I have two Uberti Walkers and they are my favorite guns. I consider them the most beautiful hand guns ever made. In these days of ammo shortages, just the sight of them is enough to give a bad guy a heart attack! The other day a couple of guys were shooting their AR's and 45 ACPs at my neighbor's range. I pulled back my coat, drew my Walkers and showed them what a real gun was like. The International Space Station recorded the blast. Dragon's breath and smoke alerted the EPA of a potential environmental disaster.
Just had my first walker through my hands from a client. Relatively primitive, but got the things done that needed doing. Wish I had seen this video before that job, it would have saved me a bit of time. The one on this job was made in 1978 and vhad seen better days, but by this morning when I returned it to the owner it looked a lot less battered an was shooting OK. Love your videos, they are informative and very well presented. Thank you.
I really enjoyed the insights and advice with the loading lever, and modified my spring to match yours. One small discrepancy in your narrative, was that the troops issued the Walker were called the U.S. Army Mounted Dragoons, not so, it was "Mounted Rifles", unofficially known as the dragoons. They fought mounted, like cavalry, in a battle's first phase, but only to break up strong points in the enemies front lines, Then they, in turn. fought a foot. The Whitneyvillne-Walker, Colt's Dragoon was intended to replace both the muzzleloading, single shot carbines and the antiquated, single round at a time, pommel holster pistols, both in .580" caliber, I believe, that they carried, originally. There 1,100 of the Walkers made, in-total, a 1,000 as you said, and 100 additionally for gifts or promotions. (bribes) They weren't a prototype either, but step first steps in the progression of the Dragoon pistol; as there were only 1350 1st model dragoons made, not much more one between the other. The big bore single shot pistols you mention were used as a tactical withdrawal weapon. in-which using the saber, you cut your way through the enemies lines and then fought your way out with the guns.Because of the inherent shortness of the original front sights on the gun and it's replicas, it is my conclusion that the Walker revolver, had to have been sighted in originally at approximately 200 yards, Finding those sights virtually unusable in close quarters work, I had a gunsmith/friend put a taller Colt peacemaker style front sight on my Walker. Thank you for your safety tips, on not trying to magnumize the gun. in-debtedly yours, JB
Great video, walkers are a ton of fun to shoot, I have sent mine off to Goons Gun Works to have it tuned up, and have the arbor length corrected so it can handle max loads without creating gap issues. I need to modify my lever as well to prevent it from dropping.
You re welcome. some spell it like that all the time. I saw a post where someone replied that, ...they re not going to church! They re going to kill indians!... You know? Calvary, the religious , . Kinda funny.
The functional difference between cavalry and dragoon lay in their horses: dragoon units were given lighter horses than cavalry, as cavalry were expected to use their larger, stronger horses as fighting instruments in their own right (a saber stroke not only has the power of the trooper's arm behind it, but the momentum of the horse beneath him). Whereas a dragoon's mount was transport, not fighting position (one man in each four-man team was called the handler, it was his job to take up the reins of the three other horses along with his and secure them while the other three in the team took up position).
The bead front sight on the Uberti 1851 navy .36 I’ve found to be the best for accuracy without modification on a percussion revolver plus the balance on them is the best
Blackie, In the movie "The Outlaw Josie Wales" Clint Eastwood was "twirling" two rubber (or rubber/plastic) models of the Walker. He talks about it in an interview from 25 or 30 years ago. Strong as he was in those days, twirling two real Walkers (or same-weight replicas) was not in the cards for Mr. Eastwood. Thanks for another excellent video! I enjoy and appreciate your expertise and the ways in which you present the information. --- Old Matt PS: Texas Ranger CPT Sam Hamilton Walker died at the age of 30, leaving a widow and 15 children. 15 kids by age 30. Hard to believe.
@@kellyreim6627 no, it was back when diseases were rampant, and rabies didnt even have a vaccine. i dont see how having 15 kids by age 30 makes you a man. such stupid ideas.
The handguns made for Colonel Walker was subcontracted to the Eli Whitney company. Samuel Colt had gone out of business, the Texas Rangers brought him back.
If you will look under the frame strap you will most likely see a scooped depression, and a machined groove at the bottom of either side of the rounded bulge on the frame, behind the cylinder. This is where your shoulder stock attaches. You will find these only on the 3rd model Dragoon.
Later the option to load backwards was to deliberately cause a tumble effect for close range battle. I'll save the conicals for rifles because the balls are so easy in revolvers. It might have been for ease of loading as well (loading backwards).
@ exexpat11: Nix nix! They didn't know from "tumbling" back then, nor did they do "CQB", they engaged in melee. Don't cloud history with modern rationalization!
They knew about tumbling from at least the earliest .303 and maybe as far back as the Martini-Henry Rifle. Don't assume people in the mid 1800's were ignorant. Their engineering and firearms prove that. A mistake or accident and Wa-La more knowledge was learned and passed down. There is even a Civil War Era sniper rifle that used a 6 sided shaped bullet to increase gas seal, distance, and accuracy and was the forerunner of Polygon Rifling. Brits exported it to the rebels but only a few hundred made it through the blockades. ua-cam.com/video/83gGIotGXN8/v-deo.html
The Martini-Henry [more correctly, Peabody-Martini: leave it to the Brits to name a rifle after rifling pattern, as if that had any significance...] was *20 YEARS AFTER* the Pickett bullet, and the Lee-Metford another 13 years after that! Nor was the common soldier in the Civil War period even remotely interested or cognizant of terminal ballistics; even ballistics experts in the mid-19th century were of the "throw a bigger ball at it and put more powder behind it!" type. I'm well aware of the Whitworth rifle, and it wasn't a "forerunner" of polygonal rifling, it was the archetype. "Voi la'" [literal translation "Lookie there!"] doesn't have a "w" anywhere in it, fwiw.
Just found your channel and enjoy relearning AND learning some new info. My first handgun was a brass frame navy in 64-5 and it shot loose after only a few boxes of balls. I'd love to see you do a video on the walker cartridge cylinder offered by Krist. Thanks for your work.
