I bought a walker the day i turned 18. i also stripped the bluing on the cylinder. the barrel on mine is in the white, too. that was a lot of holster time and patina ago. its a beautiful gun. killed a couple groundhogs and one deer with it. the concussion that comes off of it is impressive as well. cant wait to see the comparison video
This was my first bp revolver. Bought it for the Texas Rangers tie in. This thing led me down the muzzleloader rabbithole. Sure a Remington 1858 repro is much more refined but the experience but shooting it doesnt feel substantially different than my Colt SAA, just more difficult to reload the cylinder. Shooting the Walker always feels like an event... kinda like when you break out a .44 Magnum except you made the ammo yourself and its much cheaper to shoot, yet just as big and feels like the hand cannon it is.
The original bullet for the Walker was 1/2 ounce (219 grs) in weight and is properly called a "Picket Bullet". The Whitneyville-Hartford Dragoon also used the same Picket Bullet, although the WH Dragoon molds were 2-cavity, casting a round ball and the Picket Bullet, while the Walker mold was single cavity casting only the Picket Bullet. In 1848, the 1st Model Dragoon molds were also 2-cavity, with round ball and a 219 gr bullet with rebated base, now called a "conical" or "sugar loaf" bullet. The 2nd Model Dragoon, used the same bullet design as the 1st Model, except the weight is increased to 258 grs; the 2nd Model Dragoon bullet is the design chosen by Mark for Eras Gone Mold's "Dragoon Bullet Mold". Early 3rd Model Dragoon's used the same bullet as the 2nd Model, but roughly around 1855, a single grease groove was added to the 258 grain "sugar loaf" bullet. So, to summarize, in 1847 the Colt .44 bullet was the 219 gr Picket bullet. In 1848, the Colt .44 bullet evolved to the rebated base, "sugar loaf" design, still at 219 grs. In 1850, the Colt .44 "sugar loaf" bullet weight was increased to 258 grs. In 1855, the Colt .44 bullet progressed to a 258 gr '"sugar loaf" with single grease groove. For the 1860 Army, the Colt .44 bullet was lighter in weight, a "sugar loaf" with single grease groove, weighing roughly 212 grs. The reason some early Walkers had cylinders rupture, is that Eli Whitney was making cylinders of iron, instead of steel, apparently due to miscommunication with Samuel Colt.[ Firing a Picket or Conical backwards will not cause a pressure increase; I've fired conicals backwards many times to test the "full wadcutter" effect for impact tests.] By late 1847, when Colt's factory was in operation in Hartford, CT, the WH Dragoons were all made with steel cylinders. The official Colt name for the Walker/Dragoon series of revolvers was "Revolving Holster Pistol" without identifying the transitions in 1847, 1848, 1850 and 1851. It was 20th Century Colt collectors who came up with the transition identifying names of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Model Dragoons. Samuel Colt DID privately refer to the "Walker" model by that name. Colt's combustible cartridge packets clearly identify the model names: Revolving Holster Pistol [Dragoon .44's]; New Model Revolving Holster Pistol [Colt 1860 Army .44]; Revolving Belt Pistol [1851-61 Navy]; Revolving Police Pistol AND Revolving Pocket Pistol of Navy Caliber [1862 Police and Pocket Navy, 5-shot .36 Caliber]; Revolving Pocket Pistol [5 and 6 shot .31 cal packets].
After a 2+ month wait I finally got my Uberti 1847. Videos and superlatives cannot begin to compare once you hold this monster, especially when you extend the revolver into a firing position. I've wanted one since I was a young boy and now I finally have one. One feature not discussed is that after you fire all the chambers, the Walker would make a great mele weapon. Imagine 5 Lbs of steel being strongly swung at and striking the side of your head... :)
Aren't you worried that since you have those great new target stands the High Fructose Gang will be running rampant all over the West? ;-) Great video as always, Dustin.
If I owned a Walker, I'd make a small loading lever keeper out of a strip of leather. Cut a rectangular strip, cut a rectangular notch on one end and then cut the other end into an arrowhead shape. Loop the leather strap around the barrel and loading lever, turn the arrowhead end sideways so it fits in the rectangular notch, and then turn the arrowhead piece flat again so the wings of the arrow hold it in place across the leather remaining around the rectangular notch. It won't harm the finish because it's leather, it's easy to R&R and you could slide it off the lever for loading and slide it back on for shooting, and I think it would be historical because I remember reading that some users tied the lever in place with twine back in the day when the originals were in use. That's my take on it anyway.
Love to see tests done with the Confederate 36 cal Richmond Labs bullet, from eras gone, using Griswold and gunnison or Spiller and Burr. I prefer track of the wolf nipples myself. Proper handling can eliminate cap jams in Colts, cocking the peice like a modern revolver is risking a cap jam. A non invasive fix for the walker lever drop is simple, an ultra thin wire, like copper, wrapped in a figure 8 around the lever and barrel, it can be easily broken and redone with each loading. Always a great video, the Walker is a beast, always gets attention on the battlefield.
One rule commonly posted at shooting ranges is to prohibit a shooter from elevating the muzzle while on the firing line, so as to prevent accidental discharges from escaping the backgrounds of the range. To that end, the historical practice of raising your barrel while cocking (so the burst cap falls backwards relative to the frame) breaks the rules. A workaround would be to tilt your gun to the right as you cock the hammer instead, so the burst cap falls clear to the right as the cylinder rotates to the right.
