Colt Trooper MK III .357 Magnum 4" barrel

**WWGunslinger** · March 6th, 2010, 05:26 PM

I bought myself a b-day present today - a Colt Trooper MK III .357 Magnum 4" barrel.

Went to West Shore Gun Shop for the first time today (been meaning to stop by for awhile but never had the chance).

I've been looking at .357 revolvers lately so when I saw this in the case I had to look at it. It is in excellent condition from what I can tell (I'm not expert).
Very minor wear on the tip of the barrel and on the side edges of the trigger guard, and some light wear on the frame in front of the trigger guard.

Cylinder locks up pretty tight, barrel looks good. DA trigger is smooth and crisp, and pretty light compared to other DA triggers I've used. SA is even shorter and smooth and light.

I paid $419 + tax and all the other fees that go with it. I wasn't sure if it was a good deal or not. I checked gunbroker and gunsamerica when I got home and it the lowest price I saw for one was $475. Prices seemed to range from 475 to 800+ so not sure what discrepancy is. most of them were 6" barrels though. Anyway, I like it and it was a good price for me, so I guess that's all that really matters.

I also bought 2 boxes of .38 special. One box is +P though. The guy at the shop said it would be fine in this gun and that it is close to the regular .357 loads but I'm not all that familiar with different loads and stuff. I've read that older guns might not handle +p but maybe it depends on the type or model. Should +P .38 special work fine in my gun?

Now for the pics:

Right Side - http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=35c4bol&s=6
Left Side - http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=1elwco&s=6
Rear, cylinder open - http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=smf2ia&s=6
Barrel Stamp - http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=wveooz&s=6
Frame, Cylinder, Hammer, Grips - http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=24zkcr7&s=6

Let me know if the pics don't work. For some reason I can't view them from those links but my friend can.

Edited pic links so they should work now...
Edited again, new host for the pics. hopefully it works now.

**kpw** · March 6th, 2010, 05:33 PM

Don't know why but they just don't get the respect that other Colts get. Just yesterday, I was drooling over one at the shop that sounds in similar condition. I owned a 6" some years back and like an idiot, I sold it on a whim. I might have to go take another look Monday.

**WWGunslinger** · March 6th, 2010, 07:15 PM

how would I tell what year it was made? The serial # is 259xxx.

**PisnNapalm** · March 6th, 2010, 07:24 PM

pic links no worky for me...

**WWGunslinger** · March 6th, 2010, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by PisnNapalm

pic links no worky for me...

yeah, i think i need to find another host. something is wonky with them right now.

**d4xycrq** · March 7th, 2010, 06:08 AM

Guns,

I bought a Colt Trooper MkIII new in '79 or '80. The Troopers really never received respect verus Colts top of the line revolvers, and Smith's revolvers- frankly, they were a low-end revolver. That said, they were plenty beefy, and I have shot over 50,000 rounds though mine. Put all the 38 +P loads through that gun you want! The Trooper was designed to stand up to full house 357 Magnums, so 38 +P loads are a doddle.
Shoot the hell out of it. I did mine. Still have it, and would bet my life on it. Incidently, I purchased a "Electroless Nickle" version. Looks stainless, but it is not.
Somewhere in my travels I purchased a .22MAG Trooper MkIV. It is blue, and looks just like yours.

Best regards,
Ray

**Howard Bullock** · March 7th, 2010, 08:29 AM

My first handgun purchase in 1981 was a blued Colt Trooper MKIII .357 6". I really enjoyed shooting it. This was my carry weapon for ~5 years.

I found this type/caliber to be the most flexible and fun handgun I ever owned. When reloading I used bullets weights from 110gr, 125gr, and 158gr. over both standard and magnum primers with a wide range of powder types and weights. The result was great low recoil training rounds to very fast hard hitting hunting rounds.

I found that my fast 110 gr bullets were not a good selection for bowling pin shoots because the bullet passed through the pin and left the pin on the table requiring a second shot to remove it from the table. The 158gr hunting loads were also too fast but more importantly the recoil and muzzle fast from the 2400 powder slowed the process of acquiring the next pin. I finally worked up a pin load using W231 and 158gr bullets that produced little flash and little recoil. The short story is I loaded a light 158gr 38 special load with .357 brass. The slower bullet had more time to transfer energy to the pin and push it off the table. but I digress...

Enjoy your new handgun and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed mine.

**WWGunslinger** · March 7th, 2010, 05:01 PM

Took it out today and put 50 rounds through it. Had to adjust the sight as it was shooting high (has adjustable rear sight) but once I got it adjust it did real nice at about 8-10 yards. Tried it at about 20 yards and I didn't do so well there. I'm not exactly a marksman though, so I'm sure it was mostly my own fault and not the gun's.

Pic is from 8-10 yards:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=1zo7mkx&s=6

This is the kind of groupings I tend to get with my other handguns at this range too.

**RichG** · March 7th, 2010, 06:44 PM

Nice gun in a 4inch barrel.

**WWGunslinger** · March 25th, 2010, 06:01 PM

Finally got to shoot some .357 magnum ammo out of it today. I was extremely surprised to feel the recoil on this thing! .38 special is nothing compared to the .357 magnums!

I can't imagine myself shooting .357 that much with that amount of recoil.