The Colt Viper is back. The original Viper was part of Colt’s Snake Gun series but only lasted a year or so in 1977. Colt reintroduced the Snake Gun line a few years ago and the new, updated Viper is getting another look.
Colt markets the Viper as a carry revolver based on the .357 Magnum King Cobra. The two guns share the same frame, but the Viper has differences, which we’ll get to. They are, however, close enough that this Viper shipped with a King Cobra owner’s manual.
Colt kindly provided a Viper for testing. I do not get to keep it. My co-tester and I have fired nearly 300 rounds through the gun over several range trips. We’ve formed definite opinions on the gun, how it shoots, and how it carries.
Let’s begin with the Viper’s specifications. Our test model has the 3-inch barrel, so we’ll stick to that.
Colt Viper Revolver Specifications
- Caliber: .357 Magnum
- Capacity: 6 Rounds
- Double Action/Single Action
- Overall Length: 8.25 Inches
- Barrel Length: 3 Inches (4.25-inch barrel also available)
- Height: 5 Inches
- Weight (Loaded): 1 lb. 9 ounces
- Frame: New Colt D-Frame
- All Stainless-Steel Construction
- Finish: Matte Stainless-Steel
Colt Viper Revolver Features
The new Colt Viper is all stainless-steel, unlike the aluminum alloy original. Despite sharing the King Cobra’s frame, the half-lug design makes it sleeker and a bit lighter for carry. The fixed, blacked-out front sight is low-profile and easily visible through the grooved rear sight.
The traditional Colt cylinder release is textured, and the cylinder itself swings out smoothly with no drag. Likewise, the cylinder spins freely, as you’d expect from a Colt. The crane has a sharp corner that I wish was rounded off a bit, but it hasn’t been an issue. Just a personal preference. The shrouded ejector rod is also textured.
The King Cobra-style trigger guard is quite expansive, and I had no trouble using gloves. The only (small) issue I had with gloved use was that the space between the grip and the trigger guard was pretty snug.
Colt substituted the rubber King Cobra grips with attractive, checkered walnut stocks on the Viper. I think they look nicer, and we had no trouble maintaining our grip. We both have fairly large hands, and the stocks are just long enough for us to get a full grip, though there’s no real estate left over. But it is a carry gun.
The Viper shares the King Cobra’s action, though I can’t compare the triggers because I’ve never fired a King Cobra. But the Viper’s double action trigger stacks consistently to a nice 5.5-lb break. I like it better than other DA revolvers I’ve handled recently. Cocking the textured hammer obviously allows single-action operation, and the SA trigger breaks somewhere around 4 lbs.
The Viper on the Range
I fired the Viper at SHOT Show 2025, so I had a little experience. It was only six rounds, but I liked it well enough to request a test gun from Colt later that week. My friends at Ammo-to-Go kindly provided the following loads for the Viper, which we dutifully fired over three range trips:
- 125-grain Magtech JSP .38 Special +P (50 rounds)
- 158-grain Blazer .38 Special +P FMJ (100 rounds)
- 158-grain Hornady Custom .38 Special XTP Hollow Points (25 rounds)
- 158-grain Sellier & Bellot .357 Magnum (50 rounds)
- 158-grain Speer Gold Dot GDHP (20 rounds)
The Viper performed well at 10 yards with all five loads, though we were more consistent with the 158-grain Blazer .38 Special +P FMJ than with the Magtech jacketed soft points. The difference was consistent 2-inch groups versus an occasional flyer from the Magtech. It wasn’t a big deal, but we noticed it. The Hornady defensive rounds were also quite accurate, holding an average 2-inch group.
The .357 Magnum rounds opened the groups a bit, averaging about 3 inches. That’s to be expected from the spicier magnum rounds, especially from a smaller-framed revolver. But the Viper isn’t really small. I’d call it more medium-sized, falling between the Cobra and the Python. It’s big enough to reliably control while still carrying comfortably. We controlled the magnum rounds with no difficulty, but, as I said, the recoil was a little spicier than with the .38 Special +P rounds.
