Colt Trooper MKIII

[LawofThirds]

So, I picked up a nice colt Trooper MKIII at the last gun show after trading off a colt 1093 pocket hammerless.

There's some pitting and signs that the butt got damp at some point but considering the condition of the rest of the gun (it's 100% if you ignore the last 2" of butt, absolutely beautiful with no cylinder ring, carbon on the front on the cylinder, nor flame cut marks.... it might have seen a single box of .38's at most) I couldn't pass it up.

Buuuuut..... the condition of the butt makes me want to double check the internals. I don't want to disassemble anything, I just want to remove the sideplate, check for rust, clean/lube and close her up.

How?!? This thing is an enigma compared to the sideplate on a smith!

 

[Walkalong]

It does not sound as if there will be internal rust etc. Flush it out good. If there is rust it should show. If not lube it and shoot it. Yep, the side plate is somewhat tricky. I am no pro and could not explain in words how to do it.

 

[MMCSRET]

The cylinder release is the tricky part on a Colt side plate. Nothing will jump out at you when you tap the frame to ease the plate off. But flush it with the stocks removed and see what comes out.