Great video Dustin. My Walker happens to be my favorite of all my bp revolvers. However, it's not my favorite to carry on my hip because I can't keep my darn pants up. Ha ha ha ha
Looking forward to the 357 comparison. Nice looking changes. You mentioned removing the bluing from the cylinder was more historically accurate? More on that please...
Original Walker cylinders were not blued. I’ve never found a solid explanation of why, but I believe it’s because they were made in such a hurry with different parts being made in different locations. Thanks for watching!
I enjoyed the video.great job! wow I didn't see that coming.1200 fps Shooting those anchors.i was guessing 950....very powerful pistol.cant wait for the 357 head to head comparison
Cool guns and fun to shoot. My brother owns one and I've shot it several times however I prefer my .36 1851 Navy. I never realised the cylinders were left in the white however.
Dustin, I love Mark Hubbs bullet molds and your results here very much match my own. I tie off my loading leathers. The Slix-Shot cones are a must with the Whitneyville-Walker Colt, no doubt. And, yes, loads above 40-grains and shot frequently will wear the Italian Walkers out in a real hurry. Do you ever shoot a Walker one-handed, say I SASS-CAS gunfighter style. I so love shooting my Walkers as a double-duelist (one in each hand). Thanks for the revisit video of the WWC revolver, sir.
Yeah it's a really cool place they got a little bit of everything guns, art, shrunken heads, taxidermy, and Native American artifacts and a nature preserve if you're in the area I also highly recommend the Phillips petroleum company Museum Frank Phillips Home is pretty cool too and if you go a couple counties over to Rogers County the Davis Gun museum is pretty awesome after you go to Nowata County I'm not 100% sure if they're Museum is still open they have some guns and other memorabilia from the Dalton gang
Authentically, you don't have to put up with the loading lever drop. There are 3 known original civilian Walkers with a loading lever latch used in the later Dragoon models. Check out the civilian "Thumbprint Walker" sn# 1078 that was sold through Heritage Auctions. You can trim back the arm, add the dragoon latch, spring, pin and lug and you've got the Real McCoy.
@@GunsOfTheWest do you have a method or a link to one you would recommend? Also, does removing the bluing open the part up to a bigger risk of corrosion? Thank you! EDIT: I found this technique from the Eras Gone Historical Molds channel. It seems that the final use of wax helps prevent rust. ruclips.net/video/eqAur_I27X4/видео.html
I have a 3rd Gen Colt Dragoon. Was the cylinder originally bare with no blueing? I really like the way it looks 👌. Thanks for all the great videos. You are my go to for black powder!!!
The Walker was made in 1847 under contract in Whitneyville, with a couple hundred examples repaired or refurbished due to weaknesses in the cylinders. As such, it were those such guns that ended up with bright iron cylinders. The 3rd Model Dragoon was made from 1851 to 1860 in Colt's own factory. They didn't have as many problem as those old Walkers and their cylinders didn't need replacement, hence the cylinder on a Dragoon would have the same original finish as the rest of the gun.
So true!! My old Uberti springs, 20+ years are fantastic, strong and stable. Newer ones as you say and wimpy, weak. I had to double up springs on a few new 1860 Army colts. Never had a problem with Pietta springs.
The hammer draw on my Uberti 1860 is stiffer than that of my Uberti 1848, but I chalked that up to the hammer/hand assembly being balanced out by a much heavier cylinder in the '48 as compared to the '60.
Now you tell me that the Walker is not a great first BP revolver! My first purchase was a Walker, I thought that it was a Uberti but it turns out that I bought a 2nd Gen Colt. Pity that the wedge appears to be made of soft cheese as even using 30gn 3f Swiss the original wedge looks like a banana after 3 shots. I have now got a better wedge and cut down the charge to 20gn, I also made a taller front sight so the gun is spot on at 27 yards (25m). Lastly, I have been hitting the gym so I can try to shoot the damn thing freehand.
Great Video I`m looking forward to the .44 - 357 comparison , with historical pistols being either antique or reproduction are you able to add a shoulder stock to them ? or does that turn them into a short barreled rifle ?
if I remember right a historical solution to the dropping loading lever was a thin piece of leather wrapped around the barrel and loading lever. it would simply be slid out of the way when loading. Any idea what kind of velocity you were getting with the dragoon bullets? and I really like the wide angle shots from the side. give a really nice perspective on how far the target is and also the beautiful scenery with big clouds of smoke blowing through it.
I'm amazed that the cylinders stood up to the charge when the thickness of metal was only about two millimetres at the top section. Is there any mention of cylinders blowing up apart from chain fire incidents?
Dustin I have a walker with Howell conversion cylinder 45lc.when you take out wedge what's best with that screw,does it need to always come out or should it hold wedge in and hang while you remove cylinder.any advice.
@Gunsofthewest Hi Dustin! How much 777 you think I could load in a Walker? I got 19" arms this Revolver is just right on weight! Love you show! Thanks for the Videos!!!
Does leaving the cylinder white pose any problems with corrosion. I'm considering getting a walker kit and leaving the cylinder white but I don't want to damage it.
I just can't bring myself to taking the blueing off my Walker's cylinder. It is a nice charcoal blue. I realize that it's not authentic but.....I just can't Dustin😢. I guess I'll just have to be the odd man out. Thanks for understanding. p.s. great video as usual!
Nice video. Look up the heavier conicals that are made like the Elmer Keith bullet. You end up with more ftlb of energy. Very accurate round. Kaido Ojamaa is the maker of those.
