Horse pistols, Walkers or Dragoons, are not for the weak of wrist. The first complaint you will hear about them is the weight of the revolver itself. Rarely, do you hear a peep about the recoil.
Years ago, I lived in a very rural area of Southeast Louisiana. People from the city of New Orleans would drive out to that area and toss out their unwanted pets. We had twenty some odd barn cats at one time. Before long, a pack of feral dogs became a serious problem. We called the Aspca, the Orleans Parish animal control and the NOPD. All responded that where we lived was outside their jurisdiction. People were waking up to find their family pets dead and ripped apart on their door steps. This esculated to cattle attacks. Then when two children were chased from their bus stop to their home, enough was enough.
The locals paired up and went looking for these dogs turned predators. The young man, I was with, had an old H&R .410 shotgun. While, I had a ASM Thrid Model Colt type Dragoon. I had loaded it with 40 grains of Goex FFFG, topped by a plastic button, Ultra Hi Spit Ball Lube and a round ball. I bought this gun from SWC, for a whopping $25.00, who had an ad in the Shotgun News.
We ran into the main pack. My companion thought that bird shot would do for the task at hand. He threw down on the pack leader, a huge black great dane, at about 100 feet away. The dog just shook his head, like he was shaking off gnats. Many of the other dogs lit out. But, the dane was coming for us. At about 50 feet, I hauled up my hog leg and let loose. The dog rolled tail over head twice and laid still. At twenty feet, I let fly a second ball into his head. Upon examination, my first ball caught him in the chest and exited between his tail and his anus at about eleven o'clock.
While admittedly not a fast action gun, in the hands of a determined individual, it gets the job done the first time.
But, I will warn you, you get the bug for these pieces, it doesn't go away. Your next step is light artillery.
CP
CaptainKirk said:
I presently own 3 C&B pistols; 1851 Navy in .36, 1858 Remmy in .44 and 1860 Army in .44. I've always had a strong hankering for either a Walker or Dragoon, but wonder; is there much difference (other than weight...duh!) in performance, handling, etc? How is the recoil on the larger "horse pistols"? What about grouping, effective range, etc? I would appreciate hearing from anyone who owns one of these, especially those who shoot some of their younger brethren (such as my three) as to how they compare, and; was it worth the cost? Is the shooting experience different (i.e. "gotta have it"?)
FYI, I shoot my own 240gr reloads through my Ruger Super Blackhawk (ouch!) so I'm no newbie to recoil in a SA. Just wonder how the big fellers compare. :idunno:
