a viable self defense weapon, BUG, or deep concealment CCW weapon. While I personally believe that there are other firearms that are better suited to these roles, there is no denying that some of you may have situations or circumstances that make the Derringer a viable choice.

Today I decided to evaluate the Cobra CB38 as a potential CCW weapon. I used CCI Blazer 158 Grain Round Nose Lead .38 Special and Federal 110 Grain Hydro-Shock .38 Special ammunition. Those of you who have read my previous posts and reviews know that I favor dynamic shooting drills incorporating holster presentations, movement, tactical and emergency reloads, controlled pairs and FTS drills. Though I periodically shoot at 25 yards or more, my preferred initial target distance for all practice drills is 15 yards.

After a few test shots with the Cobra Derringer at various distances starting at 15 yards decreasing to 2 yards, I decided to do all my shooting for record at approximately 10 feet. This was the distance at which the point of impact from both barrels consistently stayed within 6 – 8 inches of each other. Point of impact for the top barrel was noticeably higher than for the bottom barrel with the bottom barrel printing about 2 inches above point of aim at 10 feet. Both barrels did appear to print on the same vertical plane, however. Though compensation for elevation was necessary between barrels, lateral point of aim adjustments were not necessary for either barrel.

As I have noted previously, I am a fan of controlled pairs to the thoracic cavity followed by a single well aim shot to the cranio-ocular cavity. As the Cobra Derringer only has two shots available, I modified this approach by shooting 1 round from the top barrel as soon as I acquired a flash sight picture followed by a more deliberate shot from the bottom barrel.

As the accepted standard for accuracy of the original Remington Double Derringer was “minute of gambler across a card table (4 – 6 feet)” the Cobra Derringer was easily able to exceed this standard. The sights on the Cobra Derringer are rudimentary and the single action trigger pull is about 16 – 18 pounds. Trigger movement is circular, rather than linear. When pressing the trigger, a downward and backward trigger pull will give the lightest trigger pull. This is somewhat counter intuitive, however, as most of us, are accustomed to pressing the trigger straight to the rear to discharge a firearm. The combination of rudimentary sights and the very heavy non-linear trigger pull made deliberate shooting with the Cobra Derringer very challenging. I was able to shoot groups of 2 – 2 ½ inches from both barrels at 10 feet however, if I worked hard enough at it.

Due to the conditions under which the Cobra Derringer will most likely be employed in a self-defense or CCW situation, it is reasonable to believe that the 2 shots you have in the Cobra Derringer will be all you have. I did find, however that I could shoot 2 rounds, reload 2 rounds and be prepared to reengage in 3 – 4 seconds if I practiced hard enough. I also found that reloading from a Bianchi Speed Strip was much more efficient than loading individual rounds from the pocket or an ammo carrier. Using a Bianchi Speed Strip, I was able to reload a single round into each chamber quite easily and quicker than any other method. The Bianchi Speed Strip holds 6 rounds for the CB38 Derringer very efficiently and in a very compact manner. It is my recommendation that anyone who chooses to carry a Derringer as a BUG or CCW weapon also consider Bianchi Speed Strips for ammunition management.

My S&W Model 637 is in no danger of being replaced by the Cobra Derringer in any capacity, however, it is capable of being effectively used as a self-defense, BUG, or deep concealment CCW weapon for those of you who’s circumstances or situation preclude the employment of a better weapon. To paraphrase something that has been said many times before “When the SHTF the derringer you have in your pocket is far superior to the 1911 or Glock you have in your gun safe”!!!

I will post some pictures shortly.

Thanks,

[Poogsdad]

[Poogsdad]

[naganthunter]

nice review and photos.

any stats on the gun? Weight/size?

Also, how rough is it on the hand?

I keep looking at this ad and thinking it'd be a fun addition to the gun safe.

[Poogsdad]

Thanks naganthunter for your comments.

When I wrote the initial review I was pretty tired and I overlooked some things that most people, myself included, find important in a review. Thanks for reminding me.

The Cobra Derringer is both smaller in all dimensions and lighter than my S&W 637. The Derringer weights 14 oz vrs. the 15 oz of the 637. It feels "heavier" however because the weight is compressed into a much smaller package. Overall length is about 1.5 inches less and overall height is about 1 inch less. Overall thickness of the Derringer is also less than the 637. The overall thickness can be reduced, however, by switching out the laminated rosewood grips for thinner profile plastic ones.

The Derringer feels good and solid in the hand and the build quality is superior to the older Davis Derringers which the Cobra Derringers are related to. I put over 70 rounds throught the Derringer in one sitting and never experienced any level of discomfort in my hand. The Laminated Rosewood grips are wider and more hand-filling than the White or Black plastic grips that are also available for the Cobra Derringer. I am sure the wider grips contributed to the lack of discomfort I felt in my hand.

Cobra recommends against the use of +P ammunition in th CB38. I did put a couple Remington Golden Saber, 125 Grain +p Hollow Points through it however. Recoil was noticably greater but not at all unpleasent. Consistent with the recommendation of Cobra Enterprises, I will refrain from using +P ammunition in the Cobra Derringer, however.

Cobra purchased the tooling, production machines, and license from Davis a few years ago and now make the same guns Davis did. Their quality control and attention to detail are better than Davis, however, in my opinion. The Bond Arms and ADC Derringers are still superior to the Cobra Derringers, however.

