Colt Trooper MKIII
I hope someone out there can help me! My Dad bought this gun in the early 80's.He was told that the gun was built with the wrong barrel and that it was one that didn't make it back for the recall.There is only supposed to be 4 of these out there and I was wondering if anyone has heard of this. It's a Colt Trooper MKIII 357 6" vented rib barrel in nickel finish. The vented rib is what it was recalled for. The date on the owners guide is 1979.I'm not looking to get Colt to replace the barrel or exchange the gun. I was just wondering if this made the gun valuable. Thanks for any help!
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I have a trooper mkIII and i am trying to find grips for it. What is the difference in the frame and grips of the trooper mkIII and the python or king cobra? 0 -
Gblevins;
As with all things, condition is everything.
Also could use barrel length,serial # range, whether it
still has factory stocks or aftermarket. On average a MkIII
in excellent comdition will fetch in the 300 to 400 dollar range.
The Trooper is a very good revolver. You inherited a fine gun which will serve you well, as it did it's previous owner.0 -
I wasn't aware that Trooper Mk IIIs were available in stainless. I would venture to say that your gun is nickel plated and I would concur with its $300-$400 value, depending on condition. Nice gun. 0 -
Could be nickel. Sure looks stainless to me. I'm no expert though. How would I tell the difference? Also the gun is in near perfect condition with a 3" barrel. There's an area on the very bottom of the grips that's disfigured but the actual weapon is in mint condition.
It does say "Lawman MKIII" and not trooper. Is there a difference? Under the "Lawman MKIII" it says *.357 Magnum CTG *
Which part of the serial number do you need to get info? It's 537xxx. It shoots like a dream.
Thanks for the info.0 -
The Lawman MK III wasn't normally made with a 3 inch barrel. If it does have such a barrel, it would be a Custom Shop Gun. You may want to re-measure the barrel length. Length is measured from the front of the cylinder to the muzzle, not just from the front of the frame. Measuring from the front of the frame is a common mistake and doesn't take into account the forcing cone and barrel portion embedded into the frame.
Also, the Serial Number you are reporting should have a letter at the end, such as a "J" or a "L" or some other letter. It is necessary to have this letter to arrive at a manufacture date. Numerous letters were used as either a prefix or a suffix letter. If you post that, I can tell you when it was made. Depending on actual barrel length, there might be a difference in value, but a Lawman MK III as you are describing would be worth about $250 to $295 in 95% to 98% condition. This value is a "guide" only starting place from the Blue Book of Gun values. Yours may be worth more or less depending on your local area and actual condition as perceived by a buyer. Enjoy the gun!
"Life is FRAGILE!" Handle With Care!0 -
Thanks for the insight on measuring.
It would be 4". The serial ends in an "L".0 -
I am quite sure that the finish is "ColtGuard," which is an electroless nickel finish similar in appearance to true stainless, but more yellow. No Trooper Mark III was ever made in true stainless. 0 -
A Lawman MK III with a Serial Number of 537XX L would have been made in 1979. Given this Manufacture Date, it would seem very Unlikely the finish on the Gun would be ColtGuard, which was an Electroless Nickel finish, (Satin appearing), that was brought out in 1981 by Colt. It seems to becoming more and more possible this Gun may have been "Re-Finished" if it is NOT Bright Nickel from the Factory.
"Life is FRAGILE!" Handle With Care!0 -
Must have come from the factory as a Bright Nickel. G-dad would never have paid to have it refinished that much I know. 0 -
RP was more thorough than I was. (Head hung in shame!) I did not check the serial number for year of production, assuming from the description that it had to be ColtGuard. If this is indeed a 1979 production revolver, it is highly unlikely it is ColtGuard, which, as RP says, was introduced in 1981. That requires other explanations for the appearance of this revolver.
It could be that it was bright nickel that has become damaged or was intentionally dulled. Perhaps storage conditions caused very bad tarnish. It could be that it was refinished in electroless nickel before the original owner acquired it.
I would submit another possibility. This revolver could have been shipped in 1981 with ColtGuard finish. It is not unknown that Colts are found far out of serial number sequence compared to ship date. For example, I have a Colt Officers Model Match .22 Magnum that shipped December 29, 1959, yet the .22 Magnum OMM was not cataloged until 1961. I have a Police Positive Special shipped December 29, 1926 [seems to be a popular day to ship weird stuff!] with a 1928 serial number sequence. (It is said to be a prototype Detective Special and the explanation given is that when Colt was considering a new model, it would take a number far ahead in sequence and apply it to the prototype. That does not make sense, but it is said to be true.)
Since this revolver is an important gun to this family, it would seem to be worth $75 to get a factory letter. If that is done, please tell us what the letter reveals.0 -
Judge Colt:
I'll do it. I swear it looks stainless but it sounds like I'm wrong. I'll get the history.
Thanks.0
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