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Colt Trooper
The Colt Trooper in .357 Magnum was considered to be the "poor man's" Colt Python. Internally, it was the same revolver. However, it wasn't as tuned in its action (though there are those who disagree with this evaluation) and it lacked the full lugged barrel and the raised and ventilated sight rib of the Python. Therefore, it was more affordable and popular with police officers and private citizens with more modest incomes throughout the fifties and sixties. The original Colt Trooper was introduced in 1953 and discontinued in 1969. From 1953 to 1961 the Trooper was only available in 38 Special and 22 Long Rifle. The 3-5-7 revolver was the 357 Magnum model with an awkward name. Both models used the medium sized "I" frame. Approximately 15,000 units were manufactured. When Colt brought out the Python in 1955 the 3-5-7 was the odd man out and it never enjoyed the sales numbers of the Trooper and Python. In 1961 Colt stopped making the 3-5-7 and added the .357 Magnum to the Trooper's list of calibers. The 3-5-7 received the same level of hand fitting that the Python received.
Colt Trooper
Specifications
(1953 - 1969)
- Type: Revolver
- Caliber(s): .38 Special, .357 Magnum (1961), .22 LR
- Barrel length(s): 4 in (10.2 cm), 6 in (15.2 cm)
- Capacity: 6 cartridges
- Fire Modes: SA/DA
The Colt Trooper and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assault on Precinct 13 | Henry Brandon | LAPD Sergeant Chaney | 1976 | |
| The Late Show | Joanna Cassidy | Laura Birdwell | 1977 | |
| The Choirboys | James Woods | Harold Bloomguard | 1977 | |
| The Choirboys | Perry King | Baxter Slate | 1977 | |
| The Choirboys | Tim McIntire | Roscoe Rules | 1977 | |
| Sudden Impact | Police officer | 1983 | ||
| Murphy's Law | Charles Bronson | Jack Murphy | 1986 | |
| Crocodile Dundee II | Juan Fernández | Miguel | 1988 | |
| The Dead Pool | Police & criminals | 1988 | ||
| The Mask | Police officers | 1994 | ||
| Normal Life | Luke Perry | Chris Anderson | 1996 | |
| Normal Life | Policemen | 1996 | ||
| Eye of the Beholder | Ashley Judd | Joanna Eris | 1999 | |
| Eye of the Beholder | Ewan McGregor | Stephen Wilson | 1999 | |
| Jeepers Creepers | Police officers | 2001 | ||
| Blood Brothers | Chen Chang | Mark | nickel-plated, 6" barrel | 2007 |
| Good Day for It | Robert Patrick | Luke Cain | 2011 | |
| The Last Witch Hunter | seen in the Kaulder's armory | 2015 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbo | William Shatner | Ward Fowler | "Fade in to Murder" (S06E01) | 1976 |
Colt MK III Line of Revolvers
Concerned with a decline in its market share because of price increases brought about by the high labor costs inherent in its manufacturing processes, the MK III line of Colt revolvers was introduced in 1969. This made significant engineering changes to the Trooper, and Official Police models. Intended to be the first major advancement of Colt’s designs since the beginning of the 20th century, the MK IIIs used a new ‘J’ frame and had no parts interchangeability with older models. The new revolvers were considered groundbreaking as they were the first modern revolver designs to employ a state of the art transfer-bar lockwork system. This lockwork was not only more sophisticated, but inherently safer due to its superiority to the older hammer-blocking designs; the revolver could fire only if the trigger was deliberately pulled completely to the rear.
The MK III also vastly improved on the earlier design in durability, and offered the advantage of employing sintered iron internal parts rather than expensive forged ones. The sintered parts also allowed for improved fabrication tolerances, and could be given a special heat treatment resulting in a harder more wear-resistant composition. Using these parts virtually eliminated hand fitting, significantly lowering labor costs associated with the assembly and manufacture of the MK III line. The result was a line of revolvers that was more economical. Colt stayed with the older engineering in regards to the Python, Diamondback, Detective Special, Officer Model Match, Police Positive and Cobra models. The MK III line was discontinued in 1983. Two, four and six inch barrels were standard length. Finishes were blued steel, nickel and a patented nickel finish known as Colt-Guard. Colt manufactured over 300,000 units before discontinuing the MK III line.
Colt Trooper Mk III
Specifications
(1969 - 1983)
- Type: Revolver
- Caliber(s): .22LR, .22 Magnum, .357 Magnum, .38 Special
- Barrel length(s): 4 in (10.2 cm), 6 in (15.2 cm), 8 in (20.3 cm)
- Capacity: 6
- Fire Modes: SA/DA
The Trooper MK III had adjustable sights and was available in .357 magnum and 22 Long Rifle. Four inch and six inch barreled models were standard. Blue and nickel were the finishes.
