The THR Walker Club

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(Sputter!) Your abominable ignorance of how the original Walkers were made is insufferable! Colt didn’t blue the cylinders because I told him not to. You see back then bluing (sometime called browning) was done using heat, not some kind of worthless chemicals, and that’s why they called it “charcoal blue.” I was afraid they’d next to melt them cylinders. Unfortunately soon after the first run of what are now called 1st model Dragoons were made, Sam ignored my good advise and started bluing cylinders. You young kids just don’t have either good judgment or knowledge about nothing. That’s why I have to keep setting things straight. (Bluster!!!) :banghead: :D
 
I knew that the cylinders of Walkers were not blued but left in the white long before I joined this forum. I thought it was a known fact although I will admit I was unsure as to whether or not the later dragoons were made in the same way. I saw images about a year ago of a original walker and even though it was well patinad you would tell a difference between the cylinder and the rest of the revolver. As to whether I screwed up my revolver......... considering I do not plan on selling it as I have always wanted one then I guess thats not a issue. It will remain right along with my original (fired) Colt SAA Peacemaker ;)
 
Noble Sniper sound's like he dosen't recognize joking and messing around when he read's it! He'll learn..
Noble Sniper--1847 Walker Colt .44 (really a .45)--1858 Remington New Model Army .44--Remington Cattleman's Carbine .44--Colt 1849 Pocket .31....
Someone need's to backtrack on me. I would pay good money to anyone who can find anything concerning the original (and current) construction, coming into being, loading, drawing, firing, detail stripping, cleaning, etc etc; just anything at all about the particular piece's I just named that I don't already know inside and out and able to spew fact's about even in my sleep.
I don't care if you whiten your cylinder, Noble Sniper. Have fun my man. That's why all us shooters and gunfighters do what we do I guess. I was just picking at you and mostly at Old Fuff whom I admire and respect a great deal. Get a spray can and paint it sky blue with a bunch of little white polka dots on it if you want to. Just whatever blow's your skirt up ol' son....
 
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Old Fuff, I liked that movie '3:10 To Yuma' so much I just watched it again.
I shot a jackrabbit a while ago with the Walker. I'm having him for supper tonight. Fried rabbit, home made biscuits with rabbit gravy. He wasn't far off, maybe 20 yards, but he was running. (loping)
I just got through cleaning the chamber and the barrel on the '47 real good and adding a fresh charge to bring me full up again. I keep 6 in it all the time.
Fuff, I'm thinking about putting a set of black rubber grips (panels) on it. I have a set rough cut that a friend of mine did for me. (last summer I had been admiring a set that had come on his Ruger .41 Magnum single action) Snow's moving out of here now and I was able to get to his place and pick them up. They shouldn't change the balance or the handling of the piece like considering my grip and hold on it and so forth. What you think?
Now don't go banging your head against the wall and screaming about how it ain't original. I'm getting tired of having to buy you a new wall every time I turn around!!
14th Alabama CSA..
 
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Someone need's to backtrack on me. I would pay good money to anyone who can find anything concerning the original (and current) construction, coming into being, loading, firing, etc etc; just anything at all about the particular pieces I just named that I don't already know inside and out.
Click to expand...

There is a lot of contemporary material out there, much of it written during Colt’s lifetime, and some of it by Colt himself, although his spelling was atrocious. Of course mine is perfect… :scrutiny:

One way to learn a lot is to hunt the bigger antique auctions (no, I don’t mean GunsAmerica or Gunbroker). One of my favorites will give buyers free shipping if they buy at least $25,000 worth of guns at one sitting… :eek:

Obviously they are my kind of people. ;) But eyeballers will find the very best original Colts, Remington’s, Winchester’s Sharps, etc. that are still left, and there is no charge for looking. :cool:

There are also some outstanding western history sites that have some wonderful stuff, and most of it, if not all is free for the reading or printing. :cool:

Then of course there are books, and for those on a budget used copies at attractive prices can be found. :cool:

I must warn you though, if you are reading some of Colt’s own letters and you find some reference to the Old Fuff, don’t believe everything he says… :D
 
I have a hell of a sense of humor....just haven't been on here long enough to appreciate yours :) Give me time and I will though. But teh sky blue and polka dots thing is out I am telling you..........out :D
 
You're good Noble Sniper. We'll get along.
The sky blue paint and white polka dots are out? For reaL? Damn!! I was really looking forward to a photograph of that rig!! Later Man 14th Alabama CSA..
 
