Oh well........ another I couldn't just leave there.

This one is a Colt Trooper from 1963......The hand fitted forged parts are what sealed the deal for me.

Has some bluing wear on high edges and muzzle tip but overall a well cared for example.

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Had one just like it, I liked it better than a Python, but not as much as my 27-2. Still a very nice piece. Congrats

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I have often thought about buying an older colt . The big problem I saw was when / if I needed it worked on , who would do it ? I have been told that Cylinder and Slide in Fremont Nebraska will work on some of the older colts , but not all . They also have almost a yr waiting list before you can send it in . I have stayed with S&W .
Your colt looks real nice , hope it works out for you . Good luck

The good news with these old Colts is unless they get a lot of use they tend to remain trouble free. Mine are meticulously cleaned and lubed after each use and I've owned several of them for many years without problem.
However; If one should get out of time it takes an experienced gunsmith to make it right.

Jim

The big problem I saw was when / if I needed it worked on , who would do it ?

That is something I had thought about but went ahead anyway.

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Very nice gun Paul, always wanted an early Trooper with a 4" barrel. I just like the way they look. I agree on the part if something happens to the gun mechanically, who would fix it and where do the parts come from. Update us with a range report, don't put it in the safe and look for something else to buy. A guy at the one club has one and claims its very accurate. Larry

Kuhnhausen's Colt DA Revolver shop manual will guide you through most repairs. Parts availability may be a problem, but mainly in cost. Not much of a problem at all with the E & I frame Colts. I've had lots of Colts for lots of years, never had a serious problem with any of them yet. But then I don't fire 1000 rounds a week through them. The E & I frame Colts (which cover everything from the Army Special to the Python) are all essentially identical in design and parts. And contrary to the commonly-held opinion that Colts are difficult to work on, I find they are no more difficult to completely assemble and disassemble than a S&W. I have only one Trooper (about the same age as yours) and it is a beauty. It's as well-made and as pretty as any S&W in .357, even the Model 27.

wonderful gun I also have a 1966 trooper. they are great shooting guns.

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God save the SOUTH

they are great shooting guns....That will make my day.

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

My first service revolver 1962

As you probably know, they made this fine revolver in .22 LR as well:


I always thought it was a bit cheesy for Colt to call their Mk. III guns Troopers as well. While they are serviceable guns, they are in no way the equal of the E and I frame Troopers and .357 Models.

I have one, too. Very nice guns, which I like better than the Python. I wish mine had the original grips, like yours.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

If I come across a set I'll let you know.
I have before and some were even new in the package

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

The Trooper is a fine revolver. I have the three piece set. The four inch, the six inch and the .22, a short run that was only made in four inch.

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Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

I have a soft spot for the Trooper also. It was the first big bore gun I ever shot. My 9th grade Biology teacher had one and he taught me how to shoot it.

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I'm gonna grow fins.

I once had a Trooper chambered in .22, but foolishly sold it long ago. The Trooper is essentially identical to the Colt Officer's Model Match with a different front sight. Those Troopers in .38 Special used the E-frame (firing pin in the hammer), while those in .357 (and also the .357 and Python) used the I-frame (same as the E-frame but with the firing pin in the frame).

I have a Trooper 357 that I absolutely love.

Mine was a security guard gun-I think it was rarely fired, but had some wear on the stocks(fortunately minimal blueing wear).

I've actually sold off a bunch of Colts, but the Trooper is one of two I collect.

Asking me to choose a favorite 357 Magnum is like asking me to choose a favorite child, but the Trooper is definitely up there with my 19-3 and 27-2. These older Troopers may not have QUITE the fit and finish of a Python, but they are still darn nice looking and shooting guns plus are actually affordable.

In addition, my general opinion of Colt's wood quality up through the 1960s was that it ranged from "okay" to "why would you put that on a gun?" Even 1950s fully-checkered Python stocks are ugly to my eye. Contrast that with Smith and Wesson-I have 1910s gold medallion service stocks that are an absolute treat to look at. My Trooper has-I think-rosewood stocks. They're in the Python target pattern(although with a silver emblem and not gold like a Python) and both look and feel great.

