Colt Trooper MkIII: Yea or Nay?

[Quoheleth]

I'm suddenly sitting with some extra cash and, not having bought a gun in a while, am pondering the proverbial "what should I get?" question. I'm looking for something a bit more unusual, not BBQ gun-class stuff, but still a shooter. I don't buy collector guns that just sit and do nothing.

While trolling around, I stumbled across the Colt Trooper Mark III. The prices I'm seeing are around $500-600, which is my price bracket. The .357 Magnum is well represented in my safe: I have a 4" Smith 66, 2.5" Smith 19, (plus a pair of .38s and a .22 in the venerable K frame) and a 6" GP100, so the caliber isn't unusual for me. But the Colt seems to fit my criteria - you don't see THAT many Colts at the gun range or gun shop, I'm looking at clean but not mint guns, and a 4" is useful as a field/carry gun if I really want it to be.

Would you buy a Trooper Mk III? Why or why not?

Q

 

[mavracer]

I would in a heartbeat IF i didn't already have a Python

 

[kcofohio]

There is a post by dfariswheel on another forum (I'm away from my puter at this moment), on how to check the condition of timing and such on a MKIII & V. If you can find it, it is very informative and may help you in your search.

That is, unless you are already well versed in the Colt DAs.

 

[wlewisiii]

Owned one. Shot it. Hated the trigger. Sold it faster than any other revolver I've ever owned. Bought a nice Model 10 to replace it with a _good_ revolver. You mileage will, of course, vary.

 

[brokenolmarine]

Back when I was a young Sergeant in the Corps with kids, stationed in Hawaii where everything was WAY expensive.... I had a MkIII and I really liked the gun. I carried it in a shoulder holster when we hunted feral goats on a bombing range called Kahoolawe that was a 3 mile long 1 mile wide rocky island that you'd spend all day climbing up and down peaks and valleys for the chance at cross valley shots with the 30 caliber rifles we carried. Every now and then you'd have a big goat bust the brush close in and we would take a shot with the pistols.... I made a running goat headshot with that MkIII, with witnesses... !

Something came up where something had to give and I traded the MKIII away, or sold it. Still regret it leaving the collection.

When the time came I reenlisted for a decent bonus, avionics was considered a critical field at the time. I was able to replace the MKIII with a Python and a Diamondback .22. The Python is long gone these days.. but the Diamondback is still in the safe more than 30 years later. ALL of the kids learned to shoot with it, and out of all the firearms I own, it's the one my oldest daughter has said she wants left in the will.

 

[ivankerley]

i would but ive always wanted a colt revolver, especially a python but those prices are way outta my league, the troopers look much more reasonable least for now.
Gene

 

[Dframe]

The trooper is a brute strong revolver that your great grandkids will likely enjoy. They're based on the Mark III action which is a bit more "Smith like" than the older V spring guns like the python. They tend to be very durable and accurate. Just don't expect "Python like" smoothness. One caution! If you do a lot of dryfiring you should use snap caps as the firing pin can be damaged, and that's a factory only repair. Troopers are just beginning to get the respect they've long deserved. $500-$600 seems to be the going rate at the moment but expect that to go up.

 

[Steve C]

Bought my Colt MKIII 40 years ago and still have it. Its a great gun though I haven't shot it much over the last few years. Prices today are about 3X what I paid for mine but that's expected for a fine handgun over the years with inflation and scarcity.

 

[win71]

I like mine

The second one from the top is a Mk III in 22 magnum. I really like it. Get one in whatever caliber you want, you won't be disappointed......

 

[Walkalong]

I loved my first one so much, I bought another one.

 

[Quoheleth]

Would you buy one sight unseen off one of the various interweb sources?

 

[Paul7]

I much prefer the pre-MkIII troopers, 1969 and before. After that the actions are hit or miss. I've handled some MkIII & IVs with truly awful triggers. I have a 1965 trooper (photo below) with a great action, the guy who sold it to me said it was as good as his Pythons.

 

[bannockburn]

A Trooper Mk.III with a 4" barrel was one of my favorite .357 revolvers, along with the later Mk.V version. I would get another if I found one in decent condition and at an affordable price.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Yea....

