Colt Border Patrol
- Category
- Revolver
- Barrel
- 102 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.13 kg
- Introduced
- 1970
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Colt Border Patrol is a six-shot double-action revolver chambered in .357 Magnum, produced in limited numbers for the U.S. Border Patrol and the commercial market. The Second Issue (1970-1975) was built on Colt's Trooper Mk.III 'J' frame with a 4-inch heavy barrel, a solid top rib, an ejector-rod shroud, a fluted cylinder, factory adjustable sights, and checkered walnut target grips. The barrel is roll-marked 'COLT BORDER PATROL .357 MAGNUM CTG.' Its short production run and low numbers make it one of the more sought-after collectible Colt double-action revolvers of the era.
Issued to U.S. Border Patrol agents working the southern frontier, the Border Patrol name was revived in 1970 on a hardened Trooper Mk.III platform; its rarity and law-enforcement provenance have since made it a prized collector's revolver.
Two distinct issues exist. The First Issue (1952) was a heavy-barreled .38 Special run of roughly 400 guns built on the Official Police frame for the Border Patrol. The Second Issue (1970-1975) is the .357 Magnum Trooper Mk.III-based revolver described here.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC
- Category
- Revolver
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1970 to 1975
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 102 mm
- Overall length
- 241 mm
- Height
- 140 mm
- Width
- 41 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.13 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Revolving
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Revolving cylinder
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 440 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 784 J
- Effective range
- 50 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Heavy barrel
Solid top rib
Ejector rod shroud
Adjustable rear sight
Ramp front sight
Fluted cylinder
Target grips
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 53 .357 Magnum revolvers | 1.13 kg | 1.10 kg | Heavier than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 50 .357 Magnum revolvers | 241 mm | 245 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 53 .357 Magnum revolvers | 102 mm | 107 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 53 .357 Magnum revolvers | 6 | 6 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Colt Border Patrol
How much does the Colt Border Patrol weigh?
The Colt Border Patrol weighs 1.13 kg (2.50 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Colt Border Patrol?
The Colt Border Patrol is chambered in .357 Magnum.
How many rounds does the Colt Border Patrol hold?
The Colt Border Patrol holds 6 rounds, fed from a revolving cylinder.
How long is the Colt Border Patrol?
The Colt Border Patrol is 241 mm (9.49 in) long overall, with a 102 mm (4.02 in) barrel.
Who makes the Colt Border Patrol?
The Colt Border Patrol is made by Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC (United States).
When was the Colt Border Patrol introduced?
The Colt Border Patrol was introduced in 1970 and discontinued in 1975.
How does the Colt Border Patrol operate?
The Colt Border Patrol uses a revolving action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Border Patrol
- 1952
- Texas Department of Public Safety
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/colt-border-patrol' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "colt-border-patrol", "name": "Colt Border Patrol", "manufacturer": { "id": "colt", "name": "Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1855, "website": "https://www.colt.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": "American firearms manufacturer headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1855 and now a subsidiary of Colt CZ Group, continuing production of iconic firearms including the 1911 pistol.", "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:38", "version": "7143c7ff3f7e156063a240f2df7b4746ee1c0394d7cd5f592d05bac43233d637" }, "category": { "id": "revolver", "name": "Revolver", "description": "Handguns with a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1970, "barrel_length_mm": 102, "weight_empty_g": 1134, "action_type": "revolving"}