Shortened barrel Trooper MKIII

Heir Kommt Die Sonne said:

Has anyone seen a custom lengthed Trooper MkIII? Like a sawed-off 3 incher with no front sights?
Old Colts are quite collectible but the Mkiii is the short end of the bus.
I recently got a MkIII myself, LE-trade in. The barrel is 'marked' three inches in, almost as if someone was going to shorten it but decided not to. I wonder why. I got a flashlight and looked closely at the excessive holster wear at the front and there's a series of very , very small dings all around.
Just too much a mystery to me.

Click to expand...

Hmmm, strange, pics?

My biggest reservation with the MK3 series is the sintered metal triger and hammer, which Ive actually seen break. For many years, parts were hard to find, but Jack First is making billet replacements now, though they arent cheap. If I were looking at a MK3 now, I would seriously consider grabbing a spare set.....

That said, the MK3 Trooper with its full shroud is one of the best looking Colts ever made, IMO.

They must be somewhat collectible. I bought one in 2009 for 300. Sold it in 2011 for 500. Probably couldn’t touch one like that now for 1000. It was the satin electroless nickel which made it a bit more desireable. 4” barrel and original grips.

I've always like the MK III, but one with a sawed off barrel, and no front sight wouldn't interest me at all.

My first .357 was a Trooper Mk.III. Never had a problem with any of the sintered metal parts and I liked how solidly built the Trooper was. Double action wasn't near as smooth as a comparable S&W but the single action was light and clean. The last few Troopers I have seen for sale were priced around $900+. Would rather have a Trooper Mk.V or one of the new KIng Cobra Target models.

The best and smoothest pistol we own.

I have a well used 4" Trooper Mk-III in .357,,,
And a pristine 6" Trooper Mk-III in .22 LR.

Collectively I have about $800.00 in them,,,
I sure hope that they become collectable when everything else dries up.

They aren't my favorites and I rarely ever shoot them,,,
I do like owning the guns but would rather have some cash profit from them.

Aarond

.

I had a Colt Lawman with a snub barrel. It was pretty cool.

here’s an option for you:

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/183660

Looks to me like high condition MK IIIs are definitely becoming collectible, like many other out of production Colts.

FWIW, I bought a new MK III Trooper 6" back around '72-'73. Blue finish was not quite Python level, but still very glossy. A very accurate revolver with a clean SA trigger. Only gripe I had with mine was the DA trigger, though smooth, was so heavy as to be near unusable for me. Certainly nice revolvers, but I came to prefer the earlier V-spring type Colt revolvers over the MK III.......ymmv

Bought my current Mk III from a dealer who is also a Colt Collector. Blued with no marks. Gun was perfect other than a ring. As I was inspecting the gun and viewing the ring, the dealer said that if it didn't have the ring it would be in his collection. I made it a shooter. If you want a Mk III for collecting, you will be best off if you find one that is perfect and salt it away. As the number of perfect guns diminish, the value of 98% guns will increase. When that happens is a guess.

I have a MK III with a 4" barrel. In fact it is sitting on my night
stand as I write this since I keep it at the ready in case some uninvited
guests decide to pay a visit. (I live in a semi rural area where
police response time is around 30 minutes).
The one I have dates to the early 70's and is in perfect condition.
I like how quick and smooth it is to reload with speed loaders as compared to my
early 80's S&W model 29. The little Colt is very well balanced
and very well made. Don't much care about collectability since I
probably will never sell the thing. I have read these things in very clean shape like mine
are getting rather expensive.

It the T Mk II collectible?

Most certainly so.

How *collectible* is the one you describe?

Without some kind of custom provenance - barely collectible unless it can be corrected at a cost.

Todd.

Some Colt barrels are around as New Old Stock, in your case, if you can get the gun cheap, to buy a replacement barrel and have it rebarrelled. Rebarrelling does not demand much from a gunsmith other than having the proper tools to do it.

Here's an old thread about it starring two of the THR's leading revolver gurus.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/colt-python-barrel-on-a-trooper-mark-iii.228425/

For a good many years there was a Colt Trooper Mark III with a 3 inch chopped off barrel and the sight remounted on Gunbroker.
I don't know how long it was up with no bids, and I guess the owner finally pulled it off.

The seller never mentioned that it was a cut down job, and the pictures were taken carefully to try to hide the barrel stamps cut through.

I don't remember the price, but I seem to recall it was listed as being an "estate gun," as though that didn't make it a cut off barrel modification and not original.