Uberti Walker

[Aries]

Do any of you own one of these from Uberti......
http://www.uberti.com/firearms/walker.php
I'd been thinking of buying one. I also like the look of their boot knife.....
http://www.uberti.com/store/Knives/Boot-Knife-p5.html

[2ndovc]

My Dad had one and while it was a good shooter the loading lever would almost always drop under recoil.

He traded it for a Dragoon that had a catch at the end of the loading lever. Fun Gun!

Now that I think about it I just might have to go pirate that one


jb

[Ray Newman]

See what 2ndovc wrote about the loading lever.

While the Walker clone that I once had was fun to shoot for a time, I soon grew tired of it: just too big, clumsy & heavy, & the sight is atrocious.

I found that for me, it shot better when I held it on a rest. But even that shooting was no great shakes as the rear sight is nothing but a notch in the hammer & the front sight seemed way too wide for the hammer notch. I don't know just how much a Shooter could file open the notch on the hammer.

I sold it & went back to shooting a Ruger Ol' Army.

[L8agin]

If I remember right it weighs about 4 lbs which makes it hard to hold. Not for concealed carry Armi san marco makes one too, but not as nice as the uberti. The loading lever is held up by a thin spring type latch and isn't up to the job. was thinking on using a thin black O ring around the barrel an lever. Not something I use every day.
L8

[Ysabel Kid]

The loading lever droping after every shot happened with the original Walkers as well - which is why old Sam Colt incorporated a spring catch for the loading levers in his Dragoon series and every black powder cap and ball revolver after the Walker!

[Doc Hudson]

You gents who are criticizing the Walker's size and poor sights are forgetting something.

The Model 1847 Colt Walker Revolver was designed and intended to be a HORSE PISTOL. These big old hog legs were meant to be carried in pommel holsters, not as belt guns! They were issued in pairs and intended to be carried on the saddle by cavalrymen.

As for the sights, they are every bit as good as those found on all Colt percussion revolvers. Colt did not put a fixed rear sight on a revolver until they produced the Root revolvers in the mid-1850's with it's side hammer and solid frame. Those Root revolvers were not the financial success of the M-1851 Navy, M-1860 Army, or M-1862 Navy revolvers, with their hammer notch rear sights, and did not stay in the catalog long. Until the Mason-Richards cartridge conversion revolvers started to leave the factory, there were no other Colts with a fixed rear sight.

And y'all should also bear in mind that the state of pistolcraft in the 1840's, 1850's, and 1850's was vastly different from modern pistolcraft. Most pistoleros made little or no use of a revolver's sights and used point shooting exclusively. Let's face it, when involved in a running gunfight on horseback, who the devil has time to look at sights anyway?

I've wanted one of those Walkers since I was a kid, but since I don't have a horse, I've always found different things to spend my gun money to acquire. I still want one though.

[O.S.O.K.]

That's mine - Uberti.

I fixed the dropping loading lever problem by working on the latch to increase friction. It works for loads of 50 grains or less but will still pop down some with the full bore, 60 grain loads.

Yep, its 4 1/2 pounds heavy and not something that you'd want to carry on your hip all day - in fact, they were intended to be carried on pommel holsters by cavalry.

The request was for a repeating handgun that would be powerful enough to take down the horses of attacking forces. The Walker can do that.

It is what it is - if you want a fun range gun or would even like to hunt (think 50 yards or closer) with it, then the Walker is a fine choice.

The next model was the Dragoon:



Mine is a Uberti - third model. They are just a bit smaller than the Walkers at 4 pounds and "only" hold 50 grains of powder in their cylinders. This is was an improvement over the Walker in several ways but still a horse gun.

If you want almost the same power level (40 grains of powder - yep, like a colt 45) then you may want to look at the Colt 1860 or the Remington 1858 Repros. I like Uberti but my 1860 and 1858's are Pieta made and very nice too. They are .44 Caliber (bores are .450"-.454") and propell their round balls (140 grains) to around 1000 fps max.

1860 Colt Army (Pieta) shown with the Uberti Dragoon:


1858 Remington (Pieta):


If you want the most power you can get from the platform, then the 1858 is a little better because it can easily load conical bullets (Lee makes a mould as does Dixie Gun Works) which weigh more - 200 grains IIRC. Of course, the Dragoon and Walker can also easily load the conicals - its the 1860 and 1851 Colts that are too crowded in the loading window to take em. You can load them in the cylinder with it out of the frame though... but that's a hassle.

