StrawHat said:
The Dragoon was a big improvement over the Walker. Realistically, the Walker was a failure in Colts eyes. He went on to improve it and continued selling revolvers. I have both and like them but shoot the Draogoons more frequently.
Ohhhh, now you've gone and done it!!!
For those of you with sensitive eyes, you might want to look away. Them's fightin' words to Walker owners!! Of course I didn't have the guts to say it when I posted my original answer to this thread, but like it or not 'tis true enough. But I do fully agree with ClemBert
"Walker....just because you need to have a copy of the world's first magnum handgun.
" You can always get past the little foibles of owning one, but they will eat you out of house and home in powder unless you restrict your trips to the range a little.
2nd Dragoon Dropping Lever?
After my answer to this thread stating that Dragoons do not drop loading levers, I am now humble.
Took the Horse Pistol up in the mountains yesterday for some excercise (the gun not me of course). After 34 rounds down the pipe she dropped the loading lever on me. My mouth dropped open as well because it was just that morning that I had made my ill-fated statement about that not happening on Dragoons.
I loaded up another cylinder with my standard load, 45gr 3f Goex, about 8 gr cornmeal and a .454 stuffed into the hole to keep it all in until the desired moment. Once again two out of the six round dropped the lever. Since it was gettin on dark and I had an adult beverage waiting for me at the lodge I packed up and headed down the hill. I pulled the barrel, cylinder, nipples etc. and dropped them into a tub of HOT water and Dawn to soak until morning.
This morning I gets up and has my coffee while enjoying the sunshine in the mountains and contemplating the true meaning of life. Once I had given up on that theme I went into the kitchen and proceed to finish bathing the Dragoon. I'm putting her back together when I happened to notice I'm missing something...the block that dovetails into the barrel which holds the loading lever in place is nowhere to be seen, it was subsequently located in the bottom of my wash tub.
Needless to say, it appears that repeated pounding from 45gr of powder apparently loosened the dovetail. I dropped it off at the gunshop across from my house and he will undoubtedly return my prized Horse Pistol to better than new.
Wanna bet I won't make a blanket statement like that again? Yer probably right. Humility was just never in my genes.
You still should buy the Dragoon first...WHY? Simple, there's three of 'em!! You rotate.... Dragoon 2nd Model,.... Walker,.... Dragoon 1st Model,.... Whitneyville (good luck finding one),.... Dragoon 3rd Model. You could also substitute a Howdah for the Whitneyville. All in all you'll wind up with 5 big hand cannons and don't let anybody tell you that you can only shoot one at a time!!!
They're Wrong!!!