One of the most attractive features of the Cobra Derringers is their price. Cobra Derringers are very inexpensive, but not "Cheap" like the old Davis Derringers were. In my opinion they are a very good value for the money. They also have a very good warranty and are made in America. They are also quite fun to shoot and would certainly make a good "fun addition to the gun safe" even if they are never used as a CCW weapon.

The following pictures illustrate the dimensional differences between the S&W 637 and the Cobra Derringer:











Thanks again,

[THE Gimper]

Poogsdad, thanks for an outstanding review. If your first write up was when you were tired, I'm almost afraid to see what you can do when you're well rested. Well done!

[Poogsdad]

Originally Posted by THE Gimper

Poogsdad, thanks for an outstanding review. If your first write up was when you were tired, I'm almost afraid to see what you can do when you're well rested. Well done!

Thank you THE Gimper.

I appreciate the kind words.

[THE Gimper]

Originally Posted by Poogsdad

They are also quite fun to shoot and would certainly make a good "fun addition to the gun safe" even if they are never used as a CCW weapon.

I may have to go buy one just for that reason.

[mw8385]

Originally Posted by THE Gimper

I may have to go buy one just for that reason.

I was thinking the same thing. I wonder if I can get one from "A Guy"!

[Poogsdad]

About 8 weeks ago I ordered a .38 Special Long Bore Barrel for the Cobra Derringer. Since there were apparently none in stock or in the pipeline, the barrel had to be made from scratch.

The Long Bore Barrel Assembly is 3/4 of an inch longer than the Standard Barrel Assembly and weights an additional 2 ounces.

The new barrel assembly arrived a couple days ago. The barrel assembly was slightly oversized and I was initially unable to mount it on the frame.

Part of this was a slight difference in placement of the pivot/mounting point below the rear sight. Part of this was the thickness of the chrome plating at the articulation points.

Using a dremel tool and some hillbilly gunsmithing, I carefully hand fitted the barrel assembly to the frame. The resulting fit was very solid with no play at all when the barrels were fully closed.

I took the derringer to the range today to see what differences, if any, would materialize as compared to the original barrels.

To say that I was very impressed would be an understatement.

I performed the same testing I did earlier with the standard barrels and noted a marked improvement in accuracy.

Again, I experimented until I found a distance to target that allowed me to consistently group all rounds from both barrels into a six-inch circle. With the original barrel assembly, this distance was approximately ten feet. With the new barrel assembly, this distance was about fourteen feet.

Like the standard barrels both barrels printed directly above point of aim on the same vertical plane. The bottom barrel printed about 2 inches high at 14 feet and the top barrel printed about 6 inches high at 14 feet. The front sight is a little taller on the new barrel assembly as compared to the original barrels. I am sure this had a lot to do with the barrels printing lower than the original barrels.

Consistency of each barrel was also superior to the original barrels. The 16 pound non-linear trigger pull of the Cobra Derringer makes precision shooting an exercise in frustration. However, if I did my part I was able to shoot sub 1-inch groups at 14 feet with the bottom barrel and 2-inch groups with the top barrel.

I also ordered some Thin Black Plastic Grip Panels to see how they looked and affected the perceived recoil of the derringer. As expected, perceived recoil was far greater with the thin grips as compared to the larger Rosewood Grips.

I highly recommend the Rosewood Grips over the thin plastic grips. They not only look better but also make the derringer much more pleasurable to shoot.

I again recommend that anyone who chooses to carry a Derringer as a BUG or CCW weapon also consider Bianchi Speed Strips for ammunition management.

I really like the Cobra Derringer, particularly with the Long Bore Barrel Assembly and Rosewood Grips. However, my S&W Model 637 is still in no danger of being replaced by the Cobra Derringer in any capacity. It did, however, make me wish my Sheriff allowed more than three weapons on a CCW. I would feel quite comfortable placing the Cobra Derringer on my permit as a deep concealment, SHTF gun.

The Cobra Derringer is capable of being effectively used as a self-defense, BUG, or deep concealment CCW weapon for those of you who’s circumstances or situation preclude the employment of a better weapon.

Even if you never use one as a BUG or CCW weapon, they are inexpensive, made in America, have a good warranty, and are fun to shoot.

Here are some pictures:










Thanks,

[PUNK]

That is awesome! Great update Poogs and COOL gun

[El Gato]

Nicely done...
innovate use of the speed strips...
they can also be used to load SA revolvers too..

One of my clients shot a goblin with a derringer... bank robber to be precise... 45 colt derringer... I think he was a wishin' for more ammo/autoloader/revolver etc... but thankfull for what he had in his pocket... as you correctly pointed out..

[Poogsdad]

Recently, I was asked about using Snake Shot in the Cobra Derringer and how effective it might be as an "Anti-Snake Gun".

Unfortunately, I have not been able to run any shotshells through it because the only .38 Caliber shotshells I can find locally are CCI Shot Shells.

CCI Shot Shells have a flat ogive similar to a full wadcutter bullet rather than a rounded ogive like the 9mm or .45 ACP Shot Shells.

The flat ogive does not allow the full chambering of a CCI shotshell into the barrels of the Cobra Derringer.

I believe that the Derringer would be a great anti-snake gun if you can find a brand of .38 Caliber Shot Shells that have a more rounded ogive.

Thanks, naganthunter for bringing this up.

Poogsdad