Colt’s Cool Kodiak Comeback!

By Joe W Gorman

Colt’s Mighty Kodiak Returns!

Colt’s ever-expanding line of cool revolvers has resurrected another bear gun! Alongside the .357 Magnum Grizzly, Colt is making also making a .44 Magnum Kodiak again!

Since Colt set their proverbial sights on the wheel gun market again, starting with 2017’s reintroduction of the .38 special Cobra, Americans have responded with an increased demand for the old school steel. It’s morning again in Colt wheel gun land.

Colt’s Kodiak can wear Python grips. Tee hee.

Just the facts…

Colt’s Kodiak is built on the same frame, and from the same type of stainless steel as the famed Anaconda. The Kodiak’s heft is welcome when its unfluted cylinders are full of magnum ammunition. Colt also made the cylinder 1.9” in length. This provides ample extra space for heavyweight, over SAMMI spec ammo and a margin of error if a bullet were to jump a crimp. (You’ll still want to make sure you are sufficiently crimping ammunition)

At 49 ounces, the Kodiak is a full ½ pound heavier than the .44 magnum Smith Mountain Gun I reviewed a while back. Colt has also provided a heavy underlug and vented the end of the barrel to help counteract the evil forces of recoil. The Mountain Gun is awesome for wearing a lot and shooting a little, the Kodiak is great for shooting, a lot! (The Kodiak never caused me to “bleed my own blood” White Goodman voice) Additionally, the vents provide quite the spectacle when shooting loads brewed with care from slow-burning powder at dusk. My neighbors already refer to me as “that guy” as I’m the only kid on my block to have a 200 yard range in the backyard. If they happen to be driving down my lane when I’m denting primers on magnums at twilight, and they look, they’ll see a flash so bright it illuminates their souls. This likely reinforces their already low opinion of yours truly.

The first 12 rounds fired from Mr Kodiak grouped thusly. The rounds fired were reloads consisting of 240gr XTR bullets over 24grains of 296.

Colt’s world-class, double-action trigger-pull is very much present on the Kodiak. That smooth-as-silk Colt trigger-pull, loved by millions the world over, invites you to keep loading up ammunition and to press on with your range work. The Kodiak features a grooved trigger, like the Python, that also permits accurate single action work though the single-action trigger-weight was necessitated by lawyers.

You Need a Night Sight too!

I also added XS Sights’ orange dot tritium night sight for all light visibility. This XS sight fits the Cobra/Python/Anaconda frames and swapping out the front with the XS tritium takes all of two minutes.

Yeah, even I can see these XS sights on an overcast day!

XS sights have stood up to magnum, fire-breathing loads on my .357 Colt Pythons and they are built to be tough. Given that 99% of my shots at white tails occur after legal sunset, a bright sight that helps me get a crisp sight picture is a Godsend.

XS’ stout and highly visible orange ring tritium night sight

Testing With Big Boy Ammo

As hard as this is to believe, there are people in this world who shoot full power 240 or 300 grain .44 magnum loads from a 4” revolver and say, “I want more recoil.”

Never talk to these people.

I have historically packed old 4 or 6” Smith and Wesson 29s/629s when headed out with a big bore wheel gun. I can tell you that holding onto a 4” Model 29, touching off a 240-grain bullet at 1300 fps is not particularly a fun experience. I can make it through a cylinder and that cures all need for recoil. The additional weight of the 4.25” Kodiak combined with the venting, made recoil much more tolerable. In fact, I shot an entire box of Hornady’s new Backcountry Defense DGH .44 Magnum 240 grain ammunition rather quickly. Wildebeests take note!

6 rounds of Hornady’s Backcountry Defense 240gr Dangerous Game Handgun ammunition fired from 12 yards from the Colt Kodiak printed a very tight group, only slightly ruined by the butter-fingered author

The Backcountry Defense ammo sends a 240 grain non-expanding bullet at 1340 fps from the Kodiak. I recall shooting those through the Mountain Gun. Yep, I was bleeding and every time I pulled the trigger it felt like I got hit in the hand with a ball bat. I LOVE the Mountain Gun, don’t get me wrong, it’s great for what it’s designed for. But long shooting sessions with magnums is not what it is good at. At least not for me.

The Colt Kodiak is designed for long days in the sun, shooting round-after-round of 36,000psi ammunition while you laugh manically, carefree in the summer breezes and launch bullets that look like 1/3 of an AA battery moving at Mach 1.2. Yes, even with the Kodiak, you’ll feel the recoil. But it won’t punish you. It’s more like being scolded by a hot librarian, who sternly whispers in your ear. Or something like that. Not that I think about that. Much.

At 50 yards, the inherent accuracy of the gun and the ammunition overcame the guy behind the trigger and printed this excellent single-action-fired group.

Anyway, I fired 300grain Hornady XTPs while standing at 50 yards and printed a bit high, but the result was a rewarding 4.3” group. Once the sights get calibrated, that’s a dead whitetail all day. Hornady’s 240 grain XTP ammunition was very accurate and it too printed a 4” group, fired single-action, by me, standing, at 50 yards.

The Colt Kodiak is a thing of beauty.

Double action shots at 15-12 yards were equally impressive and I shot up 200 rounds of 240gr XTP bullets over 24grs of 296 for this testing. You read correctly. I “tested” with 200 rounds of full power .44 magnum ammo and even ran combat drills with the Kodiak in case the Water Buffalo chasing me goes tactical or something bad like that happens. The Kodiak permitted me to get back on target for, relatively, quick follow-up shots when shooting doubles. If you want to conceal a large-frame revolver for carry, this gun will allow you to hit what you’re shooting at repeatedly with heavy duty loads.

He Ain’t Heavy…He’s my Bear Gun!

Speaking of carrying the Kodiak, I reached for my Galco Great Alaskan chest rig when I took Mr. Kodiak for a hike in the woods. We were on constant Rhino watch for sure.

The Galco Great Alaskan rig always keeps the big steel secure and handy. And yes I know Galco makes a Kodiak chest rig too. The Kodiak can certainly be worn on a belt but keep in mind, it’s a whole lotta steel we’re talking about hanging on your waist.

I first got the Great Alaskan rig for keeping my 1973 6.5” Model 29 secure and easy to get to when deer hunting. The Galco secures the big Colt just as well. Made from premium steerhide and lined with saddle leather, the Great Alaskan rig keeps the big wheel guns at the ready! Plus the Galco Ammo Carrier keeps 6 rounds of .44 magnum ammunition safe and handy!

Author wearing the Galco Alaskan Chest Holder with Ammo Carrier. This rig makes carrying big steel easy and secure.

The Kodiak cylinder locks up tight as a bank vault (remember, on a Colt you check cylinder play by pulling the trigger all the way back and then trying to move the cylinder) and would be a great platform to scope if you like that sort of thing. Well done Colt.

Ammo Tested	Muzzle Velocity (Avg. FPS)	Practical Accuracy6-shot group fired double-action off hand at 12 yards < 3”
Winchester Silvertip 210 gr	1225	Yes
Hornady Backcountry Defense DGH 240gr	1405	Yes
Hornady Custom 300gr XTP	1010	Yes
Hornady Custom 240grXTP	1310	Yes