Colt trooper Mark 3 6" 357 MAG

[gray wolf]

Up-date in my last post

Howdy folks,

LGS Has a Colt trooper mark 3 used 357 mag 6".
I took a look at it and I would say the bluing is 95% on most of the gun cept for a little holster wear near the muzzle.

The action seems fine and the trigger is nice, the lock up also seems to be as it should be.
The barrel is horrendously dirty and so are the cylinders, I think it's mostly lube and powder.
The owner said my friend could clean it if he wanted to in order to to take a closer look.

The forcing cone does not show any heat cracks and inside the frame window does not show any lead or Copper splash.

The extractor rod moves nice and smooth with no binding.

The pistol is in very nice condition.

So my question is ----- What would be a reasonable price for my friend to pay.

I think they stopped production on these in the late 70,s


Thanks for the help.

[Guesser]

The MK III Colt is the lower priced of the 357's. They were the first model to break away from the traditional Colt hand fitted "V" spring lock work. A Mark III is built like a tank. Colt also used early "mim" parts such as the trigger; they do break. Colt does not service or have parts for MK IIIs. I have 2 of them, great guns. He would not be disappointed unless he figured he had paid too much, I have seen really nice ones listed for close to a thousand dollars. It is all in the eye of the beholder!!

[bhn22]

Check the online auction results, but only the guns that had realistic bids on them, or actually sold.

[Petrol & Powder]

While I'm not a huge Colt fan the MKIII was a decent gun. The MKIII used coil springs and does not have the flat "V" main spring that the older models have. The MKIII was designed to be less expensive to produce but I would never call it a "cheap" gun. Most of the savings came from the simplified lock work and the use of some MIM type parts. The MKIII is certainly not in the same class as the Python but it also costs considerably less than a Python.
The good news is the MKIII's are rather strong and they can often be purchased for less than other well known models. Some gun shops and sellers will attempt to price the MKIII significantly higher than the gun is worth, hoping to find an unsuspecting buyer that will pay for the Colt name. I would never pay more for a used MKIII than I would for a used Ruger GP-100.
I don't know what used revolvers go for in your neck of the woods but if the gun is in decent shape I would use the price of a used GP-100 or S&W 586 as a guide and pay a little less for the Colt MKIII.

[Petrol & Powder]

I just looked at several MKIII's listed on Gunbroker and the only kind thing I can say is those asking prices are optimistic at best. I don't know what they are actually selling for but starting bids that are 3 times what the gun sold for new are not realistic.

[ofreen]

I had one of first ones in 6 inch many years ago now. It was very well fitted and finished. It was also very accurate. I shot it a lot. Back in those days my main .357 load was the 358156 and 14 gr of 2400. It stayed tight and in time through thousands of rounds. It did have one Achilles heel for that much shooting. The barrel is thin where it comes through the frame and erosion had reached the edge of the forcing cone. Any more and it was going to begin widening the cylinder gap. So I traded it off on a part trade for a triplelock target. I wish I'd have kept it because a few years later I was set up to do barrel work and could have set it back. It is one of those I wish I hadn't let get away.

[Harry O]

I have one. Also a couple of GP-100's and a couple of S&W 686's to compare it with. I would rate it similar to the GP-100 for accuracy, but less than my S&W 686's. It has a trigger pull between the GP-100 and the S&W 686. I would also say that the strength is probably between the GP-100 and S&W 686. The sights on all three are about equal. I am happy with my Colt Trooper Mk-III because I bought it fairly cheaply. I would not be happy with it at the prices I am seeing today.

[Petrol & Powder]

I have a MKIII that I purchased years ago, gave it to a family member and it has now returned. It was a good deal when I purchased it but today's prices are too high. Mine has held up well and locks up today as tight as ever.
Speaking of lock up, timing is a bit different on a Colt. The cylinder on a S&W or a Ruger DA locks before the hammer falls but on a Colt the cylinder locks at the moment the hammer is released. The Colt is a bit more difficult to repair if it gets out of time and parts are harder to come by. If while examining a Colt DA revolver prior to purchase you discover it is out of time, my advice is to walk away. They can be repaired but it is more involved.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I carried a 4" Mk 3 Trooper as a county LEO back in the `70`s. It never let me down due to breakage of parts or failed to work if called on.Robert

[Frank46]

I have a 6" colt trooper III that I bought some years back. Think I paid about $375 for it. Shoots great when my eyes work like they are supposed to. Back when E bay allowed you to buy gun parts I managed to buy almost a complete set of III parts including the cylinder and barrel. Probably my most accurate revolver. Frank

[gray wolf]

OK, he want's $499.00 out the door for the Trooper Mark 3

Hope this helps

Sam

[Der Gebirgsjager]

139317buy it!