Cobalt Kinetics is Shifting from Rifles to Handguns

Four years ago, Cobalt Kinetics of Washington, Utah, invited me to a private shooting event in Las Vegas to let me try out a few of their new rifles that provided a fresh take on the venerable AR-15 rifle. Their bold new designs had it in the looks department as well as in performance. Yet, beyond those flashy colors were some real innovations like a six-port muzzle brake that kept your rifle flat-shooting, an interesting buffer system, a dual-forward assist that functioned as a bolt drop and the ability to automatically drop your empty magazines.

Cobalt Kinetics EVOLVE

In a bittersweet note, this week, the company announced they are no longer manufacturing these rifles. Instead, they are setting their sights on another iconic firearm, the M1911 pistol.

Cobalt Contra 45, looks like the Commander sized carry model.

In a world where $2000 Glocks are flying off the shelves and used 1911s seem to be gathering dust in gun shops in my AO, I had to scratch my head for a minute.

I have known for about two years that the crew at Cobalt had a pistol in the works that did not involve the use of an arm brace or fire 5.56 or 300 Blackout. Okay, I knew it was a 1911, but I never thought they would stop making the rifles that put them on the map. I had to call up the Vice president and marketing director at Cobalt, Skylar Stewart.

Adeptus 9mm looks like the 9mm Competition pistol.

He said, “We are sorry to have to take the BAMF out of production. We all worked tirelessly to create it and get it out into the world and establish and grow the market for the super-premium AR-15. But times change, market demand shifts, and we’re only looking forward. We have really been wanting to expand our offering for a long time and this shift gives us the chance to make good on that plan. Our pistol-smith, Dave Lake, has a lot of experience and has given us a healthy head start on this thing. We’re going to hit the ground running. We plan to break some rules, turn some heads and make our mark on the firearm industry again.”

Ultra-9 seems to be the tactical double stack 9mm.

I happen to know David Lake, as well. He is one hell of a gunsmith and engineer with close to two decades of study and on-the-job experience in the craft. He has built competition handguns for world champions in various shooting disciplines and has a loyal following as a builder of precision bolt-action target rifles.

With Stewart and Lake at the wheel, this will be a very interesting and fun ride.

Before Uncle Fester starts babbling about two World Wars and all you need are 7-shots of the old hardball to “make em fall,” as you can tell by the photos these are not Fester's 1911s.

Cobalt Kinetics new 1911s.

We are talking about a modular-framed, double-stack 1911. Cobalt will be releasing a complete line of these handguns including a Commander-sized carry pistol (Contra), a suppressor-ready tactical pistol (Ultra), and a few USPSA competition pistols (Adeptus). While the exact features and details of each model are still being refined- Cobalt insists that they’re willing and able to make good on most any custom request from interested parties. This would indicate that these pistols are being built by hand in a custom fashion rather than being mass produced on a manufacturing line.

From the photos, it looks like an interesting new take on rear cocking serrations, the use of full-length guide rods and ambidextrous safeties. There is also the absence of front cocking serrations on the carry pistol and some of the wrap-around grips look very European target pistoly. I personally cannot wait to try them out.

Cobalt has not given a timeline for delivery of these new handguns, nor will they confirm the prices at this time. But based on the BAMF rifles, these new pistols will not be in the Armscor or Rock Island pricepoints. I expect them to come in at the level anywhere from a Dan Wesson or Les Baer to a Cabot Arms pricetag and will command a premium at market.

Cobalt Kinetics BAMF

The company does still have a standing inventory of new and used rifles. The new guns are exactly that- new boxed inventory, while the used guns are all trade show samples and range demo rifles in various conditions ranging from bearing a few slight handling marks to heavy cosmetic damage from extreme use. Cobalt maintains that each of these last 200 new guns will be sold with a full factory warranty. For a list of available rifles, contact Cobalt’s sales team at [email protected].

Cobalt rifles from the range.

Further questions can be directed to:
Phone: 435.656.0599
Email: [email protected]

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