# Colt Trooper.



## Baldy

I was in a pawn shop yesterday and they had this 1976 Colt Trooper MK III with a 4" barrel nickel plated. They wanted $390 for it. I checked it over real good and the only things I can find wrong with it is cosmedic. I would say it's a old police gun that laid in a holster for about 20yrs on a shelved. The cylinder and end of the barrel are pitted. I got him down to $350 out the door so I took it. It's the best I come across that I could afford in the Colt line. The gun is the same as a Python except it came off the production line where the Python went to the custom shop to be finished. I don't like them Goodyear stocks either, but there's a gun show the end of the month in Orlando. It will make a good range gun and I'll have some fun with it I am sure. :smt023 







:smt1099 







:smt1099


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## Benzbuilder

You know that you could be arrested for stealing a gun! LOL! You got you a fine shootn iron there my friend. I had a blued one back in the day. It was my first pistol. That had to be the best shooting pistol I ever had, until I got into bullseye. Congrats on the find. If you ever want to get rid of it let me know. I have been looking for one for a while.


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## rfawcs

Congrats on the find! Those old Troopers are really nice pistols. Most people don't realize they are "almost a Python" and would pass on it.

I have a MK III 4-inch blued and it's almost as nice as my Pythons. It has a finish nearly the same as the Royal Blue finish; almost black and about a foot deep. Those craftsmen at Colt could really put a finish on a handgun.


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## Baldy

Thanks Benz and Rfawcs. The pictures don't show the pit marks on the cylinder and end of the barrel. It laid for a long time in a holster to get them pit marks. I hope to get to shoot it this weekend. It's as close to a Python as you can get.


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## tony pasley

You know those pits might be dangerous why don't you drop it off at my house and I'll run a couple of boxes of shells thru it to make sure it is safe for you. We don't want you to get hurt and I promise to take good care of her for you. I know your saying ya right but had to try.


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## Baldy

Tony if we were anywhere close to each other I let you shoot it and all the guns I got as much as you want but you have to come to Florida. These things are getting to hard to find. I mean the ones that you might be able to afford. That's why I got this one even though it's mared up a little. I am a shooter not a collector anyways. I appreciate the offer.


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## tony pasley

Well if you ever get up near the Smokey Mountians give me a shout and I have a couple I can pull out to shoot. I am a collector as well as a shooter. My range is my front yard and side yard so no worries finding a place to shoot. People have often wanted to make several of mine are safe to shoot for me.


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## Bob Wright

Baldy,

Don't mean to take the wind out of your sails, but the earlier Trooper was the one that had the same action and frame as the Python. The Officers Model Match, the Three Fifty Seven, and the Trooper were all essentially the same gun as the Python, however later Trooper had the modified frame and action. Not sure what Colt called their frames at the time.

Bob Wright


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## Baldy

Well your half right Bob. The actions are a little bit different between the the Python and Trooper and all the others. The Python came out in 1955 and is a I-frame. The Trooper came out in 1953 and at frist was built on the I-frame with the same type action as the Python. Colt changed the frame on the Trooper to the J-frame and the action in 1969. The Python has never had the same action as any other Colt after that. That's what they say at the factory. Have a good day.


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## Bob Wright

*Au, contraire!*

At the risk of disagreeing with the factory, the Trooper, the Three Fifty Seven, and the Python were all introduced at about the same time frame. The Officers Model Match was .38 Special, with 6" target barrel and sights. The Trooper was a .38 Special, with 4" barrel, quick-draw ramp front sight with adjustagle rear, and service stocks, like the Police Positive. The Three Fifty Seven was similar but in .357 Magnum caliber, and having target stocks. Colt advertised these at the time as built on the .41 frame. Only the Python lasted unchanged as the newer frame was more economicla to make. Also think the newer framed guns went to the sintered, or powdered metal hammer. As I recall these were all available from about 1955 to around 1960, or so.

