Author Topic: New to Black Powder (Read 1072 times)

Clathrus · « **on:** January 09, 2004, 08:47:30 AM »

I am an experienced shooter, but have never done anything with cap and ball, etc. I'm going to buy a Walker Colt reproduction. The question is, I've seen two different ones in the Dixie Guns catalogue, one of them a Uberti and the other is Dixie Guns own brand, I suppose. Which would be better? What about the ones Cabelas sells? Also what do I need to know before I make one go bang? Is there a quickie "do this not that" blurb out there somewhere? Are there aspects to black powder vs. pyrodex that I need to consider?

Full House · « **Reply #1 on:** January 09, 2004, 10:31:20 AM »

The Uberti is the best in my opinion and the one Cabela's sells is an Uberti or a Pietta. To be sure, black powder is different and can be dangerous. I suggest reading everything you can find on the subject. The 1847 .44 Colt walker is the most powerful black powder revolver ever made and I own one that is made by Armi San Marco (ASM). They will hold up to sixty grains of powder; however, I never shoot that much...more like forth-five or fifty.

There is a lot of good information on this site and I would read all of this black powder revolver info. There are great people here and they will answer and guide you over to the dark side.

Tens over Fives

filmokentucky · « **Reply #2 on:** January 09, 2004, 11:11:01 AM »

I second that opinion. You get what you pay for. The Uberti is finished better inside and out. And you're going to have to live with the gun long after you've forgotten what you paid for it. I use 55 grains of Goex fffg under a .454 round ball and get good accuracy without beating up the wedge. Life is better with a Walker!

Ramrod · « **Reply #3 on:** January 09, 2004, 06:48:48 PM »

Clathrus, well it's your money, but I don't think the Walker is the best choice for a beginner, I made that mistake 25 years ago, sold it to my brother a couple of years later. Got a couple of accurate pistols since, and don't really miss it, except maybe for the braggin' on the power, which, by the way causes all sorts of problems, from extreme fouling to the constant dropping of the loading lever. There is a good reason why only 1000 or so of these were made, check the production statistics on the Colt 1851 Navy, 1860 Army, or Remington 1858, all much better guns.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #4 on:** January 10, 2004, 01:35:05 AM »

send me a personal message if you want a good deal on a ruger old army.

Clathrus · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2004, 08:24:20 AM »

You may be right Ramrod, but there are a lot of reasons to own a particular pistol, not all of them have to do with the way it shoots. Whatever black powder weapon I get, I doubt I will shoot it a great deal. I also doubt I will charge it up to the full load very often--I don't load my .45 ACP hot either, although my carry rounds will put the hurt on anything they are pointed at! There is a cerain mystique to the Walker that attracts me, and that is really why I want the Walker.

Flint · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2004, 08:57:20 AM »

Gotta agree with Ramrod. There are are a lot of very pleasant Cap & Ball revolvers out there that are fun to shoot (even if you don't shoot them much). All the fire and smoke and booom and aura of the Frontier is there, and a lot of history too. The Walker is a wonderful historical piece and every black powder shooter should have one. As for shooting it, maybe once every ten years or so, to remember why Colt immediately redesigned it. To enjoy the experience, get a Remington Army or Navy, or a Colt repro 51 Navy or 60 Army. If you imagine owning a 1911 as-issued, grey, loose, poorly sighted, awful trigger, shoot nothing but GI hardball ammo in it and then compare that to a decently set up civilian Colt, it relates a bit.

Super Rat · « **Reply #7 on:** January 12, 2004, 02:34:55 PM »

What about one of the first, second, or third model dragoons, which are Colt's own improvement on the Walker.

The loading lever on a Walker is a built in defect, that you can't fix, for sure. I always thought that if I got one, I'd have a dragoon loading lever adapted to it. Now that would be a neat gun. I think that lever dropping about every other time you fire the gun will really kind of ruin it for you.

Whatever you decide, it sounds like you would be more happy spending a couple extra bucks, and getting a Uberti. They really are high quality guns, although I have heard of a few lemons getting through. I have a Uberti New Model Navy, and it is truly nice, I would not trade or sell it for anything. My hunting partner just picked up a Uberti Navy Colt, and it is the nicest I have seen, beyond a doubt, bar none.

Will52100 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 13, 2004, 05:43:24 PM »

The walker I used to shoot only droped the loading lever on ocasion, and I loaded it to the hilt so to speak, the loading lever spring did eventualy break though, along with the hammer spring, and the heavy charges ate the wedge for lunch. It's also so heavy and cumbersom that it's hard to hit anything with without a brace or rest of some sort. Aside from that it's a pure thrill to shoot! Talk about lots of smoke and fire and big boom!

It's curently sitting in my home shop waiting for me to have the courage to convert it to a carbine if I can remember where I put it

All in all if you like the open top colts go with a Uberti 1860 army, 1861 navy or 1851 navy to start with, the walker is fun but not that practical. I have been trying to find a whitneville walker, which was originaly made with left over walker parts and has the looks of the walker with a better loading latch and 1/4" shorter cylinder.

I recently aquired a '62 navy police, and other than having to do lots of work(Pieta) to get it right, the little 36 realy surprised me and is becoming my favorite gun to kill cans and such with. Befor I'd stuck with the 44, but believe the 36 ain't far behind in power.

Super Rat · « **Reply #9 on:** January 18, 2004, 07:25:43 AM »

Yes! .36's are SO cool. I avoided them for years, thinking they were "weak sisters" to the .44's. Boy was I wrong. I finally got a Uberti New Model Navy .36, initially just for small game like grouse, then "discovered" it is very powerful, so now I carry it as my back-up sidearm when hunting, (survival, dispatching/finishing off big game, etc.) and leave the 1860 at home. It's a really nice companion to my Brown Bess, as I could drop a handful of those .375" balls down her barrel for a really horrendous buckshot load, or under a ball for a buck-n-ball load, if I ever had to spend a night in the woods with Grizz snooping about. And of course, it is a perfect grouse or rabbit gun with light loads.

simonkenton · « **Reply #10 on:** January 18, 2004, 11:37:27 AM »

Cabela's sells Piettas.
They are good pistols, I bought one a year ago. Actually, I got mine from Bass Pro Shop, under the Traditions label, same gun.