Colt Mk. III Trooper

[ColtPythonElite]

I just glanced at the pics, but assumed that was a factory Coltguard finish.

 

[Jack B.]

My wife loves hers. We've had it for about 30 years. Never have done anything but shoot .357 magnus in it.

 

[Slamfire]

Eh.... all these issues with Colt makes me wanna stick with a Ruger Vaquero or Uberti for SAA needs, and S&W or Ruger for DA revolver needs. Sounds like the only Colt worth the money is a 1911.

If you find the right buyer you can sell the thing for more money than you have into it. The Colt Trooper is a desirable pistol to the Colt Cult. Colt is clearly a Cult brand. It is interesting to read about Cult brands and the irrationality of humans. Find someone who is a Colt Cultist and they will pay the market price for your pistol, and go buy a nice S&W M686, something that will be stronger, last longer, and is a wonderful pistol.

 

[bannockburn]

Heir Kommt Die Sonne

I think ColtPythonElite is correct in that the finish on that Colt Trooper Mk.III looks to be Coltguard or Colt's version of electroless nickel plating. Pretty sure it came from the factory that way and was probably built sometime in the early '80s. You'll also find them with Pachmayr rubber grips with the Colt medallion on them instead of the factory wood grips.

 

[Mr. Mosin]

If you find the right buyer you can sell the thing for more money than you have into it. The Colt Trooper is a desirable pistol to the Colt Cult. Colt is clearly a Cult brand. It is interesting to read about Cult brands and the irrationality of humans. Find someone who is a Colt Cultist and they will pay the market price for your pistol, and go buy a nice S&W M686, something that will be stronger, last longer, and is a wonderful pistol.

I never have understood the "Prancing Pony Posse" as I've called em before now, but I agree. I could well flip it for a profit myself.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

The reason I like Colts Is because : They were the first American manufacturer of revolvers,
their early revolvers were amazing (1851, 1860 etc.)
Their actions are very smooth and awesome.
And their bluing process is also incredible.
I also just choose to prefer the Colt style cylinder latch over the other companies.
Just a shame that they really weren't the more innovative overall. They got the Python , but that's it when it comes to spectacles.
Tbh I'm not overly impressed with their AR 15s either. They're smooth, but they're not the finest I've handled.
Their 1911s are pretty good, but there's still a handful of other brands i'd rather buy when it comes to semi-autos.
They just didn't make the best business decisions. Like the Colt-z40. Amazing pistol, but they decided not to go with it. That thing would've been a great seller if they kept it.
Also suppose they could've worked on the Colt All-American 2000 a bit better. Made it, actually practical. But that part of the competition is long lost for them now.

 

[AustinTX]

Gorgeous! Ive always said the MK3s are some of the best looking Colt revolvers......Im just not so hot on the sintered internals.

I know I'm probably in the distinct minority, but I can't get over the contour of the Mark III trigger guard. The droop toward the front just kills the look of the entire gun for me. At least the gun is a lot better looking overall than the Mark V, which I find to be one of the very ugliest of modern revolvers. But that trigger guard shape is part of why all of the revolvers Colt introduced from 1969 forward are unattractive to me. (I find them unappealing for other reasons as well, but the trigger guard keeps me from even at least calling them pretty.)

And while I don't have a Python, a friend did. Every other year, about 10,000 rounds, it went back to Colt to correct frame stretching and subsequent timing issues.

It would take absolutely nuclear handloads or a heavy, sustained diet of very hot loads to stretch a Python frame. I'm not sure how one goes about correcting frame stretching at 10,000-round intervals either.

I'm going to hazard a guess that your friend meant that the hand had been peened out of spec at these intervals, leading to timing issues. The biggest parts on a Python are all very robust, and anything that would stretch a Python frame would deadline a S&W frame (K, L, or N) quite a while beforehand. It's the Python's action that's comparatively weak (next to a S&W), owing to the iconic and legendary -- but also, in my opinion, completely pointless -- "bank vault lockup" and the sacrifices necessary to obtain it.

 

[Dframe]

The MK IIIs are built like a tank and can take several lifetimes of shooting. They're accuracy is also legendary. Mine shoots every bit as well as my Python though it does have a heavier trigger.

 

[Old Stumpy]

Them gosh durn self cocking reevollvirs is jus a passin fadd.
I will stik with mie Colts Navy .36 an a big ole 10 inch fightin nife on mie belt.
Ifn ya can nott shootz em dade, ya kin slash em, stab em, and beet em inta bein respecfal.... an allsow dade preefurd.

(pause and spit for effect)

 

[Kleanbore]

Let me address the question of durability and Colt lockworks. Your pistol has the classic Colt lockworks which the cylinder hand pushes the cylinder into lock up just at hammer fall. This is subject to wear and Colt have a reputation for going out of time sooner than the Smith and Wesson pistols. I talked to a 10 time PPC champ, and two time 2700 Bullseye Champ about the pistols used in PPC. He said he only saw one person who used a Colt, and that guy may not have been a top ranked competitor. This gentleman shot hundreds of thousands of rounds through his K frame Smiths, and even those pistols would wear out cylinder rachets given enough rounds. With a Smith, the cylinder is in line with the barrel before hammer fall. Colts got out of time earlier, by nature of their lock works.

Excellent post.

Points worth keeping in mind.

Every other year, about 10,000 rounds, it went back to Colt to correct frame stretching and subsequent timing issues.

Timing, yes.

Frame stretching, no.

The question today is, what about the new Colts?

 

[Dframe]

The MK III guns have the later lockwork that is much more S&W like. They do not go out of time any more than any other revolver

 

[W. Bittle]

I have a MKIII with a 4" barrel and it is a very accurate gun. The thing I really like about the
trooper is how the cylinder swings clear of everything so one can very
quickly use a speed loader to reload the revolver. It is much faster to reload then
something like my S&W model 29. Both revolvers are very accurate, but the
old Trooper is just faster to point and shoot and faster to reload. I use
both .38 special and .357 Mag rounds in mine. Accuracy with the .357 rounds
is slightly better then with .38 special rounds. These are just very well made
revolvers that just plain work. Back in the 70's these revolvers were standard
issue for many police forces and they were very reliable as service revolvers.
The .357 Mag round is still very powerful even by today's standards.
But, recoil is not bad and I have let small women fire .357 magnum rounds through
mine and not one complained about the recoil. With .38 special rounds, the thing
has a very light recoil. Bottom line is that I love my 70's vintage Trooper MKIII.

 

[army_eod]

I did the serial number lookup and my Trooper was born in 78.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

All in all, we can agree the Trooper MKIII series is a remarkable handgun.
Sure, not as good a trigger pull as the older V-spring Colts. But a good pointer none-the-less, very robust frame and internals that can be easily replaced (but NOT refitted/adjusted) if need be.
If you find a Mk3 for a good price, why not ?