Colt Mk. III Trooper
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Roamin_Wade
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dfariswheel
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The Mark III series was specifically designed for an unlimited amount of .357 Magnum shooting.
Master gunsmith and gunsmith trainer Jerry Kuhnhausen thought that the Mark III and later Colt's like the Mark V and King Cobra were the strongest medium frame double action revolvers ever made.
This was due to Colt's heavy forged frame, thick cylinder, and heat treating.
Accuracy is almost always excellent.
At the time, the Trooper Mark III was Colt's top of the line DA revolver, only bettered by the super premium Python.
Quality is excellent and the blue job puts today's revolvers to shame.
Only Colt Mark III series grips will interchange, NOT including the 2 inch Lawman Mark III which fits only that specific model
So, for genuine Colt grips you can only use Mark III Service or Target grips made for the 4 inch or longer frame size.
The only "weak points" of the Mark III are.....
A very few firing pins might be too hard and could break if dry fired.
Replacement REQUIRES a special press device and contoured support dies to press the firing pin and bushing out and to press a new one in. Also needed is a special circular staking pinch to re-stake the crimp around the bushing.
Driving the firing pin out with a hammer and punch damages the frame.
Since Colt no longer services these, you'd have to use either Frank Glenn or Spartan Firearms to replace a broken pin.
To just avoid the problem, always use snap caps to dry fire.
The only other possible problem is that a very few triggers weren't properly formed and can break through the frame trigger pin hole.
This is rare, but has happened.
Frank Glenn Gun Parts sell new, replica hammers and triggers.
The only "trigger job" possible is to install Wolff Gun Springs lighter mainspring and lighter trigger return spring.
Since the parts are made of sintered steel and have a glass hard thin surface any polishing will break through to softer steel and ruin the part.
That means NO "polishing" of parts. Since they're molded there are no machine marks or other roughness so polishing won;'t do any good anyway.
There's an Allen head screw on the underside of the trigger....DO NOT adjust it.
It's not really a trigger adjustment screw, it's actually to allow the factory fitter to adjust the trigger to allow the hammer proper clearance to bypass the trigger sear.
For more info on the Mark III series see Colt Fever.....
http://www.coltfever.com/Mark_III.html
Master gunsmith and gunsmith trainer Jerry Kuhnhausen thought that the Mark III and later Colt's like the Mark V and King Cobra were the strongest medium frame double action revolvers ever made.
This was due to Colt's heavy forged frame, thick cylinder, and heat treating.
Accuracy is almost always excellent.
At the time, the Trooper Mark III was Colt's top of the line DA revolver, only bettered by the super premium Python.
Quality is excellent and the blue job puts today's revolvers to shame.
Only Colt Mark III series grips will interchange, NOT including the 2 inch Lawman Mark III which fits only that specific model
So, for genuine Colt grips you can only use Mark III Service or Target grips made for the 4 inch or longer frame size.
The only "weak points" of the Mark III are.....
A very few firing pins might be too hard and could break if dry fired.
Replacement REQUIRES a special press device and contoured support dies to press the firing pin and bushing out and to press a new one in. Also needed is a special circular staking pinch to re-stake the crimp around the bushing.
Driving the firing pin out with a hammer and punch damages the frame.
Since Colt no longer services these, you'd have to use either Frank Glenn or Spartan Firearms to replace a broken pin.
To just avoid the problem, always use snap caps to dry fire.
The only other possible problem is that a very few triggers weren't properly formed and can break through the frame trigger pin hole.
This is rare, but has happened.
Frank Glenn Gun Parts sell new, replica hammers and triggers.
The only "trigger job" possible is to install Wolff Gun Springs lighter mainspring and lighter trigger return spring.
Since the parts are made of sintered steel and have a glass hard thin surface any polishing will break through to softer steel and ruin the part.
That means NO "polishing" of parts. Since they're molded there are no machine marks or other roughness so polishing won;'t do any good anyway.
