A half century of walker colt dragoon replicas

[pill bug]

Well ok, more like 53 years. I'm thinking the thick trigger guard, Replica Arms walker came to the market in 1963. And of course the Movie "True Grit" with John Wayne (1969?) and a number of other westerns caused an explosion in popularity for these huge revolvers thru the 1970's. Enough so that Uberti also tooled up (in say, 1979) to make what has come be a excellent version of this always desirable pistol.

Judging by the used stuff I see on Gunbroker, walkers must be close to being one of the must popular replicas ever made, with mishandled and poorly stored specimens dropping down in price to well below 300 bucks. (HaHa,in my price range!)

Anyway, I wonder, have any of the thousands of Dragoon owners/shooters ever looked at that long cylinder and thought about experimenting and having some fun? Like say a little powder and a lot of bird shot? perhaps one or even two 451 balls topped by a 454? Or how about those Flatty lyman/ideal .450 bullets? I betcha that 3 and a half inch cylinder would hold a few of those!

In truth, I have never tried any of these shenanigans or in fact, ever handled a walker colt dragoon revolver. I don't know if such things are fun,fact or folly. But I am interested. Could the big gun spew forth 12 or 18 bullets at a time? or be a passable shotgun in a pinch? Who knows?

[45 Dragoon]

I'll even one up ya!! How bout the same thing but a "hot rod" Dragoon meaning a Dragoon (your fav. Model Whit,1,2,3) with a Walker cylinder fitted! More shot, more powder = more fun!!!


Mike

[rodwha]

I have entertained the idea of buying an additional barrel to ream smooth for small game hunting. Seems it could possibly match a .410. I'm talking about a Walker and not the Dragoon.

[pill bug]

Haha Mike, saw your screen name, knew I found a kindred spirit! Have seen an earlier post from a happy customer telling of your excellent work. When you spoke of a hot rod dragoon I was bewildered and thought jeez, is that possible? had to goggle "dragoon revolver" pic's and sure enough, looks doable!

Anyway, its good to have you here mike!

[pill bug]

170428 A 3rd model Dragoon with cartridge conversion. Found the picture on the internet. interesting how cutting down what i guess would be called the "forcing cone" gets more cylinder space.

[45 Dragoon]

Hello and thanks pill bug!! Yap, that's one that Hoof Hearted did (very cool conversion!).


You're right, that's where you gain access to fit the cylinder. The frames are the same.


Mike

[Bent Ramrod]

If you can't bore the barrel smooth, a shot load in a rifled arm is pretty useless. The rifling spins it around and it arrives on target in a large "doughnut" with a large hole in the center where the target is. A friend emptied a Taurus Judge at a beer can on the ground at 15 yards. The dust kicked up around the can suggested total demolition, but when we picked it up, only one pellet hole was found.

There's some Federal law against smooth bore pistol barrels and shot loads. I don't know if it applies to black powder replicas or not. But you would need an extra barrel smooth bored to make it work. Converting it to cartridge would be another legal question.

Haven't tried any multi all loadings in my Walker.

[pill bug]

Hi Bent ramrod. I'm a little surprised to read about your Walker. Kinda expected you to be more of a classic bolt action shooter/collector. But then again, when it comes to guns, eclectic interest and collections are not uncommon.

Was following your posts on Lee navy straight pulls awhile ago. Neat rifles, Have a nice factory sporter with some age brown but with no extra holes or alterations other than a silver front sight blade that on closer inspection is a folded in half and filed barber dime. Not factory but fun anyway.


Another no use knowledge but fun fact about this Lee straight pull sporter is when I bought it at Pony Express sport shop in Encino (a well known gun shop in southern cal) a less knowledgeable Pill bug had no idea what it was. asked a clerk who filled me in. I then candidly asked the same guy what he thought of the gun as a purchase (I was pretty much still a kid). He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Its the best deal in the store" (it was a huge gun shop) And I said "I will take it!" 175 bucks.


I never talked to that clerk again but over the years I'd still see him around at the gun shows and shops. Interestingly, he seemed to get more popular and have people around him later on. kind of bewildered me a little. The mystery was solved when I started seeing him in guns and ammo magazine. He is Garry James the gun writer. I believe he now has Elmer Keith's old job of senior editor at G&A magazine.

Anyway, gotta go. I'm a new guy and am going to be in trouble for the wrong stuff in the muzzle loading section. Got carried away with nostalgia!

[pill bug]

170587170588 Ok, i'm back on track. how about a few originals?

[rodwha]

Nice pics there bug!

[pill bug]

Thanks rodwha, For me its exciting to see these historic pics. Came across one recently of an 1850's militia man with a walker. Likely the earliest photographic evidence of the famed revolver. Have not been able to relocate it. But still looking.
bug

[Bent Ramrod]

Pill bug

I've been to Pony Express, and found a bunch of dies for my Modern Bond tong tool in their junk tray. It was a pretty cool gun shop.