Mr. Thomas, a Pickett/Picket bullet, sir. C-W's were, by record, 1,100 produced. One thousand made and issued in pairs to the military dragoons as history tells us. One hundred were produced for civilian sales, so I've found in my studies. I mean never to boast, please, but do shoot the C-W "Double-Duelist" in SASS competition, and sir you are quite correct, they are a handful, yet doable with practice and approximately 35 grains of 3Fffg in my application. Your knowledge, wisdom, and advise is spot on, for I've learned, through trial and error, precisely that of which you speak. True, a powerful handgun that was the "magnum" of its day, which does not need to be tasked to be the uber-.44 Mag of the 21 century in any manner, shape or form. Thanks again for another 'home run' video, sir. - Col. Montana Kid Hammer, SASS 6476-P.
"Pickett" bullet, fwiw. And yes, at the supersonic velocity afforded by being driven by a 50gr charge of BP that the Walker's massive cylinder could hold, it *was* more aerodynamic than a round ball [supersonic aerodynamics is wildly different from subsonic; we only really began figuring that out a century after the Pickett bullet was developed!] The problem w/ that conical bullet was that there was basically 0 bearing surface, so it was too easily loaded cockeyed & then any hope of accuracy went str8 to Hades! Since it was easier to get loaded str8 base forward, some bright privates loaded them backwards when their sergeant wasn't around to chew them out for it, with the results you mentioned of the cylinders blowing up [these guns, when not lost in battle, were eventually returned to Colt for repair where they got reworked into Whitneyville Dragoon configuration. Abandoning the Pickett bullet for a more reasonable bullet shape did more good than the rework, but at least now you know why any bullet shape other than a round ball is called a "conical," since the Pickett was just that, a pure geometric cone. The "dunce cap" of bullets, you might say! ;-) ]
Concials and Pointy Bullet might be more accurate if balanced correctly but many stuck with balls as they believed they did more damage. Sometime Concials over penetrate and pass through without flattening out and enlarging.
WOAH ! This is the first of your videos I have watched. For once someone is willing to discuss with an air of knowledge about features and mods to a gun. It comes across plain simple and easy to understand. Where the heck have you been? Maybe better is where have I been. If the rest of your videos are like this one you will have a permanent subscriber for sure and for certain. Excellent video ! Job WELL done indeed,
The Pistol that behaved like a Horse Carbine. Massive hand cannons. Not for the timid or light of hand. Pointy bullets, loading them backwards = air pockets. Combined with a lesser grade early generation firearm steel, failures. BP pistols/early cartridge are both tough and delicate. They can take some abuse but also the small internals are not as hardy as modern pistol parts. The Walker coming off the Paterson was quite an achievement. Col Walker must have said to Sam, "Make it big and make it where you can drop a horse if needed at 50 feet."
You should consider using the Kaido Ojamaa Universal bullets. They are a Keith type flat nose rebated base bullet series that have proven themselves in various field tests effectively dropping wild hogs in the 200lb class easily out of 1847 Walkers, 1860 and 1858 revolvers with a single shot and a 25gr Triple 7 3fg charge. penetration rivaled our 45 Colt and 10mm pistols that were used for comparison on the original field test against wild boars in Florida.
The movies border shift was with rubber mockups,not real Walkers. I find the grip/ to be rather small for such a large pistol. I went the lazy way, o ring to hold up the loading lever. I am going to try notching the catch.
Got a good laugh when my roommate wanted to hold my dragoon complained about it being too heavy. I think he may be scared to shoot it but I’ll try to get him to some day.
My Walker has taken mtn goats in Wyoming at some very respectable distances, unmodified. I can only imagine how well it will be when I complete these mods.
Hi Blackie! All the best and a happy new year for you and your family! Thank you so much for your brilliant videos! I´m from Gemany and over here´s literately nothing like it. I hope you can help me with a problem i´m having with my "Hege-San-Marco-Walker": I had to replace the main spring - so far so good - but now the cylinder tends to overrotate. It works totally fine if i cock it slowly to full cock or if i put a finger on the cylinder and use it like a "brake". I showed the issue to a gunsmith but he could´nt help and only said, that it´s no big deal and i just should be careful... If there anything you can tell me i´ld really appreciate your help! And as i see, you´re wearing the old "Bundeswehr Feldjacke moleskin"- uniform jacket - if you´re looking for anything german that you might not get in the U.S. - let me know and i´ll see what i can do! Looking forward to any reply - sincerely yours Daniel
I have a new 1847 Walker Uberti and have had a VERY difficult time separating the barrel from the frame ..is there anything that can be done to alleviate this.. using by tapping the ramming lever to help dislodge has not helped...have not had this problem on any of my other Uberti pistols.. any help would be greatly appreciated
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i heard that the wales fancy gunhandling was done with dummy prop guns much lighter than actual walkers. i think the topic was movie guns on curator's corner.
when you go back far enough in europe..calvary charged and went thru on horse back..( think knights with long lances)..and dragoons used guns for close range work..( often called mounted infantry)..by the time of the walker dragoons were mounted..and would usually dismount to fight..or stay mounted to chase a fleeing enemy..the side of the walker has U S M R for u.s. mounted rifles..by the time of the civil war the dragoon and cavalry were rolled into one..and were in a way performing the same job the old knights did..charge in from the flanks..and make quick attacks cutting thru massed formations to break up formations..as well as getting quickly behind the lines and taking out enemy cannons...thanks for the comment..safe journeys
Read ‘Empire of the Summer Moon’ by SC Gwynne - the Comanche were the only ones in N America that fought from horseback. Texas Rangers learned it from them and they helped the US Army to eventually learn to do it as well.
@@andrewwood6285 I’ve read that and I love that book. He’s wrong about the Comanches being the only ones. I’m not sure why he thought that but there were others. The book is still amazing though.
The problem with the Uberti replicas of the 1847 model Colt's is that they just aren't made as well as the hand fitted originals were. One of the biggest issues with them is that the edges of the striking surface of the hammers are left too sharp, and you really need to take a small file, or an Emory board, or even just sand paper, and round off the corners of the hammer face a bit. The sharp corners bite into the soft metal of the caps when they fire, and cause them to stick to the hammer just enough that when you cock it again, the hammer will lift the busted cap off the nipple, and drop it into your action. That's really inconvenient. Just smooth off the edges of the hammer, and it will quit doing that. The originals never did that.
A little movie trivia for ya! In the Outlaw Josey Wales, Eastwood used some rubber Walkers for some scenes. They are in the NRA museum. Of interest, one of the real Walkers he used in the movie, was also carried by Mattie Ross in the original "True Grit"
I always wondered how in the hell he could withstand the sheer mass of the walkers as I have tried some of the tricks in the film and just absolutely destroyed my fingers.
