The THR Walker Club

[whughett]

Today is range day so I'm going to give the .457 balls a spin in the Walker, I've always used .454. My rb's are cast from scrounged lead and I never known the alloy so they can sometimes be is quite hard. .454 shave a ring and with that big old crow bar of a loading lever punch in easy, we will see for the .457's.

 

[John E.B.Rawton]

Eventually I plan to cast some bullets, hopefully in the spring. I thought balls should be pure lead and not a mix like ww lead.

 

[whughett]

Eventually I plan to cast some bullets, hopefully in the spring. I thought balls should be pure lead and not a mix like ww lead.

That's the current wisdom and beyond the need to force them into the chambers of the cylinders there are most likely other reasons. I cast pistol bullets for decades before getting into black powder revolvers and had access to unlimited supplies of TELCO lead. Cable sheathes, lead sleeves, ect ect. The sleeves were a lead, tin antimony mix and quite hard, the sheathing dead soft. My stock pile is diminishing so now its range backstop recycled lead and an occasional billet of plumbers lead from a son. I used wheel weights for a time until My electric lead pot started building up a crust on the bottom, a high concentration of zinc in the various wheel weights I believe so I stopped using them. The only problems with seating the round balls from mixed lead are in the smaller pistols, with their smaller loading levers. the 1851 Navy, the 1862 Police and the 31's, I save the plumbers lead for those. The big 44's what ever lead I have. The cartridges for the conversion cylinders of the 44's same lead.

So in my opinion unless your concerned about expansion on game, or others, I only punch holes in paper, don't let lead purity become that big an issue. I count shots by how many primers/percussion caps I buy. Between center fire and round balls about 4000 a year. I keep center fire velocities below 850fps,(loading manual data) unless I gas check the bullet, the black powder velocities I have no clue. As for accuracy sadly at my age its not that big an issue, I've declined and all my target practice is between 12 and 25 yards, with a Weaver stance I can still put most of the rounds in an 8inch bullseye target. JMO.

 

[John E.B.Rawton]

Well my only real concern is ringing the steel targets and center target is more of a place I point at than aim for.
I am thinking more about p.o.a. though as I realize how much more I would like it if I was placing those shots exactly were I intended. And doing it with one walker in each hand is a bit of a challange.
Practice, practice and more practice.

 

[Richard Taylor]

Forgive the intrusion - I’m a newby that has spent the last few days reading everything here, starting from the first post. I’ve always been a Walker fan, Josey Wales, blah, blah...you’ve all been there and done that. Reading through everything and seeing the establishment, development, and then what appears to be a slow decline in this site, I wonder what happened. There are still plenty of interesting posts, great photos, lively discussions and useful information, but activity seemed to peak around 2012 and the number of posts has declined drastically. All the old original members have gone, most without explanation or a fond farewell. The listing of new members and the club roster has also gone, apparently never to return. Folks are still requesting membership, but does that really have any meaning at this point? Maybe absorbing everything that happened over an eight year period in a week has left me with a false sense of nostalgia I have no right to experience or comment on, but it was as if I got to know these folks, and then they were gone.

Okay, enough pontificating. I’ve always wanted a Walker, but the time and money were never right. Two days ago my wife informed me we had a $1000 worth of points on a Cabelas Visa credit card we had been using for years. She had no idea until she ordered a jacket and they asked her if she wanted to use her points to pay for it. She then calmly asked me if there was anything at Cabelas I wanted to buy. Uh, yeah, honey, there is. So today I drove over to the store, examined the two new in the box Walkers they had, picked the nicest one and brought it home. Too late tonight, but I’ll post pictures tomorrow. It’s just a regular, out of the box Walker, but to me it’s the best there is. So, I guess I’m asking, once I post the photo, to join up. We are still doing that - right?

 

[arcticap]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for catching up on so many past posts.
That takes a lot of dedication, enthusiasm and a high level of interest.
Regarding regular past members, just because people have lives outside of the internet and this forum doesn't mean that they're forgotten or need to report their reasons for coming or going.
Let me just say that life happens, especially as people get older.

Congratulations on selecting your new Walker.
I'm sure that you're excited and anticipating getting the chance to fire it.
You've come to what is still the best place to get all the info. that you need to know about it.
Hopefully you will be able to help to pass that info. along to others just as those who were here before did for some of us.

 

[Richard Taylor]

Thanks. I certainly didn’t mean to disrespect those who no longer participate in the discussions, just that I enjoyed their dedication and humor, and began to miss them as I read along. I’ve enjoyed every page and have already learned more about the Walker than I ever expected. I certainly expect to stay on board and continue the learning process.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Welcome! I watch this post as well and like you I don't see much activity either. I have a Walker that has been tuned and I use it now to chase Jackrabbits around the desert. Check your pistol's arbor length and get it corrected before you shoot full power loads. Arbor length has been discussed numerous times here and on other threads. I have personally seen a Walker frame damaged to the point of no return because of the arbor problem. If you can send it to Mike from Goons and have him tune it.

