walker charge ?
- Thread starter Venom007
- Start date
- Status
Loyalist Dave
Member
Is it a vintage Armi San Marco or an Uberti?
Who, pray tell, is "they"?
Uberti has only a one page manual for all of their cap-n-ball revolvers, and the max charge is 30 grains.
Not sure how a steel framed Walker would "stretch" from firing heavy loads...., while it is possible for a brass framed, open topped cap-n-ball revolver to do so after a lot of rounds. There are reports of the wedge getting "battered" from 60 grain loads, thus giving you a loose fit (one could replace the wedge).
Here is a video by Mike Beliveau has an excellent video on shooting the Uberti Walker
So I think you could launch a cylinder of full-house-loads to say you've done it..., but you probably want to not do that much more.
LD
Who, pray tell, is "they"?
Uberti has only a one page manual for all of their cap-n-ball revolvers, and the max charge is 30 grains.
Not sure how a steel framed Walker would "stretch" from firing heavy loads...., while it is possible for a brass framed, open topped cap-n-ball revolver to do so after a lot of rounds. There are reports of the wedge getting "battered" from 60 grain loads, thus giving you a loose fit (one could replace the wedge).
Here is a video by Mike Beliveau has an excellent video on shooting the Uberti Walker
So I think you could launch a cylinder of full-house-loads to say you've done it..., but you probably want to not do that much more.
LD
whughett
Member
Opps, I missed that somewhere along the line. There is not much point to it but I have on numerous occasions shot my Walker with 60 grain loads. This one has the full Goon treatment so I'm not sure how the wedge would get battered as nothing is loose to start with, and the loading lever doesn't drop even with 60 grains.. My standard load is 40 grains. (That's all the quick load capsules will contain and still hold the round ball.
Jackrabbit1957
Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2018
- Messages
- 2,863
I know of a fellow who had a repro Walker that stretched. I don't know what manufacturer made it. He thought the wedge was the problem. I believe the arbor was way short. He had at least 2 wedges made and still didn't solve the problem. Guy was really bummed.
As an aside Uberti’s site used to state how much stronger their Walkers were due to modern metallurgy compared to the historical version and yet it stated a max charge of 30 grns. I asked them about this but they declined to answer. Since then they’ve changed their site.
swathdiver
Member
We've been shooting our ASM Walker with 50 grain charges of 2F for years with no problems at all. Very accurate with round ball and this load.
Acorn Mush
Member
My brother has a repro Walker made by ASM, I believe. Some years back we decided to see how much powder we could cram in the chambers and got about 62 grains of 3f GOEX in each, near as we could figure. Fun to shoot, lots of smoke, not bad recoil, but each cylinder-full consumed over 370 grains.
A friend of ours, who is an excellent pistol shot, was regularly hitting a playing card-sized target at 50 yards using a 50-grain load in the revolver.
All-in-all it was a lot of fun but my brother sort of christened the Walker "Powder Pig". Can't say I blame him.
A friend of ours, who is an excellent pistol shot, was regularly hitting a playing card-sized target at 50 yards using a 50-grain load in the revolver.
All-in-all it was a lot of fun but my brother sort of christened the Walker "Powder Pig". Can't say I blame him.
Love that name! Quite fitting I’d say.
alexander45
Member
It doesn't so much stretch as much as the pressed in arbor works lose with continued firing some of the Smith's that do work on them will pin the arbor to help alleviate wear and tear to a point but it will still work lose do to leverage that the barrel has on it
45 Dragoon
Member
- Joined
- May 18, 2013
- Messages
- 2,759
whughett is correct. A Walker with a corrected arbor will be perfectly fine with "full house" loads. The problem with all " horse pistols " (and most cap and ball revolvers ) of any make is that they have arbors that don't bottom out in the arbor hole. This is what keeps these revolvers from beating themselves to pieces.
The "fellow who hunts hogs" with them may be Hovey Smith who also hunts deer with the Walker as well. His "hunting" Walker is known as the "Super Walker". I set the Super Walker up so that he could shoot full loads of Triple 7 along with Kaido's bullets.
The arbors in all of Colts open top revolvers are screwed in and staked, not pressed in.
The reason the arbor must bottom out in the arbor hole (under tension) is to transmit energy throughout the arm as if it were one piece. Otherwise, the two assemblies will vibrate at different rates and eventually destroy each other. It's a harmonics thing.
Anyway, as stated, correctly built and or " fixed", they work as designed (as did the originals) and will last.
As a side note, as far as I know, Pietta is the only manufacturer that has addressed this problem (since around 2008-9). All other open top revolvers I have ever worked on have had short arbors. That includes the cartridge conversions/ 72 open tops by all makers (except originals from Colt of course!!)
Mike
The "fellow who hunts hogs" with them may be Hovey Smith who also hunts deer with the Walker as well. His "hunting" Walker is known as the "Super Walker". I set the Super Walker up so that he could shoot full loads of Triple 7 along with Kaido's bullets.
The arbors in all of Colts open top revolvers are screwed in and staked, not pressed in.
The reason the arbor must bottom out in the arbor hole (under tension) is to transmit energy throughout the arm as if it were one piece. Otherwise, the two assemblies will vibrate at different rates and eventually destroy each other. It's a harmonics thing.
