Dragoon or Walker???

[Wobble]

I can't compare the two since I only have the Uberti Walker that I purchased a few days ago but my reasons for choosing it over the Dragoon were partly about shooting and partly about the history.

It's a BIG gun - like a hand cannon - and can push a ball at about 1300 fps with a 60 gr load -- the most powerful repeating handgun until the magnums in the 1930's and 1950's. I don't plan to shoot it that way all the time, but I want to experience it at least a few times. So, in that sense, it's not a nice, comfortable or practical shooter but it should be a lot of fun.

Second, the Walker has a unique history with the United States Mounted Rangers and is the gun that put Colt on the road to success. It feels good to hold a copy of the gun and experience what it would have felt like back then to shoot it.

 

[Noz]

Walker/Dragoon

It depends on the amount of style points you wish to accumulate.

Both are heavy weapons that were designed as horse pistols ie the holsters were made to fit over a saddle horn so that the horse carried them not you. If the weight doesn't bother you, go with the biggest and baddest, the Walker.
One of our local CAS shooters carries a strong side Walker and a weak side Dragoon. Shoots them double duelist. When Chaos Jumbles steps to the line with his hammer double 12, his 1860 Henry and his two horse pistols, the earth begins to tremble and knock down targets begin to quiver and fall. When he starts shooting spectators flee. Wonderful!!

 

[Jbar4Ranch]

Walker, the biggest and baddest.

 

[CaptainCrossman]

Wobble
Junior Member

Join Date: 2009-04-20
Location: Woodstock, GA
Posts: 3

It's a BIG gun - like a hand cannon - and can push a ball at about 1300 fps with a 60 gr load -- the most powerful repeating handgun until the magnums in the 1930's and 1950's. I don't plan to shoot it that way all the time, but I want to experience it at least a few times. So, in that sense, it's not a nice, comfortable or practical shooter but it should be a lot of fun.

Second, the Walker has a unique history with the United States Mounted Rangers and is the gun that put Colt on the road to success. It feels good to hold a copy of the gun and experience what it would have felt like back then to shoot it.




My thoughts exactly- the Walker is more of a historical thing, and if you're going to do a lot of shooting with 30-40 grains of powder, why haul all that extra steel around. An 1858 Remington will do that, in a lighter package. The whole reason for buying a Walker is, the large visual size, historical significance, and being able to pack in 60 grains. Cripes I only put 90 grains in my Hawken 50 cal. hunting flintlock gun- that Walker is a pistol loaded like a rifle.

After getting my first Walker this week (older CVA made by ASM), it's certainly a tad heavy. Not drastically so, but it takes more effort to lift/aim it. I can see why they put it on a diet back in 1848-49 and came out with the Dragoon. Perhaps the Dragoon is the ultimate Colt C/B open top, with the best balance/strength qualities. The medium frame Open Top C/B's are well suited for cartridge conversions- but I'd keep a Dragoon or Walker as a C/B gun- they just look like they should stay that way- and have the strength to stay together. The Walker/Dragoons are certainly stronger/better built than the 1851-60-61 pattern replicas- with a larger arbor, wedge, frame, barrel lug on the Walker/Dragoon design.

Here's mine after a good scrubbing/oiling.