Fix for Walker lever fall?

[Rogmatt]

Has anyone ever come up with a fix or temporary field fix for the lever falling every time the Walker is fired?

[IntrepidWizard]

Rubber band

[mg66]

I read on a board somewhere a twist-tie works. From what I read it happened on the originals also....guess its authentic then...

[Flint]

The permanent fix some have used is to replace the lever with a Dragoon lever and catch, requires cutting the dovetail.   See part list at VTIgunparts.com.

Other than that, the rubber band or twist tie as mentioned.

[Will52100]

I used the twist tie for a while but didn't like the way it looked.  I had heard of filling the spring cam a little to make it fit better and tried that.  Basicly what I did was to file half the came away to make a hook that would snap over the loading leaver catch.  I have to use a screw driver or the end of my powder spout to depress it to load, but I usualy have to tighten screws after firing any way.  And the leaver stays up even with full power loads and I don't have to worry about it dropping or looking at a bread tie and is easier than converting to a dragoon leaver.  Though converting to a dragoon leaver would probably be the ideal solution, I like the looks of the walker leaver.  Just me.

[DakotaDan]

Black electrical tape works well enough. Not very noticeable, doesn't affect sighting and lasts for a session at the range.
---dd

[48mauser]

Just read about a fix, file a flat parallel to the bore center line into the barrel lug. This will give a parallel suface for the loading lever latch to engage with. The article also mentioned using a heavier spring or stretching the original and adding a shim under it on the "older" models, supposedly the newer models have a stronger spring. This is suposed to fix it, hope it helps. Paul P.

[StrawHat]

  For what it is worth, the lever falling is authentic, also a pain.  Mine did it too until it was stolen.  The authentic fix by the way is the 2nd Dragoon (or is it the  3 rd? ) The first had the same problem due to the design of the latch, don't recall if it was cured in the 2nd but the 3rd has her fixed.

[Rickk]

Flint (or anyone else for that matter),

other than having to cut a cutting a dovetail into the Walker barrel, do you know if the Dragoon loading lever and associated parts are a drop-in replacement for the Walker parts?

[Pat/Rick]

An article I have read states to file a ledge on the spring. The article is in Best of the Backwoodsman, Volume III, (backwoodsman magazine). The article is titled "Colting". I do not own a Walker (at present).

[Rickk]

I did some checking and found that field installation of the Dragoon latch on a Walker was done more than once, so it is historically correct to do so.

Here are 4 pictures of surviving Walkers that have been updated with the Dragoon latch. The second one appears to have an entire Dragoon barrel assembly installed, while the other three have the original barrel that was modified to accept the Dragoon latch and lever.

The first one seems to have had the original loading latch modified to accept the Dragoon latch rather than replacing the entire loading lever.

[Pat/Rick]

Thanks for posting those Rickk. Always enjoy pics of old guns.

[curator]

Added lever latch myself. Not too dificult.

[Rickk]

curator,  is that a dragoon lever and barrel, or did you modify the original walker lever? The lever looks a bit long compared to the barrel for a dragoon lever and a walker barrel.

[curator]

I modified the original Walker lever by drilling it out for a latch and spring (which I made). It wasn't all that difficult. I made the lug and dove-tailed it into the barrel with a trianglular file. The whole operation took one long rainy Saturady afternoon.

[Pulp]

Sometimes the easiest fixes are the least obvious.  Over on TheHighRoad I learned this:

Take the dang thing off before you shoot!  It's only one screw.

I wouldn't have thought of that on my own in 100 years.

[26-t]

My fix was to tighten the pivot screw up good and snug. 26-t

[Flint]

To answer the lever part question, the Dragoon lever, latch and dovetail lug are a drop=in, other than having to cut the dovetail.  The rammer/plunger of the Walker is longer and must be retained.

[gcrank1]

Tie a piece of leather thong around it for period correct,
Or, as mentioned, drop the lever and have a slip pin in your kit to use in place of the screw.