colt lawman mk iii

[steven7685]

hey there fellow cal gunners!

i have been in the market for a 6 shot (or more) .357 mag revolver.
i have been looking at Rugers GP100 and their SP101 (5 shot)
i have also been looking at S&W's 686 and 627 ps (8shot)

i have been unable to find any of the firearms that i am interested in for a "GOOD CHEAP" price, for some reason every one seems to want close to retail for their USED guns .

anyway, my girlfriends father has offered to sell me a Colt Lawman Mk iii for $300 he said that it needs some trigger work because the single action pulls if you look at it wrong which is dangerous.

he has stated that he will NOT sell it to me until he has he trigger worked on which is a good thing.

a question i have, first ill have to make sure that he is the registered owner of the firearm (he doesnt seem like the kind to have black market guns) but this particular firearm is NOT on the California DOJ handgun roster.

does that mean that i will not be able to legally purchase this firearm via PPT at a FFL?

or am i lucky if it IS in my girlfriends fathers name?

and does this sound like a reasonable deal? because it sounded good to me


this will be my first firearms purchase EVER. so any information would be greatly appreciated.

thanks.

[jptopz]

Check in to the cost for the trigger work, the pistol is worth apx... $600 in good condition. Second don't worry about the pistols background just make sure you take it to a FFL and do a legal transfer. If the gun has a past it will come out in the background check. Also it doesn't have to be on the Roster for you to buy it you just have to do a face to face transfer at the FFL. Don't pick the gun up if he is not willing to make a legal transfer. If he just wants to give it to you, you will have no idea of its history. I hope this helps

[Mickey D]

Many good condition revolvers hold their value, especially Colt and S&W.
Colt , since they currently aren't manufacturing any DA revolvers and Smith & Wesson's non internal lock models.
There are many good used, low use revolvers out there. Might look for police and security firm turn-ins. Might show cosmetic wear, but usually in great mechanical condition.

[eaglemike]

IMHO a Colt Lawman isn't worth $600 unless it's as new in box (maybe not even then). I owned one, and it's decent gun, but not the same quality as some other guns if the same price/same era. Unless it's really beat up it's worth more than $300.

A lot of double action guns will fire single action with light trigger pressure - this is normal. Find someone that knows revolvers and let them test it. It might just need new springs.

After you get this (and you certainly should buy it for $300) learn how to shoot double action. Please don't waste time practicing single action with this gun.

It might not be registered to him and he might still legally own it. Just do the normal paperwork/legal transfer. Prior to 1990 private party transfers didn't require paperwork.

[SoCal Bob]

Make sure to get your HSC if you don't already have one.

[Lucky Scott]

"Please don't waste time practicing single action with this gun."

Just curious, why make this statement? What is wrong with shooting single action?

[vince42]

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"Please don't waste time practicing single action with this gun."

Just curious, why make this statement? What is wrong with shooting single action?


nothing, a common unasked for Opinion better expressed as "practice D/A also".

[Lucky Scott]

"practice D/A also".

I agree with that!

[eaglemike]

Background - I started out long ago - shooting a wheelgun single action. I didn't know any better, hadn't had any training. I got so I was a little better than a lot of the people I saw at the local range, but still only shot single action. The I got a little more serious, and learned something about shooting revolvers.

Starting down the road of shooting single action with this gun will not make you a good shooter. Shooting this gun single action is safe under controlled conditions, and bad practice for any possible defensive use. With reasonable practice it's possible to outshoot 99 percent of all the people you see shotting single action at the local range - while you are shooting double action.

The comment was made about the single action maybe being dangerously light. This gun will work single action, but it really wasn't designed to be primarily shot that way. Your opinion may vary, sure. It's a bad idea to have a double action revolver cocked if you are in a defensive situation. It's downright dangerous. With a little practice, it's quite easy to keep everything 9 ring or better at 25 yards double action. With regular practice the 10 ring is pretty easy.

I've helped a fair number of people learn to shoot. Best way to start with a wheelgun is .22 double action. Then .38 mild loads double action.

Likely I could have worded it differently, So I apologize if I offended anyone. I really prefer to see people learn how to shoot safely and well.

Just as an FYI, there are people that can hold the X-ring at 50 yards with iron sights, under stressful time limits, double action. Without time limits it's a little easier. (start at 7 yards)

ETA - a question for those using the word "also" - What does practicing S/A get you?

[eaglemike]

OP - buy the gun. Find a friend that reloads .38. Find a place you can shoot 2X (50 to 100 rounds of good practice) per week. Spend maybe $200 on reloading supplies. Get some snap caps for dry practice. In a few months or less you can be pretty good.

[vince42]

Definately buy it...i passed on a mark III 4 inch in ex cond for 500 and regret it.

We are on the same page eaglemike, my first new gun purchase was a S&W 66-2, I still have it and like to shoot D/A and S/A....thats what i get out of it.....enjoyment. That said. its got the lightest S/A pull from the factory i have ever felt. I am very familiar with my own weapon but dont cock it unless its pointed at range/target...in SD or hunting you may lose a toe or worse. James

[Andy Taylor]

1. If the only problem is a light SA pull, then there is nothing wrong. That is how SA is supposed to be. That is why you have DA. When shooting SA, and there is nothing wrong with shooting SA, you do not cock the hammer until you are on target. You cock the hammer, make final adjustments to your POA and then place your finger on the trigger and squeeze. The gun is likely to get messed up by some hack gunsmith if you try to correct this non-problem.

2. If one is not comfortable with the light SA pull, or if one is training for, or using the gun as a defensive weapon, don't use SA, just use DA. If using the gun as a defensive weapon, you should never cock the hammer for liability reasons, regardless of how light or heavy the trigger pull is.

3. The Lawman MKIII is a nice weapon. I haven't seen one around these parts in quite a while, but I suspect it to have a value of around $600 to the right buyer. That is one who appreciates old Colts. Not a buyer who is just looking for a good serviceable wheelgun. That buyer is better served with a Ruger GP100. Parts and gunsmiths who know how to work on old Colts are getting fewer. Athough perhaps not as much of a problem with the MKIIIs as the older V spring guns, and the Pythons of any vintage.

4. If you buy the gun, you and the seller need to both go to an FFL for the FFL to do the transfer. If the seller is not willing to do this, do not buy the gun. It will be an illegal transaction otherwise. You will need a Handgun Safety Certificate to do this. Most dealers can do this and it costs $25.

[steven7685]

.

thank you for all of your input.

ill talk to the man about a legal handgun transfer.
from the sound of it, id regret passing this gun up.


and by the way. when i say light S/A trigger pull... i mean like cock the hammer and before you even get your trigger finger to the trigger its already fired 50-60% of the time. thats dry observation obviously. but i could see something sinister happening if the slightest bit of safety precautions were overlooked.

ive held and dry fired quite a few revolvers in my hunt for a decently priced gun. and this one is absolutely scary light compared to anything else ive checked out. do you still think thats "normal" or should the trigger be smithed?

yes i have my HSC already

[norcal77]

For $300 I'd say go for it, Colts are always nice to have..

I have a Colt Lawman MKIII snub and I love it...

You can always send it back to Colt for repair, they do great work...

This guy does good work also...

http://heffronfirearmclassics.com/default.aspx