Can I use lead shot in a Cold Walker?

[M. De Land]

Blackie Thomas did a YouTube vide on this.

What shot size ? I've been using 7's.

 

[SDSmlf]

What shot size ? I've been using 7's.

The CF handgun loading I referred to (post #9 above) worked best with #9 shot.

 

[M. De Land]

Blackie Thomas did a YouTube vide on this.

The problem with using lead shot in a rifled barrel is that all the shot on the periphery of the chamber contacting the lands and grooves tend to peel off from the shot column in flight from what I can see. The shot cups greatly reduce or eliminate this problem..
I have noticed my 4 inch barreled .44 shoots much tighter patterns than does my long barreled guns shooting identical loads and I don't really know why that should be..

 

[Old Sparky]

I tried this when I was a teenager back in the 80s. It seems that the rifling really throws the pattern off. I was unable to take a squirrel at approximately 10 yards. I used a Wonder wad over the powder and another one over the shot. I gave up because even if you made a shot cup it was still come out spinning and end up with a donut pattern

 

[M. De Land]

I tried this when I was a teenager back in the 80s. It seems that the rifling really throws the pattern off. I was unable to take a squirrel at approximately 10 yards. I used a Wonder wad over the powder and another one over the shot. I gave up because even if you made a shot cup it was still come out spinning and end up with a donut pattern

I'm going to try some paper shot cups like those made for paper patched bullets. I think if one can get some material between the shot and the rifling to diminish deformation it should improve the rotation spread of the shot column.

 

[SDSmlf]

The problem with using lead shot in a rifled barrel is that all the shot on the periphery of the chamber contacting the lands and grooves tend to peel off from the shot column in flight from what I can see. The shot cups greatly reduce or eliminate this problem..
I have noticed my 4 inch barreled .44 shoots much tighter patterns than does my long barreled guns shooting identical loads and I don't really know why that should be..

I tried this when I was a teenager back in the 80s. It seems that the rifling really throws the pattern off. I was unable to take a squirrel at approximately 10 yards. I used a Wonder wad over the powder and another one over the shot. I gave up because even if you made a shot cup it was still come out spinning and end up with a donut pattern

While not cap and ball, I found in revolvers with rifled barrels (4-5/8”, 6”, 6-1/2” and 7-1/2” long) the slightest tweaking of powder charge or amount of shot would change the pattern, and I was only working out to 30’, 6 yards, max. You just have to find the right load. For a cap and ball load, I would probably start with 5 grains or so of 4F and go up from there watching what the pattern did. This is for a rat or snake load, not upland game hunting.

 

[M. De Land]

While not cap and ball, I found in revolvers with rifled barrels (4-5/8”, 6”, 6-1/2” and 7-1/2” long) the slightest tweaking of powder charge or amount of shot would change the pattern, and I was only working out to 30’, 6 yards, max. You just have to find the right load. For a cap and ball load, I would probably start with 5 grains or so of 4F and go up from there watching what the pattern did. This is for a rat or snake load, not upland game hunting.

The original idea I think was to figure out a load for a Walker which has tons of room for both shot and powder.

 

[SDSmlf]

The original idea I think was to figure out a load for a Walker which has tons of room for both shot and powder.

I was suggesting finding a load that ‘works’, call it a baseline load, then work out heavier loads. Have found it doesn’t take much additional powder to blow a hole through a ‘pattern’ once one is identified. I guess you could load a Walker cylinder to the max then blast away and wonder why you’re getting a donut or crescent moon shaped pattern before deciding it can’t be done.

I may take one of the Walkers out and see what kind of shot load I can work up, but just like I did with a CF pistol round that a guy named Keith was instrumental in bring to the market, I will not be starting with magnum loads just because there is chamber capacity.

 

[M. De Land]

I was suggesting finding a load that ‘works’, call it a baseline load, then work out heavier loads. Have found it doesn’t take much additional powder to blow a hole through a ‘pattern’ once one is identified. I guess you could load a Walker cylinder to the max then blast away and wonder why you’re getting a donut or crescent moon shaped pattern before deciding it can’t be done.

I may take one of the Walkers out and see what kind of shot load I can work up, but just like I did with a CF pistol round that a guy named Keith was instrumental in bring to the market, I will not be starting with magnum loads just because there is chamber capacity.

I'm just saying with that large a chamber length there is a lot of experimentation room to explore.

 

[stephenprops1]

Ok, my mind just had to go to A Christmas Story.

Don't shoot your eye out.

 

[Bad Karma]

I'm just saying with that large a chamber length there is a lot of experimentation room to explore.

Maybe something along these lines if you’re not able to find 45 caliber plastic shot cups…

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/paper-shot-cartridge-tutorial.168298/

 

[M. De Land]

Don't shoot your eye out.

