colt trooper value

[rancher1913]

local gun shop has a colt trooper 357 mag for sale, they want 850 for it, looks to be in really good shape for a mid 70's era gun. gunbroker is all over the place on value and the high dollar ones are not selling, several still being bid on that are in the 800 range so to me it would seam to be a fair retail but would like your opinions. for what its worth, I have bought every other 357 that he has ever gotten so I think he may be playing on my love for the 357 mag.

[rintinglen]

That is about $100 high in my view.

[Outpost75]

I would agree price is $100 high unless you have the original box, etc.

When WW2 ended, Colt made a monumental marketing blunder because management assumed in error that its post-War customers would buy the same fixed sight, .38 Special revolvers they had before the war. They reasoned that the .357 Magnum would be a low-volume, low-profit, specialty item, so upper management ignored it. Because the New Service and Shooting Master models were discontinued during the war, this left Colt with no double-action revolver in production which could be chambered for the .357. Only a few Shooting Master .357s were produced from 1935-1940 and these are highly collectible.

Realizing their mistake a day late and a dollar short, an improved medium-frame revolver was built on the Official Police "E" frame, changing the hammer mounted firing pin to a spring loaded firing pin mounted inside the frame. Heat treatment was enhanced to increase strength to handle the .357 Magnum round. The new frame was designated as the "I" frame, introduced in 1953 as The "Colt .357," manufactured until 1961 when it was discontinued after about 15,000 revolvers had been produced.

Municipal police departments couldn’t afford the higher-priced Colt .357, preferring the lower-cost, “plain-vanilla” .38 Special Colt Trooper or its S&W competitors, the .38-44 Heavy Duty or .357 Highway Patrolman. With Colt .357 sales lagging, the company simplified its revolver line in 1961 by discontinuing the Colt 357 and offering a lower-priced, plain-finished Trooper in .357 Magnum as well as in .38 Special.

The original Colt .38 Trooper was manufactured on the "E" frame used for the Army Special and Official Police, which had the firing pin pivoted on the hammer. The Colt 357 and Python both used the "I" frame. In 1961 Colt switched all Trooper production to the "I" frame, producing an affordable, sturdy, plain-finished cop gun and completely discontinued the "E" frame. The Trooper .357 sold fairly well until 1969 when Colt discontinued all of their old-style "E&I" frame revolvers except for the Python.

They are good, sturdy guns, though not pretty and purely "utilitarian."

[rancher1913]

so the trooper was discontinued in the late 60's, the shop said it was a 1973 era. interesting tid bits thanks.

[pcmacd]

local gun shop has a colt trooper 357 mag for sale, they want 850 for it, looks to be in really good shape for a mid 70's era gun. gunbroker is all over the place on value and the high dollar ones are not selling, several still being bid on that are in the 800 range so to me it would seam to be a fair retail but would like your opinions. for what its worth, I have bought every other 357 that he has ever gotten so I think he may be playing on my love for the 357 mag.

I paid $300 for an unfired, NIB 4" Trooper MK III three years ago from a private party in 357 Magnum.

The blue so dark and deep, and is unlike any other weapon I own.

I would not even begin to describe this handgun as "plain vanilla?"

Adjustable sights.

D/A is heavy but ok, and as expected.

S/A is nearly magnificent, and will get better if it is ever used.

I put some Hogue rosewood stocks on it:

https://www.hogueinc.com/handgun-grips/colt-grips/trooper-mkiii/rosewood/trooper-mk-iii-rosewood

If I ever decide to start shooting it I'll put a Wolff spring kit in it.

-----> You can't take it with you, and I don't need a Virgin MK III to sock away for my retirement? <---

I put five rounds thru it, cleaned it up, and it is still "new" as far as it goes. I polished the left and right edges of the part that holds the weapon "in time" so that it won't drag on and burnish the cylinder with that typical drag mark you find around the lockup points.

Yes. It was a bargain.

I own a 629 in ~8" barrel. A Dan Wesson 15-2 blue around 6", heavy w/full underlug (likely the most accurate handgun I own?) A Ruger Gp100 3". A Bulldog 2.5" fixed and 5" target, both in 44 SPL. And an unfired Nagant/Tula 1944 or 1943 which I bought as "used."

All of these weapons are gorgeous, but the Dan Wesson is the only one that gives the Trooper MK III a run for the money in fit and finish.

[lotech]

Talking about two different guns here - the original Trooper and the later Mark III version (less desirable to some but probably a good gun).

[pcmacd]

Talking about two different guns here - the original Trooper and the later Mark III version (less desirable to some but probably a good gun).

Oopsie....

[Pressman]

There's a Mk5 version also. Know what you are getting.
I picked up a nice MkIII 4 inch last summer for $500.00

[rancher1913]

how do you distinguish the models, the gun says trouper on the barrel, is it just production dates or is there other markings I need to check.

[Outpost75]

Colt Fever site is a great online reference which is well illustrated to help you identify the various models.

The Trooper page
http://www.coltfever.com/Trooper.html

The Colt 357 page
http://www.coltfever.com/The_357_Model.html

The MKIII page
http://www.coltfever.com/Mark_III.html

The MKV page:
http://www.coltfever.com/Mark_V.html

[rancher1913]

thanks

[40-82 hiker]

I paid $300 for an unfired, NIB 4" Trooper MK III three years ago from a private party in 357 Magnum.
If I ever decide to start shooting it I'll put a Wolff spring kit in it.

I have a MK III and I did put a Wolf spring kit in it. It made a HUGE difference! I only shoot it SA, so I can't pass judgement on the DA with the spring kit (though it is lighter), but the SA is much better than factory. I really like my Trooper MK III.

The price ( $850) sounds high to me also.

[smkummer]

You didn’t say the barrel length (4, 6 or 8”). About 5 years ago on gunbroker, I would just wait until I could get one for $500. Bought 3 or 4 that way for friends and family with minor holster wear. Built like a tank, timing is suppose to last forever and mine appear to be as accurate as a python. In fact one of those guns (6”), the first shot I took with it was at a metal 24” target at 200 yards from a rest and hit it.

[lotech]

I only have the old guns and am not a Colt expert, but all the original Troopers, .22, .38 Sp., and .357 Magnum had unshrouded ejector rods.

[TNsailorman]

I had one of the early Trooper MK III's and it was one of the most accurate handguns I ever owned. .357 tack driver. Like a dang idiot, I sold mine for a $100.00 dollar profit within a year of buying it. I wish I wasn't so darned greedy. james

[PBSmith]

Have owned a number of early Colts built on the same action that preceded and later became the basis of the Python. These included the Colt 357, the first Trooper (.357 caliber), and several Officer's Model Match revolvers in .38spl. They all had the same butter-smooth action, displayed outstanding workmanship, and were extremely accurate as well.

If you're going to buy any of these, make sure it's in top working order because my understanding is that very few pistolsmith's today are knowledgeable about the action's internals and repair thereof. Parts could also be a headache. You will find many WARNINGS about home-smithing this action.

If the Trooper you're looking is a Mk series, the asking price, in my opinion, is way out of line. If on the other hand, the piece proves to be an original Trooper, if the condition is exceptionally good (near mint), and if you appreciate fine machinery, then I don't believe you'd be disappointed at that p;rice because the ones I owned were, mechanically, in a class with the early Python.