Firearm Review: Colt Trooper MKIII .357 Magnum Revolver

The Colt Trooper MKIII was manufactured from 1969 to 1982. It was superseded by the MKV that was produced into the mid 90’s. Made in .357 magnum and .22 LR, it is a double action revolver holding six rounds. Both were designed as target revolvers though service models with fixed sights were also produced in .357. My trooper had adjustable sights controlled by fine thread screws in the rear and drift adjustable for the front. Trigger pull is excellent and very smooth. The MKIII uses the transfer bar firing system wherein a bar must be between the hammer and the firing pin for the revolver to fire. This bar is raised into place by the trigger pull.

My trooper was bought from my local dealer used for $275. It had been traded in by a widow who claimed her husband had never fired it. It had very Little wear on any of the moving parts and the only sign of use was the line scratched around the cylinder from the locking pawl. I would estimate it had fired no more than 50 rounds at the most. It has a 6″ barrel.

The .357 magnum is a powerful handgun round. Legal for hunting deer in some states, it packs over 550 Lb/ft of power at 1350 fps. It also packs recoil to match. While it is manageable, you generally don’t want to go out to the range with 300 rounds of full power .357 hunting rounds. This will abuse you quite badly. This is where the .38 special comes in.

When the .357 was introduced in the mid-30’s, police needed a round that carried more punch than their standard issue .38’s. Elmer Kieth and Smith & Wesson developed the .357 to fill this need. The .357 is essentially a lengthened .38 special. It uses the same case dimensions only slightly longer. Thus you can shoot the light recoiling, cheap and quiet .38 special in your .357 revolver for practice and plinking. As most .357 revolvers are heavier than their .38 counterparts, recoil is much less. The .357 magnum is the gold standard for stopping power that all others are measured against.

The trooper I bought came in a simple cardboard box (the original packaging was long gone) and at the time of purchase I bought three MKS speedloaders for it. These neat loaders hold six rounds in position ready to drop into the chambers of your gun. Just press it against the back of the cylinder and it drops the rounds into place. No fumbling, no dropped rounds. A well spent $14.95 each. I bought a variety of ammo with it including:

.357 magnum
Federal 158 gr. JHP
Fiocchi 158 gr. LFP
Winchester 158 gr. FMJ

.38 spl
Winchester 110 gr FMJ
Armscore 90 gr LRN
federal 125 gr JHP
fiocchi 125 gr. LRN

The rifling looked smooth so i assumed the gun had already been broken in. I fired a half a box of Winchester 110 gr through it to familiarize myself with it and to get the feel of it. The silver medallion colt grips leave a little to be desired but no aftermarket replacements are currently available.

Shooting a revolver is a totally different experience from shooting semi-auto pistols. Grip, while similar, is subtly different. Trigger pull has a different torque curve compare to an auto as well. Recoil, instead of pulling the pistol back and seeming to twist it in your hand, is a solid push into your wrist and and arm bones. Sights are crisp and clear.

I have never shot a wheelgun much and the best groups I was able to produce with any ammunition was about 3″-4″ at 25 yards. Knowing the pistol was better than this, I borrowed a ranson rest and tried it out with that. The gun would shoot nice ragged sub 1″ groups at 25 yards with FMJ and JHP ammo. With LRN or LFP ammo groups opened up some but never got bigger than 2″. Shooting a revolver accurately requires alot more practice than an auto. Currently I shoot my .357 just for fun at targets ranging from tin cans to paper targets and for a small game revolver. I also carry it with shot loads for snakes when I hunt prairie dogs. With its 6″ barrel it is too large to carry concealed, but if open carry is an option where you live, it is a good choice for that as well.

Overall the Trooper MKIII was a good buy. It is an accurate revolver with few shortcomings. While they are becoming more and more scarce as the years go buy they can be found on Internet auction sites and occasionally (like mine) at a dealer.