Sorry to let you down ;) Maybe I could gte one of thsoe cheap chrome plating kits you see advertised.........make it real purty :D
 
I am talking about the cheapo kits where the chrome looks like it has sand in it....... I knew a guy that ruined a valuable springfield rifle with one of those :D
 
I keep threatning to get an electroless chrome set-up to do brass backstraps and trigger guards. It looks like silver, but doesn't tarnish, and the brass doesn't either. Brownells (www.brownells.com) offers such an outfit. :cool:
 
I just bought a little pink-colored stocked .22LR Chipmunk for my 5 year old daughter. When we were out shooting on Saturday she looked at my Walker and nonchalantly commented that it would look better in Pink!:what::D
 
I keep threatning to get an electroless chrome set-up to do brass backstraps and trigger guards. It looks like silver, but doesn't tarnish, and the brass doesn't either. Brownells (www.brownells.com) offers such an outfit.
Click to expand...

Fuff, check out this link.
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/electroless.htm
I did some searching on this company. They are very popular with the old bike restoration guys. If you get the metal CLEAN before you plate it works great. A even build up of nickle, about one hour to add .001. Like bluing, preparation counts.
On sale till the end of the month.
 
GOTC..
HPIM0360.jpg
 
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Old Fuff, The fried rabbit was very good. I parboiled it a bit before battering and frying it. The biscuits were excellent even if I did make them, (from scratch) and the gravy turned out very well indeed as soon as I added more black pepper to it.
I feasted. I'm going to spend a large portion of my day searching for articles on Mr. Colt.(I would say Mr. Remington also except that this is the '47 site)
Hope ya'll are having a good day..14th Alabama CSA..
 
Noble Sniper..Not looking for anything special. However if I do come across anything I find interesting I wiil post something about it, and will try and make an effort to get it to your attention..
 
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Noble Sniper. It'll be awhile before I get to it and read it, but I will though. I keep a lot of security on my gear and that includes popup blockers. It told me I need to temporarily shut down some blockers before I could read it..Stan..
 
Walker long range express (lre) project

BACKGROUND.

The concept was first brought up on the Walker Club threads of the THR forums by TMC4232 as a conceptual design exercise just for fun. Initially it was a Walker with a long customised barrel. This soon evolved into the same thing but with a detachable stock that rendered the weapon into a carbine. Readers may scroll back to page 47/48 of the Walker club section to see the images.

Historically, the Walker is not recorded as ever having a shoulder stock option fitted, but a couple of years or so later (about 1849) the succeeding Colt Dragoon 3rd Model was cut for such a stock and stocks were issued for it.

The project therefore is very much in the ‘What If They Had Done It With The Walker’ category.

TMC4232’s design had an ‘elegance’ to it that looked right therefore a decision was taken to have one made and see how it went.

RATIONALE.

A lot of current reports are that the replica Walkers are attractive because of what the Walker is (or was). Owning and shooting one may be seen by many as a personal statement. But a lot of people cannot handle them full time so they are soon relegated to wall hangers and conversation pieces. Turning the Walker into a carbine may see more people with an option by where they are able to use the gun more and also get more from it in terms of range accuracy.

THE PROJECT PLAN.

Build the Prototype using a new standard Uberti replica Walker. There will actually be two – one kept standard and used as a datum ‘control’ and the other one being modified into the carbine.

The prototype will be fitted with an 18” custom barrel plus the frame and butt modified to take the detachable stock. It is not intended at the moment to put target sights on the weapon.

The basic plan has already changed on the strength of advice received on these forums, plus a few other happenings. The plan is now to build two prototypes the first one being a 3rd Model Dragoon already cut to take the detachable stock. This will assist the gunsmith in establishing the modifications required for the Walker plus have already manufactured items to measure from. With the LRE Dragoon finished and working then the Walker will be built.

This step will escalate the overall cost of the exercise as three new guns will be involved and two stocks before considering the gunsmithing costs. On the other hand it will reduce gunsmithing costs in experimentation in modifying a single Walker in isolation and getting that right with a good finish.

