colt trooper mkIII 4inch early 80's

My Mark III is about the same size and weight of a GP100. They are larger than the E/I frame Trooper and Python. Different lock work too. The Mark III is a heavy duty 357 revolver and really can't be compared to a SP101.

They are just about the strongest 357 revolver ever manufactured. They shoot great and will go up in value. Colt still works on them if there is ever a problem. I have some and they are great guns.

Good info has been posted and all of it true....IMO, $800 is wayyy high unless even for an NIB model. A typical used shooter should set you back no more than about $500....I have a SP and a MK III. There is no real way to compare them. Both are great guns. The MK III is simply a larger gun. You have to decide if you want to carry a larger gun.

If you lean towards Colt. Give the King Cobra a look. It is the same basic frame and design as the MK III, except with some alleged improvements. The good thing is that it comes in stainless, which the MK III does not. I would prefer stainless for a hiking/woods gun.

Do you homework and don't overpay and your money is safe. Colt DA's appreciate better than most guns.

Here's a pic, so you can compare the frame size of a MK III and SP. FWIW, a longer barrelled MK III will have larger square butt Target stocks makeing the gun a good bit bigger package.

The MK III and King Cobra are really nice, as are GP-100's and S&W 686's. It all comes down to personal preference. It was stated above but deserves repeating: People are asking prices for Colt wheelguns that are bordering on insane. It used to be only the Pythons were being priced in the 4 digits, now it's common to see King Cobra's and others over $1000. I know that they don't make these revolvers anymore but please....

If your looking at the Trooper Mk III, also take a look at its somewhat plainer sister the Lawman Mk III, which is built on the same frame but has non-adjustable sights and an non-ribbed barrel with unshrouded ejector. I picked up a nice example built in the mid 1970's with a fair amount of holster wear at a gun show a couple of years ago for around $300 from a Colt collector, most of the wear was on the wood, a $10 pair of grips from ebay solved most of the cosmetic issues.

It is a very good 357 mag revolver. My 6" is my favorite 357. Mine has a great trigger. It is a bigger gun than the SP-101.

Take a look at a Ruger 357 Six.

colt trooper MK 111

I owned a colt python 6" barrel blue for 28 years. I paid 400 for it in 1979,It was the best balanced 357 and accurate revolver I ever owned.Times got tough I let it go for 825 in 2007.But I found a colt trooper mk 111 6" for 400 dollars.Its not as smooth as the python was,but it has a good balance and feel in my hand and is very accurate as the python was. some say its the poor mans version of the python. I will keep this one!

Contrarian opinion here: Typical Colt DA which is to say heavy and stacks. OK in SA. Something of an orphan and not much available in the way of accessories or service. I fooled with one back in the 80s--could have had it for free--and gave it back. There were reasons that Colt lost the law enforcement market back then, and I would submit the Mk. III as one of the reasons.

A S&W K frame or Ruger Security Six is a better gun all around. An L frame or GP-100 would be about the same size but also better. Can't go wrong with any of them.

An SP-101 is a good little gun but neither fish nor fowl; small and compact, but on the heavy side. Not comparable to the others; it is what it is.

Man you just pegged my <deleted> detector. If you don't like your bullet holes touching, cause they're hard to score. You won't like it.

I have had 2, 1 blue, 1 bright nickel. both were just as accurate as either of my Pythons.The actions are nothing alike but both good. Get it and giggle to yourself. sp101 whole different deal,ok but well .....its not a Colt.

The sp101s used to only take up to 125Grain bullets, that might be different now.

Probably the strongest Colt .357 magnum revolver there is. Action not as smooth as the earlier Trooper .357. Grips will be harder to find than comparable S&W or Ruger. Much bigger gun than the SP101, a whole other class. Would be more like a GP100, or Security-Six Ruger. That said, I wouldn't mind having one.

Odd Python

Nickel plated PYTHON with 8" barrel, marked .38 Special ! ever see one?

Yes they are called the Target Python in 38.

This is the gun, when I was about 20, that I learned to never tell some one,
"they never made it", got it stuck right in my face. He was fairly teed off.

I think, if I didn't bust out laughing, it might have been ugly.

RugerMcMarlin said:

Man you just pegged my %&**$ detector. If you don't like your bullet holes touching, cause they're hard to score. You won't like it.

I have had 2, 1 blue, 1 bright nickel. both were just as accurate as either of my Pythons.The actions are nothing alike but both good. Get it and giggle to yourself. sp101 whole different deal,ok but well .....its not a Colt.

The sp101s used to only take up to 125Grain bullets, that might be different now.

Click to expand...

SP's have not been that way for about 2 decades now.

I own a Lawman with the 2" barrel. I'm a S&W man, but I like this chunky little beast. Very strong. At the time Colt was making it the company's metallurgy was considered to be some of the best. There isn't much in the way of accesories for it however. The trigger pull is heavy, but I've learned how to shoot it thanks to dry-firing and snap caps. Use snap caps with this model. And it isn't as compact as the SP101. But it handles hot .357 magnums with ease and (like I said earlier) I like it.

I don't know about the 357 guns but I have a MKIII Official Police in 38 special that is a good shooting gun

It seems they get overlooked a lot because they're not the old action.

I have one I bought I bought in 1970. A very nice gun but not as nice as the Diamondback I traded for it.
I bought another on GB a few months back for $395, delivered, including FFL fee. It has holster wear on the barrel and cylinder but in very good working condition.
I have been suprised at the LOW prices they are bringing.

Definitely a quality gun that has been often overlooked by the gun buying public. The pricing will change as people who want Colts can't afford Pythons and so forth. It has already changed on the 22LR and 22WMR versions. Get them while you can.

I really like my 6" 357 Trooper Mark III. No complaints. I use it primarily as a range gun as I would more likely carry my S&W M57 Mountain Gun or a 22 revolver out in the field.

Another Colt Lawman MKIII 2" fan here. It's wearing a set of Pachmyr grips the rounded set is in the gunsafe as the Wife uses this revolver more than I ....WVleo

Have a mid 80's Mark III with 6" barrel. Its in mint condition and shoots great. Not something I carry around, but I always keep it handy in the family room. Have talked to a number in LE who say if it wasn't for the 6 shot vs a bunch in an auto, they would be carrying the 357. Colt made a great firearm. Paid $450 in 2005.

I have the following two Lawman revolvers, a 4" MK V(with factory original Colt grips) and a 2" MK III. Both are excellent guns but, the LM MK V has the nicer trigger pull:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v631/shootit/colt/P1000036.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v631/shootit/colt/P1050008.jpg