Cobra Patriot 45

[pshootr]

Here's the holster your using, it's a Triple K for a Colt 1911.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ZAP420-65431-3048.html

[himmel]

Good news re your mom, GR--hope you're better yourself..

[spudit]

No firearmsrelated news to report, I've been doing yardwork.

Thanks for the holster info PshootR.
And to GR, I hope the last few days of good weather did you good.

Spudit

[gunneyrabbit]

Made it to the range today and ran fifty rounds through the Cobra with very good results of groups in the six to eight inch range. Did some shooting at twenty one feet doing strings of double taps and that is where the pistol comes into own. Though not as fast as a single action semi-auto, the pistol handles well enough to keep every thing in the chest cavity and thats good enough for me. Any one who believes these are not reliable accurate pistole's needs to spend some time with one and they will change their mind.
Spent the rest of the time running a hundred rounds through the P-64 with typical exceptional results, very accurate, very dependable and very much a lady, tame and polite with teeth that will leave a very nasty bite when necessary. Lord I love these guns.
G.R.

P.S.
Himmel, thank you for the thought and PshooteR, thanks for the info regarding the holster, much appreciated

[gunneyrabbit]

Been off for a week so I went to the range this morning and fired forty-eight rounds through the Cobra, would have fired fifty but there were two duds in the batch of factory reloads that I purchased from one of the local ammo suppliers. First time that I've ever had bad primers. The Cobra shot just fine, it's a very nice defensive device.
Isn't vacation just great!
G.R.

[gunneyrabbit]

Hit the range again today with my range partner fairly honest Ed, took the S&W 340PD, Taurus Pt-111, my Cobra Patriot 45 and had a problem that would have been catastrophic in a gun fight. The pistol jambed up tight in battery and would not be be coaxed or bullied back into action. Had it been a gun fight I would either be dead now or still hightailing it to Tim-Buck-To watching my rear end as I went. Fired thirty-five rounds with out a hitch, round number thirty-six went bang and the casing failed to eject. Racked the slide to grab the round and that is where it stayed, locked up tight in battery. Measured the depth of the the casing to be sure it was not live round and tried to force the slide back by putting my wait on it while it was braced on a bench with no luck at all! Next step is to get a dowel that will fit inside the spent case and will try to tap it out with a five pound short maul, you know; Thor's Hammer. If that doesn't work it is off to the gun smith in the Saint Johns area to have it repaired.
I can't tell you how disappointed I am, I've shot thousands of rounds through my Taurus Pt-111 and never thought it would give up. Oh well, nothing lasts for ever.

I bet you thought it was the Cobra I was talking about didn't you!
G.R.

P.S.
I was shooting Sellier and Bellot range ammo and have never had a problem with it in the past, I actually hope it turns out to be a problem with the pistol, I have about 250 rounds left and really dont want to have to replace it.
G.R.

[spudit]

Sure glad it wasn't the Cobra, that would have surprsed me.

I'm having some computer issues,so I may not be around much for a few days.

Spudit

[spudit]

I ordered some six round 1911 magazines from sportsmans guide. They should be here on the first. I'll let everyone know how they work out
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=55808

[gunneyrabbit]

Hey spudit, that's a very cool price, let us know how they work out.
I spoke to the people at Cobra of Utah and got some pointers on how to slightly decrease the trigger pull weight and even better yet shorten the draw length of the trigger before ignition. It would sure be nice if they would institute a custom shop for this item alone.
I put another fifty rounds through the pistol and I'm still impressed with the accuracy and ease of handling. Double taps are getting much easier, I'm sure it has more to do with practice than the fire arm as this pistol does what you tell it to do. The speed to get back on target is a huge plus for the handgun, the recoil and rise are much less than my SIG P-220.
This is a very nice handgun.
G.R..

[spudit]

Thanks, we shall see how they do. These mags lack the pinkie rest of the factory units. Imay have to make some.

Shipping was kind of ugly at $9.49 for three, about 45 bucks total.

