Cobra
Stellyte Arms Company · Submachine Gun · Discontinued · 1977
Also known as: Cobra Mk1, Cobra pistol-carbine
Overview
The Cobra is a Rhodesian 9x19mm submachine gun (marketed as a semi-automatic self-defence carbine) developed by Tommy Steele and Bruce Whyte in the closing years of the Rhodesian Bush War. Unusual among the compact 9mm weapons of its era, the Cobra used a hammer-fired, closed-bolt blowback action rather than the open-bolt striker layout of rivals such as the Sanna 77 and Kommando LDP. It fed from standard Uzi magazines, wore a top-folding shoulder stock and a short forend beneath a shrouded barrel, and was sold primarily to rural farming families for home defence.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2500 g (88.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 620 mm (24.41") |
| Folded Length | 420 mm (16.54") |
| Barrel Length | 250 mm (9.84") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 25 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 380 m/s (1247 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 481 J (355 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Closed Bolt, Top Folding Stock, Shrouded Barrel, Fixed Iron Sights, Uzi Pattern Magazines
Service history
Operators
- Rhodesian rural civilians · adopted 1977
Conflicts
- Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979)
Production
Estimated total produced: 2,500 · Production years: 1977-1980
Initial production by Stellyte Arms Company, continued by the Bulawayo Armoury after Stellyte's bankruptcy.
Origin
Country of origin: RH
Designer: Tommy Steele and Bruce Whyte
Discontinued: 1980
Notes
Only about 2,500 were built. The hammer delay proved insufficient during testing, producing high-pressure signs such as case bulges and pierced primers. Original maker Stellyte went bankrupt roughly a month after guns became available in spring 1977; production was continued by the Bulawayo Armoury until around 1980.
Background
The Cobra was one of a wave of privately produced Rhodesian 9mm carbines rushed to market during the Bush War so that isolated farming families could arm themselves. Its designers formed Stellyte to build it, but delays and the company's collapse just weeks after launch meant only a few thousand were ever made.