Colt Walker in movies

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SixShootinSam

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Another Walker thread :)

Pulled out the old tv show North & South out of the DVD box the other day.
As some of you know its about the Civil War. But to my surprise it starts in 1837 or so. It also features a part about the Mexican war in 1847 (episode 2), and lo and behold, there we can clearly see several men including the two lead characters holding and firing Colt Walkers, clear as day and in close up as well. First time I have ever seen one in a movie. Also had a Patterson somewhere, but only in one scene.

Anyone else seen any movies with the good old Walker in it?
 
Lonesome Dove for sure. Outlaw Josey Wales for sure. Kim Darby in True Grit, I think was carrying a Dragoon. John Wayne referred to it as a "Colt Dragoon", anyway. :)
 
Colt Dragoon

North and South is just too cheesy for me. Will have to take a look at it again for the vintage guns. As far as True Grit, " By God, that's a Colt's Dragoon! You're no bigger than a corn nubbin, what are you doing with all that pistol?" (Marshall Cogburn)
 
I've been wanting to ask this question.

What is the difference(s) between the Walker and Dragoon? I know a Dragoon is powerful and it's chambers hold a large charge but they look very similar . Which one was used by Kieth Carridine in "The Long Riders"?
 
I must agree North & South is cheesy, and I usually skip through all the talking. Nowadays I like to see just how acurate those older movies were when it comes to uniforms and weaponry from that era. Will have to check Lonesome Dove again I have that one laying around too. Never saw True Grit though, any good?
 
The Dragoons (3 models made) look very much like the Walker, only a bit smaller. It's hard to tell on the TV screen. Later model Dragoons had the improved latch under the barrel.

Hollywood takes advantage of the BP market. We began seeing more cap-and-ball revolvers in films after the first reproduction Walkers and Pattersons appeared in the USA.

I loved the film "True Grit". John Wayne at his finest.
 
A Dragoon is basically the "evolved" version of the Walker, which is very heavy and long. From what I understand The barrel was made shorter, the cylinder was made a bit smaller and the plunger was changed so it would stay in place (more often anyways) when fired.
 
true grit

Six Shootin Sam, You gotta have True Grit. Just for the great lines and John Wayne at his finest. The kids and I watch it for "weekend slumber parties" . The sequel, Rooster Cogburn is just as good.
 
It's more about the LARGE size of em -

I believe what we call the WALKER was the first of the pistols that became known as DRAGOONs, after the mounted soldiers who used them on saddle holsters. I seem to remember that Elmer Keith used to call Walkers "Dragoons" unless he was trying to be precise.
 
I am sure the gun in Long Riders was a walker I saw it a couple of days ago and looked real close at the lever. North/South as I recall had a paterson pasted down from father to son. There was a walker in the Bruce Willis, Last Man Standing movie.

The Walker was contracted for the United States Mounted Rifles (Dragoons) and was the first of the dragoon series. The names are not always consistent. The guy who wrote the definitive book on Walkers Called them Whitneyville Walkers. This is because they came from Eli Whiney Jr.s factory. It is more popular now to call the transition revolvers with mixed walker and dragoon features " whitneyvilles" and I'm pretty sure you could get an internet expert to preaching over the proper word usage.

It's pretty clear that patersons and Walkers remained in use for quite a while. Both can be found with home=made and colt navy loading levers /latches added later. One or two surviving walkers have sights mounted at the rear of the barrel like was sometimes found on the 3rd dragoon.
 
I remember what we call the WALKER was once called the WHITNEYVILLE WALKER COLT = same same. Then the Dragoons. Now we have WHITNEYVILLEs, which are transitional between the Walker and Dragoons, as MEC notes.
 
True grit has some great shots of the Walker. Wayne calls it something of a "Colt's Dragroon". But it is obviously a Walker. It is impressive for the size in comparison to the girl.
 
I thought Wayne was calling it a Horse Pistol, It's been too long since I have seen this movie.
 
Refered to it as a horse pistol and Colt's dragoon in the movie along with cautioning the young Miss Kim Darby to find a fence fost to rest it on.
 
Well, this thread inspired me to put on "Quigley", and I believe I did spot a Walker in one scene; the one in the burning town where Marston's men are shooting at Quigley, who has taken shelter behind an overturned rowboat. One of the men is holding two guns, and one of the guns appears to be a Walker. I stopped the disc and went over the scene frame-by-frame, and it sure looks like a Walker to me, so I take it back; there is at least one Walker in "Quigley"!
 
Although most of the time the acting and story is not much, it's nice to see in the later cowboy movies they are using more period correct revolvers instead of the formerly ubiquitous 1873 Colt. Now if they could only get past the ubiquitous 1894 Winchester, which probably saw very little Indian fighting - except in Hollywoodland!
 
mec- Walker in Last Man Standing?

Are you sure? I only saw it once, but I don't recall any percussion guns. It was set in the '20's or 30's. I remember Bruce carrying a pair of 1911's, and there were Tommy Guns, but I don't recall much else.

I did see Bruce Willis carrying a LeMat in 12 Monkeys, which was set in the '90's and the future, and the past. Bruce was doing some time-travelling in that movie. Great movie, if you never saw it, but you have to pay attention. Madaline Stowe is in it too, which alone is worth the price of admission. :D
 
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The old boy who ran the hotel or bar or whatever used the walker in the final scene to croak out one of the mobsters. said something like " I didn't know if it would even shoot."
 
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