Colt Walker Purchase Considered

[Grenadier]

I have always wanted to own a Colt Walker, so I am seriously considering buying one to add to my collection. I have given myself 30 days to think about buying it. Been doing as much research as I can about the replicas and what I should be looking for when I am ready to buy, if at the end of 30 days I still want to buy one.

Any pointers from Walker owners? What brands perform the best? What should I expect?


Thanks!

[Raven]

Unless your going to buy a used Walker......Uberti is your only choice
Uberti builds a very decent gun for the price.

If your buying used there are several other choices with ASM being the most common. The thing to think about with a used gun is spare parts. There are NONE (well almost none) unless the gun is an Uberti.

Raven

[Southpaw]

I have an Uberti Walker and love it.Just ordered a 2nd model Dragoon to go with it.........

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[rickk]

I have an Uberti...it works well.

I did have some issues with it at first getting it to come apart and go together. I had to get the mating parts to loosen up enough that it didn't need 20 whacks a big urethane mallet to get it to come apart or go together, but I guess that is better than it being too loose.

One of the issues with it being too hard to put together is getting everything to be where it is supposed to be while getting the wedge in place. In my mind the wedge should set the cylinder/barrel gap (I know it isn't quite that simple, but this is partially true). When it was too tight it would get banged together with a mallet and if the gap was too tight before the wedge was put in place the wedge would simply slide in to far and not set the gap at all.

Anyway, I took it apart/put it together a few dozen times with some valve lap compound on some tight spots on the front of the cylinder arbor and the frame key pins and when it got to the point where a hammer wasn't needed any more I stopped.

Now it works great... a fun "manly-man's gun" to shoot!

From what I gather the fit issue is common with the Colt design in general.

Rick

 

[pony express]

If your buying used there are several other choices with ASM being the most common. The thing to think about with a used gun is spare parts. There are NONE (well almost none) unless the gun is an Uberti.

Raven

+1 on the parts issue. I have an old ASM Dragoon, the Bolt(that locks the cylinder) wears out pretty fast on them, and no more seem to be available. Ads Uberti bolt can't be filed to fit, it's already smaller than the ASM one. Since internal parts on percussion guns seem to be more prone to wear/break, better to have one you can fix!

[rifle]

If a Uberti bolt is too small for a ASM then maybe a new cam installed on the hammer could modify the gun to use Uberti bolts.
That's if the leg is too short on the old bolt and if there's room on the hammer for a wider cam.
The head of the bolt can be wire welded(mig) to be refreshed.
A new bolt could be made from a hunk  of spring steel like maybe a piece of old leaf spring from an old FORD. ha ha ha
Of course the old ASM could be sold to put some moola towards a new Uberti. DeerCreek (no web site 765-5256181) in Indiana has some ASM/CVA parts. Might have a Dragoon bolt.
Mentioning RICKK's gun above........if the hammer put the barrel on too tight for the wedge then the barrel was gettin tight and the wedge was loose and not tightening it well. That in the long run could cause premature failure.
I'd recommend getting the arbor of the gun bottomed at the barrels tight point against the frame and fitting a new or maybe using the same old wedge.
I'd say the gun is being shot with a somewhat loose barrel.

[hammer1]

I have a uberti 3rd model dragoon, its been a fine shooting pistol from day one.

[Slowhand Bob]

I have a Uberti Walker and I have decided to pair it with a Ubert 3rd Model Dragoon one day.  Since these are not the guns that one would choose to be competitive, matching pairs do not count for much.  I would go so far as to say mismatched pairs would have been more the norm by the time the CW was threatening and the border wars were heating up!   

[Trailrider]

How is your back, shoulders, knees, etc?    Are you slim-waisted?  Do you wear suspenders?  Can you obtain wheels and a gun carriage, or do you have a horse on which to hang the holster? Otherwise, the gun is a neat critter. The only drawback is the weakness of the rammer spring, and the tendency, as on the original, for the rammer to flop down on firing. That was one of the reasons that the design was modified to include the catch on the end of the rammer on the follow-on dragoons.

[Grenadier]

Well, I bit the bullet and purchased one sight unseen from a friend of a friend of a friend type deal. It arrived and when I opened the box, I immediately knew that I had scored. Brandnew with charcoal finish, it is a thing of beauty and I got it for the price of a new 1860 Army 

[wildman1]

U gonna luv it. My pair of Walkers don't come out as often as they should but I luvem and wouldn't git rid of em fer anythin. WM

[Jeremiah]

Hope you have fun with it. There is a shooter that uses one in the Shootist Class in CFDA. It is a good test of shoulder health.