Walker Colt and Load Variations.

M

mec

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I started out using ball over 60 grains of swiss 3f. This makes for a very full chamber. Also used the 200 grain Lee Conical over a couple of combinations and found it very energetic. this revolver stiffens up fairly quickly and needs frequent field cleaning for good function.
Even in a high wind, the 4 pound 16" long revolver hangs steady on target
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As issued in 1847, they came with bullet moulds casting from one to six picket bullets. I coned my seating stem to fit these from the serious, steel pedersoli mould and got far better accuracy than I expected from bullet of this design:
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the 45 grain load has considerable compression -necessary to get the spire point bullet below the chamber mouth. All of the higher end loads seem to generate over 500 foot pounds of energy. Compares favorably to most of the non-magnum modern loads.

For the most part, I taped the loading lever up. It will drop like this every time other wise. As shown, recoil is light and there is an amazing lazer-like jet of flame in all that smoke.
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I came across one in a pawn shop earlier this year, Pedersoli I think. (How do you tell??) When I got it home, I tacked up a 3" square Post-It note at the 25 yard line and let loose with 60 gr Pyrodex P and six round balls off a sandbag. When the smoke cleared, I was pleasantly surprised to find five holes in the paper and the sixth only a quarter inch off one edge. It's just as accurate with BP and American Pioneer too.

Pictured with a S&W M629
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Pedersoli sells a couple of closed tops made by a german company- replicas, more or less of the Remington 58-63 and the one(cant think of its name) that never saw the light until Bannermans bought up the entire stock 40 years later.

Very likely Uberti or Armi San Marco made yours, They have little markings on the gun ( Uberti usually writes their entire name on the bottom of the barrel under the loadin lever) Pietta uses "FAP" and I'm not sure about ASM. Palmetto also makes a Walker copy but, good as your'es shot, its unlikely it comes from them.
 
Mec, Good info and good shooten! I have wanted a Walker for a long time just because of the power but I don't like the weight or size :)
My Remington can get heavy enough after carrying it around all day in these mountains.:)
 
Under the loading lever, mine says: CAL .44 BLACK POWDER ONLY-MADE IN ITALY

On the right side of the frame is a small clustering of markings starting with a tiny shield with a circle above it, then the initials PN with a tiny wreath looking thing above it, then a square box with the initials BD inside.
 
I seem to have left some of the B series out of the appendix in Percussion Pistols and Revolvers (Aaaarrrrrgggg!) but a BD would put it between 1991 and 1994 -Probably in 1993. PN appears on Ubertis. Good.
 
Dragoon Loads

Have a Colt 3rd generation Dragoon with an R&D Drop-in conversiona Cylinder.
The 25 yard target pictured shows in the upper right two 3 shot groups, those are with Paper Envelope Cartidges of 42gr FFFg and a .457 Round Ball.
The second group in the middle are metalic cartridges .45LC W-W cases & primers, 30gr of FFFg, and a 255gr FP soft lead bullet. Usin FFFg instead of FFg they are rather stout and have a healthy kick but very accurate. I really like this one action smooth balanced better than the Walker for me with the 7 1/2" Barrel.
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Old Dragoon I'm in Palmdale where are you? And do you belong to the Desert Marksman Club? 60 miles from L.A. you must be in Acton... it's 70 miles for me...
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Shot a couple of dragoons today too. An old ASM dragoon with 45 grains/vol of American Pioneer - Average Velocity 750s. Uberti Dragoon 45 gr.vol pyrodex RS- high 1000s. On that latter load, I was using .457 balls. On one occasion, I clocked the same load except for a .454" ball and recorded 865.
Gun in left hand is a never-fired Colt Second Generation Dragoon.
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un-manned camera tripod/timer.

My shooting was off-hand and satisfactory but not as impressive as those three shot groups on your target.
 
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Smokin Gun,
Ya Got Me pegged. Small world HUH?
I am in Acton. I am not a member of Desert Marksmen yet. Intend to do so shortly. If you were at their last Cowboy Action Shoot a couple weeks back I came in almost at the end of the shoot. I had my first '58 Rem conversion with me.

RK, Steve, Kevin,
I just saw the end of the original Stagecoach. Slim Pickens was shooting either a '58 Conversion or a '75 cartridge model.
 
Thanks on the groups Mec, had a lil practice shootin Holy Black...Colt makes a damn nice Dragoon too. The Ubertis are really good too, worked on a 2nd Dragoon ASM that had been shot with apparently too hot loads...pin that locks the arbor to the frame needed replacing could move it up and down a half inch...LoL! Fixed it and sold it..those ASM are real nice too...

Old Dragoon, I been a Mountain Man fur quite a spell know my way around the Big Dusty and the all Timber...wasn't hard to find you :o)
So howdy neighbor...I belong to the Black Powder Club, Siloutte Shooting and the Rondevouz. Basically a Shootist by trade tracker when need be. I just like shootin Black Powder. We'll have ta hook up and knock dowm some Jacks & rattlesnakes for a stew or a turn on the skewer on the Desert Floor...I know where some alp alpha fields are....we can hunt the old way, less bows and arrows ok?
 
SG,
Yeah We need to hook up. Maybe I'll wander on over to the next Rendevous shoot at the DM. It's jist over the hill and down apiece from me. Last Rendevous I was too was the National Western Rendevous at Emigrant Peak MT. and the other one then next week in the bitterroots...1979. A million years ago in another lifetime. LOL

Don't know about rattler stew, but but it ain't bad fried. Tastes Like Chicken...LOL (actually tastes a lot like Alligator.) Email me if you like and we can hookup sometime. Jack stew has to be a bit like Rabbit Noodles...Used to raise them little fuzzy's. Ate the culls.
 
Gourmet Jack/Rattler

If your not desperate to eat any old Jack, the best are the small young ones...better yet if any of run outta an Alf Alfa fields...Either way Jack's or snake's if ya bring um home or back to camp soak um in cold salt water over nite..butter um um on a skewer or on a grill with a few garlic cloves in the Jack .. and powder on the snake.
You be surprised in the differance in taste...

Next weeks recipe Coyote Stakes & Pinions(Pine Nuts) with wild onions, cooked with Bee's Honey as a BBQ Sauce.

:cool:
 
Walker Trivia?

I recall a few years back on a Walker search online an article mentioning an Improved Walker but I can't recall the mans name now. He reworked the rod where it didn't fall as readily and whacked the barrel to 5.5in.! If memory serves it was after the Civil War?
When we get done testing the Walker how about an article on the rich mans horse pistol the LeMat?
 
Mec,

If you don't mind me asking, where are you located? That looks a lot like the hill country of Texas in the background. I live in Houston, and was just curious.
 
Not quite so good as the hill country. this is a mesquite patch east of waco and west of ft parker. It's close to tradinghouse creek.
 
you're a GOOD man! I only hope the book never makes back what it cost me to produce and complicates my tax structure.
 
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