Hi, been subscribed for a bit but just recently found this video after purchasing a Uberti Walker repro, I was wondering what your thoughts were on the shoulder stock attachments? I've seen a few San Marco versions here and there, usually modified from a dragoon, but figured if warranted I could be able to make my own, either directly copied off the San Marco, or a based of a WW1 era military pistol for a more utilitarian design.
the shoulder stock can add a bit for long range shooting..BUT..it will usually give ya a slap from the gas's escaping the chambers and cyl gap upon firing..i played with a 3rd model and shoulder stock for a bit..for me it was not a good thing..but maybe it would work for you
I have a pair of Whitney dragoons with the shorter cylinder from Uberti. One is almost done converting to. 45 colt. A great kit. Huge amount of metal to remove for the loading gate. File and dremel. Any suggestions for the next guy. Took forever.
iv handled these monsters and Wales movie I was just memorized by the handling of the gun but I noticed he pulled the 61 most times and if you know what was that first pistol he was shooting looked like a Richardson flat top ? well atb bro ....tom
yep that cartidge conversion at the first was a bit of a slip up..but hey its a good movie..not like john wayne didnt use a 92 in moves ment to be 20yrs earlier..lol
Was it like 4 guns he carried? Two Walkers, a 1861, and either a 31 Police or 36 Navy 1851? Bugs me to tears no one loads BP pistols in movies like they should be. Same with those 50 round drum magazine revolvers that never run out.
education is the key..do a search for the history of such colts on line..then take really good close up pics of all the details of your gun and look for auction houses that do antique colts..that how i would go about finding out..congrats on the colt..safe journeys
1st step would be to look for any modern proofmarks or serial numbers on the gun [complete disassembly will help with this.] Get a modern thread gauge & check the threads on the screws; proper vintage threads won't mesh with the gauge, while all modern repros are going to have standard metric threads. If it passes that cursory level of scrutiny, then you'd need to track down a legitimate Colt expert for a letter of authenticity...
In movies where the Walker is twirled like in the Italian Western with Clint Eastwood are made of rubber! A very hard but lite rubber! Ans the Walker will hold 60 grains of 3X Black Powder! Another correction! There is no such thing as a one shot revolver! There were millions of one shot pistols before the Colt Patterson cam along. And the bullet you said was a Pricket bullet is actually a Picket bullet! And there were 1100 made! 1000 were made for the US Government and 100 were made for commercial sale! Question. What is a round oval? The notches aren't round they are oval. What you probably meant to say was the notches had a rounded oval appearance. But that is incorrect as well. An oval is always rounded on the ends!
how long do you leave your revolvers loaded? , because i hear a bunch of different things and you seem to be a person who knows a lil more than the others ive heard from.
i keep my guns unloaded for storage..but if i am doing a lot in the woods i will carry a revolver and keep it loaded at home if i plan on going back out in a few days..i have keep a revolver loaded for 6 months in this fashion..and of course i keep a eye out for rust and keep them oiled and wipe'd down....the longest i have kept a revolver loaded is 2 yrs i think...this will depend on how the revolver is stored..what humidity ect..its the caps that go bad first..so when in doubt change caps..the charges will go bang for many yrs if the powder is kept dry.,.hope this helped you.. thanks for the comment safe journeys
Even in the Walker you can over prime the powder load. Most of the time a remainder is un-burned and blows out the barrel if you go to maximum powder. The trick is finding the sweet spot of best powder load for accuracy and power without wasting powder.
That only makes sense, since if you drop a rubber gun while doing a stunt it... well, doesn't harm the prop! Pick it up, reshoot the take, no worries...
I have a few disagreements. I have a Uberti. Only one safety notch. 2nd, Thems was Picketts bullets, not prick-less. Looks like a Hershey's Kisses. 3rd, that Walker could take 60gr of 3fg under a round ball, maybe 40, 45gr under a Prick-less, not 35gr. Read it up. Sam Walker stipulated that he needed a pistol that could drop a horse at 100 yds. 35gr of powder could not even guarantee a hit on a horse at that range with a prickless. Next, the troops figured out shit about ballistics. They knew shit, and were not trained. Even over 45gr of powder, you will not get failure of the weapon due to an ass-about-face prickless bullet. My contention is that Colt was chin-deep in shit when there were no waves. (Remember, the Patterson all but bankrupted the Company) The Walker was to change Sam Colt's fortune, and it did. But I also contend tat not all Walker Colts were created equal. Bad metallurgy, desperation to save a flailing enterprise, soldiers unfamiliar with the limitations.... but still, in my humble opinion, a weapon unsurpassed from 1847 to 1935 when S&W introduced the .357 Mag. Are there things that could have improved on the design? Sure! A barrel-wedge for hand-artillery? Far better the robust frame of the Remington, but then you lose ergonomic point-and-hit. It's a heavy 4 to almost 5 lbs (loaded) but despite that, it lines up like my lighter 1851 Navy and 1860 Army topstrap-less revolvers. However, where a barrel-wedge works well in C-n-B revolvers intended for lighter loads (25 to 35gr) I see it as a flaw in my favorite blackpowder gun.
good comment i have often wondered why the walker was supplied with such a crappy flask..they early on knew it threw a sporatic charge at best..and reports from the field bear that out.. the pattersons were supplied with extra cyl..its strange given the newness of revolver tech they would choose not to do so with the walker..as i understand they issued pairs instead
The intent was to issue in pairs, and mostly that's what happened. However, when the revolvers arrived, every REMF pogue also grabbed one, from the quartermaster to the cook. As far as the flask goes, it was a poor design, and that's being generous. I use a Traditions gravity flask that has different screw-in spouts for different measures. simplicity without the "cool" factor of the flask containing the roundballs. Colt screwed the Rangers with that flask. Personally, I believe the simplest solution to reloading on the fly would have been a pair of extra cylinders. The only reason they did not, I think, was that Sam Colt's company was on the verge of going tits up. The shitty flasks were cheaper than scroll-engraved cylinders. Little known fact was that the scroll engraving was like a signature, letting the buyer know it was the real deal and not a knock-off, but it was expensive.