Here's one more pic - casting the conicals (along with some 50 cal target minis):


OK one last one - a typical 25 yard target - this one made with the 1858 Remington:


ETA - OH, one more thing. If all's your after is a fun range gun that makes smoke and makes holes in paper, then you may consider this:

1851 Colt (Uberti):


Uses smaller, 36 Caliber (.360") balls for the .358" bore and of course, less powder - like 25 grains.

This is the model that Wild Bill made famouse - point and shoot great - very similar to the 1860 IMHO.

OK, that's all folks

[Rod WMG]

One more thing. Walker specifically wanted a pistol big and heavy enough to be used as a club, an important thing when loading was more complicated. Colt designed the pistol with his express interests in mind.

[Ysabel Kid]

Beautiful C&B's O.S.O.K.!!!

[marlinman93]

After many years of owning and shooting cartridge guns, I found myself at a muzzleloader match last weekend. Invited by a friend, I had no gun, and no plan to shoot. My friend coaxed me into shooting his rifle, and I soon saw what all the fun was about! By the end of the day I had myself pretty much talked into buying a muzzleloader, and throwing a few rounds downrange in my own gun!
My new rifle will be here probably Friday or sooner, and it's a Pedersoli Kentucky rifle. I REALLY wanted one of the Pedersoli Gibbs rifles, but figured I better start cheaper and see if I enjoy it long enough to move up to the Gibbs.

[mescalero1]

nice guns!

[Ysabel Kid]

After many years of owning and shooting cartridge guns, I found myself at a muzzleloader match last weekend. Invited by a friend, I had no gun, and no plan to shoot. My friend coaxed me into shooting his rifle, and I soon saw what all the fun was about! By the end of the day I had myself pretty much talked into buying a muzzleloader, and throwing a few rounds downrange in my own gun!
My new rifle will be here probably Friday or sooner, and it's a Pedersoli Kentucky rifle. I REALLY wanted one of the Pedersoli Gibbs rifles, but figured I better start cheaper and see if I enjoy it long enough to move up to the Gibbs.

Good plan. My bet though is that you'll move up to the Gibbs PDQ. Shooting the front-stuffers is very addicting!!!

[Doc Hudson]

RE: Model of 1851 .36 Navy Colts

IMNSHO, there is not a better pistol ever designed for point shooting.

And please bear in mind that Colt agreed with me so much that they used the Model 1851 grip on their brand new cartridge revolver over 20 years later. That new revolver being none other than the Colt Single Action Army Revolver.

Using my old Italian Navy Colt, I've made a few believers when it comes to point shooting.


Not only was Wild Bill Hickok a fan of the Navy Colt, but so was Dr. John Holiday, and Elmer Keith. I believe he told a story of killing a snowbound elk with an old Navy Colt. He also told of trying the same stunt and nearly getting killed when the ball ricocheted of the elk's skull, I believe that was the moment he climbed firmly on the .44-caliber bandwagon.

In general, I'm a .44 Fanatic, but when it comes to cap-and-ball six-guns, I dearly love the .36-caliber Navy Colt!

[O.S.O.K.]

Thanks for the compliments guys.

And Marlinman, does your Kentucky Rifle look like this?



This rifle is now a percussion but I still have the stuff for converting it back to a flinter...

[Ben_Rumson]

MM Lucky thing they didn't hand you this baby..

[O.S.O.K.]

8 bore? Looks pretty beefy

[marlinman93]

Thanks for the compliments guys.

And Marlinman, does your Kentucky Rifle look like this?



This rifle is now a percussion but I still have the stuff for converting it back to a flinter...

Haven't got it yet, but it is a percussion, not a flinter. I'm buying it from a friend who got it 15 yrs. ago, and has never fired it. From the pictures it looks just like the one you've pictured, except a percussion.-Vall

[Ben_Rumson]

O.S.O.K. 4 GAUGE!

Stoeger's Model 6494 "Elephant Flintlock Gun" according to their blurb in my 1967 Shooter's Bible these were still in use in the Belgian Congo by natives against dangerous game!