There's an Allen head screw on the underside of the trigger....DO NOT adjust it.
It's not really a trigger adjustment screw, it's actually to allow the factory fitter to adjust the trigger to allow the hammer proper clearance to bypass the trigger sear.
For more info on the Mark III series see Colt Fever.....
http://www.coltfever.com/Mark_III.html
While I have shot full power magnums in mine, I recently went out and created 38 Special equivalent loads, in 357 brass, I wanted less recoil, less muzzle blast, and I wanted to be easy on the pistol and myself. Full power magnum rounds are tiring to shoot after a while.
My Trooper is accurate with full power loads and 38 Special equivalent.
in so far as grips, if I were to carry the Trooper, I would take off the Colt factory grips because they would get dented up. Factory grips start at $85 bucks at Flea bay, and they go up depending on condition. However there are lots and lots of Pachmayr's, and Hogue makes very nice looking grips:
https://www.hogueinc.com/handgun-grips/colt/trooper-mkiii
I am not a fan of the Trooper factory grips, the shape is not
My Trooper is accurate with full power loads and 38 Special equivalent.
in so far as grips, if I were to carry the Trooper, I would take off the Colt factory grips because they would get dented up. Factory grips start at $85 bucks at Flea bay, and they go up depending on condition. However there are lots and lots of Pachmayr's, and Hogue makes very nice looking grips:
https://www.hogueinc.com/handgun-grips/colt/trooper-mkiii
I am not a fan of the Trooper factory grips, the shape is not
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Mr. Mosin
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Found some simulation ivory I like.
Roamin_Wade
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Lots of good info in your remarks! Your sample is in pristine condition. Do you know about what year they started putting the ejector lug on the bottom of the barrel? Is the sight rib on top, and ejector lug on bottom, the only difference between out models? Mine isn’t a “Mark” anything. It is simply a Colt Trooper in .357.
I missed your identification of "Colt Trooper", yours is not a MKIII. Your pistol is the earlier type that had the Python type lock works and ended production in 1969 (ish) From what I have read, it took too much hand fitting to assemble the lockworks. Your Trooper, if it is in excellent condition, should be more desirable than my MKIII.
All the changes from your Trooper and my MKIII occurred in the model change.
I can only guess that Colt, and S&W, enclosed the ejector rod to prevent damage to the thing. I have seen exposed ejector rods that were bent.
Me too, and actually, most of what I shoot in .357 brass is light for .38 Spl.
I do shoot "Full Power" .357 loads some using 2400, which is a 158 at 1150/1200ish depending on barrel length, but I do it in my Model 28.
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.
I don't have any idea how long a Trooper or Python will go before going out of time. I am pretty certain I fired easily a thousand rounds each, through my Colt Detective Specials:
I took the things out and fired a 150 rounds each session, I shot the things for years, can't tell any timing issues. But, if I was a competitor firing hundreds of rounds a day to thousands of rounds a week, maybe they would have gotten out of time. I don't know the limits. My recommendation for your Trooper is the occasional magnum round. You are better off shooting 38 Special rounds for target practice and plinking fun. Shoot enough of these and of course, the timing will go, but it should take a lot more 38 Special ammunition to get there. I am of the opinion that when these pistols were made, the assumption was shooters would use 38 Special in practice and only carry 357 Magnum, and only occasionally shoot 357 Magnums. These medium weight pistols were built around already existing 38 Special pistol frames.
A load I recommend, is a 158 Lead RN or LSWC, 3.5 grains Bullseye. Or, try 4.0 grains Bullseye in a 357 case with the same bullet. I shot tens of thousands of the 38 Special round and it was accurate in every 38 Special I own. In a four inch barrel the bullet goes just at 760 fps.
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Mr. Mosin
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So, similar to the original S&W M19 in usage ? Shoot .38's, carry .357's, shoot .357's just enough to retain familiarity ?
Riomouse911
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AustinTX
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I guess Mr. Kuhnhausen’s knowledge and experience, prodigious as it was, was nonetheless limited to American-made DA revolvers.
