Colt Trooper

The Colt Trooper is a medium frame double-action revolver featuring a six-round cylinder, chambered for .22 and .38 caliber cartridges. It was designed as a less expensive alternative to the upscale Colt .357 and the later Python, it was marketed to law enforcement agencies as well as civilian firearms enthusiasts and collectors.

A Colt Trooper Mark III was seen in Beverly Hills Cop II.

Description
The Colt Trooper was introduced to the firearms market by the Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1953, the Trooper and its high-end cousin, the .357 Magnum, were introduced with the intention of addressing the medium frame revolver market, as law enforcement officers had long complained about the weight of earlier models. The two guns were seen as ideal in size and handling characteristics for the .38 Special and its big brother the .357. Offered as an alternative and competitor to Smith & Wesson’s Model 28 "Highway Patrolman", the Colts were lighter and handier.

The Mark III model, which was seen in Beverly Hills Cop II was manufactured from 1969 to 1982. In the late 1960s, Colt began to be concerned with a decline in its market share because of price increases brought about by the high labor costs inherent in its manufacturing processes. In response, an entirely new product line of revolvers dubbed the MK III series debuted in 1969. 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. It 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 springs used in the Mark III internals were also an improvement. Unlike the older flat style, they were coiled and made entirely of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. The MK III series incorporated a number of models, several of which were updates of existing designs. Classic models included the venerable Colt Official Police chambered in .38 Special as the basic/entry-level offering, and the Trooper in .357 Magnum. New members of the line up included the Lawman, Metropolitan Police, and Border Patrol.