Colt Trooper MK3 info, 1st revolver

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wild billz

New member
Hi, I just bought a Colt Trooper MK3 at the gun show here for 200 bucks, its in pretty decent shape, and nickle plated, 4 inch barrel, manufactured in "76 (I called Colt after I bought it). Hopefully that's a decent price, it was an impulsive buy. The rifling is crisp, there is some holster wear on it, how can you tell if it was a LE gun?

Anyhow, I've done lots of searches,and I find precious little info on these revolvers. Can some on clue me in on them, and also offer any care advice. Were they good, cheap, flaws etc. A little late since I bought it, but if its a real turd I can try to sell it.

I don't want to be stupid sounding but when you clean them is it ok to go through the muzzle with the bore brush, because you don't on a semi-auto pistol, and can you use it on the cylinders. Use wire brushes, nylon? Also, any good links on revolver maintenance or for the Colt Trooper MK3 please let me know.

I plan on taking it to the range this weekend. So I'll post on my impressions.

Attached a picture.
 

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The Mark 3 was Colt's replacement for all of the older E&I frame guns like the Official Police, the Trooper, and the Officer's Model Match. Only the Python is still made. Colt replaced those with the "J" frame Trooper Mk 3 series guns because it had gotten too expensive to make the others because of the extensive hand fitting needed.

The "J" frame guns are absolutely first rate guns, even though they were designed to be Colt's less expensive guns.
The Trooper 3 was a first in the industry from several points.
It was the first pistol to use "sintered" steel, (a form of powdered steel technology in which powdered steel is injected into a mold and heated to form the part). This was used for parts like the hammer and trigger. The frame is a high quality forged steel part.

It was the first modern pistol to use a transfer bar firing system. This was so good a design, that almost every brand of revolver made since, uses an almost exact copy of it.

It was the first revolver ever made that required so little hand fitting, and used parts that were not intended to be repaired or refitted, but simply replaced.

An excellent book on the Mark 3 series guns is Jerry Kunhausen's book on gunsmithing the Colt J, V, and AA frame guns. This has a huge amount of info. Get a copy, they're not expensive. In the book, Kunhausen states that the J and V frame guns may be the strongest mid-frame guns ever built.

Price wise, you done GOOD.

The only possible weakness on these are the firing pin MIGHT be a little too hard, and COULD break if dry fired too much. If it does break, the gun must be returned to Colt for replacement. DO NOT attempt to replace it locally, since this requires special tooling
and the frame can be ruined. Although this is a POSSIBLE problem, better to use snap caps to be safe, if you want to do a lot of dry firing.

If the gun was a LE gun, it might have a mark on the side of the frame or on the butt.

The gun must be cleaned from the muzzle. Just take care to either guide the rod with your fingers, or better still, get a cleaning rod with a muzzle guide.

Use bronze cleaning brushes in the bore and chambers. If you intend to shoot lead bullets, buy a Lewis Lead Remover kit, to clean the lead out.

These were available in bright blue, bright nickel, and Electroless nickel, also sold as "Colt Guard".

Barrels were 4", 6", and 8".
Calibers were .357, .22LR, and .22 Magnum.

Later the Mark 3 was replaced by a slightly modified Trooper Mark V, and later modified again into the King Cobra.

If you come accross a .22LR Trooper MK 3, buy it, they are are a great .22.

In total, you've got a great gun at a great price.
 
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mark 3's

Hey;
That kinda looks like the brother to mine!:p
I just got this one about a month ago, unfired in a collection since '69....:D I was told.
Paid $200.00:D :D :D
 
Good price,nice catch .If it was an old LE gun it would have either a stamped logo of the agency on it or dept abrev. on it or an asset number.:)
 
LE revolvers generally show a lot of holster wear around the side of the barrel near the muzzle, the cylinder and the grip (if Pachmayrs weren't used). They may or may not have the Agency's initials stamped on the grip or on the frame. You can always get a letter from the Colt Historian about it - but that'll cost some $.
 
Trooper MK3

Thanks for the input, i really appreciate the info. I feel better that I got it a a good price, and it's a quality revolver. I was starting to get some buyers remorse. I'm hitting the range Monday.

there are no agency name or numbers on it, though it has wear on it. Some one used it and carried it, it doesn't look as bad in person as it does in the picture.

when I called Colt I asked about the historical document, it was btwn 75- 150 bucks. I was happy they gave me the year of manufacture when I called. The name Colt was part of the reason I bought it- good customer service, quality weapons. Also seems to be very few Colts in revolvers around, mostly S&W, Ruger and taurus.

Thanks again, I look forward to more post for this. I have a feeling I have been bittern by the wheel gun bug!
 
I'm not much of a fan of Colt revolvers, but I would have been hard pressed to pass up that gun for $200.

I think you got an excellent price for a very good revolver.

"There seems to be very few Colt revolvers around..."

Especially those of later vintage.

Colt virtually surrendered the revolver market to Smith & Wesson after World War II, concentrating on its military rifle production. Unfortunatly for Colt, they also slept on development of semi-auto handguns, preferring to let the 1911 carry the day.

It was bad news for Colt when they lost the M16 contract, and the big handgun craze was double-action semi-autos. Colt no longer had a really viable revolver line, and the semi-auto line was seen by consumers to be quaint and antiquated. That's when you had disasters like the AA2000 and the Double Eagle come out Designs that were NOT the saviors that Colt needed them to be.

Colt also tried to address the revolver line around the same time, coming out with a new line of updated snakes, such as the Boa and the Anaconda. Decent guns, but S&W and Ruger already had a vice grip on that market.

Things were very dicy for Colt in the 1980s and 1990s.
 
more, great info

thanks

How or what should I use to clean the face of the cylinder. I went over the colt to get ready for Monday at the range, it was very clean. BUT, there are dark areas around each chamber on the face of the cylinder. I scrubbed with a tooth brush and CLP, but that didn't help much.

I assume this is a common occurence, so whats the remedey
 
You can use gun store Lead-Away cloths. These are a yellow colored treated cloth that will wipe lead and firing residue off the front of the cylinder.
DON'T USE THEM ON A BLUED GUN.....It will strip the blue right off.

Unless the fouling builds up and starts to make the cylinder difficult to rotate, I'd stick to the toothbrush and solvent. That way theres no possibility of damaging the nickel finish.

Also, don't leave the solvent in contact with the plated finish for long periods of time, it can eventually damage the plating. Clean your gun, wipe the traces of solvent off and you won't hurt it.
Letting it soak for days will.
 
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