 

[Richard Taylor]

First thing on my list is to check arbor length. From what I've read, Tesco nipples are also a good modification.

Here is my Walker fresh out of the box, factory oil and all. It has some nice grain on the grips, and I like the pattern on the Frame and loading lever.



I make films and videos for a living and I've purchased guns fro use in the films I've written and directed. Back in the early eighties, I found this Dragoon in a gun magazine and ordered it. Apparently it's somewhat of a rare beast these days. My big regret is that I didn't have the money to buy the stock for it at the time. The backstrap is cut for a grip and there are two large screws on the frame to attach the stock. I can't find a stock anywhere. Lost opportunities.



My third open top has been used in countless films over the years. I bought it as a kit in the late seventies or early eighties. The patina is real - forty years of handling and use.



This last one is off topic, but I love the looks of this thing. It's a numbers matching C-96 Mauser I'm currently restoring.



In my opinion, the Walker, the C-96 Mauser and the Thompson submachinegun with the vertical foregrip are the coolest looking guns ever made. I might throw in a LeMat revolver in a pinch.

 

[expat_alaska]

First thing on my list is to check arbor length. From what I've read, Tesco nipples are also a good modification.

Richard, welcome to the BP forum! Always good to have new knowledgeable members.

Here is my Walker fresh out of the box, factory oil and all. It has some nice grain on the grips, and I like the pattern on the frame and loading lever.

Very nice! I do love the frame case colors. IMO, the Walker is just too large a gun for me, and I don't like how the load lever drops on most all shots. My preference would be a Uberti Whitneyville Dragoon. It has the same grip frame as the Walker but on a much more manageable size gun with a better load lever latch.. The cylinder will hold 50 gr BP under a round ball, and that is pretty stout. Around Thanksgiving MidwayUSA had them on sale for $360, but no longer.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...evolver-44-caliber-75-barrel-steel-frame-blue

I am a sucker for squareback trigger guards, as in my rendition of a (fantasy) 1851 Navy .36 Second Model Dragoon:



Which leads me to your next gun, a long barreled (16") 3rd Model Dragoon, and looking at the rear trigger guard screw shoulders I do not believe it to be an Uberti but rather an ASM or an ASP.

I make films and videos for a living and I've purchased guns fro use in the films I've written and directed. Back in the early eighties,
I found this Dragoon in a gun magazine and ordered it. Apparently it's somewhat of a rare beast these days. My big regret is that
I didn't have the money to by the stock for it at the time. The backstrap is cut for a grip and there are two large screws on the frame
to attach the stock. I can't find a stock anywhere. Lost opportunities.

Maybe not. I have only held a Dragoon once, and I know they are larger than the replica Pietta Navies I collect. I have looked all morning for a Dragoon shoulder stock online, but all I can find are 10+ year old references to them on various BP gun boards, so no joy there.

DGW offers one for the Pietta 1851 Navy which uses the extended hammer screw studs as well as the backstrap divot as yours seems to indicate. It is not a canteen stock, which would probably be preferable. It does not need the recoil shields cut for an original shoulder stock. Since you have an 1851 Navy you could measure the difference between the width of the Dragoon frame and the 1851 frame to see if this stock would be feasible, and it would probably take a lot of fitting to the Dragoon frame and the width of the Dragoon wood. $295.



https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...++Pietta+1851+Navy,+Wyatt+Earp+Shoulder+Stock

Regards,

Jim

 

[Richard Taylor]

I just love the size and look of the Walkers. As always, everyone has their own preferences.

The Dragoon is a San Marco. It is a bit wider than the Navy and the extended mounting screws bear no similarity to anything on the Navy. They appear to be drilled and installed solely to mount the stock.

 

[expat_alaska]

The Dragoon is a San Marco. It is a bit wider than the Navy and the extended mounting screws bear no similarity to anything on the Navy. They appear to be drilled and installed solely to mount the stock.

The Pietta shoulder stock I referred to includes a modified hammer screw that incorporates those two extended screw heads in order to affix the stock to that area of the gun. The ones on your gun should do just fine with it.

Jim

 

[Richard Taylor]

It might work. ‘Currently unavailable,” but I’ll give them a call and see what’s up. Thanks for the info.

