should I keep waiting ? or get this used 1847 walker

[Candymancan]

Jedediah-starr.com is my go-to place for in-stock BP guns, and they have a Walker, $469... 2 in stock at this moment.

https://www.jedediah-starr.com/closeup.asp?searchWord=1847&pid=312&offset=0

Thanks. Ive been looking fir a dang year now.. its insaine google searchs never pop up anything.

 

[Candymancan]

I'll re-post the pic I found that shows how Colt did the originals. Note the barrel lug to frame location. Drop a thin washer or two down the arbor hole and try to assemble for a true check of the arbor length(or measure with a caliper). Measure the gap and subtract .0015-.0025 for how much to remove. Start metal removal on the barrel lug first. Arbor second. Measure frequently!!!!View attachment 113608View attachment 113608

Question. What would dropping washers down the barrel arbor hole do as far making true barrel length ? Because without washers. When i put the barrel on without the cylinder and keep the lug off the frame by turning th3 barrel sideways. Its completetly flush with the frame when i pop the barrel in in the arbor as far as it goes.

Doesnt that mean the arbor is the perfect length ? If i put washers in the barrel it will push the barrel out creating a gap between the lug and frame. Or are you saying to measure the gap it creates.. and take 15-25 thousands off ?

Youre also saying to not file the frame but the lug itself like in the pic ? Dang i filed the frame itself where the pins go on my 1851 brass lol

 

[Candymancan]

Okay here is where i am at now. I dont know if i wabt to file much more off the arbor. The spot the wedge goes in to pull the barrel together is getting closer and closer to being flush with the barrel if that happens it wont wedge properly.

I had to take alot off the lug and the arbor.. well alot off in my opinion. The gap was just so big. Ive cut the gap in half now though. Might take a tiny bit more off the arbor as the lug isnt lining up to the frame now has a slight gap. But yea if i take the rest of the gap down then the wedge wont have anything to wedge in the arbor

 

[Candymancan]

Woops forgot a pic.. filed it down even more.

What do you think of thie gap ? Here is before and after

 

[BadDaditood]

Seems to be only 2 kinds of used Walkers…
Those barely shot almost like new so you can’t fit a playing card between the barrel and cylinder and those shot waaaayyyy too much. Abused with full loads so much you can fit a whole deck of cards in the cylinder gap.

 

[Candymancan]

Well here is the final product the gap is now .008. No play in the barrel any direction and the cylinder spins freely. Anymore and the cylinder would bind nearly

 

[Candymancan]

Seems to be only 2 kinds of used Walkers…
Those barely shot almost like new so you can’t fit and those shot waaaayyyy too much. Abused with full loads so much you can fit a whole deck of cards in the cylinder gap.

Yes and no....

I had a brand new made in 2021 1851 navy with a gap i could stick a .20 patch through. And that gun wasnt shot once.

You dont know who shot this gun. Or how many times or what loads. This gun could hsve had the gap from factory. It is an ASM after all.

 

[44Bro]

I'm with Mike (45D) on this, the cylinder gap should be no more than ~.003". This will keep fouling to a minimum on the arbor and cylinder face.

 

[Candymancan]

at .003. Man the cylinder face rides the cone thats too close for me and a little file. I think ill stick with whst i got it at right now. If i smack the wedge with a screw drive i can get a little closer. But when i do that the hammer becomes harder to cock as the cylinder is riding against the cone due to being pushed out by the thingy that spins the cylinder.

I just shot 4 cylinders worth tonight.. And i have no real fouling issues yet. Its still spining good.

One thing i do notice is with that massive gal it had.. i was getting many many missfires or no fires. The hammer wasnt hitting the caps properly do the cylinder riding back and forth.

But now it fired every shot.

The gap by way, was .25 lol.. i could put 2 .10 patchs for my rifle inside the gap prior hah

 

[44Bro]

And when the cylinder rides the cone,,,the fouling is wiped off the face. The wedge should always be tapped tight, that's the way Colt designed it.

 

[Candymancan]

It is tight. It was lose prior. Filing the arbor pulled the barrel closer but it also pulled it so close the wedge had nothing to (wedge) onto anymore. The holes were in line with eachother on the arbor and barrel.

So i took my welder and welded material inside the arbor hole.. filed it smooth snd now the wedge has material to bite on and its very tight. I gatta use a screw driver or mini rubber hammer to smack it free now. I also did what you suggested. I filed the arbor a tad more.

Now there is nearly no cylinder gap. Anymore and it wont turn the cylinder when i cock the hammer. Fyi too little of a gap isnt a good thing either.. i have some so close they actually get fouled too quickly and the sticky fouling causes the cylinder to bind on the cone quicker than one with a larger gap.

Fyi thr cylinder rides the cone even with larger gaps. Youre forgetting when you cock the hammer thr cylinder gets pushed foward.. even on a massive gap i had it was riding the face of the cone when cocked.

If you make the gap too small itll be harder to cock later on due to fouling build up.. not the other way around. I habe 10 of these revolvers.. the closer ones bind sooner than the wider ones

 

[44Bro]

Oh, I know about that. Shot my first BP revolver in "75. A good lube and a tight gap will keep them running for quite a few shots. The tight gap causes more of the fouling to leave via the barrel rather than the gap. Less fouling to the side, less fouling on the face of the cylinder. You mention sticky fouling, what are you using for lube?

 

[Candymancan]

Im using bore butter.. it gets sticky and black tar like.. i used to use motor oil.. i actually liked the oil better.. i could just pop the barrel off and nose cone.. squirt some oil in there with my bottle and itll go another 3-4 cylinders. With bore butter.. it stinks really badly when powder gets on it.. and it turns into a black sticky tar.

 

[Candymancan]

Well here it is at the range. 15 yards out using 50 grains and 457 balls and remington 10 caps. This was one handed and i have tennis elbow from doing house repair.. so its extremely hard to hold anything up let alone 5 lbs.

Lol

But it shoots extremely straight. I dont have to aim low or high. Well it mught shoot a tiny bit high but i think thats more due to my arm being in extreme pain and me shooting 1 handed.. I fired 6 cylinder worth today and no issues. I actually hit the target better thsn my 1858 and 1851 which i also shot today. Which is interesting because the sights on this walker are hard to zero in on. The barrel sigjt barely shows on the hammer notch

Forst shot was near bullseye..1 handed 15 yards out. Also the other marks on the target is because it was an old target which i didnt hit anything on and pulled off the boards to ssve for a later date

 

[44Bro]

Try Gatofeo 1. It's a mix of tallow, beeswax, and paraffin wax. Here's one of the first postings of the recipe by Gatofeo