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Thread: Colt Tropper 70's

  1. #1
    Member Sal Picante's Avatar
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    Colt Tropper 70's

    Any idea what a fair price is on a late 70's 6" Colt Trooper .357 in excellent condition? (no box)
    I see a lot of variance on Gun Broker: Most aren't really moving, but pcs are priced between 500-1000...
    Last edited by Sal Picante; 12-10-2019 at 02:08 AM.

  2. #2
    Member JonInWA's Avatar
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    Les, unless there's really something about it that strikes a chord in you, I wouldn't personally get all that excited about a Mk 111 Trooper; there are some serious inherent issues with them, such as component durability. A period comparable revo with far better chops in my opinion would be a 6" Ruger Security Six. Best, Jon
    Last edited by JonInWA; 12-10-2019 at 02:45 AM.

  3. #3
    Site Supporter Trooper224's Avatar
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    A local shop has a MkIII Trooper, in mint condition, for $700. They'll probably get it, but I won't pay it. I've seen them go for more than that due to the pony on the side which is whacked for a mediocre revolver. Now, a Colt Tropper? That's as rare as hens teeth.
    Last edited by Trooper224; 12-10-2019 at 10:48 AM.
    We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......

  4. #4
    Member Scal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JonInWA View Post
    Les, unless there's really something about it that strikes a chord in you, I wouldn't personally get all that excited about a Mk 111 Trooper; there are some serious inherent issues with them, such as component durability. A period comparable revo with far better chops in my opinion would be a 6" Ruger Security Six. Best, Jon
    Seconding this....the guts on MkIII troopers are not really durable. A revolversmith who I took classes from said that the lockwork on these were made before they had a lot of the kinks worked out with sintered metal manufacturing.

  5. #5
    Member JonInWA's Avatar
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    There's that, and a couple of other things (I experienced this with my MKV Lawman, which was essentially the fix-sighted version of the Trooper);

    Critical internal action components are only surface hardened, not thorough-hardened. That essentially precludes any action job being possible, other than judicious tuning through spring swaps.

    The DA pull is something only a 1895 Nagant revolver lover would like. For what it is, it's pretty heavy, and, as I recall, a bit stagey. It was made back in the day when an acceptable DA technique was to roll through most of the DA pull, then stop, staging it near the break point, and then deliberately break. Period Smith & Wessons, and even out-of-the-box Rugers had much better (smoother, lighter) DA pulls (and both S&Ws and Ruger Security Six's are eminently tunable).

    The trigger fits pretty tightly within the confines of the triggerguard; the toe (tip) of the bottom of my trigger was dragging on the inside of the triggerguard. My gunsmith was able to slightly adjust so at least the rubbing was eliminated, but I never was too happy with the arraignment.

    I never had, or heard of anyone having any issues with it, but there is some sort of a white nylon/plastic retaining piece with the cylinder release internal mechanism. I figured it was a component that might deteriorate with age and induce issues.

    In all fairness, on the plus side, my MKV was beautifully finished in a deep, lustrous blue-all the more impressive for what was essentially marketed as an entry-level LEO revolver. As I recall, there was some fine knurling on the receiver sight plane to break up glare. Kuhnhausen regarded them as one of the inherently strongest .357s, of its time. My revo-foo accuracy with it was decent, although nothing to get particularly exciterd (or upset ) about-but that's probably more of a reflection of my skill-set at the time.

    The MkV Trooper and Lawman resolved the fragility of the sintered components, replacing them with more durable cast ones as I recall, but Colt continued with the surface-hardened only action components. These guns were also made during some of the more contentious periods of labor/management strife that pervaded Colt, so I'd carefully check before buying, and apres purchase, I'd strongly recommend having a qualified gunsmith go through it (I believe Cylinder & Slide services and works on 'em, Rick Devoid might be another).

    Kind of a handsome, business-like .357, but again for actual use I think there are better platforms, particularly in terms of shootability, tunability and long-term durability.

    Notice us saving your p-f dollars-how often does that happen??

    But if you heedlessly persist to the siren song...we want images!

    Best, Jon
    Last edited by JonInWA; 12-10-2019 at 12:54 PM.

  6. #6
    Member JonInWA's Avatar
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    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by Trooper224 View Post
    A local shop has a MkIII Trooper, in mint condition, for $700. They'll probably get it, but I won't pay it. I've seen them go for more than that due to the pony on the side which is whacked for a mediocre revolver. Now, a Colt Tropper? That's as rare as hens teeth.
    Rumor has it they mate with the Colt Pytheon....

    Best, Jon

  7. #7
    Member Sal Picante's Avatar
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    Thnaks for al the inf0... You guys are the bset.

    (It was late ... Work getting in the way of life, you know?)

  8. #8
    Don't be listening to all of the MkIII Trooper haters. Hey, haters just gotta hate.

    The second handgun I ever bought was an 8" nickel .22LR MkIII. The fourth handgun I ever bought was a matching .357. Been enjoying them for near 'bout four decades now. Haven't broken any of the reviled sintered parts yet. And yes, they have been shot. Just remember DO NOT dry fire them.

    Wuda, Shuda, Cuda got a matchin' .22 Mag. Oh well...

    If it is a nice clean gun at a good price.......................................... BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!


    Last edited by muzzleblast; 12-10-2019 at 07:16 PM.

  9. #9
    Member Baldanders's Avatar
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    Cons:

    --snap caps required for dry fire (I have done a decent amount)

    --trigger stacks, not as easy to work as a decent Smith or Ruger, and heavy

    Pros:

    --glass-on-glass feel trigger, mine has become nicer with use

    --pretty, even my somewhat holster worn example

    --300% more soul than a 686, GP-100, or Security-Six

    I want a 6" next. I would be willing to pay $800 for absolute perfection, $650-700 for anything less.
    REPETITION CREATES BELIEF
    REPETITION BUILDS THE SEPARATE WORLDS WE LIVE AND DIE IN
    NO EXCEPTIONS

  10. #10
    Member Baldanders's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by muzzleblast View Post
    Don't be listening to all of the MkIII Trooper haters. Hey, haters just gotta hate.

    The second handgun I ever bought was an 8" nickel .22LR MkIII. The fourth handgun I ever bought was a matching .357. Been enjoying them for near 'bout four decades now. Haven't broken any of the reviled sintered parts yet. And yes, they have been shot. Just remember DO NOT dry fire them.

    Wuda, Shuda, Cuda got a matchin' .22 Mag. Oh well...

    If it is a nice clean gun at a good price.......................................... BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!


    I would also like an 8". Nice.
    REPETITION CREATES BELIEF
    REPETITION BUILDS THE SEPARATE WORLDS WE LIVE AND DIE IN
    NO EXCEPTIONS

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