Adventures with the Italian Walker

[44man]

I got a new mainspring and trigger spring from Gun Parts. Trigger spring did not work for the cylinder stop, too long so I cut it with a Moto Tool cut off wheel. Works great. Mainspring hook was too long and had sharp edges that caught on the ledge near the hammer slot. I had to grind, round off and polish. Harder to get in now. I picked it up off the carpet many times.
I found how to get it in. Take the grip frame loose so the screws are just started, You can squeeze the spring by hand into the hammer. Slide it under the lug and tighten the frame screws alternately.
I believe the springs were made to fit the Colt so it takes a little work.

[Blackwater]

A little observation, reason and ingenuity always pays off, doesn't it? In gunsmithing, there's not a pat answer for everything. An Ackley trained 'smith friend of mine told me that one of the things P.O. always did with his students early on was to give them a shapeless chunk of whatever type of steel he could find cheaply, and tell them to make a perfect cube 1.000" on all sides, but they couldn't use ANY power tools in the project. This forced them to test their ingenuity and look for common hand tools with which to get the job done, and made them use their abilities of observation, analysis and ingenuity to come up with solutions, rather than relying on books and "standard proceedures" for everything. And he was one of the most creative 'smiths I've ever known.

I asked him once how to remove wood for the wonderful feeling stocks he made, and he said, "It doesn't matter HOW you remove it, just that you do, and that it all be in the right amount in the right places. And having observed him working on some, that was exactly how he did it, too. It was all about getting it done just like he wanted it to be, and he was very much enrapt in the job, but I learned a lot just from watching him while I worked. Observation can teach us a lot more than books and others ever can, really. And that's really how all the old 'smiths and farmers and mechanics used to do things - observation and analysis, along with an understanding of how whatever they were working on functioned, and why it was built the way it was. Understanding those things helps with judgments when you're modifying something from its original configuration, or when fitting things that don't seem to want to go together easily. Most get frustrated too easily, when a little thought and observation and analysis can make it SO much easier! You're obviously from the "old school," and don't let anything get you down. Most would have sent the part back, etc., etc., and have expected everything to be easy. I like folks who know how to take control of a bad situation, and when faced with lemons, know how to make lemonade. There's an awful lot of satisfaction in doing stuff "the hard way."

[17nut]

Mods i have done to mine:

Tin soldered the cylinder pin to the frame (it shot loose in less than 100 rounds).
Had the chambers in the cylinder reamed so a bullet larger than barrel size would fit.
Made a new front sight that made it hit POI at 25 meters.
Made a latch for the loading lever when the feeble spring gave out.

Now it works all the time and shoots good.

[45 Dragoon]

The main spring is much too heavy and can be reduced quite a bit. I install and remove mine with my thumbs.
The arbor on all of them is short and needs to be corrected. This is why it "shot loose".
With the arbor corrected, you can shoot full (60gr.) loads all day long!!

Mike

[44man]

Thing shoots fantastic. Pete wants to shoot deer. yup, go for it.

[doc1876]

Always start with the small screw that is in front of the trigger guard when reassembling.

Also, be very careful about how much you remove from any BP pistol. The blow back from the nipple can cause it to become a full auto. Not as fun as it sounds.

[45 Dragoon]

I take them down to just under a 4lb. hammer draw (not much more than a good trigger pull ) and never ever heard of any hammer blow back even with stock nipples.

Mike