yep the cyl engraving was a great idea by colt..and your right the great weakness at the time was the poor metal they were made from..( poor metal / poor quality control / troops not really understanding the revolver idea yet..= lots of problems)..once colt got the money he needed and went on to the dragoons..things got much better..i have a read a report of a 1st model failing..but the report was pointing out it was a very rare happening..by the civil war i know of no reports of dragoons failing other than being hit from enemy fire
The Dragoons were basically idiot-proofed Walkers. You couldn't get too much powder into the cylinder, and even though not much time had passed, Colt realized that their reputation was at stake, and it shows in the metallurgical improvements. I am convinced that the Dragoon models would not have failed had they left the cylinder length as long as the Walker. Sadly, these days, Colt found that the hey-day of the 1911 had passed, only a hundred years later, and in their desperation produced dud after dud. When they finally got the Chechs to build them a gun they could sell under licence, a good gun, the Z-40, they walked away from it after only about 800. CZ improved it, and now sell it for themselves. Right now, Colt needs another Hail Mary like the 1847 Walker
true a company cannot just rest on there past success..we all know the 1911 and the other famous colts..but like the song says what have you done for me lately??..good chating with ya..safe journeys
The Josey Wales 'Border Roll' Walkers were made of styrene , , something. Confused indeed. Mounted Rifles and Dragoons are two different , , things. On the cylinder are Mounted Rifles depicted. Colt and Ormsby miscommunicated and Ormsby mistakenly portrayed Mounted Rifles instead of Rangers. The ball was just an elongated ball. Not a 'Picket'. Picket was a v e r y specific target ball (elongated). Although 'Pickets' were modified and used in the Civil War , . There s no record of Walker stating he wanted the pistol to take out a horse. The cylinders were n o t made of iron. Pig, wrought, cast , . There s a L O T of documentation showing design, materials procurement, manufacturing etc, using Steel. As today, low carbon steel was available back then. Something that is very much needed with these replicas is v e r y proper wedge timing. This includes no headspace between the base pin and barrel insert. The cylinder was left unblued for reasons of which are still unfounded (no documentation/witness reports). Only guesses and speculation by authors who happily publish their opinions as truth and fact. Just like the 'iron' cylinder 'fact'. Authors , , Fluck!
mounted rifle road to combat on horse back sort of a rapid reaction force..but once there they dismounted and found as infantry..dragoons fought as mounted troops and did what we would later call calvary attacks..thanks for posting safe journeys
Walkers Post Civil War would've been rare. Either hand me downs or taken off an Older Officers. Wales carried four guns if I remember the movie right and two of them were Walkers. 1,100 is a lot less than 11,000.
You should consider using the Kaido Ojamaa Universal bullets. They are a Keith type flat nose rebated base bullet series that have proven themselves in various field tests effectively dropping wild hogs in the 200lb class easily out of 1847 Walkers, 1860 and 1858 revolvers with a single shot and a 25gr Triple 7 3fg charge. penetration rivaled our 45 Colt and 10mm pistols that were used for comparison on the original field test against wild boars in Florida.
You should consider using the Kaido Ojamaa Universal bullets. They are a Keith type flat nose rebated base bullet series that have proven themselves in various field tests effectively dropping wild hogs in the 200lb class easily out of 1847 Walkers, 1860 and 1858 revolvers with a single shot and a 25gr Triple 7 3fg charge. penetration rivaled our 45 Colt and 10mm pistols that were used for comparison on the original field test against wild boars in Florida.
You should consider using the Kaido Ojamaa Universal bullets. They are a Keith type flat nose rebated base bullet series that have proven themselves in various field tests effectively dropping wild hogs in the 200lb class easily out of 1847 Walkers, 1860 and 1858 revolvers with a single shot and a 25gr Triple 7 3fg charge. penetration rivaled our 45 Colt and 10mm pistols that were used for comparison on the original field test against wild boars in Florida.
I have two Uberti Walkers and they are my favorite guns. I consider them the most beautiful hand guns ever made. In these days of ammo shortages, just the sight of them is enough to give a bad guy a heart attack! The other day a couple of guys were shooting their AR's and 45 ACPs at my neighbor's range. I pulled back my coat, drew my Walkers and showed them what a real gun was like. The International Space Station recorded the blast. Dragon's breath and smoke alerted the EPA of a potential environmental disaster.
I like your style 😂 I NEED one of these…soon!
Just had my first walker through my hands from a client. Relatively primitive, but got the things done that needed doing. Wish I had seen this video before that job, it would have saved me a bit of time. The one on this job was made in 1978 and vhad seen better days, but by this morning when I returned it to the owner it looked a lot less battered an was shooting OK.
Love your videos, they are informative and very well presented. Thank you.
I've learned so much about the percussion revolver from your videos. Thanks for the knowledge.
I really enjoyed the insights and advice with the loading lever, and modified my spring to match yours. One small discrepancy in your narrative, was that the troops issued the Walker were called the U.S. Army Mounted Dragoons, not so, it was "Mounted Rifles", unofficially known as the dragoons. They fought mounted, like cavalry, in a battle's first phase, but only to break up strong points in the enemies front lines, Then they, in turn. fought a foot. The Whitneyvillne-Walker, Colt's Dragoon was intended to replace both the muzzleloading, single shot carbines and the antiquated, single round at a time, pommel holster pistols, both in .580" caliber, I believe, that they carried, originally. There 1,100 of the Walkers made, in-total, a 1,000 as you said, and 100 additionally for gifts or promotions. (bribes) They weren't a prototype either, but step first steps in the progression of the Dragoon pistol; as there were only 1350 1st model dragoons made, not much more one between the other. The big bore single shot pistols you mention were used as a tactical withdrawal weapon. in-which using the saber, you cut your way through the enemies lines and then fought your way out with the guns.Because of the inherent shortness of the original front sights on the gun and it's replicas, it is my conclusion that the Walker revolver, had to have been sighted in originally at approximately 200 yards, Finding those sights virtually unusable in close quarters work, I had a gunsmith/friend put a taller Colt peacemaker style front sight on my Walker. Thank you for your safety tips, on not trying to magnumize the gun. in-debtedly yours, JB
always wondered how folks fixed the dropping load-arm, great info.
Great video, walkers are a ton of fun to shoot, I have sent mine off to Goons Gun Works to have it tuned up, and have the arbor length corrected so it can handle max loads without creating gap issues. I need to modify my lever as well to prevent it from dropping.
As usual, great black powder firearms coverage. Thanks for clarifying the difference between calvary and dragoon.