You know mine still stands as my most accurate black powder revolver I think there's something about the weight of it that just balances it out and steadies my hand that and I suppose I can really experiment with powder loads more than say an 1860 army
Can you please give me your input on goex fffg olde eynesford match grade black powder.I bought a couple pounds of goex regular fffg from midway and added one pound of this to my order.what can I expect from it? I'm shooting a stainless Ruger 1858 Remy...pietta 1858 Remy both 44 call thanks
I actually don’t have any experience with the Olde Eynesford. I saw some when I stopped to visit my powder guy and I asked him about it. He said it’s fairly popular in competition, but he didn’t seem to think it was worth the extra money for the shooting I do.
I use it exclusively in my 45 Colt loads, and it is nearly as energetic as Swiss, Vis-a-Vis 3FG granulation. only averaged about 15-17 FPS slower consistently. This was in my testing 4-5 years ago.
Bill Ruger said that that gun was so strong that you could fill the cylinder up with Blue Dot and it would be fine. I should add that he was talking about his redesigned 1858 stainless army, I remember because I had this gun and always loaded it to the brim and then compressed the ball in. It made a really nice loud CRACK! when it fired.
I suspect you may be expelling a lot of un-ignited powder out of a 9 inch barrel with 60gr loads. Also, a musket load would more likely be a slower burning 2F instead of 3F, maybe resulting in a higher chance of wasting powder. While I'm not 100% sure of this, I'd be interested in how your chronograph tests 2F vs. 3F loads dialing down in 5gr increments from 60 gr. You may find very little drop off in power with loads that burn right to the edge of the barrel length.
where can you get #11 nipples for the dragoon? Can you use the same ones you did for the Walker? I got #11 nipples, but they are too short and the hammer cant reach it. Major bummer.
My Walker tends to develop a "buldge" behind the wedge where it contacts the frame. I surmise that this is from the force of shooting pushing the frame against the wedge. I dont see any buldging of the frame on your revolver best I can tell from the video, so can't figure out why this is happening in my case. The problem with this is that the barrel can get very hard to remove.
It would have been interesting to see ballistics of the dragoon conical bullets, i bet they hit hard, you could see it hitting the plate and most probably penetrated more than round ball on wood. The concept of pistol ammunition of the time up till WW2 was to use heavy bullets with low velocities such as the .455 Webley and ..45 1911, ie man stoppers as they called them at the time, i can see why they called this a horse pistol, not in the sense of being carried on a horse but stopping one you could even take out a cow or Buffalo if you needed to feed the family.
The chambers will hold together fine. The biggest risk is in the wedge that pins the barrel to the frame-- if the manufacturer didn't harden the wedge properly, the wedge will distort from the force
Dustin please answer my at I have a colt walker and I live in black bear country I want to use a heavy bullet shaped like a wadcutter and still be able to use 50 g fff blackpower per cylinder idk were to get a mold like tool that looks like a wrench to make round balls and or mini ball style bullets both in 44 cal for walker and in 45 cal for flintlock 70g fff muzzloader can you help me
If at all possible, I recommend a modern firearm for that. The Walker is very powerful, but I don’t recommend cap & ball revolvers for defensive purposes with all the better options that are out there.
Bears are nothing to be toying with, and while a black powder muzzleloading revolver from the 1840's may not exactly be a toy, it's no tool for bear country either.
I do appreciate that you've occasionally loaded the Walker to the max, but it leads me to wonder: What is the *minimum* amount of black powder that you could load per bullet and still be considered a functional shot? Could it be less than what the manufacturer recommends?
The main concern there would be using a charge so small that the projectile doesn't safely compress the powder because the rammer couldn't move down that far. You can get around that in a few ways: Use some sort of gap filler (historically a cornmeal or sawdust layer on top of the gunpowder) like a felt wad. That, or load the chambers on a stand so the rammer reaches all the way to the bottom.
1 question. Why there is no cartridge conversion (brass cartridges with a loading gate) on the colt walker? I mean most civil revolvers (Army and Navy) has conversions. Although as far as I know, this was less used in the Civil War.
If you did a max load of powder with this using Triple Seven instead of traditional black powder, would the gun be strong enough to handle it or would it grenade itself?
60 grains of triple 7 would yield over 70 grains of equivalent black powder pressure. Please Don't Try It. (And If you do, I hope that you have good heath insurance. )
My first gun was a Dragoon, which I like so much that I picked up another one to match. Suffice it to say I got used to the weight... ...which also meant that, when I got a Walker, I didn't notice any difference in weight. What I did notice was how they feel on lockup (the circular stop bolt and oval cylinder notches aren't the same as on most guns) but the biggest difference are in the grips--- the Walker has a noticeably slimmer grip than the Dragoon. Having gotten used to the Dragoon first, a Walker grip feels like a broom handle by comparison.
While I appreciate the fact that it was designed to be authentic in every aspect, I think I wouldn't mind if they skipped the authentic part of the ramrod dropping after every shot...
Do any American gun companies make these? Nothing against Pietta or Uberti, I have a Pietta 1851 navy that I like. If a company like Ruger reproduced a walker it would be a tank. They over build their guns like the GP100 and Redhawk to make them handle hot loads as a regular diet. You wouldn't have to worry about stretching the frame or the gun blowing up in your face when you feed it a max charge of powder. Your pistol might weigh 10 pounds instead of 5 though. S&W and others make tough guns too. They all seem to stay out of the old west reproduction game. The Ruger Blackhawk is close in style but shoots modern ammo.
The gun's steel isn't as week as it was in the day, and there are minor adjustments to its design...so it can't be exactly historical anyway. Nothing wrong with adding stainless steel nipples if it improves the gun's usability.
