The Walker is a poor choice for the beginner. It's heavy, doesn't have all the bugs worked out (the rammer frequently falls on replicas, as it did on the originals, the ties up the gun.
The 2nd and 3rd Model Dragoons were improvements on the Walker and those improvements were made for a reason.
A good beginner's cap and ball is the 1861 Navy, which is a streamlined improvement over the 1851 Navy. It has more space around the rammer, than the 1851, for loading conicals if you choose to use them.
The 1861 is also nicely balanced. Like the 1851, it's in .36 caliber.
If you must have a .44, get the 1858 Remington. My Uberti-made Remngton will take up to 40 grains of FFFG under a ball. That's not a pipsqueak load.
Lead balls are more accurate than any conical I've tried, including the Lee, Lyman, Buffalo and others.
If you use a .36, buy .380-inch balls. The .375 inch balls will work but are not as accurate in my experience. The larger ball creates a wider bearing surface for the rifling to grip.
Ball of .380 inch (and many other items) are available from Warren Muzzleloading in Arkansas at
www.warrenmuzzleloading.com Visit their website for more info.
If you use a .44, buy .454 or 457 inch balls. The oft-recommended .451 inch balls are not as accurate, in my opnion, for the same reason as given above.
I use a greased, felt wad between the ball and powder (except with the Remington's 40-grain load, there's not enough room for it).
Use black powder, FFFG granulation, if you can find it. It's more accurate in my experience.
I cant' tell you which caps to buy. They come in two sizes, No. 10 and No. 11. Buy a tin of both sizes. If the No. 10 is a nice, slip fit, go with that. If it won't fully seat on the nipple, go with No. 11. Whichever size you uise, pinch the cap into a slightly oblong shape so it will better cling to the nipple. Otherwise, caps can fall of the nipple with handling or from recoil.
Don't throw away those caps that dont' fit! Each time you go to the range, before you load the revolver, place a cap on the nipple and fire it ONLY. This will clear the channel of the nipple of any dust, oil or crud. It will also dry the chambers of any oil.
Actually, I do this twice to be sure. After snapping caps on the unloaded revolver, it's time to load it.
I can't recommend a load, you'l lhave to find that yourself. With either the Walker or Remington .44 I'd start with 30 grains of FFFG or equivalent.
Buy some stiff felt wads from Ox-Yoke, called Wonder Wads. Now, before shooting, melt a little Crisco, Bore Butter or similar lubricant and add the wads. Ensure they are well-soaked with the lubricant.
Ox-Yoke advertises that their dry lubricant is plenty good for keeping fouling soft. I haven't found this to be true so I augment the lubricant by soaking the wads in melted lubricant.
Search this site under my name, Gatofeo, for detailed instructions on making the best lubricant I know. It's a mix of canning paraffin, mutton tallow and beeswax.
After charging a chamber, thumb a greased felt wad into the chamber and ram it down firmly on the powder with the rammer. Do this to all six chambers. Then, seat the ball firmly on the wad.
There must be NO space between powder, wad and ball!
If you use a well-greased felt wad, there is no need to put lubricant over the ball. That wad will not only lubricate the ball, but scrape out fouling as it travels down the bore.
The Walker, and all Colts, have crude sights. They also hit high at 25 yards, as did the originals. Most Colts hit dead-on at 75 to 100 yards, so they hit 6 to 10 inches high at 25 yards.
The Remington repros usually have a very tall front sight, causing them to hit low. You simply find an accurate load, then slowly file down the front sight until the groups get close to point of aim.
Two things to keep in mind, however: Find an accurate load BEFORE you fiddle with the sights, and go SLOW with filing down the front sight. Just a lick or two at a time, then test it at the range. This filing is best done at the range, at a measured 25 yards, from a benchrest, to eliminate asa much shooter error as possible.
Yes, it's tedious. But it's worth it. After all, even if you're just a plinker, you still want to hit that tin can.
I don't suggest you buy a Walker. It's simply not a beginner's gun.
).
