Rawhide loop for Walker loading lever?

Are you against reshaping the lever notch to help? It seems most of those who have done this have fixed their issue.

I solved the dropping lever my reshaping the tip of the spring.

A Walker is one of those (though a little further down) on my list that I need, and the filing would certainly be something I'd try.

And I'd likely send it of to Dragoon to have it fixed up as there's not much point in owning a Walker that can't continually fire appropriate charges. I have a ROA and Rem '58 if I want lighter charges.

Ah heck guys !! Thanks for the mention!! I have had my site "spruced" up a bit and have added a couple of Brushhippies videos to "show off" the service done. Cooldill, email me a pic of your gun and I will put it in the gallery (if you want).
Anyway, check out my improved site!!

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com

The rawhide will work as will a piece of bandanna. I've seen bootlaces pressed into service as well.

To repost an answer from 1997 CAS-L: " File a small notch in the business end of the latch spring so there is a
small "step" that engages the loading lever. (Frank Leaman suggested this
approach years ago.)
Tex, SASS #4"
Frank Leaman is a genius and card shark/magician. I've met him.
I've done this on both of my Uberti Walkers and neither has dropped a latch in about 5 matches I have shot them in since. The "step" is pretty touchy. If you make it too deep the latch won't come down at all and if there is too little step the fix won't work. The business end of the spring is rounded and you take a little off the upper end (toward the barrel) so when the spring snaps in place as the lever is lifted there is a more abrupt lip that it has to climb over for the rammer to come down. I bought an extra spring from Uberti before I got out the file.
Another suggestion is to lighten your loads to lessen recoil. If you insist on shooting heavy loads (50-55grs FFFg) if you are lucky all you will get is a crushed wedge that opens up the gap. You'll think your gun is really blasting but all you are getting is lost power blowing out the cylinder gap. New wedges will be in order. If you are unlucky, you will get the cylinder pin backing out of the frame or stretching of the wedge cutout. Lots of $$$ to fix. Drop the load down to 35-45grs.
Another way to reduce the recoil is to change to FFg powder. It is slower but has a smoother pressure peak.
A third suggestion is to hold the gun more firmly to prevent barrel lift from recoil. I'm not sure what effect that will actually have. If you DON'T grip the gun firmly the barrel tips right down due to the weight.
My Walker load is 44grs of FFg+lube wad+.454RB+grease on top. It's called a .44-44."

If this site would let me insert a photo I would (it wants a URL rather than a jpeg). I have a nice closeup of the latch spring shaping.

Dig through the Walker club posts and you will find where a couple of years back some of the guys were making and using a little do-hikkie they made from two sections of brass tubing that worked very well and looked sharp.

-kBob

I've used a broken leather boot lace.

Seems period correct to me.

The original Walker revolvers were usually carried (as intended) in saddle holsters. If a leather loop was loose enough to pass over the front sight when being quickly removed, then it was likely that the same might happen when the revolver was drawn from a holster. If a shot(s) was subsequently fired one might expect the lever to drop.

For this reason I don't think that the leather loop option was commonly (and maybe never) used. Add to that modern researchers haven't discovered substantial reports of rammer-dropping to be an issue.

Some Italian reproductions do have issues, but these were caused by incorrectly fitted latches.

Post # 2925 in the Walker club shows the copper clip to hold up the loading lever I was writing about earlier.

Several folks made or had these made at the time. Notice the top and larger tube that goes over the barrel has part of its top cut away to allow the front sight to pass through when one needs to use the lever for loading on the gun.

Seemed like a good idea to me then and still does.

-kBob

Seemed like a good idea to me then and still does.

Click to expand...

Very likely. But can you cite any contemporary reports from the original 1847 time period that this or any similar device were ever used? or even needed?

I can't, and I've looked.

Absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence.

Kevin

It seems likely that at least one original walker had a weak latch, or eventually wore out or broke. And that the owner would have came up with a way to hold it with the tools at his disposal.

MLB
2nd that. If you look at the 2003 TGPA Parade of Wallkers a number of genuine Walkers were retrofitted with Dragoon loading lever latches.

The rawhide string I used blocked the front sight. I never tried it with anything else. A couple of years ago there was a post on this website that said (paraphrased) "if you don't want the lever to fall, just remove it. It's only one screw." I tried that at a SASS match. Works wonderfully. I never once had a lever drop.