I am buying the two Walkers direct from the factory so they will take a few months to arrive in Australia where I live. I have located a new Uberti 3rd Model Dragoon and will be picking that up next week.

PROGRESS REPORTS.

I feel it is important to keep the THR Walker Club informed and involved in the project. This is partly for pure courtesy as the concept came via the THR Walker Club and people are going to be interested, but also that from time to time I will greatly appreciate help and advice on challenges that are met as there is such a vast expertise resource available from these forums.

So I will produce intermittent progress reports as events progress. This will be over a period of time – partly because of geographic constraints which will slow down acquistition of components and weapons, and partly because I have to deal with an amount of Australian legislation requirements that also take time.

The project is not going to happen in a few weeks – it will take months, although introducing the 3rd Model Dragoon step could see us with a working item a lot more quickly.

If the project fails then I will say so clearly. If it succeeds then I will write up the most effective process and post this on these forums so other members may replicate it if they wish. I will also post images of the progress stages and the finished prototypes, plus range reports.

PROGRESS REPORT #1.

Weapon Acquisition. Two Walkers are on order with Uberti and will arrive in due course. A Uberti 3rd Model Dragoon, cut for the stock, can be picked up next week but I have to drive a couple of hundred miles to get it.

Custom Barrel. I have contracted with an experienced and highly recommended gunsmith to do the prototype work. He is not cheap but he is good!

Making the custom barrel is not seen as a problem. I am electing for an 18” barrel – partly for visual balance to the weapon and partly to meet certain regulations which will make things easier for me. For example the Walker is then going to be about 24” long overall so is no longer a concealable firearm.

A ‘Buntline’ Dragoon could therefore be a reality in a few weeks – but how practical it will be without the counterbalancing stock is something else!

Walker Frame Modification etc. This is likely to be the biggest challenge. I took forum advice and contacted VTI Gun Parts for views on the project (see their response below). Apart from the frame work and cutting for the stock, plus fitting the extended lugs needed, a big challenge is that the Walker butt is a different shape to the Dragoon and I had hoped that a Dragoon shoulder stock would fit. This means more modification for a good fit. Milling the heel of the butt to take the large hook on the stock is not seen as a problem.

Shoulder Stock. This may kill the project stone dead! Although Uberti still manufacture 3rd Model Dragoons cut for shoulder stocks they apparently no longer make the stocks themselves, or so I am told.

Actually finding out is difficult because the licensed dealers will not even enquire because a shoulder stock (along with other accessories and parts) is a prohibited import in Australia.

There is alleviation between Customs and the Police Weapons Licensing Branch that imports can be made if the police give written permission. I am in the process of sorting that out. But certainly having two (or a limited edition run) of shoulder stocks custom made would be prohibitively expensive as they are quite complicated bits of engineering.

I had been informed on these forums that a shoulder stock was available near myself and a price was quoted, but it turned out not to be so – or at least not in the place I believed it to be. In going back over the thread those posts have been deleted for some reason???

If the guy who posted to me could give me a PM I would appreciate it as it looks like stocks are going to be hard to find.

What VTI Had To Say. Not a lot! They mainly concentrated on the different butt and grip shapes (ie the Walker grips will not fit a Dragoon back strap). Maybe an answer is to put a Dragoon back strap on the Walker and have new grips cut for it as this would be far less expensive than making a scratch shoulder stock!

They also confirmed that while the Dragoons had been cut for shoulder stocks they had not seen a stock for years now.

VTI also said that they thought the project ‘would be very difficult’. Ah well! If it was easy then it would already have been done.

Question to Scrat. The Walker Club thread is yours. Would you prefer me to start a new thread for the RLE or keep it here?

Appeal for Information. Any advice or opinions are of course welcome – just mix in. But I now really need at least one, and preferably two, 3rd Model Dragoon detachable stocks. Anyone got any leads or ideas please?

Dixie Gun Works have replica stocks but these are for the narrower framed 1851 Navy and 1860 Army so will not fit the Dragoon/Walker.

Aye

Tony
 
Tony, All is not lost on the shoulder stock option. A new brass connector (front of stock), could easily be manufactured to fit onto a Dragoon, or even an 1860' stock. I exclusively carved waxes for jewelers for the last 10 years of my jewelry career. Something like this would be a cake walk by comparison. I would DEFINITEY work a trade to be a part of this project. PM me if you're interested.
 
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