It is what it is, just go out and shoot the thing. If it breaks, make it break before you wear out. You have a service life, though the warranty period is unstated.
army_eod
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I bought it used so I don’t know if it is stock or not.
bannockburn
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Mr. Mosin
My first .357 Magnum was a blued Colt Trooper Mk.III with a 4" barrel. To my way of thinking for a medium frame size .357, the gun was built like a tank. And while it didn't have as smooth of a DA trigger as a comparable S&W might have, it sure was enjoyable to shoot, even with full house .357 loads. Didn't care for the factory grips as they just felt too big and were not very ergonomic for my smaller size hands. Went with Pachmayr Presentation grips and found them to be a bit more comfortable to shoot with. The gun itself was very accurate and had a great sight picture provided by the Colt Accro rear sight. Only problem I had was the roll pin that held the rear sight in place broke but was easily fixed by replacing it with a cut-down piece of drill bit.
I also had two Colt Troopers Mk.Vs (4" and 6" barrels), and felt they were even better than the Mk.III in that they had smoother actions and the factory wood grips were a great fit right out of the box!
My first .357 Magnum was a blued Colt Trooper Mk.III with a 4" barrel. To my way of thinking for a medium frame size .357, the gun was built like a tank. And while it didn't have as smooth of a DA trigger as a comparable S&W might have, it sure was enjoyable to shoot, even with full house .357 loads. Didn't care for the factory grips as they just felt too big and were not very ergonomic for my smaller size hands. Went with Pachmayr Presentation grips and found them to be a bit more comfortable to shoot with. The gun itself was very accurate and had a great sight picture provided by the Colt Accro rear sight. Only problem I had was the roll pin that held the rear sight in place broke but was easily fixed by replacing it with a cut-down piece of drill bit.
I also had two Colt Troopers Mk.Vs (4" and 6" barrels), and felt they were even better than the Mk.III in that they had smoother actions and the factory wood grips were a great fit right out of the box!
NIGHTLORD40K
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Dfariswheel says that Frank Glenn has new-production replacement parts, and Jack First lists a new-made trigger. They used to have hammers too, but I didnt see them just now on their site. Might want to think about laying away a set.
I would DEFINITELY get a trigger, as Ive actually seen two broken ones. The only broken hammer spur Ive heard of was on a gun that got dropped.
army_eod
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Thanks for that info. I will look into the spares.
NIGHTLORD40K
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Gorgeous! Ive always said the MK3s are some of the best looking Colt revolvers......Im just not so hot on the sintered internals.
The MK3 makes my 1st Gen Trooper look like the ugly girl standing against the wall at the dance-
She may be a butterface, but shes tough and dependable!
The MK3 makes my 1st Gen Trooper look like the ugly girl standing against the wall at the dance-
She may be a butterface, but shes tough and dependable!
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Mr. Mosin
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Ironically, I want a .45 Colt, DA/SA; that frame size, half underlugged, with a 5/6 shot cylinder.Gorgeous! Ive always said the MK3s are some of the best looking Colt revolvers......Im just not so hot on the sintered internals.
The MK3 makes my 1st Gen Trooper look like the ugly girl standing against the wall at the dance-
View attachment 895570
She may be a butterface, but shes tough and dependable!
22-rimfire
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My 6" Trooper Mark III is my go to 357 mag. It shoots really well and has a great trigger. No complaints. They are built to handle any 357 mag round.
I have 22 mag and 22 LR versions as well.
I have 22 mag and 22 LR versions as well.
Jesse Heywood
Member
Compare the Trooper Mk III to the X86 line, the L frame. Similar in durability, but the L frame has an action that can be tuned. I have both. 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.
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Mr. Mosin
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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.
Heir Kommt Die Sonne
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Yours is a custom Mk3. It's actually pretty neat.
No it probably never left the factory that way. That satin finish is definitely not a job that would've happened in the 70s. That's a more modern thing.
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