A 1956 Colt parts list is currently on e-Bay and lists both the Three Fifty Seven and the Trooper. These guns are also noted as having the Colt Accro rear sight, as opposed to the later Pythons which have the Eliason target rear sight.

Incidentally, Colt had to adopt the name "Three Fifty Seven" as Smith & Wesson held the trademark for a revolver named the ".357 Magnum", which has recently beomce known as the Model 27.

Bob Wright


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## Baldy

*E-Bay... Oh me...*



Bob Wright said:


> At the risk of disagreeing with the factory, the Trooper, the Three Fifty Seven, and the Python were all introduced at about the same time frame. The Officers Model Match was .38 Special, with 6" target barrel and sights. The Trooper was a .38 Special, with 4" barrel, quick-draw ramp front sight with adjustagle rear, and service stocks, like the Police Positive. The Three Fifty Seven was similar but in .357 Magnum caliber, and having target stocks. Colt advertised these at the time as built on the .41 frame. Only the Python lasted unchanged as the newer frame was more economicla to make. Also think the newer framed guns went to the sintered, or powdered metal hammer. As I recall these were all available from about 1955 to around 1960, or so.
> 
> A 1956 Colt parts list is currently on e-Bay and lists both the Three Fifty Seven and the Trooper. These guns are also noted as having the Colt Accro rear sight, as opposed to the later Pythons which have the Eliason target rear sight.
> 
> Incidentally, Colt had to adopt the name "Three Fifty Seven" as Smith & Wesson held the trademark for a revolver named the ".357 Magnum", which has recently beomce known as the Model 27.
> 
> Bob Wright


 Ok I made one mistake in my post as the Trooper came out in 1953 and there was a change over to the Trooper MK III came out in 1969. Lets stay on the Trooper MK III and the Python. All the others have nothing todo with what I have. Now where you came up with a .41-frame I haven't a clue unless it was e-bay. The frame for the Trooper MK III is the J-frame and the Pythons is a I-frame. The actions in the two guns are different. The Trooper MK III was a production gun. The Python went through the custom shop. :watching: :smt1099


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## tony pasley

How did it shoot?


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## Baldy

Hi Tony. Sorry to say I didn't get to the range this pass weekend. I got a gun show coming up in Orlando this weekend and it may be a little while before I get to try her out. I'll be looking for some wood stocks for her in Orlando as them rubber ones are way to big for me.


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## tony pasley

Shame on you, bad boy, she feel like you just got her for her looks.


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## Bob Wright

Baldy,

What I'm trying to say is that only the early Trooper and Three Fifty Sevens shared the same forging as the Python, these identified by have unprotected ejector rods. The Officers Model is included in this group. After the Mark II series, the frames were changed. And the ".41 Frame" was a designation carried in the advertising of the day, also identified as such in the 'fifties vintage Gun Digest.

Bob Wright


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## Baldy

Your right about the the guns being on the same frames but Colt calls them the I-frame. When they changed to the Trooper MK III (1969) it was called a J-frame and the trigger and everything was changed. The fiftys is a little before my time as I was still a kid. Everything I can find on the web and the few books I have make no mention of a .41-frame. I never have seen a Python that didn't have a full lug under the barrel. I know they were hollow at first but they changed that pretty quick.


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## Queeqeg

I saw a nickel plated 2 inch barrel Colt Lawman Mark 3 for $375 looks like it's in good shape considering how old it is

should I buy it ?


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## Baldy

Hi Queeqeg I would say yes buy it, but by no means am I an expert on Colts. You could call Colt with the serial number and they will tell you the year of manufacture. Colts are going out of sight price wise. The snubnose verisons have gone up to where I don't even bother to look at them anymore.

Best Baldy


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## Queeqeg

I'm more than half tempted..going to think about it one more day before I buy it (watch it'll get sold before I jump on it)


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## DRAEGER

Nice to see a fellow Trooper owner. The G.S.P. etched into my gun stands for Georgia State Patrol, was department issued long ago. Out of the firearms I've parted with over the years, I just couldn't let this one go


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## Baldy

Yep Draeger mine also came from the Florida HP when they had them a few years back. Here's a new set of stocks I got at the gun show and put on it. Feels and shoots a lot better now.