My Armi San Marco Walker replica looks like a beast, but the arbor hole in the frame doesn't have enough "meat" around it for strength. A few dozen cylinder fulls of 60gr loads loosened it up good. I've since glued it back in, but haven't tried it out to see if the arbor will stay tight.

I suppose I could use wimp loads with filler, but what is the point of shooting a Walker with less than full bore loads? Like having a Ferrari and driving it only at school crossing speeds.

Even with the epoxy job, I don't think it would hold up with really heavy loads of shot or multi ball loads. Maybe somebody with a better replica could get away with it.

Great story about Garry James.

[45 Dragoon]

Bent, It was the cylinder slamming back and forth like a slide hammer. The arbor is too short (arbor hole in the barrel assy too long). Assuming your bbl/cyl alignment is good, and the arbor fitment addressed with a nice and tight bbl / cyl clearance, you should be able to shoot full house Trip7 loads with no problems.


Mike

[swathdiver]

My Armi San Marco Walker replica looks like a beast, but the arbor hole in the frame doesn't have enough "meat" around it for strength. A few dozen cylinder fulls of 60gr loads loosened it up good.

My ASM (1977) has a set screw to keep the arbor in place, yours does not? After shooting 60+ rounds of 50 grain charges of FFg all of the screws have come loose. Ours has tight barrel and chambers, could shoot .451s easily but we stock .454s so that is what it gets fed. Very accurate sixgun too.

[taco650]

Walkers were also carried by Clint Eastwood in "The outlaw Josey Whales". They seemed to fit him fine LOL!

[45workhorse]

Second black powder gun I bought! First one was a CVA Kentucky pistol kit. Still have both.

[Wayne Smith]

If you want a shotgun barrel just buy a LeMat replica. 20 ga. Shotgun underbarrel already there. And nine shots to boot.

[Bent Ramrod]

The set screw is in there. I don't see any imprint of the cylinder ratchet on the back of the frame, which I have seen on other revolvers with back-and-forth cylinder looseness. The barrel group was wedged tight enough so the cylinder could revolve after fouling buildup but was not loose. When I took the gun apart to clean it, the arbor was wobbly. It was not unscrewed or loose, but had enlarged its hole in the frame enough to wiggle slightly. I took the set screw out, unscrewed the arbor, cleaned the gun, wet the arbor and socket with acetone, glopped on the JB Weld, screwed on the arbor, put in the set screw lightly, put the barrel group on, wedged it tight on the arbor, tightened the set screw all the way, wiped off the excess.

Haven't had a chance to try it yet.

[taco650]

This was an interesting video I saw recently comparing the penetration power of the Colt Walker with the 1860 Army .44

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4f4UMX_ewA

[.36navy]

35 grains of 3 f followed by a wad and the rest of the cylinder filled with 7.5 birdshot in a walker makes a deadly skunk killer.

[dondiego]

Ha! Not sure I'd want to be that close!

[taco650]

ha! Not sure i'd want to be that close!

ditto!!!!/\ /\ /\

[BlackPowderBen]

I love my walker, such a blast to shoot. You need to get one sometime. If you own other cap and ball revolvers and you get yourself a walker, you have to do some Josey Wales style shooting! The dragoon may have a better feel, more well balanced, but you can't beat a walker.
They were used in several movies, but all converted to shoot cartridges
True Grit
The outlaw Josey Wales, That movie probably made the walker very popular nowadays
The Sacketts, great little known movie, Sam Elliot carried one

[rodwha]

I had to learn to do the Walker spin, though with my ROA.

[Multigunner]

Bent Ramrod

My Armi San Marco Walker replica looks like a beast, but the arbor hole in the frame doesn't have enough "meat" around it for strength. A few dozen cylinder fulls of 60gr loads loosened it up good. I've since glued it back in, but haven't tried it out to see if the arbor will stay tight.

I was given a brass frame 36 years ago, the threads in the arbor hole had wallowed out.

I made a replacement arbor with a shoulder and turned a mating shelf inside the arbor hole in the cylinder.
The best I could do in rethreading the brass for the oversized threads of the replacement still seemed too loose to trust so I used Hiforce44 silver solder, the strongest there is to secure the arbor. After many full power loads it has never gotten the least bit loose. The shelf and shoulder arrangement takes up all the pressure of firing. A much stronger method than the originals used.

[rodwha]

Bent Ramrod


I was given a brass frame 36 years ago, the threads in the arbor hole had wallowed out.

I made a replacement arbor with a shoulder and turned a mating shelf inside the arbor hole in the cylinder.
The best I could do in rethreading the brass for the oversized threads of the replacement still seemed too loose to trust so I used Hiforce44 silver solder, the strongest there is to secure the arbor. After many full power loads it has never gotten the least bit loose. The shelf and shoulder arrangement takes up all the pressure of firing. A much stronger method than the originals used.

I don't own any Colt models yet, but this sounds quite interesting. Do you happen to have any pics to help with your description? Even drawings?