Here's the superannuated Texas clodhopper about to do mischief with his USMR 1847 revolver:
It was a question of who blinked first, the clodhopper or the lED on the camera timer:
The first six rounds are often the best. The clodhopper was showing a talent for screwing up 12 round groups on this occasion: round ball loads and picket bullets hit right at point of aim at 25 yards.
But all's well that ends well
The humidity was 100% fog and the bore stayed free of fouling as I used fluffy wonderwads, BigIron Gatofeo lubed wads and then no wads at all with the 50 grain /vol charge of pyrodex p.
With black powder or pyrodex , this revolver tends to gum up pretty quick. Today, I got through about 25 rounds before I had to clean off the arbor and cylinder. The caps were cci #11 and I had to pinch and hammer seat them to keep them on the nipples and get reliable ignition.
It was a happy-fun day made even more so by the rubber band I used to hold up the lever for most of my strings. It's a good, tight lever but will bounce down unless contained. Recoil from this load was virually nothing. the barrel would rise about six inches. Still enough to unlatch the lever every time though.
If anybody doubts that lever drop was standard with the originals, just look at this list of modifications that were done to period revolvers:
These are later modifications made to original Walkers.
D Company number 13 has a homemade loading lever with a front latch like the later Colts.
D Company number 81 has a rear sight installed at the rear of the barrel.
B Company number 4 has a rear sight in the same position as D 81
D Company number 1, confiscated from a Confederate veteran, was converted into a shotgun.
C Company number 164 has a front loading lever latch.
B Company number 25 has a Paterson two-piece (?) rifle barrel installed. This is considered a period modification.
E Company number 22 is the only known originally engraved Walker.
From undated Texas Gun Collectors Magazine.
It was a question of who blinked first, the clodhopper or the lED on the camera timer:
The first six rounds are often the best. The clodhopper was showing a talent for screwing up 12 round groups on this occasion: round ball loads and picket bullets hit right at point of aim at 25 yards.
But all's well that ends well
The humidity was 100% fog and the bore stayed free of fouling as I used fluffy wonderwads, BigIron Gatofeo lubed wads and then no wads at all with the 50 grain /vol charge of pyrodex p.
With black powder or pyrodex , this revolver tends to gum up pretty quick. Today, I got through about 25 rounds before I had to clean off the arbor and cylinder. The caps were cci #11 and I had to pinch and hammer seat them to keep them on the nipples and get reliable ignition.
It was a happy-fun day made even more so by the rubber band I used to hold up the lever for most of my strings. It's a good, tight lever but will bounce down unless contained. Recoil from this load was virually nothing. the barrel would rise about six inches. Still enough to unlatch the lever every time though.
If anybody doubts that lever drop was standard with the originals, just look at this list of modifications that were done to period revolvers:
These are later modifications made to original Walkers.
D Company number 13 has a homemade loading lever with a front latch like the later Colts.
D Company number 81 has a rear sight installed at the rear of the barrel.
B Company number 4 has a rear sight in the same position as D 81
D Company number 1, confiscated from a Confederate veteran, was converted into a shotgun.
C Company number 164 has a front loading lever latch.
B Company number 25 has a Paterson two-piece (?) rifle barrel installed. This is considered a period modification.
E Company number 22 is the only known originally engraved Walker.
From undated Texas Gun Collectors Magazine.
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