I had a Traditions muzzleloader that, even though I cleaned it, corrosion in the nipple basically welded the base of the hole shut, and I had thoroughly cleaned it as well. I couldn’t even drill it out to at least empty the gun. That’s when I went to stainless. The stock nipples on my 1851 Navy thankfully haven’t had this issue, but I’ve been considering stainless for them.
Nice. But make no mistake, modern ammo has passed her( way on by, ) as most know, such as the 460 Rem Mag & 500 S&W Mag with 3031 ft lbs of energy🔥 @ Muzzle , & speeds just barley under 2000 fps🔥 w 350 grain. & 460 S&W Mag @ 2,900 ft #'s ("🔥ergy) with speeds of 2,409 fps🔥 (premium)s. And we got us some whopper safari pistoli's" !...(300 gr) My 460 SWM wieghs in slightlty over 4.5 lbs
> First off, Corky never carried two guns. Though he should have. > No, no, he was, he was called "Two-Gun Corcoran." > Yeah well, a lot of folks did call him "Two-Gun" but that wasn't because he was sporting two pistols. That was because he had a dick that was so big it was longer than the barrel of that Walker Colt that he carried. And the only "insultin' to a lady" he ever did was to stick that thing of his into this French lady that Bob here was kind of sweet on. > You see, the night that Corky walked into the Blue Bottle, and before he knows what's happening, Bob here takes a shot at him! And he misses, 'cause he's so damn drunk. Now that bullet whizzing by panicked old Corky, and he did the wrong thing. He went for his gun in such a hurry that he shot his own damn toe off. Meantime Bob here, he's aiming real good, and he squeezes off another, but he misses, because he's still so damn drunk, and he hits this thousand-dollar mirror up over the bar. And now, the Duck of Death is as good as dead. Because Corky does it right. He aims real careful, no hurry... > And? > BAM! That Walker Colt blew up in his hand, which was a failing common to that model. You see, if old Corky had had two guns instead of just a big dick, he would have been there right to the end to defend himself. BRB, gonna watch it again
Check out the Guns of the West store here: gunsoftheweststore.com
God I love the sound that thing makes with 60 grains.
"Big gun. Shoots like a rifle". How Louis L'Amour described the walker thru one of his characters if I remember.
Nice canon...er, revolver. Yours is the only one I've ever handled, Dusty, and it is damn cool.
Thanks, Santee!
I bought a walker the day i turned 18. i also stripped the bluing on the cylinder. the barrel on mine is in the white, too. that was a lot of holster time and patina ago. its a beautiful gun. killed a couple groundhogs and one deer with it. the concussion that comes off of it is impressive as well. cant wait to see the comparison video
I just picked up an 1847 Walker, hopefully I can grab another one soon! Mr. Wales had two, why can't I? Another great video Dustin!
Thanks, Richard! I think you’ll enjoy that gun!
A pistol with a rifle loading. In other words, the 500 magnum of its day.
This was my first bp revolver. Bought it for the Texas Rangers tie in. This thing led me down the muzzleloader rabbithole. Sure a Remington 1858 repro is much more refined but the experience but shooting it doesnt feel substantially different than my Colt SAA, just more difficult to reload the cylinder. Shooting the Walker always feels like an event... kinda like when you break out a .44 Magnum except you made the ammo yourself and its much cheaper to shoot, yet just as big and feels like the hand cannon it is.
Everyone: *B I G I R O N*
Target: T E X A S R E D
Notches on his pistol;
*O N E A N D N I N E T E E N M O R E*
The original bullet for the Walker was 1/2 ounce (219 grs) in weight and is properly called a "Picket Bullet". The Whitneyville-Hartford Dragoon also used the same Picket Bullet, although the WH Dragoon molds were 2-cavity, casting a round ball and the Picket Bullet, while the Walker mold was single cavity casting only the Picket Bullet. In 1848, the 1st Model Dragoon molds were also 2-cavity, with round ball and a 219 gr bullet with rebated base, now called a "conical" or "sugar loaf" bullet. The 2nd Model Dragoon, used the same bullet design as the 1st Model, except the weight is increased to 258 grs; the 2nd Model Dragoon bullet is the design chosen by Mark for Eras Gone Mold's "Dragoon Bullet Mold". Early 3rd Model Dragoon's used the same bullet as the 2nd Model, but roughly around 1855, a single grease groove was added to the 258 grain "sugar loaf" bullet. So, to summarize, in 1847 the Colt .44 bullet was the 219 gr Picket bullet. In 1848, the Colt .44 bullet evolved to the rebated base, "sugar loaf" design, still at 219 grs. In 1850, the Colt .44 "sugar loaf" bullet weight was increased to 258 grs. In 1855, the Colt .44 bullet progressed to a 258 gr '"sugar loaf" with single grease groove. For the 1860 Army, the Colt .44 bullet was lighter in weight, a "sugar loaf" with single grease groove, weighing roughly 212 grs.
The reason some early Walkers had cylinders rupture, is that Eli Whitney was making cylinders of iron, instead of steel, apparently due to miscommunication with Samuel Colt.[ Firing a Picket or Conical backwards will not cause a pressure increase; I've fired conicals backwards many times to test the "full wadcutter" effect for impact tests.] By late 1847, when Colt's factory was in operation in Hartford, CT, the WH Dragoons were all made with steel cylinders. The official Colt name for the Walker/Dragoon series of revolvers was "Revolving Holster Pistol" without identifying the transitions in 1847, 1848, 1850 and 1851. It was 20th Century Colt collectors who came up with the transition identifying names of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Model Dragoons. Samuel Colt DID privately refer to the "Walker" model by that name. Colt's combustible cartridge packets clearly identify the model names: Revolving Holster Pistol [Dragoon .44's]; New Model Revolving Holster Pistol [Colt 1860 Army .44]; Revolving Belt Pistol [1851-61 Navy]; Revolving Police Pistol AND Revolving Pocket Pistol of Navy Caliber [1862 Police and Pocket Navy, 5-shot .36 Caliber]; Revolving Pocket Pistol [5 and 6 shot .31 cal packets].
