37-746: The Colt Walker , sometimes known as the Walker Colt , is a single-action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six charges of black powder behind six bullets (typically .44 caliber lead balls). It was designed in 1846 by American firearms inventor Samuel Colt to the specifications of Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker . The Colt Walker was created in the mid-1840s in a collaboration between Texas Ranger Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker (1817–1847) and American firearms inventor Samuel Colt (1814–1862), building upon
74-520: A Dragoon though it is generally accepted that he used a Colt 1851 Navy Revolver in his street duel with Davis Tutt . The Dragoon is now a collectible arm and sells for high prices. Non-firing replicas of the Colt 1848 Dragoon were manufactured at Denix in Spain. In 2005, a fire burned down the factory and destroyed the mold for the gun, which has since gone out of production. Denix has since reintroduced
111-533: A V-type mainspring, no wheel on the rear of the hammer, and a square back trigger guard. Colt produced about 7,000 first models between 1848 and 1850. The Second Model has rectangular cylinder notches. Until the no. 10,000 the V-shaped mainspring was standard and then replaced with a flat leaf mainspring and a wheel on the hammer at its bearing on the mainspring. All the Second Model Dragoons have
148-569: A large revolver to replace the single-shot Model 1842 Percussion Pistols then in use. The desired .44–.45 caliber revolver would be carried in saddle mounted holsters. The Colt Walker was used in the Mexican–American War and on the Texas frontier. Medical officer John "Rip" Ford took a special interest in the Walkers when they arrived at Veracruz . He obtained two examples for himself and
185-527: A master weapon for civilians who hailed it as a powerful weapon of the time. Famous users included Joaquin Murietta , the California bandit, Charley Parkhurst , California teamster and stagecoach driver, James Douglas Byrd , Town Marshal, Watsonville, California, 1868, Tiburcio Vasquez , Union general George B McClellan , and fictional Augustus McCrae , in the novel Lonesome Dove , Mattie Ross in
222-628: A rawhide loop around both the barrel and loading lever, to prevent the loading lever from dropping under recoil and locking the action. The Whitneyville-Hartford Dragoon is known as the first transitional model from the Walker to the Dragoon series, as it was largely built from leftover Walker parts. Subsequent contracts beginning in 1848 followed, for what is today known among collectors as the First , Second and Third Dragoon Models that were all based on
259-607: A record price of $ 1.84 million. This makes this the most expensive single firearm ever sold at auction. The Republic of Texas had been the major purchaser of the early Paterson Holster Pistol (No. 5 model) , a five shot cal .36 revolver, and Samuel Walker became familiar with it during his service as a Texas Ranger . In 1847, Walker was engaged in the Mexican–American War as a captain in the United States Mounted Rifles. He approached Colt, requesting
296-425: A resolution naming the 1847 Colt Walker pistol the official handgun of Texas. In the 1969 movie True Grit, Marshal Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) misidentified Mattie Ross’s Walker Colt revolver as a Colt’s Dragoon pistol. It was reported in an The American Rifleman article that this was the first appearance of a Walker Colt in a movie; and that the Walker was chosen to dramatize the difference in size between Mattie and
333-525: A round trigger guard. Government records showed an order for 8,390 Dragoons. Other variants included the Colt "1848 Pocket Pistol" now known as the Baby Dragoon, marketed in California with success during the Gold rush days. With the addition of a loading lever this evolved into the 1849 pocket revolver (see Colt Pocket Percussion Revolvers ). The Dragoon was produced because of the problems seen with
370-511: A separate number range for the British market. For collectors, there are three different types with one "transition" model. Between the Walker and the First model Dragoon, around 240 improved models were produced, having a barrel length of 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (190 mm) and a cylinder diameter of 2 + 3 ⁄ 16 inches (56 mm). Their general appearance was similar to that of
407-522: Is a .44 caliber revolver designed by Samuel Colt for the U.S. Army's Regiment of Mounted Rifles. The revolver was also issued to the Army's " Dragoon " regiments. This revolver was designed as a solution to numerous problems encountered with the Colt Walker . Although it was introduced after the Mexican–American War , it became popular among civilians during the 1850s and 1860s and was also used during
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#1732780195151444-507: Is often used as a common expression of any overly large generic handgun example. Companies such as Uberti and Pietta offer their own versions of modern replica Walkers. These are functional revolvers using percussion caps and black powder. Important sets of functioning percussion replicas were also made under the Colt label, although not by Colt directly. This was done in two distinct phases, by somewhat different different players, with varying degrees of engagement by Colt. The first phase