I found the snap caps loosened my trigger up nicely.
Spudit

[spudit]

I received the 6 round 45 magazines from Sportsman's Guide yesterday, on the day delivery was promised.They came in plastic wrappers, a little oily but ready to use as is.
.
They are blued steel, marked with "45" and "Made in Italy". The side holes are labeled 1 through 6. The follower is mostly flat and appears to be chromed. Spring strength is good and the cartridges fed fine. The magazines are longer than the gun butt by about as much as the pinkie extension lengthens the factory unit. There is a gap there that may hurt when firing; only one way to test that.

I did have to depress the magazine release button to insert all 3 of these non factory magazines.They catch halfway in right where the top of the magazines hit the release.I'll have to compare the original with the spares and maybe modify them. Or maybe just develop a new habit when loading. This is not a rare thing in autopistols

Other than that I call them good so far.A more detailed review and photos when I can post them.

Spudit

[rmeron]

I've read that the Patriot 45acp won't feed HP's.

What is the opinions of using ball ammo as a fight stopper?

Would over penatration be a problem with 230gr ball from a 3.5 inch barrel?

Can the Cobra shoot lead rounds without a problem?

[gunneyrabbit]

Rmeron, the pistol is a fight stopper with any ball ammo, one would want to be sure what was behind who ever you were shooting at for fear of hitting an innocent bystander after the ball passed through the bad guy. If you peruse back through spudits replies and entry's you will see where he shot through a fairly heavy tree limb or piece of fire wood, he also posted pictures. If ball ammo is not your forte there are several ammo manufacturers who make expanding ammo that will function in any semi auto. I don't remember any thing in the pamphlets that said no lead ball ammunition, but I will check again.
G.R.

[spudit]

No cut and dried answers I'm afraid

I haven't tried feeding it hollow points yet. I can't see myself buying a few 20 dollar boxes of cartridges just as an experiment. Ammo is hard to return once opened. I hope to borrow a few samples of various types from friends to see if they load by jacking the slide. If my muscles will make it load I'm pretty sure the recoil will too.

Feeding is all about the feed ramp. Does the magazine follower line up well with feed ramp? Is there a gap between that can catch the hole in the bullet or do they overlap well? Then it's up to the feed ramp; is it polished enough to let the bullet slide up it and into the chamber? Polished copper or brass or even hard lead riding on polished steel should be plenty slick.

I grew up in Chicago and actually knew people who knew Capone, a Robin Hood type folk hero in my South Side neighborhood. I was young and they were pretty old but I remember their stories. You may have heard how Al helped a colleague do a little down sizing one Valentines Day. They used 45 ball, though out of a longer barrel, and got it done. They mucked up the wall too as I recall. My Cobra is not a Thompson, big sigh. Anyway it worked for him, the army and lots of other folks.

I posted a picture of a 230 ball fired through several inches of a green, wet, cedar log with a nice mushrooming. Maybe it was dumb luck.. I'd prefer if not a hollow point a flatter point and just may file off a few bullet tips to see if they feed. Over penetration depends on what it penetrates, bare skin, a thick leather jacket, no way to predict.

Lead bullets are alloys and whether or not metal would come off in the barrel would have to depend on the hardness of the alloy.

More questions than answers but that's why we're here.

[gunneyrabbit]

Rmeron,
Gun Tests Magazine in their August 1997 issue lists 45acp., non-expanding hollow point rounds as,
1) Winchester 230-gr. Subsonic at 862 f.p.s./ 379ft-lbs. with penetration of a 7x7x15" of 10% Kind and Knox Ordnance Gelatin block and a 54" water column to 69" of penetration.

2) PMC Starfire 230-gr. at 841f.p.s./ 361ft-lbs. with penetration of a 7x7x15" of 10% Kind and Knox Ordnance Gelatin block and a 54" water column to 69" of penetration.

The May 1997 issue reports Federal 230-gr Hydra Shock from a Colt OALE with a 3.5" barrel with 850 f.p.s. /369ft-lbs.

It goes on to list the same ammo from a Springfield Ultra with 3.5" barrel as 854 f.p.s./373-ft-lbs.

As you can see the numbers comparison do tell a story of over penetration into simulated animal flesh with ball ammo any way. As I alluded to yesterday, Glaser, Corbon and others make power ball designs that will successfully feed into almost any semi-auto pistol, for those who feel a need for expanding rounds.
This is just a short list from the studies for comparison, hope it helps.
G.R.