Anyway, as stated, correctly built and or " fixed", they work as designed (as did the originals) and will last.
As a side note, as far as I know, Pietta is the only manufacturer that has addressed this problem (since around 2008-9). All other open top revolvers I have ever worked on have had short arbors. That includes the cartridge conversions/ 72 open tops by all makers (except originals from Colt of course!!)
Mike
dickydalton
Member
oops, doubled.
dickydalton
Member
That's why we need Mike.
Possibly as I know he (bphunter possibly?) hunts with that group, though he does not use Kaido’s bullets (or didn’t then as it’s been years) but a ball.
whughett
Member
On the Colt arbor, a scene from the movie, The Hateful Eight, Actor Kurt Russell disassembles a bad guys Colt. First the wedge, drops it in a bucket, barrel, in the bucket, cylinder, in the bucket, unscrews the arbor, in the bucket. Then instructs accomplice to dump bucket down the privy's hole. 
BTW Russell is a gun enthusiast so guess he knows to unscrew the arbor.
BTW Russell is a gun enthusiast so guess he knows to unscrew the arbor.
dickydalton
Member
I actually have 240 grain Kaido bullets loaded in my Goonerized Whitneyville Dragoon right now. The problem is that I loaded it months ago and can't remember how much Swiss 3F I loaded them on top of. I think it's 40 or 45 grains.
whughett
Member
Better go touch those off and see if they still work ok.
72coupe
Member
I have never shot a Walker but I have shot thousands of 50 grain loads through Dragoons.
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2002
- Messages
- 22,448
Historically the original Walkers' metallurgy was poor and loading them to maximum capacity was detrimental. The modern steel in the repros make the repros a superior firearm. I wouldn't worry about 60 grains but I think that's a big waste of powder.
Jackrabbit1957
Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2018
- Messages
- 2,863
I like to run around 45 grains in my ASM Walker. Gives good accuracy. I have been using Pyrodex P and will most likely stick with it. Might try a 200 grn bullet eventually. That is what I've been using in my ROA's with real good results.
whughett
Member
Not that I would try it but I've seen in these pages mention of a few "kernels" of smokless under a black charge to bolster ignition.
How would a chain fire stretch a frame?
How would a chain fire stretch a frame?
Walkers as far as I know were specifically designed to fire 60 grain loads with a ball and 50 grain loads with conical bullets to take down horses in battle, not to make a show or "waste powder." They were carried by horse riders in saddle mounted holsters.
These revolvers were not meant to be carried on person and shot with anemic 30 grain year 2018 lawyer approved loads. They were purpose specific huge powerful pistols. Despite the fact that a lot of them blew, and you will hear arguments ad nausea as to why (some say soldier error I say I don't know) Facts are that steel used back then was pretty bad compared to even our low grade modern steel.
I have to give credit to those old timers for even pulling off such a feat with such low quality steel and have no doubts that design fit, workmanship and finish had to be top notch to do it.
Unfortunately high quality fit, finish, and workmanship required to make this thing work right is something of a rare commodity these days. Thankfully the quality of steel used means that cost saving shoddy workmanship will produce a product with built in planned obsolescence (a modern manufacturers wet dream) stretching frames, battered parts etc.. rather than the exploding grenade it did in the past.
As long as people cheerlead the use of powder puff loads as the only acceptable way to use these HUGE pistols obviously meant for larger than average charges they will keep making them the same in hopes people will just buy new ones when they batter them into a mass of loose bolts.
These revolvers were not meant to be carried on person and shot with anemic 30 grain year 2018 lawyer approved loads. They were purpose specific huge powerful pistols. Despite the fact that a lot of them blew, and you will hear arguments ad nausea as to why (some say soldier error I say I don't know) Facts are that steel used back then was pretty bad compared to even our low grade modern steel.
I have to give credit to those old timers for even pulling off such a feat with such low quality steel and have no doubts that design fit, workmanship and finish had to be top notch to do it.
Unfortunately high quality fit, finish, and workmanship required to make this thing work right is something of a rare commodity these days. Thankfully the quality of steel used means that cost saving shoddy workmanship will produce a product with built in planned obsolescence (a modern manufacturers wet dream) stretching frames, battered parts etc.. rather than the exploding grenade it did in the past.
As long as people cheerlead the use of powder puff loads as the only acceptable way to use these HUGE pistols obviously meant for larger than average charges they will keep making them the same in hopes people will just buy new ones when they batter them into a mass of loose bolts.
Last edited:
I would really love to have a goonerized Walker for a 50 to 60 grain multiple use range gun someday.
All the smoke and bang during my brief visit to a free state range would be great therapeutic release from the stress of living under strict communist gun control and just plain control in my part of town.
The high powder use is fine (I would want to use all of it at the range) with me since I can't take black powder or the like home because I am just a fief in the kingdom of Deblasioville.
All the smoke and bang during my brief visit to a free state range would be great therapeutic release from the stress of living under strict communist gun control and just plain control in my part of town.
The high powder use is fine (I would want to use all of it at the range) with me since I can't take black powder or the like home because I am just a fief in the kingdom of Deblasioville.
Last edited:
- Status
