Help with value, Colt Border Patrol "DPS"

tdhyden79 · #1 02-13-2018, 02:22 PM

I have a Colt Border Patrol with a "DPS" number stamped into the side of the frame. From what I understand these are pretty rare but I having trouble finding a reference for value. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

824tsv · #2 02-13-2018, 04:22 PM

Welcome to the Forum,
Nice looking MKIII Border Patrol.
I've never encountered one with a polished blue finish. Mine, and all I've personally seen have a dull blue finish. My next question would be do you know if the finish is original? and please take no offence, to me the first pic the frame looks like it's been polished. The front side plate screw hole looks dished and I see a noticeable gap in the side plate seam. I'm holding my MKIII Border Patrol in my hand while I'm comparing pic's. Although your's looks good, I believe it has been re-finished. On mine, the side plate seam is very tight and the side plate to frame fit is totally flat. Just my opinion, no offence intended.

WCCPHD · #3 02-13-2018, 04:30 PM

I can't help with value, but the NC State Highway Patrol issued a group of them in Nickel in the 1970's. These were issued a the same time as nickel Model 19's. They were highly coveted by the troopers. My agency sent a group of agents to the SHP Basic School beginning in 1979 and only one of the troopers in my academy got the Colt and that was because he had been a trooper before and his original gun happened to be in the armory.

tdhyden79 · #4 02-13-2018, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 824tsv

Welcome to the Forum,
Nice looking MKIII Border Patrol.
I've never encountered one with a polished blue finish. Mine, and all I've personally seen have a dull blue finish. My next question would be do you know if the finish is original? and please take no offence, to me the first pic the frame looks like it's been polished. The front side plate screw hole looks dished and I see a noticeable gap in the side plate seam. I'm holding my MKIII Border Patrol in my hand while I'm comparing pic's. Although your's looks good, I believe it has been re-finished. On mine, the side plate seam is very tight and the side plate to frame fit is totally flat. Just my opinion, no offence intended.

Yeah I see what you are talking about. My buddy has a Trooper and I don't remember the finishes being much different. I will try and get some side by side pictures to compare the two. Thanks for pointing that out.

824tsv · #5 02-13-2018, 04:39 PM

I figured I should post a couple of comparison pic's. Here's mine showing the side plate and seam and a pic showing the barrel stamping so there's no doubt about it being a MKIII Border Patrol.

k22fan · #6 02-13-2018, 04:52 PM

Welcome to the forum. Colt is not my brand so I do not follow their values. Looking at the muzzle side of the letters in the words Colt and Border makes the reblue obvious. Roll stamping is done after polishing to prevent what was done to those words happening. No turn line on a cylinder is always reason for a suspicious inspection for signs of a reblue.

I have a few reblued revolvers that I'm proud of. I even live in a repainted house.

tdhyden79 · #7 02-13-2018, 04:59 PM

Yes there is definitely a difference isn't there. It appears that you are right sir! Thanks for clarifying that for me.

tdhyden79 · #8 02-14-2018, 12:33 PM

update: Colt sent me an email describing verifying the origin of the gun already. It is a Texas State Trooper gun. Also, the polish job seems to be a universal trait among the Texas DPS guns. last night I was able to find two other examples of DPS guns with the same semi-polished finish. Thanks for all of your input guys.

stansdds · #9 02-16-2018, 08:26 AM

Can't help you with the value, but I will say the Colt Mark III Trooper series of revolvers was a handsome bunch.

moralem · #10 07-01-2018, 04:04 AM

I know I am dragging up a 6 month old thread but the one I am looking at this weekend has an asking price of $1300.....a bit steep for a trooper but being from Texas I would love to add it to my pile of guns. And the gun looks exactly like yours. The letter the gun comes with states 75 guns were in this order versus your 56 and the gun has a factory serial number 26 guns north of yours, 276, so not sure if yours started the batch or not. The DPS number is 263.....hope this helps with price. If you don’t mind can you PM what you paid......thanks.

P.S. I saw where you got this same info over on the other forum......sorry for any duplication.

Texas Star · #11 07-01-2018, 06:21 AM

TX DPS usually used M-28 's, but they were tired of QC problems in the S&W brand is what a major gun dealer told me back then, when the Colts were bought.

Speer also told me in a letter that they found the Colt MK III line to have fewer quality issues. I agreed, but the MK III has a sintered steel action that gave problems, and David W. Arnold, a Colt fan, told me that he swapped the hammer and trigger of his MK III for MK V parts. Considering that he was a firearms expert and author and editor (Petersen's Handguns) his opinion carried some weight with me.

Also, the SA cocking stroke seems long to S&W and Ruger users, and the Colt action in DA mode is short and hard. I found the hammer spur a little too short, and I have long thumbs! I owned Pythons, and the hammer spur is fine on those.

I'd try to sell the OP's gun as a piece of Texas history and not as just a reblued Colt.

Wonder who reblued those guns? I'd bet on someone other than Colt.

Bill Jordan told me that the USBP also used some Ruger Security-Sixes in that time frame. I don't know how universal the Colts were there. Most BP agents seemed to prefer S&W M-66's when those became available, and of course, Bill was a USBP inspector when he proposed and got the M-19. That then became his normal duty weapon.

Absalom · #12 07-01-2018, 11:30 AM

Probably not immediately helpful in this case here, but anyone with questions about Texas DPS guns should try contacting the helpful folks at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco.

Some time ago there was a discussion about the D.P.S. stamped Model 15’s that were being offered in various venues as Texas Ranger guns. I finally decided to get info first-hand and e-mailed the museum, and heard back from a very knowledgeable gentleman who explained in great detail why those were not Ranger and not even Texas DPS guns, and provided a lot of detail about DPS guns. I wish I remembered where I saved that e-mail. The Model 15’s turned out to be Arizona DPS (Highway Patrol).

The Official Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum - Waco, Texas

EarlB · #13 07-02-2018, 12:37 AM

I owned the 1971 Texas DPS Border Patrol that moralem mentioned which I sold today locally for $1300. I can't speak for the OP's gun in this thread, but mine was not reblued. The one I had was a colt factory original royal blue finish and the action was as smooth as my 1974 Python which I also sold recently. I loved the gun, just clearing room and $$ for more Smiths.

Earl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Star

TX DPS usually used M-28 's, but they were tired of QC problems in the S&W brand is what a major gun dealer told me back then, when the Colts were bought.

Speer also told me in a letter that they found the Colt MK III line to have fewer quality issues. I agreed, but the MK III has a sintered steel action that gave problems, and David W. Arnold, a Colt fan, told me that he swapped the hammer and trigger of his MK III for MK V parts. Considering that he was a firearms expert and author and editor (Petersen's Handguns) his opinion carried some weight with me.

Also, the SA cocking stroke seems long to S&W and Ruger users, and the Colt action in DA mode is short and hard. I found the hammer spur a little too short, and I have long thumbs! I owned Pythons, and the hammer spur is fine on those.

I'd try to sell the OP's gun as a piece of Texas history and not as just a reblued Colt.

Wonder who reblued those guns? I'd bet on someone other than Colt.

Bill Jordan told me that the USBP also used some Ruger Security-Sixes in that time frame. I don't know how universal the Colts were there. Most BP agents seemed to prefer S&W M-66's when those became available, and of course, Bill was a USBP inspector when he proposed and got the M-19. That then became his normal duty weapon.