[theotherwaldo]

I'm beginning to seriously look around for a shooting-quality Walker.

There seems to be a sharp division between used-but-usable ASM Walkers ($150 to $200) and everybody else ($300 and up).

Is the difference justified?:confused:

[mykeal]

Well, I have one of each:
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/mykealsm/Guns/Colt%20Walker/1682.jpg
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/mykealsm/Guns/Colt%20Walker/130003.jpg
The Uberti is definately better fit and finish. %150 better? Probably not. But, if you're comparing used ASM with new Uberti, you really have to be very careful about condition. That could easily account for the $150.

Naturally, you're not going to find a new ASM, so used Uberti to used ASM, in the same condition, you could justify maybe $70-$75.

[theotherwaldo]

Uberti sounds good.

I'm a cheap so-and-so, and paying retail is against my religion. Still, I keep my guns. I've given away a few relics (mostly to museums and historical societies), but only one functional black-powder gun has escaped from my clutches since the sixties.

And I'm trying to track that one down. (If anyone sees an original '58 Remington .44 with chalky-white wood grips... .)

So I want a good'un. OK, I guess ASM is out.

Thanks, mykeal.

[Curator]

Take a close look at both Walkers before you buy. I have an Dixie Armi San Marco Walker that came with a .468 (groove diameter) bore, no forcing cone, and a 1 turn in 60" twist. It also had .447 diameter chambers. Accuracy was non-existant. The loading lever fell with every shot even very light loads. The rammer made great circles in every ball it seated, and you had to pull the hammer way past full cock to index the cylinder. I have since fixed all these problems except for the rifling twist, and I do occasionally shoot it but only at 25 yards or less.

A few years later a friend gave (!) me a new in the box Uberti Walker. What a beauty! It has a.455 diameter bore with 1 turn in 48" rifling. .456 chamber diameter, excellent timing, a properly made rammer that does not deform the ball in the loading process, and a loading lever that only falls when full power loads are used. Accuracy has been as good as my modern .45 Colt sixguns, if not sometimes a bit better. (I think the weight and long barrel help a bit)

Admittedly, I didn't have to cough up an additional $150 for the Uberti's quality, but had I known, I would have gladly paid extra to get that over the ASM. The disappointment of low quality far outlasts the thrill of the few dollars saved. Buy the best, it only hurts once.

[theotherwaldo]

Uberti sounds better all the time. Thanks, Curator!

[TheWall]

I just ordered a new Uberti Walker from S&S Firearms for $312. That's the best price on a new Uberti Walker I could find anywhere.

[scrat]

Uberti is the way to go. I have a cimmaron arms, made by Uberti but finished by cimmaron. Very very good quality. top dollar though for the WALKER. Check out their site

[scrat]

The Best Quality out there

http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/BlkPowder/BlkPowderOpener.htm