Thank you for your thoughtful and very useful information 👍
I Love the Smoke.
That thing is a beast. 4.6 pounds empty, lol, crazy stuff
I love those big cap-and-ball revolvers, the Colt Walker and Dragoon models. Real hand cannons.
After a 2+ month wait I finally got my Uberti 1847. Videos and superlatives cannot begin to compare once you hold this monster, especially when you extend the revolver into a firing position. I've wanted one since I was a young boy and now I finally have one.
One feature not discussed is that after you fire all the chambers, the Walker would make a great mele weapon. Imagine 5 Lbs of steel being strongly swung at and striking the side of your head... :)
I always loved the collt walker even before Clint Eastwoods movies
I like the full 60 grain loads. Like you, I have been considering removal of the cylinder blueing for historical accuracy.
To imagine these guys riding around on horse back taking shots at each other over 100years ago is insane.
Great video to see the power and some history of the Walker. Thank you.
Aren't you worried that since you have those great new target stands the High Fructose Gang will be running rampant all over the West? ;-) Great video as always, Dustin.
I’m ready for them! LOL
If I owned a Walker, I'd make a small loading lever keeper out of a strip of leather. Cut a rectangular strip, cut a rectangular notch on one end and then cut the other end into an arrowhead shape. Loop the leather strap around the barrel and loading lever, turn the arrowhead end sideways so it fits in the rectangular notch, and then turn the arrowhead piece flat again so the wings of the arrow hold it in place across the leather remaining around the rectangular notch. It won't harm the finish because it's leather, it's easy to R&R and you could slide it off the lever for loading and slide it back on for shooting, and I think it would be historical because I remember reading that some users tied the lever in place with twine back in the day when the originals were in use. That's my take on it anyway.
Love to see tests done with the Confederate 36 cal Richmond Labs bullet, from eras gone, using Griswold and gunnison or Spiller and Burr.
I prefer track of the wolf nipples myself.
Proper handling can eliminate cap jams in Colts, cocking the peice like a modern revolver is risking a cap jam.
A non invasive fix for the walker lever drop is simple, an ultra thin wire, like copper, wrapped in a figure 8 around the lever and barrel, it can be easily broken and redone with each loading.
Always a great video, the Walker is a beast, always gets attention on the battlefield.
Charles, Please explain how cocking the hammer has an effect on cap jams, then explain how the hammer should be cocked to avoid those cap jams.
One rule commonly posted at shooting ranges is to prohibit a shooter from elevating the muzzle while on the firing line, so as to prevent accidental discharges from escaping the backgrounds of the range. To that end, the historical practice of raising your barrel while cocking (so the burst cap falls backwards relative to the frame) breaks the rules.
A workaround would be to tilt your gun to the right as you cock the hammer instead, so the burst cap falls clear to the right as the cylinder rotates to the right.
I wanted one of those in the worst way, but had to go with a very lightly used Uberti Remington NA.To me this is an icon of the old west
Great video Dustin. My Walker happens to be my favorite of all my bp revolvers. However, it's not my favorite to carry on my hip because I can't keep my darn pants up. Ha ha ha ha
Great video as usual. Love my
Colt Walker!
This was a nice short video on the Walker.
Thanks for watching!
Excellent. As usual 👍
YOU, MY GOOD MAN, ARE THE REASON A 1860 UBERTI ARMY BP REVOLVER IS SITTING RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME BEING LOADED HOMEBOY😎😎😎😎😎
That is a big gun! It makes my 61 navy look like a pocket model!
Looking forward to the 357 comparison. Nice looking changes. You mentioned removing the bluing from the cylinder was more historically accurate? More on that please...
Original Walker cylinders were not blued. I’ve never found a solid explanation of why, but I believe it’s because they were made in such a hurry with different parts being made in different locations. Thanks for watching!
I enjoyed the video.great job! wow I didn't see that coming.1200 fps Shooting those anchors.i was guessing 950....very powerful pistol.cant wait for the 357 head to head comparison
Cool guns and fun to shoot. My brother owns one and I've shot it several times however I prefer my .36 1851 Navy. I never realised the cylinders were left in the white however.
Dustin, I love Mark Hubbs bullet molds and your results here very much match my own. I tie off my loading leathers. The Slix-Shot cones are a must with the Whitneyville-Walker Colt, no doubt. And, yes, loads above 40-grains and shot frequently will wear the Italian Walkers out in a real hurry. Do you ever shoot a Walker one-handed, say I SASS-CAS gunfighter style. I so love shooting my Walkers as a double-duelist (one in each hand). Thanks for the revisit video of the WWC revolver, sir.
I do shoot it one-handed a fair amount. It’s more challenging, but it’s sure fun!
Woolaroc..great museum
I’ve been to the Woolaroc Museum. It’s a fantastic place. Highly recommend it.