 

[Lucky Derby]

Good solid revolver. Hard to beat. Action will not be as smooth as a Python, but a Python is not nearly as robust either.
My father & I both had partners who carried them.
Don't dry fire them either.

 

[CajunBass]

I've owned a couple of MK III Official Police 38's. Good solid guns.

Yea, I'd buy a Mk III Trooper.

 

[mquail]

I bought one off Gunbroker a few years ago. The only problem with it was the right grip has a chip out of it which may have accounted for the lower price. Nice revolver that shoots well. Later I replaced the grips. One of these days I'll try to repair the chipped grip. If you see a left grip for sale you'll know I couldn't get it done properly Anyway I think the price can only go up on these revolvers and would buy it if you want it.

 

[sarge83]

I bought my MkIII 20 years ago from a friend. His cousin had bought it and fired it once and put it away. He wasn't a gun person but wanted one in the house for emergencies. He passed from a brain tumor and my friend his uncle ended up with the MkIII, had no use for it and wanted to sell it. Paid $225 for it. Still have it and wouldn't trade or sell it. Like others have posted it's not smooth like a Python but it's strong and accurate enough for me. That being said I still prefer the King Cobra or S&W Model 19-4 to the MKIII.

 

[Reloadron]

Would you buy one sight unseen off one of the various interweb sources?

Nope, personally I am reluctant when it comes to sight unseen off the Internet. I just like to be able to feel the gun trigger and cylinder for overall function.

As to the MK III have one and like the gun very much. Not even sure of what year manufacture mine is but it does get shot. Would I buy one in the $500-$600 price range that you mention? Absolutely if I liked the gun.

Ron

 

[OilyPablo]

I bought one with a 6" a couple years ago from an estate. Nearly new and nearly identical to SteveC's picture. Super accurate great trigger, a really great value in an a "semi old" DA wheel gun. Poor man's Python if you replace the trigger and hammer springs. Mine was full of crusty old grease and the cylinder gap was actually out of specification (too tight) when I got it. Cleaned up perfectly. Just a warning, if you go with the lighter trigger spring, the SA trigger is VERY light. Just how I like it for punching holes in targets at 25 yards.

 

[Rio Laxas]

I much prefer the pre-MkIII troopers, 1969 and before. After that the actions are hit or miss. I've handled some MkIII & IVs with truly awful triggers. I have a 1965 trooper (photo below) with a great action, the guy who sold it to me said it was as good as his Pythons.

I also like the older trooper more. If you are patient and look around long enough you can get the first model Trooper in your price range. I had one a few years back that I really regret selling.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I'd get one! It's obvious you want it. If you decide to sell it off later, it's not like Colt revolvers are getting any less valuable!

Now depending on if you want to shoot it, I might not be so quick to pump a ton of rounds through it personally. Colt no longer works on it's DA revolvers or so I'm told, so getting parts and repair services may be more challenging that for say a Smith and Wesson.

 

[d4xycrq]

I bought one new in 1981 or so. Excellent value. Still have it. Over 40,000 rounds through it. They were not considered posh guns....the gun writers would always pick the S&W over the Trooper in any discussion/test. But the Troopers were cheaper than the guns they were compared to.

This Trooper of mine is an old faithful friend, and it's not going anywhere.

Ray

 

[Walkalong]

Would you buy one sight unseen off one of the various interweb sources?

I did that with mine, although they had some good pics. Never buy without good pics, period.

 

[Tallball]

I won't buy from GunBroker unless it's brand-new, or a ridiculously good deal.

An example of the latter is my S&W pre-model 10. I decided I wanted one and haunted GB for a few months. I bid on quite a few and dropped out as soon as the price... I'm not making this up... went above $150. So I finally got one, for $140-something. It shoots just fine.

So if I wanted one, would I buy the MKIII online for $500 or $600? Nope. Would I do it for $400? Maybe. $350? For sure!

Just keep your eyes open. Sooner or later you'll run across one expiring on a Monday at 7:00AM or some other crazy thing like that.