Uberti Walker 1847 range report

[wellfedirishman]

Recently I picked up a Uberti Walker from a member here (thanks Tom!). Today I took it out for the first time. It can sure shoot :)

These guns were designed to knock a Mexican lancero (lance-armed cavalry) off his horse at 75 yards. I have no doubt it is capable of that.

Here is the gun itself. It has non-standard grips, but otherwise is stock.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/UbertiWalkerright.jpg

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/UbertiWalkerleft.jpg

It loads very easily. The long loading lever makes it simple to compress the balls in and leaves a nice lead ring (shavings) using .454 balls.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/UbertiWalkerloading.jpg

I shot three targets at 15 yards, aiming at the 6 o'clock position on each one:
Left target - 18 rounds with 30 grains 3F charge.

Middle target - 6 rounds with 60 grains (full charge) of 3F. Gave an almighty BOOM and the loading lever dropped down after each shot. This happened on the original Walker guns too.

Right target - 12 or 18 rounds with 30 grains 3F charge.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/UbertiWalker15yards.jpg

This gun is a ton of fun to shoot. It is a big heavy steel revolver (4 lbs) and this helps tame the otherwise substantial recoil with a full load.

I am seriously considering a conversion cylinder for 45 LC for this gun. It certainly is accurate enough to warrant it.

[Captain*Kirk]

Sweet!
I have just ordered a 2nd Dragoon and can't wait to try it out!

[Geraldo]

I took my Uberti Walker to the range for the first time yesterday.

I shot it at 50 yards with 50gr FFFg and it hit about a foot high. My groups weren't as good as yours, but the distance was three times farther. Next trip I'll try conicals and heavier charges.

In thinking about my C&B revolvers, either I got all the ones that shoot way high, or it's how I'm sighting them. I've had to start wearing glasses to shoot, and it is having an effect (usually positive) on my shooting, but it might be how I use the hammer notch rear sight.

[Fly]

How about putting stronger spring in those loading levers? Would that not stop them from
droping?I always wanted one but I would have to fix that.

Fly

[mooman76]

I got a Walker new a couple years ago. I saw that the lever sagged abit and tried to carefully bend the spring up to hold better. Bad idea. I broke the spring. I looked all over for the part and could find none available. I finally contacted Dixie and they ordered me a new one free of charge but they were on back order for almost a entire year. I latter found out that was a problem with the original and that's why the change how the load lever was held in other models. The Dragoon is close to the same as the walker and doesn't have the same problem.

[Geraldo]

My lever doesn't drop. Yet.

[Captain*Kirk]

I got a Walker new a couple years ago. I saw that the lever sagged abit and tried to carefully bend the spring up to hold better. Bad idea. I broke the spring. I looked all over for the part and could find none available. I finally contacted Dixie and they ordered me a new one free of charge but they were on back order for almost a entire year. I latter found out that was a problem with the original and that's why the change how the load lever was held in other models. The Dragoon is close to the same as the walker and doesn't have the same problem.

There is a mod you can do to the loading lever that (supposedly) fixes this problem, BTW. Only I can't remember where I saw it. If I find it again, I'll post a link.

[Tom-ADC]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=440014&highlight=Walker+loading+lever+fix

[northmn]

I took my Uberti Walker to the range for the first time yesterday.

I shot it at 50 yards with 50gr FFFg and it hit about a foot high. My groups weren't as good as yours, but the distance was three times farther. Next trip I'll try conicals and heavier charges.

In thinking about my C&B revolvers, either I got all the ones that shoot way high, or it's how I'm sighting them. I've had to start wearing glasses to shoot, and it is having an effect (usually positive) on my shooting, but it might be how I use the hammer notch rear sight.

I replaced or modified more than one front sight because of that on both Remington and Colt repos. They were combat arms not target pistols, you aimed at the middle. Wamny Walkers were said to ahve a wire wrapped around the barrel to hold up the loading lever. The Dragoons were later models and included improvements on the Walker original. They also had a powder reduction as some Walkers blew. Older steel. Something about the Walker name and legend that keeps them popular. More made today than originally made. Whether many carried Walkers or Dragoons in holsters as in Western novels is open to question.

