Walker or Dragoon ?

[Capt. Jas.]

I would look for a 2nd generation. Colt reproduction

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Do both use a .454 size ball ?

Yes, but I found I could force-feed it .457 balls as well. .451's are too small.

 

[bang]

Both

 

[Stantheman86]

The differences were more apparent in the originals

As far as reproductions, the Dragoon is a Walker with a slightly shorter cylinder and barrel, with a loading lever catch that will still sometimes drop on some of them.

The 1st Dragon repros have oval cylinder stops, the 2nd and 3rd have the square stop notches and the 1st has the same V-shaped mainspring as the Walker. Basically just cosmetic differences.

 

[45D]

For me, the Walker has been like a boat. The 2 happiest days are when you get it and get rid of it!! I've had 2, but honestly, I can remember my early days and shooting ONLY 60 gr. charges which would cause dust to rise off the ground and a rather sharp concussive wave when you weren't the shooter!! The wave bypasses the shooter but bystanders feel it !!

Of course now, I have no use for a Walker since it would need to be converted and the extra chamber length is not "exciting" to me but the Dragoons are excellent and have actually always been my favorite Colt type revolver ( hence "Goon" from Dragoon). That platform is large but very manageable and gives plenty of space for heavy weight bullets. No problem at all taking them along in the car ( or scattered around the house for "instant duty" should it be needed!!)!
So, I'd definitely choose the Dragoon.

Mike

 

[45D]

The differences were more apparent in the originals

As far as reproductions, the Dragoon is a Walker with a slightly shorter cylinder and barrel, with a loading lever catch that will still sometimes drop on some of them.

The 1st Dragon repros have oval cylinder stops, the 2nd and 3rd have the square stop notches and the 1st has the same V-shaped mainspring as the Walker. Basically just cosmetic differences.

Hardly cosmetic, the changes that occurred along the way trickled down from the Dragoon series. They were the main testbed for "updates". Rectangular bolts / notches came from the series as well as the "safety pins", flat mainsprings from the V-springs, round trigger guards and loading lever catches.

The frames for Walkers and Dragoons are the same. The difference IS the arbor, barrel and cylinder are shorter and the Walker grip nose cutout in the frame ( found on the Whitneyville Dragoon) is lost forever on the 1st Mod Dragoon.

Mike

 

[Widows Son]

+1 for a Dragoon.

Neither are ‘practical’ pistols. They look impressive and authoritative but aren’t meant for belt carrying.

I have had 2 Walkers, and couldn’t hit a thing with them, plus that damn loading lever flopped every where. I made up a ‘s’ shaped mild steel latch to keep the loading lever in place.

The Dragoon is an improved design for sure. 30+ years ago I had a 3rd model dragoon (if I remember correctly) and it had a leaf rear sight. I seem to remember it was made by Armi San Marco. That was a terrific pistol! It was accurate, fit my hands perfectly and was balanced. I don’t think it was very historically correct though. (I had to sell it to get money to make a car payment)

 

[45D]

It was historically correct including being cut for a shoulder stock. I believe ASM was the only manufacturer to offer that version. I had one as well along with a 1st Mod and a 2nd Mod that had silver plated back strap and trigger guard with cherry wood grip.

I traded them off over time and don't really miss them. I know some folks like the old reproductions but the last 15 yrs or so runs of Piettas and Uberti's are much better IMO than any earlier ones. The styling, and contours are much closer to correct than my old ASM Dragoons.

Mike

 

[user 52391]

If you must...Get a Whitneyville Dragoon for the best of both worlds, the Walker is a heavy, unmanageable behemoth, with a deeply flawed designed loading lever latch that WILL fail & tie up the gun when with any loads with authority are fired. My personal preference in a Dragoon is the perfected 3rd Model...By FAR my biggest preference in a 44 calibre Colt design, is the tried and true, not to mention, lightweight and beautifully handling 1860 Army.

 

[earlwb]

I would go with the dragoon myself. I used to own a Walker but the loading lever gets annoying after a while. Then before you know it you use s rubber band of leather strap to keep it out of the way as for loads, they did some ballistics tests and the results show that more than 45 grains of powder in a Walker doesn’t increase muzzle velocity all that much. The barrel is too short to take advantsge of the increased load. The extra powder gets blown out of the barrel before it gets to work. But 60 grains is pretty impressive when you set it off though. They used the pointy Picket bullet in the first Colt Walkers with a 45 grain charge of 3F. That was sufficient to take out a horse at the time too. But that bullet is a poorly designed bullet and difficult to center in the chambers when loading. Plus you need to dermal the loading ramrod end to fit the pointy bullets. The dragoons can use the same load as well but with round ball or shorter stubby conical bullets.

 

[Tacitus]

I have a respectable number of BP and suppository handgun and despite it being the heaviest and therefor most unwieldily my Walker is my favorite. So gratifying to shoot that it gets chosen more often than any of my other handguns. I resolved the issue of the loading lever dropping in the same manner that Mr. Colt did, by installing a lever latch.

 

[Tenring]

Definitely the 3rd Model Dragoon.

 

[user 52142]

Happy New Year Everyone !!

Thanks for all of the new post sharing your advice and experience.

I am going to look online and see what's available. Would like to find an unfinished kit that way I can antique it, or blue it, or just polish it.

Bill

 

[user 52142]

I have a respectable number of BP and suppository handgun and despite it being the heaviest and therefor most unwieldily my Walker is my favorite. So gratifying to shoot that it gets chosen more often than any of my other handguns. I resolved the issue of the loading lever dropping in the same manner that Mr. Colt did, by installing a lever latch.View attachment 186639

Hey Tacitus, Excuse my ignorance, but what's involved adding a loading latch ?

 

[ernbar]

I went with a 2nd model Dragoon because it was a tad lighter and shorter than the Walker and most importantly, the loading lever has a latch making it more secure. Mine has partially dropped only twice under multiple heavy recoil firings. Uberti is the only current manufacturer of both the Walker and Dragoon.

 

[Tomski]

Comparison: Colt Walker, top, Uberti 1st Model Dragoon, bottom. Note difference In barrel and cylinder length and lack of rammer latch on the Walker.
View attachment 186522

What holds the loading lever up keeping it from coming down when fired

 

[Art Caputo]

What holds the loading lever up keeping it from coming down when fired

There is a latch that holds the loading lever just in front of the frame at te base of the loading lever. I have found that if the loading lever does drop upon firing, a bit of file-work on latch hook will solve the problem.

I have both(90’s reproduction models by Colt). Difficult to choose between the two, but for a day of shooting, I lean towards the Hartford Model for its lighter weight and pleasant shooting/handling characteristics. From an allure/aesthetics standpoint, I’d go with my Walker.

 

[user 52142]

There is a latch that holds the loading lever just in front of the frame at te base of the loading lever. I have found that if the loading lever does drop upon firing, a bit of file-work on latch hook will solve the problem.

Thanks for that information Art.

 

[JRMan]

Do both use a .454 size ball ?

My Walker does not like the Hornady .454 round balls I have. They are a tad small. I had to go to Hornady .457 round balls and they work great.

 

[wganz]

The answer you’re looking for is simple. You have two hands. Get one for each. Problem solved…or not. I have both. Sometimes I spend hours arguing with myself which one to shoot. One is for odd numbered days, while the other is an even day shooter. Unless of course the odd day falls on a Saturday, or a Sunday. It’""s like choosing your favorite child.

"GET BOTH" is always a legitimate answer.