I've got a lot of gun work to get done now that it looks like I'm going to live for a while longer. The Walker needs a loading lever latch and new front sight in a dovetail. I think this shot idea in a Walker is going to be a real useful thing to experiment with as it should have enough potential to approximate a .410 shot load possibly if I can figure out how to nix the rotation factor.

 

[M. De Land]

Maybe something along these lines if you’re not able to find 45 caliber plastic shot cups…

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/paper-shot-cartridge-tutorial.168298/

Yeah that and I have some plastic tubing for putting my reamers in for protecting the flute edges with caps for both ends that might work as well. The plastic shot cups would eliminate the fire hazard and I could make them full length with felt wads so as not to get any air gaps in the chambers.

 

[Bad Karma]

I've got a lot of gun work to get done now that it looks like I'm going to live for a while longer. The Walker needs a loading lever latch and new front sight in a dovetail. I think this shot idea in a Walker is going to be a real useful thing to experiment with as it should have enough potential to approximate a .410 shot load possibly if I can figure out how to nix the rotation factor.

I’ve wondered if this worked well enough to load the whole cylinder with shot cartridges, might be worth smooth boring the barrel. If someone needed a handy repeating small bore shotgun that is…

 

[M. De Land]

I’ve wondered if this worked well enough to load the whole cylinder with shot cartridges, might be worth smooth boring the barrel. If someone needed a handy repeating small bore shotgun that is…

I'm wondering about a sleeve inside the shot cup to slip rotation from the rifling. I'd hate to make a smooth bore out of my new Walker.

 

[SDSmlf]

I’ve wondered if this worked well enough to load the whole cylinder with shot cartridges, might be worth smooth boring the barrel. If someone needed a handy repeating small bore shotgun that is…

There is a modern revolver with a rifled bore that will hold 410 shells, but I believe it’s marketed for use as a defensive weapon intended for use with buckshot shells. Guess it’s up to the end user to Judge whether the concept of shot in cap and ball revolver with a rifled bore would work well for their intended use.

I personally would not be smoothing the rifling out the bore of a functional Walker, though might consider if I had an orphan barrel assembly for one, but that’s likely a rare bird to find.

 

[M. De Land]

There is a modern revolver with a rifled bore that will hold 410 shells, but I believe it’s marketed for use as a defensive weapon intended for use with buckshot shells. Guess it’s up to the end user to Judge whether the concept of shot in cap and ball revolver with a rifled bore would work well for their intended use.

I personally would not be smoothing the rifling out the bore of a functional Walker, though might consider if I had an orphan barrel assembly for one, but that’s likely a rare bird to find.

Here is AK I wear a 4 inch .44 mag like my pants and always carry some shot loads with me for game hens and ptarmigan. No percussion guns for protection in bear country, which is basically all of AK. I've had blacks crawl over the fence into my back yard and Browns a hundred yards down the road in the creek during salmon runs. It may be 2024 but this is still Alaska !

 

[SDSmlf]

Here is AK I wear a 4 inch .44 mag like my pants and always carry some shot loads with me for game hens and ptarmigan. No percussion guns for protection in bear country, which is basically all of AK. I've had blacks crawl over the fence into my back yard and Browns a hundred yards down the road in the creek during salmon runs. It may be 2024 but this is still Alaska !

Not sure where you are going with this, but OP was about shot in a Walker for varmints.

Is it possible to use lead shot in Uberti Colt Walker for varmints?

As far as being in Alaska backcountry, I’ve been there, and I would not consider wasting precious luggage weight on any cap and ball revolver, let alone carry one for bear defense. Personally carried bear spray in the ‘large size’ dispenser and a 5 shot revolver with an empty chamber under the hammer. It was a revolver and cartridge combination developed by a guy named Casull. And yep, everything tightens up when Mr Brown is nearby.

 

[M. De Land]

Not sure where you are going with this, but OP was about shot in a Walker for varmints.

As far as being in Alaska backcountry, I’ve been there, and I would not consider wasting precious luggage weight on any cap and ball revolver, let alone carry one for bear defense. Personally carried bear spray in the ‘large size’ dispenser and a 5 shot revolver with an empty chamber under the hammer. It was a revolver and cartridge combination developed by a guy named Casull. And yep, everything tightens up when Mr Brown is nearby.

I've read of grizzlies being hunted with Walkers and round balls from horse back in history.

 

[Eterry]

I broke a finger in my left hand and can't hold on to a rifle now till it heals. Is it possible to use lead shot in Uberti Colt Walker for varmints?

As a reckless teen I took my 45 rifle and tried to make a 410 out of it. The 128gr prb was rough on squirrels. I got the doughnut hole pattern, missed a few tree rats, and gave up.