Yeah it's a really cool place they got a little bit of everything guns, art, shrunken heads, taxidermy, and Native American artifacts and a nature preserve if you're in the area I also highly recommend the Phillips petroleum company Museum Frank Phillips Home is pretty cool too and if you go a couple counties over to Rogers County the Davis Gun museum is pretty awesome after you go to Nowata County I'm not 100% sure if they're Museum is still open they have some guns and other memorabilia from the Dalton gang
Authentically, you don't have to put up with the loading lever drop.
There are 3 known original civilian Walkers with a loading lever latch used in the later Dragoon models. Check out the civilian "Thumbprint Walker" sn# 1078 that was sold through Heritage Auctions. You can trim back the arm, add the dragoon latch, spring, pin and lug and you've got the Real McCoy.
I just saw that :0
Please do a video on the griswold too!
It’s in the works. Thanks for watching!
Did you remove the bluing from the cylinder yourself? I have read that the original Walkers had their cylinders left in white.
I did.
@@GunsOfTheWest do you have a method or a link to one you would recommend? Also, does removing the bluing open the part up to a bigger risk of corrosion?
Thank you!
EDIT: I found this technique from the Eras Gone Historical Molds channel. It seems that the final use of wax helps prevent rust.
ruclips.net/video/eqAur_I27X4/видео.html
Hi Dustin, you need the fix the issue with the lever load. Blackie Thomas shows how do it.
I’ve actually discussed in another video why I don’t do any of the common “repairs” on the Walker.
That's a real revolver.
That was great. Thanks for sharing
I have a 3rd Gen Colt Dragoon. Was the cylinder originally bare with no blueing? I really like the way it looks 👌. Thanks for all the great videos. You are my go to for black powder!!!
The Walker was made in 1847 under contract in Whitneyville, with a couple hundred examples repaired or refurbished due to weaknesses in the cylinders. As such, it were those such guns that ended up with bright iron cylinders.
The 3rd Model Dragoon was made from 1851 to 1860 in Colt's own factory. They didn't have as many problem as those old Walkers and their cylinders didn't need replacement, hence the cylinder on a Dragoon would have the same original finish as the rest of the gun.
Did not realise they were that accurate.
My only real problem with new repros is the Uberti hammer springs are wimpy. I don't know why they haven't fixed that.
So true!! My old Uberti springs, 20+ years are fantastic, strong and stable. Newer ones as you say and wimpy, weak. I had to double up springs on a few new 1860 Army colts.
Never had a problem with Pietta springs.
The hammer draw on my Uberti 1860 is stiffer than that of my Uberti 1848, but I chalked that up to the hammer/hand assembly being balanced out by a much heavier cylinder in the '48 as compared to the '60.
I love mine still with it all plum brown along with taken it on hunts with me
Now you tell me that the Walker is not a great first BP revolver!
My first purchase was a Walker, I thought that it was a Uberti but it turns out that I bought a 2nd Gen Colt. Pity that the wedge appears to be made of soft cheese as even using 30gn 3f Swiss the original wedge looks like a banana after 3 shots. I have now got a better wedge and cut down the charge to 20gn, I also made a taller front sight so the gun is spot on at 27 yards (25m). Lastly, I have been hitting the gym so I can try to shoot the damn thing freehand.
Loved it 👍
Could you please do a video on how to remove the blueing from the gun? Thank you and great video
Here’s the video from Eras Gone Bullet Molds that I used for instructions.
ruclips.net/video/eqAur_I27X4/видео.html
Thank you
Will this work on an 1851 navy replica?
Murica 1776 yep...and worked on my 1858 Rem replica .
Alright cool
Wow beautiful!👍🏾😀❤️🇺🇸
Great Video I`m looking forward to the .44 - 357 comparison , with historical pistols being either antique or reproduction are you able to add a shoulder stock to them ? or does that turn them into a short barreled rifle ?
I think at least bp weapons shouldn't become SBRs as they generally aren't considered as "firearms", and situationally are considered "other weapons"
if I remember right a historical solution to the dropping loading lever was a thin piece of leather wrapped around the barrel and loading lever. it would simply be slid out of the way when loading. Any idea what kind of velocity you were getting with the dragoon bullets? and I really like the wide angle shots from the side. give a really nice perspective on how far the target is and also the beautiful scenery with big clouds of smoke blowing through it.
Love the white smoke!
Came for the big bore...stayed for the smoke!
I'm amazed that the cylinders stood up to the charge when the thickness of metal was only about two millimetres at the top section.
Is there any mention of cylinders blowing up apart from chain fire incidents?
I like these videos
I actually have another Walker video coming out this Saturday. Thanks for watching!
Dustin I have a walker with Howell conversion cylinder 45lc.when you take out wedge what's best with that screw,does it need to always come out or should it hold wedge in and hang while you remove cylinder.any advice.
I leave the screw in and just let the wedge hang.
This looks fun
@Gunsofthewest Hi Dustin! How much 777 you think I could load in a Walker?
I got 19" arms this Revolver is just right on weight! Love you show! Thanks for the Videos!!!
Does leaving the cylinder white pose any problems with corrosion. I'm considering getting a walker kit and leaving the cylinder white but I don't want to damage it.
As long as it’s kept clean and oiled, it should be fine.
@@GunsOfTheWest Thanks Dustin, I love to see a youtuber who takes the time to answer his comments, it shows you care about your fans!
I just can't bring myself to taking the blueing off my Walker's cylinder. It is a nice charcoal blue. I realize that it's not authentic but.....I just can't Dustin😢. I guess I'll just have to be the odd man out. Thanks for understanding. p.s. great video as usual!
No worries! They look great with blued finish too.
Try swiss1... oversized round balls maximizing the quantity of powder while allowing higher pressure being built before moving (.457)...
