My Colt Walker

[redwing]

Great work and a fine story "white Dog". I just hate this don't do anything that may hurt some one else. Don't let the eastern metro crowd cloud your interest and skills. This is America people have aright to make mistakes, you have a right to improve on a less than accurate reproduction handgun. :thumbsup:

 

[whitedog333]

Thanks Red! You're allright man!! :grin: but have you seen the patina that madcratebuilder has created? It's really great! It reminds me of the rifles by Herschel House in that they look old and the more they are used, the better they look, as was meant. Not everyone likes or approves of that, but I sure do!

 

[davy]

Your just a trublemaker Whitedog ... admit it and be done with it! :surrender: No Santa for you this year bucko!

Actually though holding the replica Walker I have in my hand right now .. if it wuz mine to do so .. it would be nice to see it retro'ed to look like an original! Signed of course! :thumbsup:

Davy

 

[whitedog333]

Davy, I like that hat! It looks good on you! The other picture is mighty scary though. Now I'm gonna have nightmares! I guess that I'm just looking for something to keep me busy. We'll have to pop a cork down in San Antone in March and have a snort or two or twelve and talk about it all.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Your just a trublemaker Whitedog ... admit it and be done with it! :surrender: No Santa for you this year bucko!

Actually though holding the replica Walker I have in my hand right now .. if it wuz mine to do so .. it would be nice to see it retro'ed to look like an original! Signed of course! :thumbsup:

Davy

Davy,

I'd like to buy YOU and the other fella dressed-up in the red outfit a snort at the Cantina :rotf: .

Put your order in now, cause at only $1,300.00 for the gun, that's only about $875.00 in labor for 80 hours of work :hmm: . Here in Jersey, work like that would go for double what he got! And that's a compliment, I'm not :stir: stirring the pot :thumbsup: . I'd want mine signed too, and maybe have my son's name put on it, along with the phrase, "Always remember Me, Dad"

 

[Stophel]

As far as trying to pass it of as a real one...

As I understand it, real old Colts are actually .44...hence the designation. The replicas are .45. All you would need to do is drop a .440 ball down the chamber. If it's loose, it's a fake.

Right?

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

You pose an interesting question...one for which I don't have the answer :hmm: . It is doubtful though that an owner of an original would want somebody putting balls into the chambers to prove a point, since getting them out could be problematic and possibly lead to scratching the gun.

And then there's the fact that some reproductions use only a .451 diameter ball and when loading said ball, some of the lead is shaved-off by the cylinder's chamber mouths. This would get awful close to .44 cal, wouldn't it?

I'd have to research this, or maybe bprevolver, a member here on this forum, who is more knowledgeable than I would know the correct answer.

Dave

 

[Stophel]

Anyone trying to sell a mucho diniero gun like this surely should not be opposed to doing such a simple and harmless test. If he was, the red flags should immediately pop up, I think.

Usually you use about a .454 (or even .457) ball for most of these guns. The cylinder shaves off a tad, but I think it still ends up real close to .45. You know, I've never measured one of the chambers. One could do the same thing, I suppose, with the plastic calipers, which won't scratch anything. Just measure the chambers.

All assuming that the proper caliber IS .44, and not .45....

None of which really matters to me, since I can barely afford one of the $365 reproductions!!!! (I just bought a Dragoon myself)

:grin:

 

[whitedog333]

As I understand it, all italian reproduction Walker barrels are in 44 caliber except the Uberti which uses the original specefications which are 457 at the breech and which narrows down to 451 or so at the muzzle like on theoriginals. Their Drgoons are the same. That and their use of the nickel or German silver front sights instead of brass are what makes their pistols stand out from the others. Their cylinders however are not shaped like originals like for instance ASM Whose trigger guard is also dead on, and Palmetto, whose cylinders are also good. I used a Palmetto cylinder and had to recut the cams in order for it to work and index correctly on the Uberti Frame. I also opened up the smaller chambers for the Uberti bore which was as I said the same as Colts. Most frames are OK. I think that an ASM with a Uberti barrel and the cylinder bored out correctly would be a good combination to start with.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

My Third Model Dragoon (by Uberti) can use up to 45 grains of 3Fg Goex, a pre-lubed wonder-wad, and a .454 ball. With this load the horse pistol shoots over a foot high at 25 yards. From the factory they're sighted in at approx. 75 yards. If you use less than 30 grains you'll need some sort of extra filler to compress the charge. 35-40 grains of real black is what most of us here in Jersey use for the thing.

Some Piettas only need a .451 ball and most Ruger guys use a .457 ball, so the diameters are all over the place.

A real Colt collector would know I think...I've just got the Italian copies, but then that's all I really want, cause I SHOOT THEM :wink:

Dave

 

[Stophel]

They're choke bored?

 

[R.M.]

Would the European guns not have metric threads also?

 

[whitedog333]

As far as trying to pass it of as a real one...

As I understand it, real old Colts are actually .44...hence the designation. The replicas are .45. All you would need to do is drop a .440 ball down the chamber. If it's loose, it's a fake.

Right?

The old COLT barels would have the bore diameter larger at the mouth and then would narrow a might by the time it reached the muzzleSo, when the bullet would exit the muzzle it was actually a .44xx or just under a 45. THe original navies used 38 caliber balls and reduced them down to 36. That is why a cartridge conversion of the Colt navies could use a 38 cartridge. While we're at it, did you know that a 44/40 is actually a 41 caliber? Swear to God! Don't know where the 44 designation came from.

 

[brubincam]

-----a 38 cal pistol cartridge is actually 35 cal

 

[whitedog333]

Amazing. :hmm:

 

[brubincam]

-----44 colt is a 42 cal-----as is the 44 mag-----

 

[davy]

-----44 colt is a 42 cal-----as is the 44 mag-----

I allus heard it wuz the difference between the diamter of lands and the grooves ... :hmm: :grin:

Davy

 

[brubincam]

-----bullet for the 44 is 429 diam.---if the barrel was 44 cal. the bullet would bounce through it-----

 

[redwing]

I think the .38-40 WCF is a .401 Cal. or 10MM. The .44-40 WCF is .429 or .430 the same as the modern .44 Cal. American Handguns. :thumbsup:

 

[R.M.]

Many of these original calibers had heeled bullets, much like the common .22 bullet. The OD of the bullet was the same OD as the case. Now days, the bullet OD is the same as the ID of the case.