Best Baldy.


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## Queeqeg

Baldy said:


>


ooh I want one :smt023


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## Baldy

Well Queeqeg I hope you can find one. I was in SC last week and we went to a pawn shop and they had one just like mine for $950. I almost had a heart attack when I seen that. It was near perfect the finish and all but I'll bet the farm that it don't shoot no better than the one I got for $350 OTD. Maybe I got lucky for once. I don't sell my guns so I really don't care. Good luck.

Best Baldy.


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## Queeqeg

I went to buy it today..it was gone


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## DRAEGER

Lot of the older wheel guns can be found in pawn shops and gunshows if you look hard and usually at really fair prices. More important then finish of the gun is cylinder play, a.k.a cylinder timing (I am sure many of you what I am talking about, so please excuse my rambling). For a quick check, hold the pistol in one hand grip the cylinder with the other and see if and how much play there is in it. A very small amount of play, about 1/32 or less of inch is fairly normal, infact compare against a new pistol (of good quality) and you will see what I mean. Basically this is a good indication of how rough the pistol was used (lots of hot loads, etc...).

Often poor timing is repairable, but if excessive wear is found it can be as serious as frame wear. To much play in the cylinder can cause the chamber to not fully align with the barrel, which is a bad situation.


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## Baldy

*Grab it.*



Queeqeg said:


> I went to buy it today..it was gone


Sorry to hear you missed one. I think you have learned that if you want it don't put it down and agree to pay what it takes. I have missed a bunch over the years. Now the good news is there's always another one that will catch your fancy down the road. Good luck. :smt1099

Best Baldy..:smt033


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## Queeqeg

well I'll just have to console myself with the brand new two tone Sig 229 I ordered instead :smt023


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## Bob Wright

DRAEGER said:


> Often poor timing is repairable, but if excessive wear is found it can be as serious as frame wear. To much play in the cylinder can cause the chamber to not fully align with the barrel, which is a bad situation.


This is pretty typical of older Colt DA guns. Its usually a simple fix, as its either the hand or trigger (or both) which are easily replaced by a home gunsmith. Parts are readily available from Numrich (Gun Parts Corp). Colt didn't case harden these parts as did Smith, so wear is pretty common.
I had one old Colt New Service that I had as a kid, that I had to finish cylinder rotation by hand before firing.

Bob Wright


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## DRAEGER

EEKKK! That one word "Home Gunsmith" often scares me! Being that I went to school for it, worked for a few large gunmakers, owned my a shop and have seen the aftermath of the "home gunsmith" it gives me the willys... I'd prefer the term "people of competent ability".

I suppose its like most skilled trades, some people just are not as skilled as they think they are.


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## Bob Wright

*Didn't mean to offend.........*

But I consider the simple replacement of parts as "home gunsmithing." Certainly most avid gunnies have on hand enough proper tools to replace parts without damage.

And, in so doing, a gun is out of action only so long as it takes to locate a needed part and get it in and installed.

Beats three to six months at the local shop, or $70.00 tacked on for shipping. in addition to the repair charges.

Bob Wright


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## DRAEGER

I have no doubt you and many people here on these forums are skilled enough (I've read many of your post) and eager to play, so I mean no offense to anyone and I am not picking on any one person or social class, but the average person is usually alot more like Forest Gump when it comes to most repairs of anything technical or not, even if they don't want to admit it. Thats one reason so many tech support lines and hospital emergency rooms stay busy... (I wish I was joking). Human behavoir is if nothing else, amusing 

I say this with my wife spending many years working in an E.R. and seeing the dumb things people do because they are "skilled" and many years of people bringing their boo-boo's to me to fix, solve or repair.

And if it takes 3-6 months at the local shop, that shop either needs more skilled help or a better business plan. Shipping is the curse of a lifetime warranty


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