We extended the range to 25 yards, where my co-tester clearly outshined me. He’s a revolver guy through-and-through, while I’m still acclimating to the platform. I did much better when the front sight allowed me to see the bullseye, but stretching it out to where the sight covered it up — combined with my relative inexperience with the .38 Special and .357 Magnum rounds — showed where I need work. It took me a while to find my grip too, which also affected my first range session. That improved by the second trip, as did my performance.
The Viper was 100 percent reliable through the entire test, and the gun’s timing seemed spot on. Our accuracy was starting to slip by the end since we didn’t clean it, but that’s just revolvers. It has since gotten a good deep clean.
Running the Viper
I knew I liked the Viper’s trigger at SHOT Show. Extended use didn’t change my mind. After years of striker-fired pistols, I’ve been revisiting DA/SA handguns just because I like them. That kindled an interest in revolvers, where none had previously existed. I’ve gotten to where I prefer the hammer-fired DA/SA to the others these days.
I like the Viper’s consistency, and I shoot it DA most of the time. The SA trigger is good too, but I believe in practicing how I would use a particular gun in the wild. For the Viper, that means DA. My speed is increasing with .38 Special, with six accurate shots in five seconds, but I still need a lot of work with .357 Magnum. I count shots in the 9 or 10 ring at 10 yards as “accurate” for now, but no one will ever confuse me with Jerry Miculek.
I’m still nailing down my reload technique, but the Viper’s silky crane and cylinder is anything but an impediment to that process. The only small issue I have is with the ejector rod. I wish it were just a bit longer. It works smoothly but it doesn’t reliably kick out all the spent cases. I almost always have to knock several loose myself. I should also mention that I prefer the Smith & Wesson and Ruger cylinder releases to the Colt. They’re just more intuitive and easier to use. That said, Colt has always made them that way. That’s part of the deal with a Colt revolver. I know that, so I can’t ding the gun for it. I’m sure some folks love it. And I do love the idea of running a Colt wheel gun.
My co-tester is working with me on reloads, including dealing with that problem. As someone who carries a .357 Magnum revolver by choice, his performance is noticeably better and faster than mine. The point is that the Viper runs great, is accurate, and will do its job if you do yours.
Carrying the Viper
I’ve carried a couple of revolvers in tests, but they were smaller than the Viper. I wondered how I would like it, but I was eager to find out. The cylinder makes the Colt almost 40 percent wider than my normal carry gun, but we’re still talking about less than an inch and a half overall. I barely noticed the difference and, after carrying the gun for an hour or so, I hardly knew the Viper was there.
The Viper is comfortable and the 1 lb. 9 oz. weight is no problem, despite the stainless-steel construction. It balances well and we had no issues drawing and presenting the gun. The half-lug design helps with holstering and the walnut stocks offer a positive grip on the draw. In short, both of us would carry the Viper for real.
Final Thoughts on the Colt Viper
My co-tester and I love the Viper. I wasn’t surprised. I liked it in Vegas, and extended time only reinforced my first impressions. The durability provided by the all-steel construction really appeals to me. I like the trigger and how well I shoot it, as well as how it feels in my hand. I like the slick cylinder and action. And I like how it looks.
Revolvers, nice revolvers anyway, have a personality that most striker guns lack. That’s been a big reason for my recent move toward wheel guns. I’m aware that looks and personality mean absolutely nothing when it comes to performance. But if the gun works, those things sure don’t hurt.
Size has contributed to my not seriously considering a carry revolver. The revolvers I tried were either too small or too big for what I wanted. The Viper hits the sweet spot for me. I’ll likely carry it with .38 Special +P, but I like that I can handle .357 Magnum without breaking my hand. That’s exactly what I wanted.
I’m Keeping It
I like this Viper so much that I’ve decided not to send it back. I’ll have to pay for it, of course, but I’m keeping it. I’m at the point where I have all the guns I need, and now I buy guns that I want. Finding a gun that I want, that is also practical, is a bonus.
So, what it comes down to is that I like the Viper well enough to spend my money on it, and that’s probably the best endorsement I can give. I get that a carry revolver isn’t for everyone. A year ago, I probably would have felt the same, but I expect to become proficient enough to confidently carry the Viper for real. I doubt it will ever be my main carry gun, but it will be in the system.
This is a nice gun. I hope it lasts longer than the original Viper. It sure deserves to.
