My first experience with the Ed Brown Kobra Carry was about 19 years ago when a U.S. Army officer I met on a local range invited me to shoot his.
I was certainly no 1911 aficionado back then, but I’d shot enough of them to have baseline expectations. That Kobra Carry exceeded them memorably. The trigger and sights were excellent and it seemed I couldn’t miss with it.
I also really liked the way the bobbed rear grip frame and mainspring housing (a feature Ed Brown actually pioneered) helped the pistol disappear under a tailored sport jacket. I was a little staggered by the price at the time, but there was no contesting it was well made, accurate and reliable.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
My recent experience with the 25th Anniversary version of the Kobra Carry was the same, except that now that I know what goes into making an Ed Brown, I’m surprised they don’t cost more than they do. Currently, MSRP sits at $3,295.
Details — A Quarter Century Later
Unlike my hands-on time 19 years ago, this time I disassembled and carefully studied the 25th Anniversary Kobra Carry. It would have been hard to do on a windy outdoor range back then. My detailed examination revealed a handgun of apparent perfect workmanship.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
The Kobra Carry’s matte stainless steel finish is free of any cosmetic flaws. All edges on the pistol are elegantly dehorned for comfortable use and easier holstering. The smoothness includes the hard edges of the barrel bushing, the muzzle and lower edges of the slide. Furthermore, it extends toward the front of the frame. The dust cover, front edges of the slide lock release lever and the forward edge of the ejection port are rather heavily tapered to varying degrees.
Kobra Carry pistols possess a crowned barrel that fits flush against the bushing. Likewise, the end of the slide-stop is flush with the frame via a countersunk recess. Aside from the sharply rectangular 0.015-inch wide front sight, a Trijicon HD-XR with green tritium vial and orange ring, there’s nothing to drag in a holster or against your clothing on the draw.
The rear sight is sloped front and rear to prevent snagging but also has vertical forward-facing grasping cuts on the sides. Its “U” notch is nested in a recess to reduce washout in bright light.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
The slide fits to the frame solidly with no apparent wiggle. Similarly, the barrel to bushing fit showed no lateral or vertical play. The joint line where the grip safety’s beavertail met the frame was so fine, it was unnoticeable until movement gave it away. Additionally, the fit of the magazine catch into the frame was perfect. A fine human hair would not have fit in the space between them.
Perfection & Bobtails
The hidden interior surfaces of this pistol were as perfect as its outside. I couldn’t see any visible tool marks. The feed ramp and the feeding relief cut on the rear of the chamber were perfectly polished.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
Classic Ed Brown features on this gun include the unique snakeskin-like grasping surfaces which give the Kobra They bite aggressively in one direction only. This was an Ed Brown innovation that wasn’t practical until CNC machining centers made it so. Ed Brown understood the improved capabilities advanced machine tools offered and used his extensive CNC programing experience to produce parts that rose to a whole new level of quality and consistency.
The trademark Ed Brown Bobtail grip frame and mainspring housing reduces printing of the butt through cover garments when carried concealed behind the hip. The bobtail’s trade-off comes with the sacrifice of gripping surface and a slight change in pointing characteristics depending on hand-shape. Personally, I like it.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
The magazine well is seriously chamfered around its sides to help guide the magazine
Brown’s extended beavertail grip-safety and extended lever manual safety, improve function and shooter comfort. The Kobra Carry is outfitted with a full-length guide rod and a long-lasting flat wire recoil spring. I’ve never noticed an accuracy difference between solid and standard (short) G.I. style guide rods, but the former is obviously a more stable design that maintains greater lateral control of the spring. This Kobra Carry pistol employs Allen-screws to secure both the stocks and the magazine catch. Its hammer and over-travel adjustable trigger are competition-style, lightweight and skeletonized.
Kobra Carry At The Range
On the range, the Kobra Carry lived up to expectations. It functioned perfectly. The Kobra Carry’s controls worked smoothly and positively requiring no excessive thumb pressure.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
Even though the trigger was tuned for 4 ¼ pounds, it felt much lighter. It was crisp and without overtravel. After 0.020-inches of take-up, I came to the wall and then it immediately broke. It was a thing of beauty.