Dragoons, Mounted Rifles and Cavalry (not calvary) are three different units.
@@geffreybolster3780 Thanks for the spelling correction...didn't notice that I spelled it wrong.
You re welcome. some spell it like that all the time. I saw a post where someone replied that, ...they re not going to church! They re going to kill indians!... You know? Calvary, the religious , .
Kinda funny.
@@geffreybolster3780 LOL!! Yes, I know what you mean! Take care, and be safe!
The functional difference between cavalry and dragoon lay in their horses: dragoon units were given lighter horses than cavalry, as cavalry were expected to use their larger, stronger horses as fighting instruments in their own right (a saber stroke not only has the power of the trooper's arm behind it, but the momentum of the horse beneath him). Whereas a dragoon's mount was transport, not fighting position (one man in each four-man team was called the handler, it was his job to take up the reins of the three other horses along with his and secure them while the other three in the team took up position).
The bead front sight on the Uberti 1851 navy .36 I’ve found to be the best for accuracy without modification on a percussion revolver plus the balance on them is the best
Thank you for a great video.
That gun is a beast! 🤔🇺🇸
Exelente arma , no tuvo rival por 90 años hasta que aparecio el 357 magnum en 1935 .
Yo tuve una replica de
A. Uberti...
Blackie,
In the movie "The Outlaw Josie Wales" Clint Eastwood was "twirling" two rubber (or rubber/plastic) models of the Walker. He talks about it in an interview from 25 or 30 years ago. Strong as he was in those days, twirling two real Walkers (or same-weight replicas) was not in the cards for Mr. Eastwood.
Thanks for another excellent video! I enjoy and appreciate your expertise and the ways in which you present the information.
--- Old Matt
PS: Texas Ranger CPT Sam Hamilton Walker died at the age of 30, leaving a widow and 15 children. 15 kids by age 30. Hard to believe.
M.C. Oult that was back when men were men and women were proud of it.
@@kellyreim6627 no, it was back when diseases were rampant, and rabies didnt even have a vaccine. i dont see how having 15 kids by age 30 makes you a man. such stupid ideas.
@@frigglebiscuit7484 Large families because only a small fraction would survive to adulthood.
The handguns made for Colonel Walker was subcontracted to the Eli Whitney company. Samuel Colt had gone out of business, the Texas Rangers brought him back.
He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Rangers. However, when he went into the Mounted Rifles, for the Mexican War, he was a Captain.
@@geffreybolster3780 - In the military we sometimes call a Lt. Colonel "Colonel". However, I stand corrected.
Oh. I didn t mean to imply correcting you on that. Me too! Military. I was merely pointing out his actual rank. Vollunteers LtCol.
Great video on the Walker. I'm seriously thinking on buying one.
You should!
You know, if this gun had been invented same barrel length but with a stock it could still be a good 1 handed weapon for horsemen.
If you will look under the frame strap you will most likely see a scooped depression, and a machined groove at the bottom of either side of the rounded bulge on the frame, behind the cylinder.
This is where your shoulder stock attaches. You will find these only on the 3rd model Dragoon.
@@skeetermc4876 You find these on some 1861 navy models too.
What I always heard for the reason why they loaded their conicals backwards was due to the increased ease of loading.
Later the option to load backwards was to deliberately cause a tumble effect for close range battle. I'll save the conicals for rifles because the balls are so easy in revolvers. It might have been for ease of loading as well (loading backwards).
@ exexpat11: Nix nix! They didn't know from "tumbling" back then, nor did they do "CQB", they engaged in melee. Don't cloud history with modern rationalization!
They knew about tumbling from at least the earliest .303 and maybe as far back as the Martini-Henry Rifle. Don't assume people in the mid 1800's were ignorant. Their engineering and firearms prove that. A mistake or accident and Wa-La more knowledge was learned and passed down. There is even a Civil War Era sniper rifle that used a 6 sided shaped bullet to increase gas seal, distance, and accuracy and was the forerunner of Polygon Rifling. Brits exported it to the rebels but only a few hundred made it through the blockades. ua-cam.com/video/83gGIotGXN8/v-deo.html
The Martini-Henry [more correctly, Peabody-Martini: leave it to the Brits to name a rifle after rifling pattern, as if that had any significance...] was *20 YEARS AFTER* the Pickett bullet, and the Lee-Metford another 13 years after that! Nor was the common soldier in the Civil War period even remotely interested or cognizant of terminal ballistics; even ballistics experts in the mid-19th century were of the "throw a bigger ball at it and put more powder behind it!" type. I'm well aware of the Whitworth rifle, and it wasn't a "forerunner" of polygonal rifling, it was the archetype. "Voi la'" [literal translation "Lookie there!"] doesn't have a "w" anywhere in it, fwiw.
Just found your channel and enjoy relearning AND learning some new info.
My first handgun was a brass frame navy in 64-5 and it shot loose after only a few boxes of balls. I'd love to see you do a video on the walker cartridge cylinder offered by Krist.
Thanks for your work.
"I like a little heft to my pistol."
Mr. Thomas, a Pickett/Picket bullet, sir. C-W's were, by record, 1,100 produced. One thousand made and issued in pairs to the military dragoons as history tells us. One hundred were produced for civilian sales, so I've found in my studies. I mean never to boast, please, but do shoot the C-W "Double-Duelist" in SASS competition, and sir you are quite correct, they are a handful, yet doable with practice and approximately 35 grains of 3Fffg in my application. Your knowledge, wisdom, and advise is spot on, for I've learned, through trial and error, precisely that of which you speak. True, a powerful handgun that was the "magnum" of its day, which does not need to be tasked to be the uber-.44 Mag of the 21 century in any manner, shape or form. Thanks again for another 'home run' video, sir. - Col. Montana Kid Hammer, SASS 6476-P.
thank you for your kind words sir ..safe journeys
Thanks for the info. I've got one (uberti) on the way.
