An oldfart with a "walker"

[Knarley Bob]

What be the best way to keep the loading lever where it b'longs when shootin' this beast?? And what is the best grease to keep stuff out from the cylinder and the do-hickey (arbour?) it spins on? Yup, I be ignorant, but I'm havin' fun do'in it
Thank ya kindly
Knarley

[Capt. Augustus]

Use 40 grains of 2F, worked for me.

[Flint]

Some people wrap a rubber band or similar around the barrel and lever.  Some have installed a Dragoon lever and barrel stud.

[Angel_Eyes]

If you look at the spring you will see that the business part of it is a semi-circular shape.
If you make a small flat on the top of this , it will hold the lever up better.
Not too big a flat or you will have difficulty unlocking the lever.

AE

[litl rooster]

you could do like this...It's one of my favorite chutin vids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a68HbDLnftA&feature=related

[Trinity]

I love that vid too!

[Fingers McGee]

If you look at the spring you will see that the business part of it is a semi-circular shape.
If you make a small flat on the top of this , it will hold the lever up better.
Not too big a flat or you will have difficulty unlocking the lever.

AE

You can also file down the flat on the lever that the little semi circular nub rides on so it engages more of it.  Also, very gently bending the latch so it puts more tension on the lever when engaged.

[will52100]

I've got a pair that I used to shoot in matches, switched to a pair of whitneyville dragoons for a change though.

What I did was basicly file half the upper part of the cam off to make it a hook.  Holds the lever up with full power loads as long as the screws that hold the leaver on the gun don't get jared too loose.  Takes a small flat screw driver to drop it though, but I generaly like to check the screws after shooting anyway.

[Knarley Bob]

Alrighty for the pin, I can screw that up easily enough, but what about the gerase???
Knarley

[will52100]

Just about any non petrolium grease will work, some better than others.  My personal favorite rite now is a conicle bullet with a mix of bee's wax, mutton tallow and parifin, same lube I use for black powder cartrige.  When I shoot round ball though I generaly have a tub of crisco near by.  I've used the wonder lube 1000, and it works great, but it's expensive.  I would suggest wonder lube 1000 for the arbor grease though, seems to last a little longer for me.  I like to shoot a 100 rounds or more a session.

The thing with the walkers and dragoons is that because of the large powder charge it fouls more.  I had one that wouldn't make more than 3 shots before hanging up.  Turned out the arbor has a slight turn down right in front of the cylinder face, the walker that would shoot all day was even with the step down, the one that I had problems with stuck past the cylinder face maybe a 1/16".  A little work with a needle file and no more fouling issues.  The same issue with a 60 army or 51 navy and you'd probably never notice it.  Of three walkers and two dragoons it's only one I've had the problem with.  I would also add that it'd be a good idea to invest in a sheet of 400 grit and 600 grit sand paper, a flat plate and lightly sand the face to the cylinder to true it up, then a little touch up with cold blue.

[Matt Bastardson]

Clearly the Walker's were never meant to shoot the cylinder empty quickly.  By their very nature they were made to initially intimidate by their sheer size and loud cannon-like !BOOM!, and if that didn't work to be inverted and used as a club on your opponent.

And boy do they make a loud and deep resonating !BOOM!.

The problem is (besides the loading lever constantly dropping down) is that if you don't use light loads and corn meal, you'll eventually either shoot them loose or blow them up.  (Ask me how I know.)

Mines a safe queen these days.  I believe I paid $99 for it used in 1989 or so.  Armi San Marco brand.

1847 Colt Walker.  The original magnum revolver.