Cobra
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 250 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.50 kg
- Introduced
- 1977
About
What it is, and why it matters
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.
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.
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.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Stellyte Arms Company
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Zimbabwe
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1977 to 1980
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 250 mm
- Overall length
- 620 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.50 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 25
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Slide
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 380 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 481 J
- Effective range
- 100 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Closed bolt
Top folding stock
Shrouded barrel
Fixed iron sights
Uzi pattern magazines
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 201 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 2.50 kg | 3.18 kg | Lighter than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 200 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 620 mm | 723 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 202 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 250 mm | 213 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 204 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 25 | 32 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Cobra
How much does the Cobra weigh?
The Cobra weighs 2.50 kg (5.51 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Cobra?
The Cobra is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the Cobra hold?
The Cobra holds 25 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Cobra?
The Cobra is 620 mm (24.4 in) long overall, with a 250 mm (9.84 in) barrel.
Who makes the Cobra?
The Cobra is made by Stellyte Arms Company (Zimbabwe). It was designed by Tommy Steele and Bruce Whyte.
When was the Cobra introduced?
The Cobra was introduced in 1977 and discontinued in 1980.
How does the Cobra operate?
The Cobra uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Rhodesian rural civilians
- 1977
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/cobra-smg' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "cobra-smg", "name": "Cobra", "manufacturer": { "id": "stellyte", "name": "Stellyte Arms Company", "countryCode": "RH", "foundedYear": 1976, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-07-19 22:59:14", "updatedAt": "2026-07-19 22:59:14", "version": "0c5b1026e581c4e12f832ace5ecbfe6360f7ce429615c5d317ddc91124b0f041" }, "category": { "id": "submachine-gun", "name": "Submachine Gun", "description": "Automatic firearms chambered in pistol calibers" }, "country_of_origin": "RH", "year_introduced": 1977, "barrel_length_mm": 250, "weight_empty_g": 2500, "action_type": "blowback"}