I tested accuracy firing from the bench at standard NRA 25 yard slow-fire pistol targets set at that range. The Kobra Carry fired Hornady’s Critical Defense 185 grain FTX JHP the most accurately. This hollow point’s elastomer nose plug resists clogging when passing through heavy clothing allowing it to expand reliably. The Hornady load produced an average muzzle velocity of 988 FPS. Its five-shot groups averaged 2.35 inches.
The Cobra Karry printed the Winchester Super X WINCLEAN 230 grain load at 2.76 inches. This Winchester load averaged 805 FPS. Black Hills Ammunition’s 185 grain Honey Badger self-defense load has a barrier-blind, solid copper, fluid-displacing bullet that looks like the tip of a Phillips screwdriver. This one averaged a zippy 1,208 FPS and the Kobra Carry grouped it at 3.18 inches on average. A colleague tested another Ed Brown 25th Anniversary using a Ransom rest and found the average groups ran in the 1.75 inch range which shows excellent mechanical accuracy potential.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
Alligator & Leather Accessories
Any Ed Brown pistol deserves a holster of comparable high quality. And it ought to be American-made with an American-sourced hide.
One’s choice of gun leather can often be very situation specific. I considered two self-defense scenarios: everyday concealed carry in urban areas where you have a suit jacket or sport coat to hide an outside-the-pants belt holster. There’s also the backpacking/hunting in wilderness where your waist is likely to be too crowded by your pack’s cushioned straps, knife scabbard, canteen, et cetera to allow easy access to any belt supported holster.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
For civilization, I like the Triple K #777 Lucky Gator. As the name suggests, it’s made of American alligator hide, in this case paired with Triple K’s premium vegetable tanned steer leather and waxed nylon stitching for durability. It also features a draw shield on the body side for comfort. What could be cooler than a holster made from the skin of one of North America’s apex predators?
For the wilderness, the Triple K #541 K-Max Chest Holster appeals to me for its stability and versatility. Its dual over-the-shoulder harness system provides balance, comfort and solid retention and keeps your handgun high, dry, out of sight and ready for unfettered presentation if the need arises. An innovative chest plate design allows for holster angle adjustment to suit your intended draw. This rig has a lot of straps and screws to adjust it to your body. Though not a difficult chore, it’s not something you’re going to be able to do easily on the trail. This is one that needs some careful consideration and experimentation to find the arrangement that works best for your situation. Once set up, on-and-off is literally a snap. It has a quick-release buckle on one side of the harness.
SPECIFICATIONS: Ed Brown Kobra Carry 1911 25th Anniversary Edition
- MAKER: Ed Brown Products
- ACTION: single action, tilting barrel locked breech, semi-auto
- CALIBER: .45 ACP, recessed crown
- CAPACITY: 7 round EB logo bright stainless steel magazine with tall and short floorplate bumpers (two included)
- BARREL: 4.25 inches
- LENGTH: 7.87 inches
- HEIGHT: 5.5 inches
- WIDTH: 1.3 inch wide with large grip panels.
- WEIGHT: 33.7 ounces unloaded
- SIGHTS: dovetailed, drift windage adjustable, snag resistant, front and rear sights. Trijicon HD XR orange ring & green tritium vial front night-sight
- MATERIAL: stainless steel
- TRIGGER: aluminum skeletonized with overtravel adjustment screw, 4.25 pound pull
- FINISH: matte stainless steel
- GRIPS: EB logo Exotic Cocobolo wood double diamond checkered grips
- ACCESSORIES: padded EB logo nylon transport case.
- MSRP: $3,295
Performance: Ed Brown Kobra Carry 1911 25th Anniversary Edition
| Brand | Bullet Weight & Type | Velocity (fps) | Best Group (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hornady Critical Defense | 185 gr FTX JHP | 988 | 1.35 |
| Winchester Super X WINCLEAN | 230 gr truncated cone | 805 | 2.67 |
| Black Hills Ammunition | 185 gr Honey Badger | 1,208 | 2.06 |
I tested the pistol with a series of 5-shot groups fired at 25 yards from a bench rest. I relied on a Competition Electronics Pro-Chrono Digital Chronograph set 15 feet from the muzzle to capture MV data. Bullet weight is in grains, velocity in feet-per-second and the group size in inches.
WHY OUR ARTICLES/REVIEWS DO NOT HAVE AFFILIATE LINKS
Affiliate links create a financial incentive for writers to promote certain products, which can lead to biased recommendations. This blurs the line between genuine advice and marketing, reducing trust in the content.