 

[John E.B.Rawton]

I only found this site this fall when I decided to start shooting my my two uberti walkers as designed, cap n’ ball with black powder.
I was shooting .45 colt cartridges with the Kirst Konvertor installed. I’ve been doing some low level tuning and adjusting on all my c&bs while I collect components. The walkers are a blast to shoot. Welcome.

 

[LonesomePigeon]

I had one of those long barrel Dragoon's with a shoulder stock but I traded it off. I've never seen a stock for sale by itself but I have seen the gun and stock together at least 3 times in the past 3 years. They usually run around 700 to 900 asking price but I guess actual selling price could be lower. I got mine for about $450 off gunauction.com which doesn't get quite the traffic as gunbroker.com. I considered that a very cheap price.

 

[frydaddy96]

Got 2 now. First one brand new in 1985, 2nd is a rescue/restoration date stamped 1972 that I just bought off of GB. Knew it had an issue (broken cylinder bolt, pictures didn't show what was hidden in the shadows) but who ever owned it previous to the store I bought it from should be pistol whipped with it. Every square millimeter of the back of the cylinder has been hammered flat by the Hammer. Looks like when the bolt broke, the SH**bag spent countless hours dry firing, probably hand fanning. The hammer screw and pivot hole are worn to a wobble. The hammer face is peened from smashing the cylinder. Numerous dings from prying items loose when they got stuck. Got a new bolt and hammer/screw, right now working to get the new hammer to strike completely. If you want to see pictures of the cruelty, I'll post some when I get home.

 

[Norton Commando]

Check your pistol's arbor length and get it corrected before you shoot full power loads. Arbor length has been discussed numerous times here and on other threads. I have personally seen a Walker frame damaged to the point of no return because of the arbor problem.

Indeed, the arbor on Uberti Walkers has proven to be too short in many instances. There are two ways to fix the problem: make the arbor hole shallower, or make the arbor longer. I decided on the later and used my little 110V MIG welder to build up the end of the arbor to a length greater than the hole depth . I then trial fitted the arbor and filed and sanded the weld metal until a perfect fit was achieved. Following are a couple of pics.

 

[Richard Taylor]

I went to check the arbor clearance today, and discovered a problem. Although the barrel fits fine going in straight, when I attempt tp turn it 90 degrees to check clearance, the barrel binds on the arbor and I can’t get it in far enough to measure any possible overlap. I don’t want to force anything. I can’t find any burrs on the arbor or inside the barrel, so my attempt at determining clearance is temporarily at a standstill.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Remove the cylinder, put the barrel on and mark the arbor. Next remove the barrel and measure the length from the mark to the end of the arbor. Measure the depth of the hole in the barrel and compare the two measurements. This should give you an idea of what is needed to correct the problem.

 

[John E.B.Rawton]

I had the same problem with all four of my open top ubertis. The barrel will not rotatate on the pin once you get close to full insertion. I had to deburr areas and take a few swipes with a file. My 1860 was so bad I had to replace the cylinder pin because it loosened and began to rock back and forth. I used a solid spacer dropped in the pin hole. Others have used washers a epoxy. If you take your time you can get them spot on. Cylinder clearance to barrel will be the point to keep an eye on and there are some varying opinions there.

 

[expat_alaska]

If one has 2 or 3 different barrels for use on one frame/arbor, it is better to modify the depth of the arbor recess than to modify the arbor length.

Jim

 

[oxide80]

Figured I'd add my newly acquired ASM Walker to this thread. 1979 date code and appears to be unfired. It has a unique silver finish to the cyl and barrel, not certain if its nickel, stainless or some other coating bit either way it stands out from my other revolvers!

 

[44 Dave]

Figured I'd add my newly acquired ASM Walker to this thread. 1979 date code and appears to be unfired. It has a unique silver finish to the cyl and barrel, not certain if its nickel, stainless or some other coating bit either way it stands out from my other revolvers!

Originals were left "white".

 

[oxide80]

I did read the cylinder was left in the white, and the barrel was blued.

As for any information regarding ASMs history building these revolvers? Who imported them? Few things I've noticed is no 1847 stamping, Armi San Marco is on top of the barrel where the Colt Address would have gone, and the caliber stamping Is under the loading lever. Is this common on the ASM?

 

[arcticap]

Who imported them?

The question could also be phrased "Who didn't import them?"
A quick search shows that many outfits imported ASM guns including EMF, Dixie Gun Works, CVA, Navy Arms, Replica Arms and many other
large and small importers.
The company was in existence for many years, selling their first Walker in the US in 1962.--->>> https://tinkertalksguns.wordpress.com/2018/08/24/emf-armi-san-marcos-new-dakota-model-45/
Replica Arms of El Paso, Texas sold the first ones back then.--->>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimarron_Firearms#History