700ft.lbs+...
I have several percussion revolvers, yet never really had an interest in acquiring a Walker/Dragoon revolver.
Nice video. Look up the heavier conicals that are made like the Elmer Keith bullet. You end up with more ftlb of energy. Very accurate round. Kaido Ojamaa is the maker of those.
I've heard many good things about the Kaido bullets.
Yeah. Really the only way to get the performance out of the gun. Of course after posting that I see he's already done a video on them.
You know mine still stands as my most accurate black powder revolver
I think there's something about the weight of it that just balances it out and steadies my hand
that and I suppose I can really experiment with powder loads more than say an 1860 army
Can you please give me your input on goex fffg olde eynesford match grade black powder.I bought a couple pounds of goex regular fffg from midway and added one pound of this to my order.what can I expect from it? I'm shooting a stainless Ruger 1858 Remy...pietta 1858 Remy both 44 call thanks
I actually don’t have any experience with the Olde Eynesford. I saw some when I stopped to visit my powder guy and I asked him about it. He said it’s fairly popular in competition, but he didn’t seem to think it was worth the extra money for the shooting I do.
@@GunsOfTheWest well guess I will find out soon enough.thanks for your input.
I use it exclusively in my 45 Colt loads, and it is nearly as energetic as Swiss, Vis-a-Vis 3FG granulation. only averaged about 15-17 FPS slower consistently. This was in my testing 4-5 years ago.
Bill Ruger said that that gun was so strong that you could fill the cylinder up with Blue Dot and it would be fine.
I should add that he was talking about his redesigned 1858 stainless army, I remember because I had this gun and always loaded it to the brim and then compressed the ball in.
It made a really nice loud CRACK! when it fired.
I suspect you may be expelling a lot of un-ignited powder out of a 9 inch barrel with 60gr loads. Also, a musket load would more likely be a slower burning 2F instead of 3F, maybe resulting in a higher chance of wasting powder. While I'm not 100% sure of this, I'd be interested in how your chronograph tests 2F vs. 3F loads dialing down in 5gr increments from 60 gr. You may find very little drop off in power with loads that burn right to the edge of the barrel length.
That's worth looking into. Good Idea.
What a monster! You wouldn’t even have to hit the enemy. Just whip it out of your holster and you will scare them all to death.
Would that be a good revolver for black bear defense
That colt Walker dragoon is still a magnum 😮 its just antique 😮
I need one of those can you suggest one i can buy. Good quality brand ?
Uberti is currently the only company making it. The best price I’ve found is at Sportsman’s Warehouse.
@@GunsOfTheWest thank you so much
Where can I find a good sorce of caps and bullets for my colletion of guns?
I use Triple 7 and round lead balls with mine
That's what I want to do to my Walker, go historical but I'm sort of afraid to. Rust scares me!!! Especially on expensive cowboy toys like that!!!
Is that Porter Rockwell in the picture behind you?
It is.
where can you get #11 nipples for the dragoon? Can you use the same ones you did for the Walker? I got #11 nipples, but they are too short and the hammer cant reach it. Major bummer.
Yikes !! That's a handful !
My Walker tends to develop a "buldge" behind the wedge where it contacts the frame. I surmise that this is from the force of shooting pushing the frame against the wedge. I dont see any buldging of the frame on your revolver best I can tell from the video, so can't figure out why this is happening in my case. The problem with this is that the barrel can get very hard to remove.
that sounds incredibly dangerous.
Don't be shooting 60 gr loads all the time. 50 gr is plenty.
It would have been interesting to see ballistics of the dragoon conical bullets, i bet they hit hard, you could see it hitting the plate and most probably penetrated more than round ball on wood. The concept of pistol ammunition of the time up till WW2 was to use heavy bullets with low velocities such as the .455 Webley and ..45 1911, ie man stoppers as they called them at the time, i can see why they called this a horse pistol, not in the sense of being carried on a horse but stopping one you could even take out a cow or Buffalo if you needed to feed the family.
Are 60 grain loads ok in the modern reproductions
The chambers will hold together fine. The biggest risk is in the wedge that pins the barrel to the frame-- if the manufacturer didn't harden the wedge properly, the wedge will distort from the force
Stansburry Island?
Weird Colt left the cylinders in the white, I wonder why he did that?
When you do the comparison to the .357, could you also include a 45 Colt. maybe in an 1873?
Dustin please answer my at I have a colt walker and I live in black bear country I want to use a heavy bullet shaped like a wadcutter and still be able to use 50 g fff blackpower per cylinder idk were to get a mold like tool that looks like a wrench to make round balls and or mini ball style bullets both in 44 cal for walker and in 45 cal for flintlock 70g fff muzzloader can you help me
If at all possible, I recommend a modern firearm for that. The Walker is very powerful, but I don’t recommend cap & ball revolvers for defensive purposes with all the better options that are out there.
Bears are nothing to be toying with, and while a black powder muzzleloading revolver from the 1840's may not exactly be a toy, it's no tool for bear country either.
wish i could afford one for my collection
There only 420 dollars at midway USA and the reviews seem to talk positive on it
@@chainsawchanselour5452 i bought me one :)
I do appreciate that you've occasionally loaded the Walker to the max, but it leads me to wonder: What is the *minimum* amount of black powder that you could load per bullet and still be considered a functional shot? Could it be less than what the manufacturer recommends?
Interesting question. I’ll have to test that. Thanks for watching!
The main concern there would be using a charge so small that the projectile doesn't safely compress the powder because the rammer couldn't move down that far.
