My Christmas Revolver
 

Got a revolver for Christmas. Just opened up the box last evening. It is a .44 caliber Uberti replica of a Colt Walker. It is a nice looking gun.

Any advice on firing, cleaning, loads, etc. would be appreciated.

The only thing i can say is that max loads have been known to allow the loading lever to fall. Not a big issue unless you are shooting upper end loads. The Walker was supposed to be one of the most powerful in its day.

My Ruger old Army did the same thing rarely too. Its more annoying than a safety concern because it will click right back in place.

honestly i'd shoot well below max loads just to keep wear and tear down on it. It was one thing back then to use its full load capacity but then again, that was to take down a man every now and then, they werent used for target shooting and fun like they are today.

I used 25 grains fffg goex with my Colt navy .45 at 15 and 20 yards and it shot pretty well. Isn't the maximom load for that pistol 40 grains? MD's advice is good to avoid wearing the pistol out. You want to start low and work up anyway to see what the pistol likes.

By the way, cleaning it is going to be a pain in the azz.

The Walker Colt will accept a stronger then most revolver charge. And the Uberti is a very well made revolver. But that does not mean you have to use max charges in it. I would think there was a manual with the revolver that told you the limits of the revolver. I know on my 1858 Pietta the max load is 35 grains of 3f. I am sure yours would be more, but then again... why?

Use a substitute 3f grade powder like Pinnacle, APP, or JSG. I use 20 grains of JSG 3f in my .44 caliber shooting a .451 ball. I think I read where your revolver shoots a .454 or larger ball. Again, refer to your manual.

I know a lot of shooters use Pyrodex P and Goex 3f, but clean up is so easy when you use the substitute powders. I just take the wood grips off mine and put the whole works, disassembled of course (the cylinder and nipples) into dish water and scrub them clean like I was doing dishes.

This should make for an excellent short range revolver for shooting game. If shooting hogs, let them come in close and use a near max load. It will be interesting to hear from you on how it shoots and the knock down ability of it.

Original Walkers and some reproductions had a max load of 60grs. They were so large they used to be kept in a saddle holster. Im not saying to shoot a max load but the gun offers a lot of room for whatever you plan to shoot. The cylinder has plenty of room for even a bullet called a Picket bullet.

The Walker should be a .454 if made to specs. Some might be different but i think the Uberti Walker is a .454.

Thanks everyone. Got to get some #10 caps and some balls. Will start with a mild load of 2F Pinnacle.

As was said, it has a max load of 60 gr. A normal easy load on the gun will be 40gr. All .44 cal C&B revolvers are really .45's. You can use .451, .454, or .457 balls in it. The correct ball will be the one that leaves a full ring of lead shaved off when you load it. You'll see what I mean when you do it. You don't want a loose fit of the ball. If you don't see the ring being shaved off the ball is too small. Go up to the next size. Start with the .454 ball.

The Walker does have a problem with the loading lever dropping down. It was fixed in the later Dragoon models. If it bothers you just use a piece of rawhide to tie it up when you shoot. Leave it tied and just slip it off and on when you load. There is a mechanical fix for the lever, but the rawhide is easier.

After you have the powder and balls loaded you can put some lube over the balls. Crisco is the cheapest.

Pyrodex P is the cheapest powder to shoot, and it's works great in that gun.

Have fun.

View My Video

I drop a measured amount of cream of wheat on top of the Wad so the Ball seats flush with the cylinder..