Colt Trooper Mk III...opinion?

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The Goose

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Today I looked at a Colt Trooper Mk III at my local gun shop. Very nice looking, very tight. A tiny loss of bluing right at the barrel tip, but otherwise very good condition. Ran all the tests and tricks from revolver evaluation post on this site, everything perfect. Except! The double action trigger pull is very stiff. I was surprised. I have never owned or shot a Colt.

The shop owner asked me what I thought of the Trooper and I commented on the stiff trigger. I commented that my S&W's had much better triggers. His reply was that in general he felt Colt's had better triggers, but when he checked out this example he agreed that it was stiff.

I really like the feel of the Trooper and the condition. Price is $299.00. Despite liking it I am thinking of passing on it. Any thoughts anyone?
 
For the price I would almost certainly buy it if I had the funds and didn't already have so many 357 mag firearms. Hopefully dfariswheel can comment of the trigger pull as he is quite knowledgeable on Colts. If he does not see this thread, I reccomend sending him a PM to ask.
 
The price is good and one of the first things I would do is take it down for a good cleaning. Depending on it's age (the first were made in 1969) years of crud and improper cleaning can result in a horrible feeling action.
 
My Mark III 357 was a very smooth trigger. It is possible that it had a trigger job done on it as I bought it used. Price on yours is very good. Pass it up if you like, there is likely another one in your future, but it might not be at that price. Colts in general have better triggers on their revolvers than Smith.
 
The factory spec on the Trooper Mark III trigger was:
Single action pull was a minimum of 3 lbs and a max of 5 lbs.
Double action was a maximum of 14 lbs.

There are a number of things that could cause a heavy trigger pull, and with a used gun it's anybodies guess.

Could be anything from replaced springs, badly fouled and gritty, to some alteration to the action.

$299 is a good price for a Trooper Mark III in that condition, but without some idea of what's wrong, I'd be leery.

One quick test to narrow it down is to open the cylinder, THEN try the DA trigger pull.
If the pull clears up, it's likely something in the cylinder system.

If it's still stiff, it could be as simple a fix as replacing the mainspring.
 
In the Milwaukee area, which has higher prices, I have recently seen one in very good condition for $475. I compared it to a 19-3 that was in the same case and in a similarly outwardly pristine condition for $500. I liked the 19-3's trigger more, but not by much.
 
If you want a revolver for primarily SA shooting, have at it. If you want a good DA revolver...

Colt revolvers, outside of the Python or ones worked over by a very good Colt smith (are there any left?) have never been that good. The heyday of Colt DA revolvers was from about 1920-50 when almost all pistol shooting was single action bullseye work--and for that they were excellent.

My experience is somewhat limited, but the 1950s OP Colts' DAs were only so-so. I spent quite a bit of time with a Mk III once trying to get it usable (spring kits, different stocks, etc.) and gave it up as a bad job. The pull on the one you looked at sounds just about normal for those guns.

If I were you I'd take that same money and look for a nice K or L frame Smith instead. Even if you have to pay a bit more I guarantee you will find it well worth it.

Your money.
 
I love my trooper now i did have trigger break on it and before i figured out what it was the Da pull was terrible..

Replaced the trigger for round 50$ and its a great shooter and light SA pull and i actually shoot it better Da not sure weight though
 
The Goose said:
Today I looked at a Colt Trooper Mk III at my local gun shop. Very nice looking, very tight. A tiny loss of bluing right at the barrel tip, but otherwise very good condition. Ran all the tests and tricks from revolver evaluation post on this site, everything perfect. Except! The double action trigger pull is very stiff. I was surprised. I have never owned or shot a Colt.

The shop owner asked me what I thought of the Trooper and I commented on the stiff trigger. I commented that my S&W's had much better triggers. His reply was that in general he felt Colt's had better triggers, but when he checked out this example he agreed that it was stiff.

I really like the feel of the Trooper and the condition. Price is $299.00. Despite liking it I am thinking of passing on it. Any thoughts anyone?

I have owned one. Buy it! You won't be sorry.:cool: :D

Scott
 
Strength of Colt Trooper Mark III

Aside from being a Colt, the Trooper Mark III(Along with the Trooper MK V and King Cobra)is perhaps the strongest .357 revolver ever made(EXCEPT for the Ruger Redhawk .357)! And, this strength is far greater than any S&W K-frame! These are even stronger than the bullet proof, Ruger GP-100's!:what:
 
Colt

It's been my experience that the spring stiffness can vary from one Colt to the next. If that's the problem, it should be a relatively easy fix.
 
.357 Colt Trooper

Hi The_Goose.

I have Colt Trooper MK III and the double action trigger is a little stiff. That is, it was till you shoot a lot of rounds double action. But even then it is still a bit stiff which I consider a good safety "enhancement" ;) - you really need to pull the trigger if you mean to shoot double-action. Single-action is smooth and easy. If you have it loaded in the holster (which you should not really but some people do) it is certainly safer to have a stiff trigger unless you wanna shoot your toes off ;) . It is a very reliable, powerful and good quality gun. I own several others different calibers, but this one is by far my favorite revolver. If I were you I would get it, but it is your decision, everyone is looking for different things in a gun.
 
I bought a 4" Trooper MKIII early last year. Absolutely love it! DA pull is about like any S&W I've ever shot.

Buy it and give it a good cleaning, may be exactly what it needs.
 
I have a pristine Trooper MKIII with a 6" barrel and I love it. This coming from a died-in-the-wool S&W man! My Trooper has a silky smooth SA trigger, double action is stiff, but it's so damn accurate (most accurate revolver I've ever owned) and the bluing is deep and beautiful, so the trigger is a minor thing to me. I can always get the trigger slicked up whenever.

Once, in a weak moment, I put up the big ol' Colt for consignment; but after 6 weeks there were no takers as the shop owner said almost all his customers wanted compact semi-autos. I was missing the Colt so bad, I took it back and put up a compact S&W 9c M&P which sold lickety split. I'm thanking my lucky stars that I still have the Colt and I wouldn't give it up for any amount.

Before I got the MKIII, I had an old tooled leather clamshell holster that would have fit it to a tee. It was one of those old cop leather jobs that hinged open in front like they used to wear on the old TV series Adam-12. Those two would have made a great pair, a pristine old Colt 6" and the cop holster to go with it. I sold that holster on eBay for $125 to a nostalgic old LASO deputy who wore one in the '70s, so I did alright and he's happy.

Here's hoping you ended up with the Trooper!
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The Trooper MK3 is built like a tank. The only other revolver I have seen that can compare in strength is the SW 28 N frame 357.

Compared properly to similar sized revolvers though it is in a league of its own in the strength and weight department. It looks like it has a bull barrel on it. Mine is a Satin Nickel one that I got for 375. Would never have passed it up for that price.

The trigger pull is heavier than I would call normal for a DA revolver but it is smooth also. I think for a combat handgun it is an ideal trigger pull. And that is how this Trooper is rigged.
 
For 299 bucks, if the only problem is the stiff trigger and everything else checks out according to the Jim March Revoler checkout sticky, I'd buy it.

Stiff trigger may be a simple matter of gummed up internals, which is really easy to fix by immersing the whole gun (less grips) in Ed's Red for 24 hours.

Good luck
 
My service revolver in the late 1980's was a Trooper Mark III. It is a fine design. Mine shot beautifully.
 
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