I still REALLY want a 357, but I have to keep my eyes open since a lot of people don't know what they are. I've had(near) arguments in gun shops when I asked about a "Colt 357" and they didn't seem to comprehend that I was asking for a specific model and not just any Colt chambered in 357 Mag. Admittedly I realize this is sort of an obscure gun, but I've had gun store commandos basically tell me I was an idiot for insisting that there was such a model.

I don't know why most Colt's don't do much for me. Other than the SAA and the Detective Special, for sentimental reasons, I rarely look twice at a Colt. I guess S&W has just spoiled me too well.

On the plus side for you guys, that means more Colts available for you.

There weren't many of the 3-5-7s made, and I have a friend who is a gunsmith of some local repute - he also didn't know what I was talking about when I first mentioned to him that I had one. The 3-5-7 was basically the predecessor to the Python, and Colt decided in the early 1960s that it did not need two top-end .357s in its line (the 3-5-7 and the Python) so it dropped the 3-5-7 and chambered the Trooper in .357 as its lower-end .357 Magnum revolver. I have a ca. 1960 3-5-7 (6") and a mid-60s .357 Trooper (4"). To me, they both seem to have the identical excellent finish and fit. Buying a 3-5-7 is a little more difficult and a lot more costly than it used to be, as many have caught onto the fact that they are far scarcer than, and made to the same standards as, the Python. My 3-5-7 has the full checkered target stocks, like the Pythons, except with silver medallions. If you want a shock, look at what the Colt Gen I full-checkered target stocks are selling for.

The hand fit parts and all forged internals is why I only buy vintage Colt V spring action revolvers. I don't shy away from them due the parts or repair aspect. But I do encourage all of you to because ultimately shooter Colts will plummet in price and I can revel in it. They will out live most people if not abused, just like any S&W.

Thank you DWalt for reasserting the fact that repairs can be easily made with the shop manual and parts can be found quite easily. Cost is the only downfall, but even then it isn't that bad.

I do all my own work, and would much prefer to work on a Colt V spring versus a S&W. Much more simplistic design, however it is like a fine watch and you need to understand how they work.

In fact, Colts have much better trigger sears and hammers. Smiths hammer cocking notches are about .005 high and if it or the trigger sear is slightly buggered, chipped, or rounded, you get slip off. A Colt can have a buggered sear and still function just fine due to the better design. I know this because of first hand experience.

I love my Trooper but its action doesn't hold a candle to my good old Model 14.

Attached Images

Trooper.jpg (170.8 KB, 160 views)

I have to agree, I too, have a Model 14 that will run circles around a Trooper and a Python (have had both). However, my 14 was rebuilt as a PPC gun eons ago.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Thanks for the thoughts and information on the 3-5-7. I've never actually seen one in person.

As I understand it, the evolution was more or less that the 3-5-7 was a Officer's Model Match chambered in 357 Mag. Then, as you said, when the Python was introduced the 3-5-7 went away with the lesser-finished Trooper replacing it.

Even at that, it's sometimes hard to communicate the nuances of the Trooper vs. other models to folks who don't "speak Colt." The Trooper was of course also chambered in 38 special, and then the Mk III and Mk V were totally different guns.

Another thought at the time was that the Trooper had the same internals as the Python, when the switch was in the process of the 3-5-7, Trooper, and the Python. Or at least that is one of the things I heard many,many years ago.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Yeah, I know what you mean. To people who think that any ".38" is a "police special," a Model 10 is sort of an obscure gun. If you want folks to understand you, maybe some gun shops are not the way to go. Should you maybe try a senior center?

One of the other fun ones is to ask about an S&W model 57 and have someone say "Do you mean a 357?"

Following naming conventions, if S&W were to make a 41 mag with a scandium frame, it would probably be a model 357