You can get around that in a few ways: Use some sort of gap filler (historically a cornmeal or sawdust layer on top of the gunpowder) like a felt wad. That, or load the chambers on a stand so the rammer reaches all the way to the bottom.
1 question. Why there is no cartridge conversion (brass cartridges with a loading gate) on the colt walker? I mean most civil revolvers (Army and Navy) has conversions. Although as far as I know, this was less used in the Civil War.
There are conversion cylinders for the Walker, but I haven’t used one.
I’d buy a Walker tomorrow if it wasn’t for that derpy loading lever.
Please, do so and compare it with 357. Thank you!
If you did a max load of powder with this using Triple Seven instead of traditional black powder, would the gun be strong enough to handle it or would it grenade itself?
I’m sure it wouldn’t blow up, but I think it would start loosening the fit of the parts pretty fast.
You should try 60 gr of Triple 7 3fg and you will see that velocity really go way up
60 grains of triple 7 would yield over 70 grains of equivalent black powder pressure.
Please Don't Try It.
(And If you do, I hope that you have good heath insurance. )
How does it compare with the dragoon?
My first gun was a Dragoon, which I like so much that I picked up another one to match. Suffice it to say I got used to the weight...
...which also meant that, when I got a Walker, I didn't notice any difference in weight. What I did notice was how they feel on lockup (the circular stop bolt and oval cylinder notches aren't the same as on most guns) but the biggest difference are in the grips--- the Walker has a noticeably slimmer grip than the Dragoon. Having gotten used to the Dragoon first, a Walker grip feels like a broom handle by comparison.
That's a beast. I'd love to shoot one one day.
Oh so that's why I see so many with unblued cylinders
I didn't think that Ted Cash capper worked with a Walker?
kaido bullets+max charge :) :) :)
the most powerfull bkl powder revolver- shnieg 1860 ( austro-hungary army) , with a decent caliber of 0.58 :) :)
Great information! Do you have any link or photo of this 0.58 revolver?
@@franciszekciszewski2743 i had it a time ago.i must find it
While I appreciate the fact that it was designed to be authentic in every aspect, I think I wouldn't mind if they skipped the authentic part of the ramrod dropping after every shot...
You're free to modify it as you see fit.
Do any American gun companies make these? Nothing against Pietta or Uberti, I have a Pietta 1851 navy that I like. If a company like Ruger reproduced a walker it would be a tank. They over build their guns like the GP100 and Redhawk to make them handle hot loads as a regular diet. You wouldn't have to worry about stretching the frame or the gun blowing up in your face when you feed it a max charge of powder. Your pistol might weigh 10 pounds instead of 5 though. S&W and others make tough guns too. They all seem to stay out of the old west reproduction game. The Ruger Blackhawk is close in style but shoots modern ammo.
"I like keeping things historical . . . the slixshot nipples are stainless steel. . ."
I think all history can be improved with stainless steel. Sometimes modern parts help.
I'd rather have functionality than historical accuracy tbh.
Stainless steel cones isn't a big deal tbh.
The gun's steel isn't as week as it was in the day, and there are minor adjustments to its design...so it can't be exactly historical anyway. Nothing wrong with adding stainless steel nipples if it improves the gun's usability.
I had a Traditions muzzleloader that, even though I cleaned it, corrosion in the nipple basically welded the base of the hole shut, and I had thoroughly cleaned it as well. I couldn’t even drill it out to at least empty the gun. That’s when I went to stainless. The stock nipples on my 1851 Navy thankfully haven’t had this issue, but I’ve been considering stainless for them.
@@ArizonaGhostriders You are missing the point . . .
Nice. But make no mistake, modern ammo has passed her( way on by, ) as most know, such as the 460 Rem Mag & 500 S&W Mag with 3031 ft lbs of energy🔥 @ Muzzle , & speeds just barley under 2000 fps🔥 w 350 grain. & 460 S&W Mag @ 2,900 ft #'s ("🔥ergy) with speeds of 2,409 fps🔥 (premium)s. And we got us some whopper safari pistoli's" !...(300 gr)
My 460 SWM wieghs in slightlty over 4.5 lbs
> First off, Corky never carried two guns. Though he should have.
> No, no, he was, he was called "Two-Gun Corcoran."
> Yeah well, a lot of folks did call him "Two-Gun" but that wasn't because he was sporting two pistols. That was because he had a dick that was so big it was longer than the barrel of that Walker Colt that he carried. And the only "insultin' to a lady" he ever did was to stick that thing of his into this French lady that Bob here was kind of sweet on.
> You see, the night that Corky walked into the Blue Bottle, and before he knows what's happening, Bob here takes a shot at him! And he misses, 'cause he's so damn drunk. Now that bullet whizzing by panicked old Corky, and he did the wrong thing. He went for his gun in such a hurry that he shot his own damn toe off. Meantime Bob here, he's aiming real good, and he squeezes off another, but he misses, because he's still so damn drunk, and he hits this thousand-dollar mirror up over the bar. And now, the Duck of Death is as good as dead. Because Corky does it right. He aims real careful, no hurry...
> And?
> BAM! That Walker Colt blew up in his hand, which was a failing common to that model. You see, if old Corky had had two guns instead of just a big dick, he would have been there right to the end to defend himself.
BRB, gonna watch it again
Never button the bottom.
That's for coats and jackets, as tailors cut them so they skirt properly when the bottom button is unfastened.
The Behemoth of Texas!
Is that cylinder 2 3/16 wide?! Thats 56 mm .I still can belive that.50 mm is quite oversized but 56mm ...neee!Impossible!