I have another project gun that I hope to take from pitted ugliness to redemption. This one was in a house fire and the finish was destroyed, rusted and pitted. This is a 1978 vintage Colt Trooper Mk III in .357 Mag
Now before anyone tries to tell me that this gun is un-shootable due to the heat exposure, I will ask you to do some research...look up Charcoal Bluing or better yet Color Case Hardening...
The grips on this gun were blistered, but not charred, which means the temperature did not get above 400 degrees. Hardly enough to hurt the steel. The internal parts, including the springs were intact and showed no signs of warping or loss of life.
After searching the online gun forums, gun auction sites and ebay I came up with this excellent condition Trooper MkV barrel (with the optional vented rib!) for $40
I also found a local guy who had a drawer full of NOS parts, I scored a side plate, cylinder latch, hammer and internal parts and springs as well as brand new screws! all for $80,
no more worries about losing the roll marks
Then we were lucky enough to score a good condition cylinder (also from fleabay) for $49
working with revolvers can be difficult, you need to keep the round edges round and the square edges sharp, all while avoiding screw holes, roll marks and rivets
note how I have not yet sanded the side plate where the Colt rampart logo is, that will come when we get to the 1000+ grit level, this is a 600 grit
Once I had most everything sanded to the 600 grit level I installed the new barrel and checked for fit. I got it perfectly square and level, the cylinder gap is a bit tight, but I can deal with that later
I then sand blasted the top of the frame and barrel
the factory did this to prevent glare in the sight picture
TINCANBANDIT,
GREAT project!! I have a 1969 MK III that fortunately is in pristine condition. I love shooting this thing!
Your work is looking really good! I'm sure when you are done you will have a GREAT shooter there, that will give you even more satisfaction knowing what it was like when you got it!!
TINCANBANDIT,
GREAT project!! I have a 1969 MK III that fortunately is in pristine condition. I love shooting this thing!
Your work is looking really good! I'm sure when you are done you will have a GREAT shooter there, that will give you even more satisfaction knowing what it was like when you got it!!
I'll post a link to my blog when it is ready with more pictures and details
The parts reblued and oiled, waiting for re-assembly
before and after
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