Film
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Impossible | Peter Lupus | Willy Armitage | 1972-1973 | |
| Hill Street Blues | Daniel J. Travanti | Captain Frank Furillo | "The Shooter" (S2E17) | 1981 - 1987 |
| Hill Street Blues | Michael Warren | Officer Bobby Hill | 1981 - 1987 | |
| T.J. Hooker | William Shatner | Sgt. T.J. Hooker | 1982-1986 | |
| Bergerac | Constantine Gregory | Duchesne | 6" barrel; "Prime Target" (S02E04) | 1983 |
| Stephen Lawrence | Raoul | |||
| Anthony Valentine | Lionel Carteret | |||
| Jon Benjamin Has a Van | Mickey Jones | Paul Lancaster Jones | Nickel-plated, "Breakdown" (S01E04) | 2011 |
Video Game
| Title | Appears as | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desperados: Wanted Dead Or Alive | Anachronistic. Appears only in cutscene. | 2001 | |
| Silent Hill 4: The Room | 2004 |
Colt Lawman MK III
The Lawman was a .357 Magnum 'service grade' or 'police issue' version of the Trooper, and somewhat of an economy model intended for law enforcement looking for cheaper sidearms or private armed security. The Lawman came with fixed sights and no ejector rod shroud. Early Lawman revolvers came with thinner hammers and narrow triggers, but most Lawman revolvers come with the standard MK III Trooper hammers and triggers. Finishes were available in bright Colt Royal Blue, bright nickel, and satin electroless nickel. Initial guns came with narrow service grips, but most come with larger target grips. Nickel finished guns came with Colt medallion-equipped Pachmayr "Signature" rubber grips. The Lawman came with a heavy barrel in lengths of two inch and four inch only. Early versions of the Lawman with the two inch barrel had an exposed ejector rod; but later models with the two inch barrel have an attribute unique to the Lawman, the only Lawman barrel equipped with shrouded ejector rod, resembling something of a larger third-generation Colt Detective Special. As with the MK III Trooper, the MK III Lawman was produced from 1969 to 1983.
Specifications
(1969 - 1983)
- Type: Revolver
- Caliber(s): .357 Magnum, .38 Special
- Barrel length(s): 2 in (5.08 cm), 4 in (10.2 cm)
- Capacity: 6
- Fire Modes: SA/DA
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Sunday | Robert Shaw | Maj. David Kabakov | suppressed | 1977 |
| Telefon | John Mitchum | Harry Bascom | 1977 | |
| The Fury | Kirk Douglas | Peter Sandza | snubnose | 1978 |
| Repo Man | Vonetta McGee | Marlene | snubnose | 1984 |
| Stick | Dar Robinson | Moke | snubnose | 1985 |
| Best Seller | Shooter at firing range | nickel plated | 1987 | |
| Who's That Girl | The motorcycle cop | 1987 | ||
| The Killer | Danny Lee | Inspector Li Ying | 1989 | |
| Army of One | Dolph Lundgren | Santee | 1993 | |
| Ed Wood | Brent Hinkley | Conrad Brooks | prop | 1994 |
| Ed Wood | George 'The Animal' Steele | Tor Johnson | prop | 1994 |
| Normal Life | Luke Perry | Chris Anderson | snubnose | 1996 |
| Fargo | North Dakota State Police | 4" barrel | 1996 | |
| Normal Life | Police escort | snubnose | 1996 | |
| The Crew | Old gangster | 2000 | ||
| Infernal Affairs | Hong Kong Police | 2002 | ||
| Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy | Paul Rudd | Brian Fantana | snubnose | 2004 |
| The Devil's Rejects | William Forsythe | Sheriff Wydell | 2005 | |
| Lila & Eve | Jennifer Lopez | Eve Rafael | snubnose | 2015 |
| Lila & Eve | Viola Davis | Lila Walcott | snubnose | 2015 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The A-Team | Dirk Benedict | Templeton "Face" Peck | . | 1983-1987 |
| Riptide | Thom Bray | Murray "Boz" Bozinsky | nickel plated | 1984-1986 |
| MacGyver (1985) - Season 1 | Corinne Bohrer | Terry Ross | "The Assassin" (S1E22) | 1986 |
| MacGyver (1985) - Season 1 | Anthony De Longis | Piedra the Assassin | "The Assassin" (S1E22) | 1986 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunsmith Cats | Roy Coleman | 1995-1996 | |
| Archer - Season 1 | Sterling Archer | 2010 |
Colt Trooper MK V
The Colt Trooper Mk V was a revolver first built by Colt in 1982. The MK V series was based on a new, slightly smaller ‘V’ frame, similar in size to Smith & Wesson’s ‘K’ frame. Changes from the MK III models were minor and many parts remained identical. What separates it from most other Colt revolvers is that, while it has a full ventilated lug on the top of the barrel (resembling a Colt Python), it only has a half lug on the bottom. Another added feature to this revolver is a "V" etched around the Colt pony near the grips. Other exterior modifications included a compact grip frame with slimmer and either rounded (like the Colt Anaconda) or square butt wood grips; other changes were engineering-based with the goal of simplifying and facilitating production. In addition to exterior modifications, internally Colt switched from using sintered metal (early form of Metal Injected Molding or MIM) triggers and hammers and went with cast steel for those parts and a shorter hammer throw than that of the Mk III line, as well as improving the trigger action with new components. These improvements made the MK V triggers smoother, while the diminished lock times increased accuracy. As with the MK III, the Mark V series was an entirely new product line of models which included Official Police, Lawman, and Trooper variants. The Mk V line was phased out in the mid-Eighties and replaced with the Colt King Cobra.
Specifications
(1982 - 1985)
- Type: Revolver
- Caliber(s): .22LR, .22 Magnum, .357 Magnum, .38 Special
- Barrel length(s): 4 in (10.2 cm), 6 in (15.2 cm), 8 in (20.3 cm)
- Capacity: 6
- Fire Modes: SA/DA
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fugitive | Neil Flynn | transit officer | 1993 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Vice | Edward James Olmos | Lt. Martin Castillo | 1984-1989 | |
| Miami Vice - Season 5 | Marc Macaulay | "Doc" Jerry | Episode, "Bad Timing" | 1988 |
See Also
- Colt's Manufacturing Company - A list of all firearms manufactured by Colt.