"Pickett" bullet, fwiw. And yes, at the supersonic velocity afforded by being driven by a 50gr charge of BP that the Walker's massive cylinder could hold, it *was* more aerodynamic than a round ball [supersonic aerodynamics is wildly different from subsonic; we only really began figuring that out a century after the Pickett bullet was developed!] The problem w/ that conical bullet was that there was basically 0 bearing surface, so it was too easily loaded cockeyed & then any hope of accuracy went str8 to Hades! Since it was easier to get loaded str8 base forward, some bright privates loaded them backwards when their sergeant wasn't around to chew them out for it, with the results you mentioned of the cylinders blowing up [these guns, when not lost in battle, were eventually returned to Colt for repair where they got reworked into Whitneyville Dragoon configuration. Abandoning the Pickett bullet for a more reasonable bullet shape did more good than the rework, but at least now you know why any bullet shape other than a round ball is called a "conical," since the Pickett was just that, a pure geometric cone. The "dunce cap" of bullets, you might say! ;-) ]
very true..its is a good idea ..but i n the field not at all realistic ..thanks for the comment safe journeys
Concials and Pointy Bullet might be more accurate if balanced correctly but many stuck with balls as they believed they did more damage. Sometime Concials over penetrate and pass through without flattening out and enlarging.
I want one! Good mountain piece!
I have two Uberti copies, you can't have either of them. ;-)
Great video Blackie. I hope one of these horse pistols will be amongst my next purchases. For the moment, I am still on a 31 caliber binge.
WOAH ! This is the first of your videos I have watched. For once someone is willing to discuss with an air of knowledge about features and mods to a gun. It comes across plain simple and easy to understand. Where the heck have you been? Maybe better is where have I been. If the rest of your videos are like this one you will have a permanent subscriber for sure and for certain. Excellent video ! Job WELL done indeed,
thank you i hope you find my videos of use..check out the rest of my percussion revolver series..safe journeys
Scotty Thompson Scotty you'll find his vids concise and easy to understand great channel
The Pistol that behaved like a Horse Carbine. Massive hand cannons. Not for the timid or light of hand. Pointy bullets, loading them backwards = air pockets. Combined with a lesser grade early generation firearm steel, failures. BP pistols/early cartridge are both tough and delicate. They can take some abuse but also the small internals are not as hardy as modern pistol parts. The Walker coming off the Paterson was quite an achievement. Col Walker must have said to Sam, "Make it big and make it where you can drop a horse if needed at 50 feet."
yep aim for where the indian is sitting on the horse if you shoot high you get the indian..if low ya get the horse
You should consider using the Kaido Ojamaa Universal bullets. They are a
Keith type flat nose rebated base bullet series that have proven
themselves in various field tests effectively dropping wild hogs in the
200lb class easily out of 1847 Walkers, 1860 and 1858 revolvers with a single shot and
a 25gr Triple 7 3fg charge. penetration rivaled our 45 Colt and 10mm
pistols that were used for comparison on the original field test against
wild boars in Florida.
Good video
I love BP revolvers. They big boys. Love my griswold replica.
That is one large revolver.
The movies border shift was with rubber mockups,not real Walkers. I find the grip/ to be rather small for such a large pistol. I went the lazy way, o ring to hold up the loading lever. I am going to try notching the catch.
Got a good laugh when my roommate wanted to hold my dragoon complained about it being too heavy. I think he may be scared to shoot it but I’ll try to get him to some day.
Very good presentation Sir. A round ball and 60 grains FFG is a hand full to shoot.
60 or more destroyed a lot of the early Walkers. They were using 60 musket powder vice our more modern F, FF, FFF, FFFFG stuff.
Thank you sir. I have an Uberti and I had to tie leather around mine. That lever would fall after every shot. Whether it was 30gr or 50.
Never dropped the loading lever on either of mine but I think my maximum charge has been 40 gr. of Goex fffg.
My Walker has taken mtn goats in Wyoming at some very respectable distances, unmodified. I can only imagine how well it will be when I complete these mods.
once its dialed in and you can hunt with it with confidence its a force to be respected
Hi Blackie! All the best and a happy new year for you and your family! Thank you so much for your brilliant videos! I´m from Gemany and over here´s literately nothing like it. I hope you can help me with a problem i´m having with my "Hege-San-Marco-Walker": I had to replace the main spring - so far so good - but now the cylinder tends to overrotate. It works totally fine if i cock it slowly to full cock or if i put a finger on the cylinder and use it like a "brake". I showed the issue to a gunsmith but he could´nt help and only said, that it´s no big deal and i just should be careful...
If there anything you can tell me i´ld really appreciate your help! And as i see, you´re wearing the old
"Bundeswehr Feldjacke moleskin"- uniform jacket - if you´re looking for anything german that you might not get in the U.S. - let me know and i´ll see what i can do! Looking forward to any reply - sincerely yours Daniel
try changing the trigger spring it is not letting the bolt pop up quick enough to catch the cyl
@@blackoracle69 Thanks for your reply! Though it feels pretty strong i´ll test a new one!
I have a new 1847 Walker Uberti and have had a VERY difficult time separating the barrel from the frame ..is there anything that can be done to alleviate this.. using by tapping the ramming lever to help dislodge has not helped...have not had this problem on any of my other Uberti pistols.. any help would be greatly appreciated
i heard that the wales fancy gunhandling was done with dummy prop guns much lighter than actual walkers. i think the topic was movie guns on curator's corner.
👍
Do you have a reference for Cavalry not dismounting to fight? I’ve never heard that...
As a new Walker owner I really appreciate the video!
when you go back far enough in europe..calvary charged and went thru on horse back..( think knights with long lances)..and dragoons used guns for close range work..( often called mounted infantry)..by the time of the walker dragoons were mounted..and would usually dismount to fight..or stay mounted to chase a fleeing enemy..the side of the walker has U S M R for u.s. mounted rifles..by the time of the civil war the dragoon and cavalry were rolled into one..and were in a way performing the same job the old knights did..charge in from the flanks..and make quick attacks cutting thru massed formations to break up formations..as well as getting quickly behind the lines and taking out enemy cannons...thanks for the comment..safe journeys
BLACKIE THOMAS very interesting, thanks for the response
Read ‘Empire of the Summer Moon’ by SC Gwynne - the Comanche were the only ones in N America that fought from horseback. Texas Rangers learned it from them and they helped the US Army to eventually learn to do it as well.
@@andrewwood6285 I’ve read that and I love that book. He’s wrong about the Comanches being the only ones. I’m not sure why he thought that but there were others. The book is still amazing though.
