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Thread: Just scored a Trooper MKIII

  1. #11
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    You have a nice revolver that was Colt's entry to revolvers made with cheap materials and almost no fitting. They were never popular with l.e. departments or sportsmen. Why? Ruger and Smith had these guys. Over the years I have seen these with broken hammers or triggers. If you will keep it forever, you might buy parts from suppliers of parts. Used is fine.

  2. #12
    Site Supporter farscott's Avatar
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    I used the Colt serial number lookup tool to check the DOB of my six-inch Trooper MK III. Also 1978.

    Mine has been sparingly shot over the years as I usually shoot a SP101 for .357. I may have to retrieve it from the safe for a short range session.

  3. #13
    A friend of mine had a Colt Detective Specialish revolver, somewhere in the '80's. Can't remember the name designation. The finish, if you can call it that, was terrible. It looked like a loss-leader, something to get the public in the gun shop. I remember the machining on the barrel had no polish and the finish looked like some kind of parkerizing. Just wondered if it was the Agent? or Cobra? A cost cutting measure. Remembering from long time ago.

    I do like that Trooper MKIII

  4. #14
    Ready! Fire! Aim! awp_101's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by entropy View Post
    “Buy Now” at $3000.00?

    We’re they smoking crack?
    Quote Originally Posted by entropy View Post
    Forgive my initial extreme rudeness...

    VERY nice score. It looks like it has more fingerprint smudges (self induced?) than wear.
    When I saw the disparity between the opening bid and BIN I thought the same thing and kept wondering why they wanted nickle Python money for it. It sat for 8 days with 1 bid so I figured I had a decent chance.

    Quote Originally Posted by JAH 3rd View Post
    A friend of mine had a Colt Detective Specialish revolver, somewhere in the '80's. Can't remember the name designation. The finish, if you can call it that, was terrible. It looked like a loss-leader, something to get the public in the gun shop. I remember the machining on the barrel had no polish and the finish looked like some kind of parkerizing. Just wondered if it was the Agent? or Cobra? A cost cutting measure. Remembering from long time ago.

    I do like that Trooper MKIII
    Maybe it was the 4" Peacekeeper? I've got a mid-70s Cobra that's got a nice finish. Not as good as the heyday of bluing for Colt and S&W but certainly better than what it sounds like you were looking at. Deeper and glossier than say, most Model 28s I run across.

    I like the idea of longer barrels and scoped revolvers absolutely do something for me but they always go away because I find they just stay in the safe. If I'm bringing a revolver to the range, its going to be a 4" or less.

    I mentioned in another thread, the ratio of Specials to Magnums I fire is about 100-1 and that will hold for this one as well in addition to making durn sure snap caps are in place unless I'm actually firing it. I used the Brownells gift card I had on the Kuhnhausen Colt DA books and I've already started looking around for spare parts just in case. I'll have to find them again, but I'm pretty sure I saw someone making tool steel replacements for the trigger and hammer.

    I went ahead and grabbed a set of Rogers Combat grips as well...
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    Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain

    Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

  5. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by JAH 3rd View Post
    A friend of mine had a Colt Detective Specialish revolver, somewhere in the '80's. Can't remember the name designation. The finish, if you can call it that, was terrible. It looked like a loss-leader, something to get the public in the gun shop. I remember the machining on the barrel had no polish and the finish looked like some kind of parkerizing. Just wondered if it was the Agent? or Cobra? A cost cutting measure. Remembering from long time ago.

    I do like that Trooper MKIII
    That was the Agent.

  6. #16
    Ready! Fire! Aim! awp_101's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OfficeCat View Post
    That was the Agent.
    Sounds like it. I didn't know they were done in matte after 82.

    Colt Agent

    The Second Issue

    Was made from 1973 to 1991. This version had the new heavy, shrouded ejector rod barrel introduced in 1972 on the Detective Special and Cobra, but still used short grips.

    The finish was a matte black after 1982.

    Some of these Agents were shipped with Colt factory installed hammer shrouds.
    Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain

    Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

  7. #17
    Site Supporter farscott's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JAH 3rd View Post
    A friend of mine had a Colt Detective Specialish revolver, somewhere in the '80's. Can't remember the name designation. The finish, if you can call it that, was terrible. It looked like a loss-leader, something to get the public in the gun shop. I remember the machining on the barrel had no polish and the finish looked like some kind of parkerizing. Just wondered if it was the Agent? or Cobra? A cost cutting measure. Remembering from long time ago.

    I do like that Trooper MKIII
    If the friend's revolver had a steel frame, it may have been a "Commando Special". The Colt guns with no metal polish hit the market during a contentious time between Colt and the UAW around 1984 to 1986. Some stories say the guns were produced by management and salaried employees during a strike.

    https://www.thehighroad.org/index.ph.../#post-7954753

    The Commando Special was the strike version of the Detective Special.
    The Peacekeeper was the unpolished Trooper Mark V.
    For some reason, the Cobra kept the Cobra name.
    The Agent had gone to a dull black finish some years prior so there was no change for it.

  8. #18
    Ready! Fire! Aim! awp_101's Avatar
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    Finally got to the range and put 48 rounds of .38 Special though it, a mix of 158gr FMJ and unknown weight SWC (148gr maybe?). All firing was done single action, two handed, off hand at 10 yards on some B8 style and Bullseye Torture targets. It may not have been from Colt’s golden age or one of Colt’s premier offerings but it is a thoroughly enjoyable revolver IMO.

    The front sight blade is pinned so if I had plans to carry into harm’s way I’d either replace it with a fiber optic or paint it (which I may do anyway) but I have a variety of targets and I pick the one that plays best with the front sight.

    I started out with the Rogers stocks but only shot one cylinder with them. I just didn’t find them natural or comfortable for my hands so the factory stocks went back on and were perfectly adequate for me. The Rogers stocks will probably end up as a karma soon™️.

    This was the last 6 shots. The high shot was my sighter to figure out the hold after adjusting the sights for the B8 style targets.
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    Took some beauty shots while playing with the light box

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    Here’s the extent of the turn line
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    Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain

    Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

  9. #19
    That's a very nice looking find...congrats!


    -Rainman

  10. #20
    Wood burnin' Curmudgeon CSW's Avatar
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    I think you did well, and it seems to shoot just fine.

    I owned a pristine example of one fir a while, that appeared as nice as yours, but only shot it about 2x, because the GP was my go-to 357....well that and the Security Six.

    Good luck with it, she's purdy.
    "... And miles to go before I sleep".

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