28-2 or Colt Trooper?

[k22fan]

Someone please post a history of Colt MK #s

If my memory is correct, between 1980 and 1982 I owned an 8” .22 LR Colt MK II. I bought it in 1980 or 1981. It is only its Mark number I’m unsure of. I think MK IIs had sintered metal parts and replacing the sintered metal with better steel was the most important upgrade in the MK IIIs. I had indeed forgotten all later MK numbers. I haven’t been following Colt revolvers since selling the long tom .22. The only Colt revolver I own is a 1910 Officer’s Model Target .38 special. I just think it's neat because it's my oldest revolver. So can one of you Colt lovers tell us about Colt MK IIs evolution into MK Vs?

 

[jhde69]

I found a gun show this weekend so will look for a 4in HP. I guess I would look at a 6in.

 

[Muley Gil]

"So can one of you Colt lovers tell us about Colt MK IIs evolution into MK Vs?"

Colt redesigned the lockwork of the MK III by changing the length and location of the coil mainspring. The gripframe was also modified.

 

[Bat Guano]

Some time back in the 1980s I tried out a nickelled 4" Mk. III Trooper. Fortunately I did not own the gun. The DA was typical Colt in that it stacked and did not compare to a decent S&W. Swapping in a spring kit did not help at all. The stocks were crude and clumsy in my opinion which also did not help. I had Craig Spegel work up a set of stocks; again, none of this made it into something it wasn't. And, as noted, some of the lockwork parts were made of "sintered/powdered" (?) metal. The trigger snapped in half while dry firing.

On the plus side, the nickel finish looked purty and the SA was usable.

I would rather have a loose, battered, and abused Model 10 Smith than any postwar Colt DA revolver. With a M28 in the equation--no issue at all IMHO.

I would also take a Ruger GP-100 over a Python...

 

[Sprefix]

I'd go with the 28. As in the Colt flavor, I prefer a Python. Apples and oranges, I know, but.............My 1968 4" Colt Python was a piece of functional art. The only reason I sold it was because I was offered crazy money for it. I wish I had kept the gun. And Bat G....., You get you some Pythons and I'll trade you GP100's two for one.......

 

[brokenprism]

Wow... what did that Python ever do to you that you put those grips on it? : ) Just kidding. What you gain in a short, concealable barrel seems lost in the grips.

I've stood at this crossroads before and always came down on the side of the 28. Colts look sexy to me until I hold one and roll the cylinder open. They just feel fragile, except for the Anaconda, which should really say 'Redhawk' on it.

 

[Sprefix]

66-3----------

Here is snub versions of a 66-3 and 2 !/2" python together. I like em both.

That powerport is a sweet piece of machinery, Feral!!!!!

 

[pawncop]

I have one of each and I prefer the Model 28 hands down. Many good reasons listed previously and all are valid in my book.

 

[Art Doc]

The endless Colt v. S&W debate.

IME most prefer the S&W system. Most prefer the shrouded ejector rod.

I shoot either equally well. I own both and like them all. The pre-Mark III Colts have the Python internals and are very smooth. The barrels are taper bored and shoot lead very well.

Highway Patrolman...

Or Trooper?

I say... YES!

 

[feralmerril]

Thanks. Not to worry, I have the original grips back on that nickle python. I switch around. Got the box and ingridents too as I bought it new around 1971 for HALF PRICE! Back then that equaled out to $165s. Theres a story to that one.

 

[feralmerril]

I also have this 4" python. Not to, worry I also have the original grips too. For no particular reason I have shot it very little. I carried mostly colt offical polices or my .357 trooper for 35 years on my guard job.

 

[feralmerril]

I also have this 27-2 I bought new around 1970. It had no options. I sent it back to smith and got the works including my name engraved in gold. Seems that part of it was $66s back then.

 

[jhde69]

Saxon nice photo's of both S & W and Colt. I to feel the S & W looks and feels better in . Looked for my 4in today at a small show. One 6in, poor shape. A few black rifles, $2,000. Not selling.

 

[Ron H.]

I have both but I have always wondered if you were just getting one. Which one? I know we are Smith and Wesson people here but does one out shine the other in some areas?

Sir, if I had to pick between the two, it would be the 28-2. I prefer its DA trigger action and shorter trigger reach. I do like the old original Troopers, though. A buddy of mine has one, and it's a good, accurate gun. It's also lighter than the N-frame Smith.

In theory, the 28 should be the more rugged, durable gun. It has simpler lockwork, a shrouded ejector rod, and a latch at the ejector rod tip, all of which the original Trooper lacks. That said, my buddy's gun, which he shoots often, hasn't developed any timing or lockup problems, and since he doesn't go around bonking people on the head with it, the ejector rod is still straight. If you've got long fingers, the old Colt is still a good choice.

The Mark III and newer Troopers, including the King Cobra, don't impress me. They're adequate guns, but not in the same class as the Highway Patrolman or the original Trooper IMHO.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[jhde69]

Ron H

Ron H I got both of the revolvers out and I think the trigger reach is the reason I like the 28 better. The 28 just feels better in my hand.

 

[stantheman86]

I also have both, a 6" Trooper III and a 6" 28-2, and it's hard to pick a "better" one between the two....Mk. III Colts are very tough guns and don't have the relatively " fragile" lock work of earlier Colts. Both guns will last a lifetime or more with sane loads and proper care.