The problem with the Uberti replicas of the 1847 model Colt's is that they just aren't made as well as the hand fitted originals were. One of the biggest issues with them is that the edges of the striking surface of the hammers are left too sharp, and you really need to take a small file, or an Emory board, or even just sand paper, and round off the corners of the hammer face a bit. The sharp corners bite into the soft metal of the caps when they fire, and cause them to stick to the hammer just enough that when you cock it again, the hammer will lift the busted cap off the nipple, and drop it into your action. That's really inconvenient. Just smooth off the edges of the hammer, and it will quit doing that. The originals never did that.
very true sounds like a quote from my trouble shooting video on cap jams..lol thanks for the comment..safe journeys
A little movie trivia for ya! In the Outlaw Josey Wales, Eastwood used some rubber Walkers for some scenes. They are in the NRA museum. Of interest, one of the real Walkers he used in the movie, was also carried by Mattie Ross in the original "True Grit"
Rooster Cogburn: "By God, girl, that’s a Colt Dragoon. Now you’re no bigger than a corn nubbin. What are you doing with all that pistol?"
I always wondered how in the hell he could withstand the sheer mass of the walkers as I have tried some of the tricks in the film and just absolutely destroyed my fingers.
On the spring edge, compare it to a phone book tearing it in half.
yep..once the crack forms from then on every time you cock it the stress will tear it a bit more until..it fails
What are you doing with all that horse pistol?
Hi, been subscribed for a bit but just recently found this video after purchasing a Uberti Walker repro, I was wondering what your thoughts were on the shoulder stock attachments? I've seen a few San Marco versions here and there, usually modified from a dragoon, but figured if warranted I could be able to make my own, either directly copied off the San Marco, or a based of a WW1 era military pistol for a more utilitarian design.
the shoulder stock can add a bit for long range shooting..BUT..it will usually give ya a slap from the gas's escaping the chambers and cyl gap upon firing..i played with a 3rd model and shoulder stock for a bit..for me it was not a good thing..but maybe it would work for you
I have a pair of Whitney dragoons with the shorter cylinder from Uberti. One is almost done converting to. 45 colt. A great kit. Huge amount of metal to remove for the loading gate. File and dremel. Any suggestions for the next guy. Took forever.
i did one yrs ago i converted a walker..i went to a local machine shop and had them use a mill machine to rough it out for me
iv handled these monsters and Wales movie I was just memorized by the handling of the gun but I noticed he pulled the 61 most times and if you know what was that first pistol he was shooting looked like a Richardson flat top ? well atb bro ....tom
yep that cartidge conversion at the first was a bit of a slip up..but hey its a good movie..not like john wayne didnt use a 92 in moves ment to be 20yrs earlier..lol
Was it like 4 guns he carried? Two Walkers, a 1861, and either a 31 Police or 36 Navy 1851? Bugs me to tears no one loads BP pistols in movies like they should be. Same with those 50 round drum magazine revolvers that never run out.
Hey Blacky, I inherited a old Colt Navy converted over to cartridge. Any suggestions on how I can check it's authenticity and value? Thanks.
education is the key..do a search for the history of such colts on line..then take really good close up pics of all the details of your gun and look for auction houses that do antique colts..that how i would go about finding out..congrats on the colt..safe journeys
1st step would be to look for any modern proofmarks or serial numbers on the gun [complete disassembly will help with this.] Get a modern thread gauge & check the threads on the screws; proper vintage threads won't mesh with the gauge, while all modern repros are going to have standard metric threads. If it passes that cursory level of scrutiny, then you'd need to track down a legitimate Colt expert for a letter of authenticity...
In movies where the Walker is twirled like in the Italian Western with Clint Eastwood are made of rubber! A very hard but lite rubber! Ans the Walker will hold 60 grains of 3X Black Powder! Another correction! There is no such thing as a one shot revolver! There were millions of one shot pistols before the Colt Patterson cam along. And the bullet you said was a Pricket bullet is actually a Picket bullet! And there were 1100 made! 1000 were made for the US Government and 100 were made for commercial sale! Question. What is a round oval? The notches aren't round they are oval. What you probably meant to say was the notches had a rounded oval appearance. But that is incorrect as well. An oval is always rounded on the ends!
My hammer hits the cap 50% of the time.
Why is this? How do I fix that?
Back the nipple out 1/4 turn. Even with lube on the threads, carbon should lock it in place.
how long do you leave your revolvers loaded? , because i hear a bunch of different things and you seem to be a person who knows a lil more than the others ive heard from.
i keep my guns unloaded for storage..but if i am doing a lot in the woods i will carry a revolver and keep it loaded at home if i plan on going back out in a few days..i have keep a revolver loaded for 6 months in this fashion..and of course i keep a eye out for rust and keep them oiled and wipe'd down....the longest i have kept a revolver loaded is 2 yrs i think...this will depend on how the revolver is stored..what humidity ect..its the caps that go bad first..so when in doubt change caps..the charges will go bang for many yrs if the powder is kept dry.,.hope this helped you.. thanks for the comment safe journeys
thank you
There is a wax that some use to seal the caps to the cones for long periods or when going out into a rainy environment.
I had an ASM 2nd Dragoon. It was loaded for 14 years. I capped it and it fired all six.
Wasn't Captain Walker a Texas Ranger ?
And the improved pistol was to help fighting Comanches ?
Not criticizing you.
he was a tex ranger....when the mex war came about he was in the us mounted rifles..he died during that war..
I think your the best BUT the Walker can hold 60 Grains. Now if you meant 50 was the max recommend say that. The Dragoon can hold 50 grains .
Even in the Walker you can over prime the powder load. Most of the time a remainder is un-burned and blows out the barrel if you go to maximum powder. The trick is finding the sweet spot of best powder load for accuracy and power without wasting powder.
Recommendation charge for .454 ball and 777fg powder with wad...thx.
35 grains. Hurts the target bad, doesn't hurt the gun at all, and you don't risk any of the .454 balls backing out of the chamber under recoil.
they used rubber ''stunt guns'' for most of that stuff in the movie. heard that from the film makers in an interview
true the guy who did the close up of the border shift was using a prop gun..it can be done..but ya gotta have forarms like popeye..lol
That only makes sense, since if you drop a rubber gun while doing a stunt it... well, doesn't harm the prop! Pick it up, reshoot the take, no worries...
I have a few disagreements. I have a Uberti. Only one safety notch. 2nd, Thems was Picketts bullets, not prick-less. Looks like a Hershey's Kisses. 3rd, that Walker could take 60gr of 3fg under a round ball, maybe 40, 45gr under a Prick-less, not 35gr. Read it up. Sam Walker stipulated that he needed a pistol that could drop a horse at 100 yds. 35gr of powder could not even guarantee a hit on a horse at that range with a prickless. Next, the troops figured out shit about ballistics. They knew shit, and were not trained. Even over 45gr of powder, you will not get failure of the weapon due to an ass-about-face prickless bullet.
