Rarest of them all! Original Civilian Cased Walker!

[Professor Marvel]

Here is the penultimate Walker Collector ! The only factory cased civilian Walker.

snip-----------------------
According to Colt historian R.L. Wilson in the book "Magnificent Colts," "This Walker set is the only known
with specific documentation in the inventor's own handwriting, accompanying the revolver since the day it
was sold, at Blunt & Syms, New York, c. 1847." Blunt & Syms was one of the first retailers to sell Colt firearms.

As the story goes, the revolver was purchased by Danish sea Captain Niels Hanson during a trip to New York City
(see "The Gun Collectors Letter," No. 9 March 18, 1947.)
endsnip-------------------

https://www.rockislandauction.com/news/rare-colt-revolver-sells-for-world-record-1-8-million-at-rock-island-auction-company/

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/73/60/cased-colt-model-colt-civilian-walker-revolver

enjoy the eyecandy, try not to drool on the keyboard.

yhs
prof marvel

[LonesomePigeon]

If I could have any collectible gun I wanted it would probably be this cased Civilian Walker. There is a Military Walker in the Metropolitan Museum with better condition but I like this one because it is cased.

Here's the one in the Met: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/24844

James Julia auctions also sold A Company No. 210 in high condition for $920,000: https://jamesdjulia.com/item/lot-2252-rare-and-historic-colt-whitneyville-walker-pistol-a-company-no-210-and-original-flask-issued-at-vera-cruz-in-1847-to-private-sam-wilson-texas-ranger-later-obtained-by-brevet-major-general-joh/

[cheatin charlie]

A friend called me an invited me over to look at his latest gun he bought at auction.  Somehow I don't think it is this one. 

[OD#3]

This auction was enlightening for me for something other than the final price.  Rock Island took excellent pictures, and I've saved some to my computer for reference.  I never understood how Colt got away with timing the Walker so that the bolt would drop directly into the cylinder stop notches.  Improvements to their later revolvers utilized a square bolt with square notches and included a leade cut into which the bolt drops (technically rises).  This allows the bolt to pop up just before the cylinder finishes indexing and slide into the notch.  By the time the bolt has reached the bottom of the leade, its leading edge is lower than the opposite edge of the bolt notch, which prevents (if everything else is set up properly) cylinder throw-by. 

My Uberti Walker was set up originally to drop the bolt directly into the notches.  It was peening the hell out of the opposite edge of the notch and was threatening to start introducing throw-by if I didn't cock it carefully.  But I blew up those pictures of that particular Walker at Rock Island, and I noticed that its notches were very deep and cone-shaped.  I've never seen an original Walker bolt, but I suspect its head may have been slightly cone-shaped as well.  This may be why those originals were timed so precisely and why there are no bolt marks on that cylinder.  There would be a lot of slop between the notch and the bolt as the bolt was first rising, but the two would eventually mate up well.  And even if the cylinder had rotated slightly too far initially, the bolt would bring it back in line and indexing would be assured.  My Uberti Walker has flat-bottomed, shallow oval stop notches with perpendicular sides and a flat oval-shaped bolt head with perpendicular sides.  I made it behave by making the bolt release a tad earlier so that it hits the cylinder before the stop notch is directly lined up, but there is some drag induced when the bolt slides across the cylinder for those couple of millimeters.  I'm going to be working on the bolt spring some to lighten it a little and reduce that drag.  But I'm thinking that if Uberti made their Walkers like this original, this wouldn't be an issue at all.

[45 Dragoon]

OD#3,
 I believe your Uberti made Walker was set up by an assembly line worker that just needed to have a "functioning" action that would pass a Q.C. test. I doubt very seriously that the "attention to detail" for setting the timing on any of their offerings is done "as done at Colt". The truth is, the bolt drop is before the " lock notch ", not directly " into the notch". I think someone is (or has been) pulling your leg about the timing of these weapons. The evidence being the fact that there is no "timing advance" mechanism to allow for cylinder speed adjustment. Cocking a S.A. slowly while dragging a finger on the cylinder (as in checking for bolt drop) and setting the bolt to drop directly into the notch (or even more exactly in a hole) without an advance mechanism to adjust for speed of cylinder, leads to a S.A. that will be extremely problematic. The knowledge these folks had in the "mechanical age" of how to build machines with clearances that allowed extream length of life for "said machine " was very advanced and our Italian line workers only come close to that .  .  .  by accident!! Lol!!   Likewise, setting up a S.A. revolver for competition or fanning calls for a certain amount of "earlier than normal" drop to remedy any chance of throw-by .  .  .  .   precisely because there's no mechanical advance timing adjusting mechanism. Otherwise, we could set timing as you say and let er rip!! That's simply not the case .  .  . then or now.

 I would submit that the " museum pieces " don't have many "use" marks on them because they weren't used that much or at all! I'm sure that the folks that have been in the possession of the Walker in question all this time have known what they have (Sam Colts written statements for crying out loud!!) and as such, probably not much if any use .  .  .  .
If you look at any of the pics in any of Dennis Adler's books that were obviously used, you can see "drop" marks along with Ruger type "beauty rings".
 That being the case, I don't think Colt did anything different then than what is done now concerning bolt timing .  .  .  . they were way smarter back then than a lot of folks want to give them credit for! Heck, electronic position sensors weren't even close to being thought of then!! Lol

Mike