Two beautiful handguns, the ones you see above are. The one on top is a Colt Walker, the one on the bottom the timeless Single Action Army. But neither are actually Colts. They are both Uberti guns, and both are magnificent.
The story is one for the ages, and it goes like this: Samuel Colt invented the revolver, but he and his factory in Paterson, New Jersey couldn’t make a go of it. Colt left the gunmaking business and went on to other ventures, but in the meantime, there were already a few Colt revolvers writing history in the American West. Captain Sam Walker and his Texas Rangers used the early Colts with great success in battles on the Texas frontier. Walker mentioned this to Colt, Colt asked for an endorsement, Walker said yes, and then he helped Colt design a new revolver to better meet frontier combat needs. Walker drove the design requirements as he took a new commission in the US Army, and the Army ordered a cool thousand of the new 1847 Colt Walkers. Colt was back in business, courtesy of Sam Walker, the Texas Rangers, and the US Army.
Thus was born the Colt Walker, one of the largest handguns ever made. Until the advent of the .357 Magnum in the 1930s, the Walker was the world’s most powerful handgun. It was designed so that if it missed the bad guy but got the horse he was riding, it would kill the horse. I can’t help but think of an old New Jersey expression (common when I was growing up and one I still use on occasion) that ends with “….and the horse you rode in on, too!”
The last of the original Colt Walkers that changed hands went for over a million bucks not long ago, so I knew that until the ExNotes blog goes more viral (than it already has, that is), I wouldn’t be getting an original Walker anytime soon. But there’s something even better from a shootability perspective, and that’s the modern reproduction Walkers offered by Uberti.
I always wanted a Walker, and a few months ago I acted on that urge. I had to wait several months because the Uberti factory in Italy was shut down by the Covid 19 pandemic. Uberti is back in operation again and my Walker recently arrived. It’s a good deal. Unlike a cartridge revolver, here in the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia black powder guns can be shipped direct to your door.
I knew Uberti makes a quality handgun, as I had great experiences with my “tuned” Taylor 1873 Single Action Army in .45 Colt. That’s one of the two revolvers you see in the photo at the top of this blog. It’s a cool photo because it shows the relative size of the two guns (the Single Action Army is no pipsqueak, but it’s dwarfed by the Walker). And, I’m showing off a bit with the photo’s background (it’s the pig hide from my Arizona wild boar expedition with good buddy Paul, who ordered himself a Walker not too long ago).
I’ve mentioned the Walker Colt before, most notably in the book review we posted on Revolver, the book about Samuel Colt. The Colt Walker also figured prominently in Lonesome Dove, and I thought I’d show one of the many great scenes from that movie here again.
Everybody wants to be Gus MacCrae, I guess, and I’m no exception. I suspect Paul feels the same way. So consider this a fair warning: If Paul and I walk into your establishment and order a whiskey, be quick about it. We don’t like surly bartenders, and we carry Walkers, you know.
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Good film clip…
Love your write up and yes make it two fingers of that rot gut Dead Eye rye and be quick about it!!!
Very cool Joe.
A few years back I bought a Uberty 1858 new Army black powder pistol to try out. Also bought an additional cylinder that allowed it to shoot 45 long colt ammo so i wouldnt have to stick with just black powder. No back ground check all delivered to my door from dealers. Not the fastest loading pistol but fun to shoot.
Be careful and listen to everything your friends tell you on operation and loading. Look at youtube also.
An experience cival war reenacter here in Walla Walla got some powder at a yard sale that he wasnt familiar with. He loaded up his rifle with the powder from garage sale ,fired rifle and blew his hand and forarm off up to the elbow. I heard the blast at my house which was blocks away from his. I thought a canon had gone off. I talked to him months later and he said it was the powder and wasnt sure exactly what kind it was. He had measured everything like he had done for years.
I also used the pre form pellets form of black powder for now so i dont need to measure.
Smoke em if you got em, black powder excells in smoking up the range.
Using an unknown powder is proof that Darwin had the right idea but the wrong direction, as your friend learned the hard way. Sorry to hear that, Rob.
I’ll have to check out the preform BP pellets; that is something I had not heard of until you mentioned it.
Thanks for posting, Rob.
That is one beautiful firearm, please be careful loading it though. Black powder can be tricky. BTW – I loved the clip. I could not stop laughing. I have to remember that next time I am ordering a drink at a bar, which hopefully happen in the next few months.
Great article! Even us non gun types enjoy a good story and with a history lesson. I own several guns, but I am not real gun type, like you guys, but I do really enjoy your writing and learning more about them.
Back in the late 70’s, my buddy and I got into black powder pistol shooting. We each bought replica Colts, his a Walker and an 1848 Third Model Dragoon .44 for me (a big revolver, but nowhere near as big as the Walker). They were loads of fun.
One issue he had with the Walker when firing a full-power load was that the loading lever would occasionally drop down and prevent the cylinder from rotating. Apparently, that was also an issue on the original Walkers, too. It’s probably why the Dragoon had latch on the end of the loading lever.
My buddy ended up wrapping a rubber band around the barrel and loading lever to keep the lever in place.
Clint Eastwood used a pair of Walkers in the Outlaw Josey Wales.