Trooper Mark III 357

gesimon62 · May 7, 2013, 01:35 PM

New member looking for a little help. I have a Colt Trooper Mark III .357 Magnum. It's stainless with a 6 inch barrel. I inherited it when my father passed and am looking to obtain more information on it. Can anybody tell me whrere to go with the serial number, J49629, to find out about it?

wild_billz · May 7, 2013, 03:07 PM

I don't think they did stainless, it's nickel plated. I have a 4inch trooper. You can contact colt and they will tell you the born on date based on the serial number. I bet someone here would probably know it tho. I read warnings about dry firing it, you can search for that here too. Enjoy it. Mine is a 1976 year in nickel.

22-rimfire · May 7, 2013, 03:09 PM

1972 gun based on published serial number range.

The gun is probably nickel plated versus stainless. Later in the production cycle, they made them in electroless nickel finish which has a brushed non-reflective stainless look to it. That started I believe circa 1980. Trooper Mark III's were manufactured in a blue or nickel finish.

Trooper Mark III's were manufactured between 1969 and 1983 in 357 mag. It was replaced with the Mark V guns. The Mark III replaced the original Trooper model in 1968, so production probably started circa 1968/1969.

They are very good revolvers. Their weakness is that you should never dry fire them without snap caps as you can break the firing pin. The one I have is my favorite 357 mag by the way.

dgludwig · May 7, 2013, 03:22 PM

Quote:

The gun is probably nickel plated versus stainless. Later in the production cycle, they made them in electroless nickel finish which has a brushed non-reflective stainless look to it. That started I believe around 1980 circa.

22-rimfire is probably right. Your revolver likely has a "brushed-nickle" plate finish as opposed to being s/s. A nice Colt in any event.

gesimon62 · May 7, 2013, 04:30 PM

Quote:
The gun is probably nickel plated versus stainless. Later in the production cycle, they made them in electroless nickel finish which has a brushed non-reflective stainless look to it. That started I believe around 1980 circa.

22-rimfire is probably right. Your revolver likely has a "brushed-nickle" plate finish as opposed to being s/s. A nice Colt in any event.
__________________
How can you tell the difference between nickel and stainless? It shined up enough to see my face in it. I thought nickel was a more dull finish?

Dfariswheel · May 7, 2013, 07:46 PM

Colt offered bright nickel that looks like a mirror, and a satin electroless nickel finish they called "Coltguard".
This has a satin finish that does not have the brilliant mirror finish of bright nickel.

If you compare most any nickel plated gun, whether bright nickel or electroless nickel to stainless steel, the nickel has the distinctive yellow tint of nickel.
Stainless steel has a "white" color.
Simply compare your Mark III to something you know is stainless steel. A kitchen utensil will do.

If your Colt Mark III is a 1972 model, it's probably bright nickel, which means it'll be shiny as a mirror.

May 7, 2013, 01:35 PM	#1
gesimon62 Junior Member Join Date: May 7, 2013 Posts: 14	Trooper Mark III 357 New member looking for a little help. I have a Colt Trooper Mark III .357 Magnum. It's stainless with a 6 inch barrel. I inherited it when my father passed and am looking to obtain more information on it. Can anybody tell me whrere to go with the serial number, J49629, to find out about it?

May 7, 2013, 03:07 PM	#2
wild_billz Member Join Date: September 17, 2004 Posts: 31	I don't think they did stainless, it's nickel plated. I have a 4inch trooper. You can contact colt and they will tell you the born on date based on the serial number. I bet someone here would probably know it tho. I read warnings about dry firing it, you can search for that here too. Enjoy it. Mine is a 1976 year in nickel. Last edited by wild_billz; May 7, 2013 at 03:13 PM.

May 7, 2013, 03:09 PM	#3
22-rimfire Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2005 Location: Tennessee Posts: 5,323	1972 gun based on published serial number range. The gun is probably nickel plated versus stainless. Later in the production cycle, they made them in electroless nickel finish which has a brushed non-reflective stainless look to it. That started I believe circa 1980. Trooper Mark III's were manufactured in a blue or nickel finish. Trooper Mark III's were manufactured between 1969 and 1983 in 357 mag. It was replaced with the Mark V guns. The Mark III replaced the original Trooper model in 1968, so production probably started circa 1968/1969. They are very good revolvers. Their weakness is that you should never dry fire them without snap caps as you can break the firing pin. The one I have is my favorite 357 mag by the way. Last edited by 22-rimfire; May 7, 2013 at 03:24 PM.

May 7, 2013, 04:30 PM	#5
gesimon62 Junior Member Join Date: May 7, 2013 Posts: 14	Quote: The gun is probably nickel plated versus stainless. Later in the production cycle, they made them in electroless nickel finish which has a brushed non-reflective stainless look to it. That started I believe around 1980 circa. 22-rimfire is probably right. Your revolver likely has a "brushed-nickle" plate finish as opposed to being s/s. A nice Colt in any event. __________________ How can you tell the difference between nickel and stainless? It shined up enough to see my face in it. I thought nickel was a more dull finish?

May 7, 2013, 07:46 PM	#6
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Colt offered bright nickel that looks like a mirror, and a satin electroless nickel finish they called "Coltguard". This has a satin finish that does not have the brilliant mirror finish of bright nickel. If you compare most any nickel plated gun, whether bright nickel or electroless nickel to stainless steel, the nickel has the distinctive yellow tint of nickel. Stainless steel has a "white" color. Simply compare your Mark III to something you know is stainless steel. A kitchen utensil will do. If your Colt Mark III is a 1972 model, it's probably bright nickel, which means it'll be shiny as a mirror.