Dragoon Droop fix! Courtesy of AdmiralB

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Ginormous

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AdmiralB saw my Drooping Dragoon predicament in an earlier thread, and very kindly offered to send a spring from what I assume is a Gibson humbucker guitar pickup. The part arrived today, and I replaced it without any difficulties after a trip to the hardware store for the correct diameter drift punch. The retention pin removed very easily, once pressure was taken off of it, and the new spring went in like a glove. One helluva a great fix! The new spring is substantially longer and beefier than the OEM part, and really locks the loading lever against the retaining clip. My thanks to a great guy for a great fix and his kind offer to supply the spring! Thanks AdmiralB!

With the new humbucking loading lever, I fully expect a richer and fuller boom from this gun, a la a Fender Fat Strat or Gibson Les Paul.

DSCF1080.jpg

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Unfortunately I do not have a Walker to determine if a similar fix can be done for that model. About all I know is the latch appears to be located at the base of the Walkers' loading lever, but in the diagrams I have access to I don't see an equivalent spring that could be replaced.

Walker owners can certainly offer more conjecture than I could on this possibility.
 
The Walker uses a different method to catch the lever. You could adapt the Dragoon lever parts. It would require cutting a dovetail and the front of the lever, plus buying the parts.
 
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AussieTH....ditto what Madcratebuilder said. The dragoon was created in part to take care of this problem. Save your pennies and get a Dragoon, then you've got the best of both worlds.
 
If you do choose a Dragoon, you'll be handicapped in one very important way . . no invitation for membership in the exclusive and very posh gentlemens' group commonly referred to as the "The Official THR Walker Club". I hear you also get a key to the executive washroom with a membership, although members are tight lipped about perks and amenities around us "outsiders". :cuss:
 
Hell Guys,

I am just a simple soul who does not mind pushing the envelope a bit. I am building two aircraft prototypes at the moment.

I also do not yet know enough about guns but do know that the way to progress is to ask questions - which I am doing and learning fast. I do not care if makes me look a noob etc etc. There are no stupid questions when you do not know the needed answers that are important to you.

In this case I guess that the bit of rawhide around the barrel and loading lever is both a practical (and authentic) to get round Walker droop.

But thank you for the very excellent replies given to my query.

PS. Yes I will be buying Dragoons anyway but the Walker is just THE thing that hits the spot!

Aye

Tony
 
There have several threads here that contain some advice about Walkers.

Here's what I've found about that: you can improve the Walker, but I think it's unlikely that you can totally drop-proof it under full-house loads.

The 'nub' part of the latch on the Walker - the portion that engages the lever - has a semicircular profile, viewed side-on. I used a Dremel with a cutting wheel and ground the upper part of the semicircle flat, so that it's more of a straight diagonal surface above the 'midpoint' of the semicircle (hard to verbally describe, I'll take a picture when I'm back home).

The lever engages the latch a lot more tightly now, but it'll still drop after every third shot with 55gr loads. First shot, it drops about a quarter-inch (at the tip), second shot another quarter, third shot drops all the way. Reseat, and repeat.

I also had to stake the dovetail tighter, and I used JB Weld to help keep the latch in the slot.
 
Ginormous,
I have a little bit more trouble disengaging the rammer on my Dragoon than on the smaller Colts with a different design. With the new stiffer spring, is yours still easy to unlatch? Mine takes some fiddling with cold hands. However, the ram has never fallen during firing. My suggestion would be more toward reshaping the contact between the catch and the rammer so they don't slip off each other.
 
Hellgate, it definitely takes more pressure to unlatch the loading lever than before. Assuming your hand and finger strength is unaffected by arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or similar, an adult is unlikely to encounter any real difficulties unlatching the lever with this new spring.

AdmiralB and I reached reached the same conclusion, that modifying the catch surfaces was unlikely to resolve the problem, due to barrel dynamics during discharge. We both felt the weaker spring was allowing the catch to unlatch due to recoil, a condition unaffected by the catch and latch angles and surfaces.

That's not to say that this solution is the only solution to the problem. I think every gun needs to be carefully studied, and the best course of action determined by the owner.

If you do modify your latch, please let the forum know the results of your efforts. I, for one, would definitely like to know if it works.
 
I tried reshaping first, it didn't help. That's not to say that it won't work on other examples, just didn't fix mine.

I don't have any problems unlatching it, but I have pretty strong hands. And I reload with a press, anyway, so I don't unlatch it except to clean.
 
AdmiralB, About the dovetail slot for the loading arm lever....my "spring", came out when examining it on the couch one evening, a recliner no less with beaucoups moving parts. It took 45min to find the little SOB after moving the couch in and out from the wall and turnining it upsidedown to shake the little bugger out!! I went to the shop and immediately peined both sides of the slot down tight, no slop and much better retention of the lever. Pretty sure that's what a gunsmith would've done in the old days. I think I'll do the ends also just to make absolutely positive it doesn't escape at the range!!
 
Hey Ginormous,
I really haven't taken that close of a look at mine as it has no problems. I have fixed several later model colts ('51s & '60s) that had dropping levers and fixed them by filing the mating surfaces to seat deeper. Thanks for the well thought out response. I see you are a gentleman with a good eye for fixin' stuff.
 
I see you are a gentleman with a good eye for fixin' stuff.
Click to expand...

No, that would be AdmiralB. :)

I implemented his solution, using his spring, that he kindly mailed to me on his nickel. I has only proffered loose conjecture that stretching the OEM spring or replacing it might work . I was ready to take it to a 'smith and let him deal with it when AdmiralB came along and saved the day. He even told me the correct drift to purchase to remove the retention pin so not to mar the loading lever!

Helluva a good guy he is. Every time I hold that Dragoon now, it's like looking at a new one.
 
Here's a not-very-good picture of my Walker catch:

catch.JPG


I can't seem to get a very clear photo...anyway, the arc approximates the original contour of the part, and the straight line follows how I've ground it flat. The idea is, the mating surface on the lever *just* slips past the end of the rounded cross-section, when latched.
 
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Lol. I forgot to tell them about your work in third world countries developing better drought resistant farming methods that saves thousands of babies' lives a year. Also, your personally funded foundation that provides homeless persons nationwide with free meals, medical care, housing, job training, clothing and hope. Oh, and your Nobel Prize nomination in Economics for developing A Trade Theory that balances the worlds' economies, consequently resolving the world financial crisis, and ending the global recession adversely affecting millions of families' lives.

Then again, it WAS just a spring. Nevertheless, I am grateful. :)
 
Here's a not-very-good picture of my Walker catch
Click to expand...

Here's a pic of my former, slightly used, but fully functional, Dragoon/Walker loading lever fix. I'll send it to anyone postage paid, as a gesture of "pass it on." Since I only have one, first come, first served. Offer good throughout the following continents: North America, South America, Oceania, Europe, Asia, Africa, Antarctica.

DSCF1088.jpg
 
You're right, I can see a problem with India and the cow hide component of my loading lever fix. Ok, offer void in India.
 
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