DP

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

The Ordnance Dept specified that the pistols shoot dead on at 75 or so yds. The idea was to hold center mass from point blank to a hundred.

Rich

[Geraldo]

The Ordnance Dept specified that the pistols shoot dead on at 75 or so yds. The idea was to hold center mass from point blank to a hundred.

Rich

It's interesting what Ord expected soldiers to be able to do. Next trip to the range I'm going to shoot at 100 yards. Might as well get all I can out of this pistol.

[Wayne Smith]

I believe both Walkers and Dragoons were mostly carried in saddle holsters. Colt's most popular, best selling pistol was the little .31 caliber, not very effective but very concealable.

[Char-Gar]

When the Walkers were issued to the Rangers heading to Mexico in 1847, they caught up with Jack Hays men down here on the Rio Grande. J.S. Ford was his Adjudent and wrote in his autobiography (Rip Ford's Texas) they tested them on trees down here and found them to be as accurate and as powerful at the Mississippi rifle at 100 yards. Issued in pairs in saddle holsters, they were formidable firepower. A real game changer in warfare of the day. The Mexicans and Comanche got the worst of the deal.

With the Comanche the Rangers would ride up behind the Comanche, staying well to the left side and pop him with a Colt. If you rode behind the Comanche or on the right side, they could turn in the saddle and put an arrow through you with ease. I guess there were no left handed Indians, or at least none are mentioned. The big grain feed American horses could run any grass fed Comanche pony into the ground in short order. Of course, you had to take some grain with you to supplement the grass. You still do on multi-day trips, if you want to keep your horse in good condition.

The early Rangers would most often carry a pair of "Army Colts/Dragoons" on their saddle and a pair of Navy Colts on their person. A good rifle, a Bowie knife and a good horse and they were set for warfare on the plains with the Comanche. They took the war to the Indians on their home turf and destroyed their villages in the dead of winter. The Indian only made war in the spring and summer, so they were at a great disadvantage when the white men didn't do the same. The Rangers wanted to fight on the Comanche land and not wait until they came down in the Spring, to kill, murder and steal.

During the rest of the year, the Rangers set up camps on the rivers (Brazos, Colorado, Pease etc) and scouted for Indian sign. The Comanche had to close to one of these rivers for water. They holed up in a mottle of trees during the day and traveled only at night. One a trail was cut, the Rangers mounted and the game was afoot. It was bloody war with no quarter asked nor given by either side.

[Fly]

The shooting high thing applys to alot of military guns.I have some ww2 russian mosin nagant
rifles.Everyone has shot high.I was told they were sighted in for 300 yards.

It sounds as the post above said 75 yards seems about right for a dead on shot.A guy that
knows alot more than me on this tells me this.A bullet starts to rise as it leaves the barrel &
then at some point desend at another point.

If say a walker is sighting in at 75 Yards then at a 100 yards you would have to
aim high to hit center mass.Same thing at 50 yards aim low to hit center mass.

So say 60 grains you guys could try that & report back.It does work on these
nagant mosins.I have to aim lower at 50yards then I do at 100yards.At 200 yards it
almost center.I never tryed beong that & even if I did it would have to be a very large
target for me to even see at that range.

But I always thought a bullet just went streight & just started falling at some point.I never
new it came out in a ark, but it seems to be true.

Fly

[10x]

I replaced or modified more than one front sight because of that on both Remington and Colt repos. They were combat arms not target pistols, you aimed at the middle. Wamny Walkers were said to ahve a wire wrapped around the barrel to hold up the loading lever. The Dragoons were later models and included improvements on the Walker original. They also had a powder reduction as some Walkers blew. Older steel. Something about the Walker name and legend that keeps them popular. More made today than originally made. Whether many carried Walkers or Dragoons in holsters as in Western novels is open to question.

DP

Walkers and dragoons were horse pistols. The holster was carried on the saddle.

[coopieclan]

How about putting stronger spring in those loading levers? Would that not stop them from
droping?I always wanted one but I would have to fix that.

Fly
I have a problem with that on my 1858 Pietta Remington type clone.
When I shoot Black Powder (25 gr.) no problem... when I use my conversion cylinder and a cowboy .44 round the lever drops.

I am considering putting rubber in there in addition to the spring to stiffen the loading lever latch.