S&W 686 or Colt Trooper MK III

[Buford57]

SHARP EYE, Kaaskop49 ! ! !

The Trooper had adjustable sights, the Lawman fixed. It's a Model 10 vs. 15 (or M&P vs. Combat Masterpiece) thing.

I carried a 2" Lawman MKIII as primary or backup for years. I wasn't aware of the dry firing problem, but always used snap caps.

 

[imakmst]

I owned a Trooper MKIII and sold it. I own 3 686's. I buy to shoot and I found the trigger hard to get use to, and, also found the MKIII a little too large for my hand. (the 686 fits exceptionally well) As far as shooting .357 magnums, that Colt would do all day and never breathe hard. Very hardy revolver in battery.

 

[bwelch47]

That's definitely a Lawman MKIII. I've got one that's a boat anchor right now. It's about 99% on the outside. But it's locked up tighter than Dick's hat band. You can't dry fire MKIII's, ESPECIALLY without snap caps. I didn't know this a few years ago, and, even with snap caps, something broke. The trigger won't pull back, the hammer won't pull back. It wasn't ever a carry gun so I haven't bothered sending it to Colt to get it fixed, if they would even fix it given their problems right now, and no gunsmith that I've found yet does Colt revolvers.

I own a Colt Trooper Mark III with a 6" barrel which has a barrel lug. The prior Colt Troopers did not have a barrel lug. I have dry fired my Mark III without any problems dozens of time.

 

[rwsmith]

If the Colt has a .....

If the Colt has a trigger better than my 686 in SA or DA I would really like to try one. It must really phenomenal.

I'm not a great buyer. I've only purchased two cream puffs in my 59 years. My Kawai piano and my 686.

 

[S&W SS Revolvers]

I have only shot a friend's Colt .357 many years ago...prior to buying the 686-3 6". It simply did not feel natural. The day (in 1993) the 686 was purchased a set of Hogue Monogrips was acquired at the same time. With some patience , rounds and a screwdiver at the range it was dialed in.

I'll keep it until the end of my time.

 

[824tsv]

My father bought this Colt "Border Patrol" new in 1972. It's really a Trooper with a different barrel roll marking. I love Colts, but the trigger on a S&W is far superior than this revolver. Single action, the Colt is nice, double action not so much. Here's a pic for posterity sake.

 

[wproct]

I always loved the looks of a Colt double action revolver, particularly the Python. I never got around to buying a Python when prices were within reason, and I certainly won't be parting with the $$$ that it would take to buy one today. Trying to satisfy my Colt desire, I have owned 3 different MKIII Colt revolvers, and finally convinced myself that they just don't do it for me. They were big and bulky, and I didn't like the sintered metal trigger and hammer and the potential for breakage that only Colt can repair. Compared to the Smith & Wesson 686, being able to buy either in like condition at the same price, I would take the 686 Smith & Wesson every time. As a matter of fact, the last MKIII Trooper that I owned, I wound up trading it even up for a new 5 in bbl stainless steel GP100 Ruger and was delighted to do it.

 

[Jeffrey A. Cooper]

I have a couple of 4 inch pre lock 686's and wondered how the Colt Trooper MK III measures up to the 686. I haven't had the pleasure of firing a Colt, only handled one. I have seen a lot of Smiths sell for around $700 the Colts seem to go north of $800 in good condition. Are they worth the extra dollars?

To my way of thinking, Dennis the B answered your question if you meant the handling differences of Colts versus Smiths. The generic collectors value of the Colt double action revolvers built since the fifties will always be higher than the Smiths because there are a lot more Smiths than Colts. My only Trooper MKIII is a 6" 22lr that is beautifully made and very collectable, just like my OMM's, Python, and factory-bobbed Detective, but they all live in the safe because they suck in comparison to my tuned Smiths when it comes time to pull that trigger. Double Action is the Rule.

 

[mg357]

Colt Revolvers are good guns.

On the other handthe S&W 686 has been around for a long time and is still in production.

so if something breaks it can easily fixed.

But Colt double action revolvers have been out of production for many years.

So finding spare parts and a gunsmith who can repair a Colt double action revolver.

will be a challenge, and quite possibly expensive.

 

[Buford57]

Something else worth considering in a discussion of Colt revolvers is that the MKIII and V versions had coil mainsprings while the older versions (No MK) had a V spring. Discussion of relative trigger weight (DA or SA) should always take into account which version is being discussed.


I installed a Wolf spring kit in my Lawman MKIII and later replaced the 2" barrel with a 4" HB. The combination of the round butt, Tyler T-Grip and heavy barrel made this one of the nicest shooting .357s I've owned.

Considering the only reason I had it in the first place was because 2.5" M19s and M66s were scarce as hen's teeth 35 years ago, I've been quite pleased.

 

[Ross3914]

My father bought this Colt "Border Patrol" new in 1972. It's really a Trooper with a different barrel roll marking. I love Colts, but the trigger on a S&W is far superior than this revolver. Single action, the Colt is nice, double action not so much. Here's a pic for posterity sake.

I had one of those. A couple of buddies had Trooper MKIII's and I was going to buy one when I ran across a Border Patrol. Same gun, but I liked the idea of the different marking.

I really liked mine. It shot great. I broke the trigger return spring in it, but you could get parts back then and I simply replaced it. One of my buds dry fired his a bunch and broke his firing pin. He had to send it to Colt to get it fixed.

The firing pin is in the frame. The hammer hits the firing pin via transfer bar safety like a Ruger. If you keep dry firing it, the firing pin will indeed break. The reason it has to go back to Colt is they are the only ones with the special press to get the firing pin out of the frame and the new one in.

They're actually quite strong revolvers, just don't dry fire it. I'd like to have one again, but Colt revolver prices have gotten too high for me.

 

[Engine49guy]

IIRC the "Border Patrol" also had a Satin finish compared to the Tropper III's bright blue or nickel finish.

While I prefer the 586 on the range one cool thing about the Trooper III is it came in .22lr as well as .22 WMR

No S&W L frames to date have been manufactured in .22lr,
When they do I will buy one.

 

[CO_Kid]

I own a Colt Trooper Mark III with a 6" barrel which has a barrel lug. The prior Colt Troopers did not have a barrel lug. I have dry fired my Mark III without any problems dozens of time.

Me too....until I couldn't anymore.

 

[John R]

The Colt's are nice to look at, but if you want a gun to hold up to a lot of shooting, go with the Smith.

 

[smithrjd]

I have both, and a 586. SA is a crapshoot, I like the Colt better, DA goes to the S&W not even close. The "stack" is so much more evident on the Colt. Accuracy? Again up to the shooter. Value? Colt no doubt. If I had to choose I would pick the Trooper, will always find a 686 around at a decent price.