.357 Colt Lawman Mk III value?

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  • Mr_Willson

    rifleman
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    Jan 9, 2009
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    mandeville
    my uncle recently died and we have a paper showing the guns that were confiscated after his death from the san francisco police department

    it says he had a colt lawman mk III and we are contemplating whether or not its worth going back to pick up

    how much are these worth?
     

    dwr461

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    Jan 23, 2009
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    Baton Rouge
    The Colt MkIII series began in 1969. This frame for Colt was called it's J frame but is comparable in size to the S&W K frame. It was an attempt to reduce the amount of hand fitting that was required in the earlier Colt DA actions. Without getting my books I'll go by memory here. There were three different varieties for the MKIII series. The Official Police, the Lawman, and the Trooper. The Trooper had adjustable sights etc, nicer stocks, (Colt never called their stocks grips), more polish to allow for a richer blue etc. The OP is the rarest with the fewest years of production. The Lawman was relatively common unless it is the 2" version. The 357 magnum 2" barreled Lawman has a different shaped to it's frame and stock. It's more rounded in the grip area for less printing while being carried concealed. It has a unique stock in that while all J-Framed Colts allowed you to use any stock from any other model J Frame it didn't. The stock for that version of the Lawman is unlike any other and can be tough to find it the original has been removed. Depending on condition I'd pay $500 to $600 for a 2" Lawman. But I wouldn't pay more than $450 for a Lawman in perfect condition with original box.

    Dave
     

    Mr_Willson

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    Jan 9, 2009
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    mandeville
    ah i see.

    not sure of the barrel length yet but i did see one of them going for around 900 used...but that was the only lawman i saw and i couldnt tell if they were asking too much or what because i know nothing about them
     

    dwr461

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    Jan 23, 2009
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    Baton Rouge
    The prices on DA Colt revolvers has been skyrocketing exponentially since Colt quit producing. My prices might be a bit low. But I suspect the Lawman at $900 was wishful thinking. The MKIII, and MKV series have not been commanding the prices that Pythons and Diamondbacks have been for example.

    Dave
     

    Leadslugga

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    Sep 14, 2009
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    Baton Rouge,LA
    We sold one, 2" nickel finish, in really good shape, for something like 600-650 at a gun show a few years back.

    That was roughly blue book value at the time, if I remember correctly.

    Nice gun, though!
     

    dwr461

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    Jan 23, 2009
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    Baton Rouge
    Well you're assuming that it is the 2" version. It might not be. Also don't confuse the MKIII Official Police with the pre-1969 Official Police. The MKIII is too heavy of a trigger pull in my own opinion. The K- Frame S&W was superior to it I feel. But the pre-MKIII OP's are basically the same pistol as the Python just with a much lower level of fit and finish and fixed sights.

    Dave
     

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