481-413: Is the primary source for information about their performance during the war and afterward. His observation that the revolver would carry as far and strike with the same or greater force than the .54 caliber Mississippi Rifle seems to have been based on a single observation of a Mexican soldier hit at a distance of well over one hundred yards. The Walker, unlike most succeeding martial pistols and revolvers,
518-449: The .357 Magnum in 1935, having a muzzle energy nearly exactly the same as a 4-inch-barreled (10 cm) handgun firing a .357 Magnum. Taking into account its muzzle velocity and energy produced, it currently still holds the record for the most powerful handgun ever issued by the US military. The Colt Walker has long maintained a unique position and mystique among handgun users, and its name
555-582: The American Civil War . The Colt Dragoon Revolver was produced with several variations between 1847 and 1860, when the Colt Model 1860 revolver replaced it. All the improvements in design of Colt revolvers were applied to the Dragoons as well to the smaller models of Colt revolvers. Total production of Colt Dragoons including the 1,100 Walkers, from 1847 to 1860: 19,800; plus 750 Dragoons in
592-555: The Colt third-generation “Signature Series.” All the parts for the guns were made by Uberti or Armi San Marco, with Iver Johsnon handling quality control, final inspection, and sales. Colt no longer had any involvement at all, and did not officially approve the revolvers, even though the Colt name was used under license. Modern replicas have also been made chambered in the .45 Black Powder Magnum wildcat cartridge. These have been offered by Cimarron Firearms , Armi San Marco, and Uberti. On May 23, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed
629-496: The Colt Walker, enabling a rapid evolution of the basic revolver design. These improvements included shorter 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch (190 mm) barrels, shorter chambers, typically loaded only to 50 grains instead of 60 grains, thereby reducing the occurrence of ruptured cylinders, and the addition of an improved catch at the end of the loading lever to prevent the dropping of the loading lever under recoil. The Colt Walker
666-426: The Walker included ruptured cylinders when firing. This has been attributed to primitive metallurgy, soldiers allowing powder to spill across the mouths of the chambers, and even loading the original conical bullets backwards into the chambers. Under 300 of the original 1,000 were returned for repair due to a ruptured cylinder. Lard was loaded into the mouths of the cylinders on top of each bullet after loading to prevent
703-527: The Walker revolvers. In the events that led to the American Civil War, Colt Dragoons became extremely popular. In the beginning Colt Dragoon Revolvers were issued for the U.S. Army's Mounted Rifles. They were carried in pommel holsters on the saddle. The Colt Dragoon Revolver gained popularity among civilians in the Southwest where many had served in the Mexican–American War. The Dragoon became
740-480: The Walker. A loading lever latch in front of the lever replaced the spring to keep the lever from dropping during recoil, thereby preventing jamming of the revolver. These variations gave the Colt Dragoon Revolver a weight of 4 pounds 2 ounces (1.9 kg). These changes also reduced the risk of the Colt Dragoon Revolver exploding when fired, obviating the risk that had been demonstrated with
777-520: The adult actors in the film. Single-action Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.150 via cp1114 cp1114, Varnish XID 921050884 Upstream caches: cp1114 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:49:55 GMT Colt Dragoon Revolver#First Model The Colt Model 1848 Percussion Army Revolver
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#1732780195151814-513: The civilian market, making original Colt Walker revolvers extremely rare and valuable. On October 9, 2008, one specimen that had been handed down from a Mexican War veteran was sold at auction for US$ 920,000. As reported in America's 1st Freedom magazine in July 2018, a Model 1847 Colt Walker pistol – the only known surviving example complete with its original case – was sold by Rock Island Auction for
851-411: The earlier Colt Paterson design. Walker wanted a handgun that was extremely powerful at close range. Samuel Walker carried two of his namesake revolvers in the Mexican–American War . He was killed in battle the same year his famous handgun was invented, 1847, shortly after he had received them. Only 1,100 of these guns were originally made, 1,000 as part of a military contract and an additional 100 for
888-489: The fielded Colt Walker revolvers, namely, the Walker's heavy weight, four and a half pounds, making it suitable only for use as a saddle-mounted revolver, the Walker's propensity for cylinders exploding on occasion when fired (due to the chambers being loaded with too much powder often in combination with the Pickett bullets being loaded backwards), and the Walker's habit of dropping the loading lever upon discharge, locking up
925-423: The final gun. Iver Johnson gave the guns a case-hardened finish, or a Colt Blue Finish. During this phase, Colt had a close relationship with Iver Johnson, and approved of the designs and production, even though Colt did not directly produce the guns. The second phase was from 1994 to 2002. During this period, at least 4300 Walker replicas were produced by the “Colt Blackpowder Arms Company,” and marketed as part of
