Sidearms & Scatterguns Colt.. King Cobra .357 magnum 6"

Less than a few years ago. More than you paid.

Value is hugely dependant on location.

You'll be spending some time waiting on the guy that wants an old one vs just being able to buy a brand new one for $1500 or less.

I say this owning and collecting older Colts (including the King Cobra):

Prices have softened considerably in the last 2-3 years. While the original King Cobras are beefy and hold up to a lot, their design did not produce the smoothest action or best trigger out there.

1986 - 1990 Colt had a huge strike going on. They brought in replacement workers to assemble everything. That is generally considered the time frame with the least quality in Colt revolvers. So please keep that in mind when dudes who are trying to get their hands on an older King Cobra search more for an Enhanced model made in the early or middle 90s (they came out in '86 IIRC).

I've seen ones like yours, without the factory box and paperwork sitting at $1K without bids on Gunbroker. If you have the factory box and paperwork, you can add 20-25%.

There are still a lot of guys who grabbed up a ton of these 5 years ago when they were $1500 -2K everywhere. They're trying to sell them now for what they have into them, and of course the guns are sitting there with no offers.

Dudes can buy a new Python for $1,300 - 1,400, and even the new ones have more desire among the 'new revolver owner crowd' than an original King Cobra... So I don't see a resurgence in the collectability of them. If a guy is going to only own a couple wheel guns, he'll definitely choose a new Python.

So if it were me, and I was trying to move mine: $800 - 1K without box, and $1K - $1,200 with.

Agree with diggler. I have a 1993 King Cobra Enhanced 6" Stainless.

I turned down $2,200 a few years ago. Tried listing it in the spring with original box and finally pulled it down when no one bit at$1,650.

^^ Here are a couple of examples of the King Cobra that have been sitting for a few days with no bids (and no reserve).

I bought my Enhanced King Cobra a while back and paid $1,200+. I thought I did well. Could have probably made close to $4-500 on it if I'd sold it three years ago. Now I'd take a bath on it.

My suggestion is that you keep it for a shooter, unless you really hate it.

The original Anaconda is in the same boat. I'm eyeing one right now for $1,100 as a shooter, with box and paperwork. It would cost me twice that 3-4 years ago.