Colt Trooper .38

[cornbush]

I might be getting a Trooper soon, how is the action?
I have heard the trigger stacks on the troopers in double action, how about single action, are they usually fairly crisp?
It has the hammer mounted firing pin and the original grips in about 85 - 90% condition.

 

[Dfariswheel]

The old Colt action does "stack" as the trigger is pulled.
This isn't bad, it's just "different" and something you have to get used to.
To those of us raised on the old Colt's, it feels totally normal.

One advantage of it is, you can use the stacking as a way pull the trigger almost to the break point then slow down for a smooth let-off.

The old Colt action is famous for it's fine single action trigger.
The original Trooper is essentially a Colt Python without the more tuned and smoother action, the heavy lugged and ribbed barrel, and the super Royal Blue finish.
It's sometimes known as a "poor man's Python".

So, you "learn" the double action trigger, and enjoy the fine single action trigger.

 

[aarondhgraham]

You should invest in some snap caps,,,

When I go to a gun show I carry .22, .38. and .44 snap caps,,,
That way when I see a gun I am interested in,,,
I can test the action by dry firing it.

Some dealers object,,,
So then I simply walk away.

Snap caps have saved me from buying a turkey or two,,,
I'm sure walking away has as well.

Just a thought.

Aarond

BTW: The triggers on my Trooper MK-III both in .22 LR and .357 magnum behave exactly as Dfariswheel describes them.

.

 

[cornbush]

I got it a little while ago, looked up the numbers and it was made in 1958.
Has some holster wear but appears to have been fired very little.
The trigger pull is very smooth, and the single action break is like glass at probably about 5- 6 pounds.
Over all finish and condition is probably about 85-90%.
Traded for a non running Chevy Blazer that I got for free.
This is the first Colt revolver I have ever had, so far the action has me pretty impressed.


One question I do have is were they machined with a step in the chambers for 38's?
The reason I ask is a 357 will drop in and seat all the way to the rim.
I don't plan on shooting 357's, just curious if this is the way they were or if somebody ran a reamer into the chambers.

 

[FlyFish]

One question I do have is were they machined with a step in the chambers for 38's?
The reason I ask is a 357 will drop in and seat all the way to the rim.

No, it wouldn't work that way - the chamber is shorter on the .38 Special, so the longer .357 cartridge won't seat fully in a .38 chamber (which is why they designed the higher-pressure .357 that way in the first place). Both cartridges headspace on the rim, so a .38 will fit and can be safely fired in a .357 chamber (no step needed).

Does the gun actually say ".38 Special" on the barrel? Troopers were made in both .38 and .357, and I believe the latter were more common. You may have a .357 cylinder retrofitted into what was originally a .38, or a .38 barrel retrofitted to what was originally a .357, or I suppose it could simply be mis-labeled. Or, as you say, maybe it was reamed.

As an aside, I absolutely love the old Troopers. I had one in .357 many years ago - the first centerfire handgun I ever owned - and foolishly sold it. Just about the dumbest gun-related thing I've ever done. I now have a Python and a 357, but I'm still looking to replace that Trooper.

ETA: Just realized you may understand how the headspacing works and are asking if the .38 Troopers were "really" .38s with shorter chambers or if they were actually .357s labeled as .38s. I don't know, but I don't see the advantage for Colt in manufacturing a .357 cylinder and then labeling the gun as a .38.

 

[cornbush]

ETA: Just realized you may understand how the headspacing works and are asking if the .38 Troopers were "really" .38s with shorter chambers or if they were actually .357s labeled as .38s. I don't know, but I don't see the advantage for Colt in manufacturing a .357 cylinder and then labeling the gun as a .38.

Ya I'm hoping somebody knows what the factory chamber was on a Trooper in 38 special.
I can't imagine Colt using a 357 chamber on a gun that is marked 38.

 

[Andy Taylor]

Not sure about the chambers on the .38s but I do know that the .38s had a hammer mounted FP and the .357s had a frame mounted FP, if there is any question about whether you have a .357 gun that had a .38 barrel installed. It would seem very odd to me that Colt would put a cylinder in a .38 that could chamber a .357. A .357 cylinder from a Trooper .357, a Model .357 or a Python could have been fitted to the gun at some point. In any event, if it has a hammer mounted FP, it is a .38. If it has a frame mounted FP it is a .357 that has a .38 barrel and should be safe to fire .357.

ETA: Just reread OP. I see it has a Hammer mount FP. It is a .38

 

[SIGSHR]

IIRC the Trooper was originally made in 38 Special and 22 LR, the Colt .357 was simply labeled that. In 1961 (?) the Trooper was dropped in .22 and .38 and the .357 was relabeled the Trooper. I would check the barrel markings, years ago when I was looking for a replacement barrel for my 1968 Trooper I was a .38 Special barrel, I turned it down as I wanted a correctly marked one, the 38 barrel would have worked fine of course. Als perhaps someone fitted a .357 cylinder to it.

 

[publius]

Wow, traded for an old broken blazer you got for free! I'd say you got a good deal.

 

[Crankylove]

Wow, traded for an old broken blazer you got for free! I'd say you got a good deal.

Not a bad deal at all for a vehicle they had to use a strap to tow away and Cornbush got for free to start with.............although Cornbush is out the 8 gallons of gas we put in the tank

Cornbush and I took it out this morning and put a few rounds through it and my GP-100. Shoots great, and I really liked the single action trigger pull. Its a bit more hefty than I was expecting for a .38 only gun (pretty close in weight to my GP-100 I think) but that weight makes for a nice, solid feel, and tames the already mild recoil of the .38's quite nicely.

 

[Andy Taylor]

Yes those old Colts are sweet shooters.

 

[DFrame]

The 357, later the old model trooper, and Python are all I frame guns and all have the frame mounted firing pin. The earlier guns Were E frames and had hammer mounted pins. In about 1969 colt came out with the Mark III guns that had an entirely different action to simplify manufacturing. Troopers can be found in both 38 special and 357.