962-538: The full 50 grains of powder frequently show chronographed readings in the range of 1,000–1,100 feet per second (300–340 m/s), depending upon the powder used. A cartridge-converted Colt Walker instead of the Colt Dragoon in the book was used in the 1969 film True Grit , as the weapon carried by 14-year-old Mattie, possibly due to the Walker's larger size. The Dragoon was used in the True Grit (2010) as in
999-652: The grips and the second was straight-backed. Another distinctive detail were the very slender "Slim Jim" grips. Note: Due to serial number gaps between the "Transition" model and the First Dragoon, of which Colt later "backfilled", as well as the details of the production and delivery of the Second Government Contract, The "fluck Dragoon" was erroneously derived. The First Model Colt Dragoon Revolver production began in 1848, stemming from Colt's Second Government Contract. It has oval cylinder stops,
1036-583: The non-firing model of the Colt 1848 Dragoon in nickel. Quality replica Dragoons are currently produced by the Aldo Uberti Company of Brescia, Italy and distributed in the United States by Taylors, Inc.; Cimarron Firearms , and others. They are quite accurate and potentially more powerful than the belt sized revolvers of the same bore diameter. Velocities with .451–.457 inches (11.5–11.6 mm) round balls of approximately 141 grains over
1073-567: The novel True Grit and in the 2010 film (including the 1969 film of the same name) had Mattie Ross using a Colt Walker revolver, though John Wayne 's character Rooster referred to it as a Colt's Dragoon. Charley Parkhurst, while driving freight, was confronted by two bandits whom he/she shot with the Colt Holster Pistol. According to Harper's Weekly , James Butler ( Wild Bill Hickok ) arrived in Springfield, Missouri carrying
1110-403: The production Dragoon models. These were produced between late in 1847 and 1848, serial number range approximately 1100 (the last civilian Walker) through about 1340 (the first Dragoon First Model). These are sometimes called "Transition Walker" revolvers, and were made in two frame variations. The earlier pattern was a Walker carry-over with a cut-out in the back to accommodate the round contour of
1147-415: The revolver action in the middle of combat. The Colt Dragoon Revolver had a comparatively shorter cylinder (thus preventing overloading the cylinder) and held up to 50 grains of powder, whereas the Walker had used up to 60 grains of powder. The Dragoon Revolver had a shorter barrel at 7.5 inches (190 mm) (and on some later revolvers, 8 inches [200 mm]) as compared to the 9-inch (230 mm) barrel on
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1184-414: The revolvers and accoutrements. Colt commissioned Eli Whitney to fill the contract and produced an extra 100 revolvers for private sales and promotional gifts. Notable recipients include John Coffee Hays . Colt commissioned New York engraver Waterman Ormsby to etch a scene on the cylinder that was based on Walker's description of the 1844 battle. In addition to its large size and weight, problems with
1221-428: The spark from igniting all chambers at once, a practice which continues to this day among black-powder revolver shooters, and although each chamber held 60 grains of powder, Colt recommended no more than 50 grains in each chamber. The Walker had an inadequate loading lever catch that often allowed the loading lever to drop during recoil, preventing fast follow-up shots. Period-correct fixes for this often included placing
1258-430: The square back trigger guard. The company made about 2,550 Second Models in 1850 and 1851. The Third Model Dragoon numbers stand at ten-thousand from 1851 through 1860. This design had more variations as compared to its earlier counterparts. Some of the third model Colt Dragoon Revolvers had frame cuts for detachable shoulder stocks, horizontal loading lever latches and folding leaf sights. Third Colt Dragoon Revolvers had
1295-427: Was a practical weapon out to about 100 yards (91 m). The Colt Walker holds a powder charge of 60 grains (3.9 g) in each chamber, more than twice what a typical black powder revolver holds. It weighs 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 pounds (2 kg) unloaded, has a 9-inch (230 mm) barrel, and fires a .44 caliber (0.454 in (11.5 mm) diameter) conical and round ball. The initial contract called for 1,000 of
1332-551: Was from 1980 to 1982. During this period, 5019 Walker replicas were produced bearing the Colt name. They were part of the second-generation “F” series of Colt replicas marketed as “The Authentic Colt Blackpowder Series.” Barrels, cylinders, and backstops were rough-cast in Italy by Uberti. They were finished at Iver Johnson in Middlesex, New Jersey. Iver Johnson also made the frames, center pins, nipples, springs, and screws, and built
1369-404: Was quite powerful, with modern replicas firing modern FFFg black powder producing energy levels in excess of 500 foot-pounds (680 J) muzzle-energy with both picket bullets and 0.454-inch-diameter (11.5 mm), 141-grain (9.1 g) round ball bullets. The black powder Colt Walker is regarded as the most powerful commercially manufactured repeating handgun from 1847 until the introduction of
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