My contention is that Colt was chin-deep in shit when there were no waves. (Remember, the Patterson all but bankrupted the Company) The Walker was to change Sam Colt's fortune, and it did. But I also contend tat not all Walker Colts were created equal. Bad metallurgy, desperation to save a flailing enterprise, soldiers unfamiliar with the limitations.... but still, in my humble opinion, a weapon unsurpassed from 1847 to 1935 when S&W introduced the .357 Mag.
Are there things that could have improved on the design? Sure! A barrel-wedge for hand-artillery? Far better the robust frame of the Remington, but then you lose ergonomic point-and-hit.
It's a heavy 4 to almost 5 lbs (loaded) but despite that, it lines up like my lighter 1851 Navy and 1860 Army topstrap-less revolvers. However, where a barrel-wedge works well in C-n-B revolvers intended for lighter loads (25 to 35gr) I see it as a flaw in my favorite blackpowder gun.
good comment i have often wondered why the walker was supplied with such a crappy flask..they early on knew it threw a sporatic charge at best..and reports from the field bear that out.. the pattersons were supplied with extra cyl..its strange given the newness of revolver tech they would choose not to do so with the walker..as i understand they issued pairs instead
The intent was to issue in pairs, and mostly that's what happened. However, when the revolvers arrived, every REMF pogue also grabbed one, from the quartermaster to the cook.
As far as the flask goes, it was a poor design, and that's being generous. I use a Traditions gravity flask that has different screw-in spouts for different measures. simplicity without the "cool" factor of the flask containing the roundballs. Colt screwed the Rangers with that flask. Personally, I believe the simplest solution to reloading on the fly would have been a pair of extra cylinders. The only reason they did not, I think, was that Sam Colt's company was on the verge of going tits up. The shitty flasks were cheaper than scroll-engraved cylinders.
Little known fact was that the scroll engraving was like a signature, letting the buyer know it was the real deal and not a knock-off, but it was expensive.
yep the cyl engraving was a great idea by colt..and your right the great weakness at the time was the poor metal they were made from..( poor metal / poor quality control / troops not really understanding the revolver idea yet..= lots of problems)..once colt got the money he needed and went on to the dragoons..things got much better..i have a read a report of a 1st model failing..but the report was pointing out it was a very rare happening..by the civil war i know of no reports of dragoons failing other than being hit from enemy fire
The Dragoons were basically idiot-proofed Walkers. You couldn't get too much powder into the cylinder, and even though not much time had passed, Colt realized that their reputation was at stake, and it shows in the metallurgical improvements. I am convinced that the Dragoon models would not have failed had they left the cylinder length as long as the Walker.
Sadly, these days, Colt found that the hey-day of the 1911 had passed, only a hundred years later, and in their desperation produced dud after dud. When they finally got the Chechs to build them a gun they could sell under licence, a good gun, the Z-40, they walked away from it after only about 800. CZ improved it, and now sell it for themselves. Right now, Colt needs another Hail Mary like the 1847 Walker
true a company cannot just rest on there past success..we all know the 1911 and the other famous colts..but like the song says what have you done for me lately??..good chating with ya..safe journeys
The Josey Wales 'Border Roll' Walkers were made of styrene , , something.
Confused indeed. Mounted Rifles and Dragoons are two different , , things. On the cylinder are Mounted Rifles depicted. Colt and Ormsby miscommunicated and Ormsby mistakenly portrayed Mounted Rifles instead of Rangers.
The ball was just an elongated ball. Not a 'Picket'. Picket was a v e r y specific target ball (elongated). Although 'Pickets' were modified and used in the Civil War , .
There s no record of Walker stating he wanted the pistol to take out a horse.
The cylinders were n o t made of iron. Pig, wrought, cast , . There s a L O T of documentation showing design, materials procurement, manufacturing etc, using Steel. As today, low carbon steel was available back then.
Something that is very much needed with these replicas is v e r y proper wedge timing. This includes no headspace between the base pin and barrel insert.
The cylinder was left unblued for reasons of which are still unfounded (no documentation/witness reports). Only guesses and speculation by authors who happily publish their opinions as truth and fact. Just like the 'iron' cylinder 'fact'. Authors , , Fluck!
mounted rifle road to combat on horse back sort of a rapid reaction force..but once there they dismounted and found as infantry..dragoons fought as mounted troops and did what we would later call calvary attacks..thanks for posting safe journeys
I'll take the satisfaction of shooting my walker over my Corvette any day!
This guy doesn’t know what he is talking about the we’re 11,000 walkers and Clint Eastwood was in outlaw josey Wales 😂
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Walker
you are incorrect..this will help ya
Walkers Post Civil War would've been rare. Either hand me downs or taken off an Older Officers. Wales carried four guns if I remember the movie right and two of them were Walkers. 1,100 is a lot less than 11,000.
You should consider using the Kaido Ojamaa Universal bullets. They are a
Keith type flat nose rebated base bullet series that have proven
themselves in various field tests effectively dropping wild hogs in the
200lb class easily out of 1847 Walkers, 1860 and 1858 revolvers with a single shot and
a 25gr Triple 7 3fg charge. penetration rivaled our 45 Colt and 10mm
pistols that were used for comparison on the original field test against
wild boars in Florida.
You should consider using the Kaido Ojamaa Universal bullets. They are a
Keith type flat nose rebated base bullet series that have proven
themselves in various field tests effectively dropping wild hogs in the
200lb class easily out of 1847 Walkers, 1860 and 1858 revolvers with a single shot and
a 25gr Triple 7 3fg charge. penetration rivaled our 45 Colt and 10mm
pistols that were used for comparison on the original field test against
wild boars in Florida.
You should consider using the Kaido Ojamaa Universal bullets. They are a
Keith type flat nose rebated base bullet series that have proven
themselves in various field tests effectively dropping wild hogs in the
200lb class easily out of 1847 Walkers, 1860 and 1858 revolvers with a single shot and
a 25gr Triple 7 3fg charge. penetration rivaled our 45 Colt and 10mm
pistols that were used for comparison on the original field test against
wild boars in Florida.