Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 32

Thread: Colt Tropper 70's

  1. #21
    Member Baldanders's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Rural North Central NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Watson View Post
    So? We have been warned against stoning through the case hardening of Smith and Wesson lockwork since my first gun book of about 1957.

    I once saw a Mk III with very good DA. It had nickel plated hammer and trigger in a blue gun. Did the plating level and smooth the inherently coarse surface of the sintered parts? I think so. A gunzine writer once gold plated his S&W action with a cheap brush plater for that purpose. Not to mention modern treatments like NP3 on the working parts.
    Mk III actions are 1st generation attempts at MIM. I have heard them described as thin steel over soft iron. They aren't comparable to any action with machined parts. They shatter when they break. No gunsmith who knows Colts will touch the lockwork on a Mk III with a stone, or any other tool.

    And again, there is nothing "coarse" about the surface of the lockwork of the Trooper. It's very slick. At least mine is.
    REPETITION CREATES BELIEF
    REPETITION BUILDS THE SEPARATE WORLDS WE LIVE AND DIE IN
    NO EXCEPTIONS

  2. #22
    Member Baldanders's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Rural North Central NC
    If I had a friend who was looking for a utility .357, and he was looking at a Trooper, a GP-100, and a 686, I would advise him to buy the GP-100.

    If he was fine on utility guns, and was motivated by pride-of-ownership, I would say "buy the Trooper if you want to keep it stock, buy the 686 if you want to modify it to be the ultimate range queen."

    YMMV.
    REPETITION CREATES BELIEF
    REPETITION BUILDS THE SEPARATE WORLDS WE LIVE AND DIE IN
    NO EXCEPTIONS

  3. #23
    The Nostomaniac 03RN's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Quote Originally Posted by Baldanders View Post
    If I had a friend who was looking for a utility .357, and he was looking at a Trooper, a GP-100, and a 686, I would advise him to buy the GP-100.

    If he was fine on utility guns, and was motivated by pride-of-ownership, I would say "buy the Trooper if you want to keep it stock, buy the 686 if you want to modify it to be the ultimate range queen."

    YMMV.
    Why the ruger over the smith?

  4. #24
    Member Baldanders's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Rural North Central NC
    Quote Originally Posted by 03RN View Post
    Why the ruger over the smith?
    Good question, especially considering the nicest revolvers I have ever shot have been such.

    Mostly, I trust current Ruger QC over current Smith QC. I would buy an older 686 over a GP-100, probably. But I have shot our GP-100 way more than I have shot 686s, and familiarity breeds desire for me. Hell, I handloaded for the first time for the GP.

    I wouldn't argue against someone who put the 686 as the best choice. And if it is for carry, I would argue for the 686.

    Narrow thing. I really have great affection for both. I have a feeling I could find a 5" GP easier than a 5" 686, but that's completely a personal affectation.

    With new, sight unseen guns, it basically boils down to the fact that I trust Ruger QC more.

    ETA: I am probably unduly influenced by a 3" .44 GP I got to fondle recently, which was pretty and had a very nice trigger. I have no reason to own a .44 Special, but that gun was sweet.
    Last edited by Baldanders; 02-11-2020 at 08:59 PM.
    REPETITION CREATES BELIEF
    REPETITION BUILDS THE SEPARATE WORLDS WE LIVE AND DIE IN
    NO EXCEPTIONS

  5. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Baldanders View Post
    My cap guns had better trigger pulls. (Remember those euro ones that used 6 shot moons and strips in magazines? Damn, I wish I kept those.)
    Totally off topic, but I had the same guns as a kid in the very early '80s. They're still around, and available. Here's the catalog: http://www.edisongiocattoli.it/eng/home.html

    You can get them from amazon.

  6. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Baldanders View Post
    Good question, especially considering the nicest revolvers I have ever shot have been such.

    Mostly, I trust current Ruger QC over current Smith QC. I would buy an older 686 over a GP-100, probably. But I have shot our GP-100 way more than I have shot 686s, and familiarity breeds desire for me.
    I agree. I have a couple of GP100s of recent vintage (last 3-5 years), and the triggers are much better than they were in the past. Older GP100 triggers were barely usable, my recent ones feel like they've had a trigger job. They're much better than current S&W triggers.

    If I were buying a new L frame revolver today, I would definitely go for the Ruger. In the '80s-'90s timeframe, the 686/687/686plus.

  7. #27
    Member Baldanders's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Rural North Central NC
    Quote Originally Posted by john c View Post
    Totally off topic, but I had the same guns as a kid in the very early '80s. They're still around, and available. Here's the catalog: http://www.edisongiocattoli.it/eng/home.html

    You can get them from amazon.
    Holy.
    Fucking.
    Shit.

    Thanks, brother!

    My new gun want list got very strange just now. 😗
    REPETITION CREATES BELIEF
    REPETITION BUILDS THE SEPARATE WORLDS WE LIVE AND DIE IN
    NO EXCEPTIONS

  8. #28
    Member Baldanders's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Rural North Central NC
    Name:  0451dd30234ab3fcab3d8270ca9c0499.jpg
Views: 215
Size:  40.4 KB

    Falconmatic.

    The Korth automatic of cap guns.

    Which is to say, it's like RG built a PPK.

    The revolvers are very similar to RGs.
    REPETITION CREATES BELIEF
    REPETITION BUILDS THE SEPARATE WORLDS WE LIVE AND DIE IN
    NO EXCEPTIONS

  9. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by Baldanders View Post
    Name:  0451dd30234ab3fcab3d8270ca9c0499.jpg
Views: 215
Size:  40.4 KB

    Falconmatic.

    The Korth automatic of cap guns.

    Which is to say, it's like RG built a PPK.

    The revolvers are very similar to RGs.
    My main carry piece as a 10 year old was an Edison Lionmatic. The faux suppressor was quickly lost, but I still have the gun, somewhere, today. The great thing about these was the fact that the spent caps ejected out the top like a spent cartridge case, and even without caps they made a satisfying "snap" sound. Plus the fact that you loaded the magazine with cap strip and then slammed the magazine home in the grip of the pistol. That was some serious Miami Vice stuff, right there.

    I agree about the build quality.

  10. #30
    Member JonInWA's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Auburn, WA
    To Baldander's point about triggerpull weight being primarily affected by spring selection (albeit snarkily delivered...), it's my understanding that several years ago Ruger switched to a lighter mainspring for the GP100, significantly improving out-of-the-box triggerpulls (at least pull weight wise).

    The coil mainspring in a GP100 tends to provide a less smooth pull than that of a leaf spring revolver; but on the other hand my Security Six with a coil mainspring has an excellent, smooth non-stacking triggerpull. Go figure-and my GP100 has received a professional tuning making the most out of it. It's eminently usable, though.

    My limited experience with the Colt Trooper/Lawman genre revolvers leads me to think that most never get much past the "heavy" to appreciate what smoothness there is. I seem to recall that Colt's excelled in SA pulls, whereas S&Ws and Rugers were more oriented to more user-friendly DA use. It's also pretty rare to hear of a Ruger getting out of timing.

    I also prefer the Ruger adjustable rear sight over the S&W, because the blade is a bit more protected (but Colt seems to do the best job regarding rear sight blade protection). For carry/duty, other Ruger advantages are a more secure cylinder mounting system (no retention screw to come unscrewed), what I feel is an ergonomically superior cylinder release latch, and an excellent field-strippable design. Ruger also has some of the best after-market customer service support in the business if any corrections or repairs are needed.

    Best, Jon

User Tag List

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •