If only Texas Red had this big iron when he made that stand against the Arizona Ranger

"Mr. Colt, I can't help but feel this revolver is a little underpowered." "Ok. Sure. Have it your way. This one will kill a horse with one shot and then explode."

"These also tended to explode during use" Minor inconveniences.

When he said that Sam Walker realized that the Patterson revolver was underpowered, yet had more capacity than a single shot pistol, I realized how old the argument of 9mm vs 45 ACP is... Hell, cavemen probably argued about whether it was better to use a big rock or a bunch of medium sized rocks to crush an adversary.

The Army wanted a sidearm with sufficient power to kill a horse. By bludgeoning, if necessary.

"On a scale from 0 to massive its massive." -Ian, 2015.

After seeing this I recognized the description in Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian: "In his hands he held a longbarreled sixshot Colt's patent revolver. It was a huge sidearm meant for dragoons and it carried in its long cylinders a rifle's charge and weighed close to five pounds loaded. These pistols would drive the half-ounce conical ball through six inches of hardwood..." "Glanton leveled the huge pistol in one hand and thumbed back the hammer. The explosion in that dead silence was enormous. The cat simply disappeared. There was no blood or cry, it just vanished."

Back in the day firearms sometimes exploded “works good enough!” Now days the trigger is a bit stiff “totally unusable!”

so this was the most powerful pistol for 100 years? holy shit

2:36 "...but especially a horse" "Walker what you got against horses" "a horse killed my pa"

My grandpa had two of these. Original Texas Ranger with original double holster. I would have inherited them, but... My druggie oldest cousin stole them and sold them for pot money in 1978. Even on his death bed, grandpa wouldn't forgive him.

That battle scene engraving was actually the Battle of Walker's Creek, which Walker fought in (Walker's Creek was not named after him though) under John "Jack" Hayes, the famous Texas Ranger against the Comanche natives. Using Patterson revolvers, The battle was totally successful for the rangers, with 40/75 casualties for the natives, including a chief and 4/15 casualties for the rangers. Colt had the engraving done partly as a gift to Walker and the rangers who saved him from bankruptcy.

Wow, so Walker, Texas Ranger was actually a real dude.

Big iron on his hip.

The cowboys who owned this gun all died in gunfights, the darn thing was too long to pull from its holster before getting shot by Clint Eastwood.

"Heavy is good. Heavy is reliable. If it does not work, you can always hit him with it."

"He's an outlaw loose and runnin'", came a whisper from each lip "And he's here to do some business with a big iron on his hip"

"one other problem is that these had a tendency to explode....." Bahaha. Just a minor problem. Shit will buff out.

In the film "Unforgiven" one of the main characters tells a story about a bandit called English Bob who killed a man known as "Two gun Corcky" or something like that, he explains that after getting shot, Corcky used a Colt Walker but it blew up in his hands, explaining that it was a fault known too that gun. This video reminded me of that tale and gave some context to what he was talking about.

"Here's a perfectly good rifle cartridge, I want you to make me a pistol" "Sir, I like using my arm!" "Idfc"

Thats not a pistol, it's a stockless carbine!

“One of the other problems was they had a tendency to Explode during use” Sounds perfectly normal to me

Here's an interesting story about how one man acquired two Walker Colts in Texas in the 1950's. A collector named Victor Fredericks was a gun collector in Texas after WWII and would travel thru rural Texas on weekends stop at farm houses and ask the residents if they had any old firearms they would be willing to sell. My Dad would go with Vic on occasions as he looked for these weapons. On one weekend outing, they stopped at a farmhouse, knocked on the door. An elderly lady came to the door, and Vic asked her if she had any old firearms she might be willing to sell. She said she might have some in her attic, but wasn't sure. She showed Vic and my Dad to the attic and let them look thru some old trunks. Big surprise. She had two Walker Colts in the bottom of one of the trunks. Vic offered her $50.00 dollars for both. In 1950 that was a lot of money. She sold them to him and he kept them until he died in the 1980s or 90s. I think they were the highlight of his collection. I visited Vic with my Dad in the 1960's in Austin Texas where I was able to see the two guns. All I recall was how heavy they were. I recall my Dad telling me that Vic's collection was worth over $500k when he died, and that it went to his daughter. Not sure what she did with them. Vic and my Dad were WWII buddies in the Army and stayed close until Vic's death. Also interesting was that in 1964-5, my high school town (Falfurrias, TX) celebrated the 4th of July in a big way. Vic brought his gun collection including a cannon on wheels which he fired on the 4th. More notably, my Dad invited Audie Murphy to come to the town to be part of the celebration, and he accepted. I got to meet him and shake his hand. I was 17-18 yrs old at the time. My Dad was also friends with Ralph Metzger who was Douglas MacArthur's finance officer while he (MacArthur) was in WWII in the South Pacific. I met Metzger in 1995 in Hawaii while traveling on biz after my Dad told me to look him up while there. I did and Metzger took me to dinner and told me some interesting stories. Metzger gave me a copy of one of MacArthur's Leave and Earnings Statement from the Army late in his career. It's dated Dec 18, 1941. If anyone would like a copy, send an email to me at Xgolfer@aol.com. This video reminded me of all of this history.

The story of Colt and Walker collaborating on this pistol is mentioned in "Empire of the Summer Moon." Texas Rangers like Samuel Walker and John Coffee Hays gained much of their experience fighting against mounted Comanche warriors, who were considered the most deadly horse-mounted fighters in the world. The Texas Rangers loved the earlier Colt Patterson revolvers because these repeating pistols helped neutralize the rapid-fire advantage of Comanche bows and arrows. Colt went out of business after selling some Colt Patterson pistols to the military because no one seemed to appreciate the extra fire power of the his repeating revolver. When he learned that the Rangers loved his gun, he started a correspondence with Samuel Walker which eventually led to their collaboration on the Walker Revolver. Walker died shortly thereafter fighting Mexicans, and Colt eventually got rich, thanks entirely to the Texas Rangers!

"Pass the whiskey"

The Texas rangers museum in Waco has some of these guns in their collection! They also have replicas that you can practice disassembling. Thanks for doing a video on them!

I am actually lucky enough to own one of these! Mine is incredibly unique, still all original parts, same serial number and everything. It's got limited signs of combat usage, but it is in great shape! It's been a family heirloom since it was issued way back when.

"a Revolver that was so powerfull, it couldn't handle it's own power. they just didn't had the materials to make it reliable... but it was good enough to become a Legend. the Walker Revolver." - Ahoy

"What you got there in your poke? My god, a Colt’s dragoon! You’re no bigger than a corn nubbin, what are you doin’ with a pistol like that?" "I intend to kill Tom Chaney with it." "Kill Tom Chaney?" "Well, if the law fails to do so." "Well, that piece will do the job for you, if you find a high stump to rest it on and a wall to put behind you."

The Mounted Rifles you refer to were the 2nd US Dragoons, the longest continuously serving mounted cavalry regiment since 1836. Today they are the 2nd US Cavalry Regiment renamed Cavalry at the beginning of the civil war. I served with Troop A a very long time ago. 61-63

I had a Walker for a few years and it was FUN to shoot. So glad though that my life didn't depend on me getting off a round with it. If you overloaded the cylinder, which was easier than you would think, the loading bar would drop, since it wasn't secured, and it would block the cylinder so that it wouldn't rotate. Effectively disarming you at your moment of need.

Thr term “horse pistol” referred to any pistol or revolver customarily carried on the saddle. The Walker was intended to be so carried.

Texas Rangers wearing this one on their belt were known to grow a shorter right leg and a longer left leg :)

Everything in Texas is bigger.

“And that old Walker Colt blew up in his hand, which was a failing common to that model.”

First saw it in the game "Fistful of Frags", my absolute favourite revolver ever since then. Such a cool fat but still sleek design and that lever-reloading, aww mah gawd its so cool

These guns also figure in Cormac McCarthy's novel "Blood Meridian" , where the company buys a number of them from a Prussian arms dealer in Texas, 1849. Interesting!

I have just been talking about the history of Paterson and this revolver with my parents an hour ago at the family dinner. It felt like winning a lottery to see you upload this video today! I showed it to them as well, thanks Ian

First and foremost, this little clip thing comes undone. Second, and less important, they also sometimes explode.

Love the detailed history of this pistol. Keep putting out these videos.

"Hey Mr. Colt, very nice gun you got there. But ya know what it needs? MORE GUN."

For only $100,000 - $150,000 this gun can be yours!

"On a scale from 0 to massive, this thing is MASSIVE" Gun Jesus - 2015

Sir, Samuel Walker was a Texas Ranger with Captain Jack Hays. He was present at The Battle of Walkers Creek in Central Texas, at the site of what became the German settlement of Sisterdale. Back then, it was the spot where the ancient Pinta Trail crosses the Pedernales River as it heads north/south. The Rangers were tracking the Comanche chief, Yellow Wolf, who had raided horses from north of San Antonio. Walker and the Rangers used Patterson’s in that battle and is considered one of the first skirmishes involving revolving pistols. It was this experience that helped shape Walker’s input on the Patterson for improvements. I just wanted to note this, as a Texan, because you only mentioned Walker as a US soldier in the Seminole Wars in Florida. We need to give credit to Captain Jack Hays and his Rangers for the development of the Patterson into the Walker Colt. Thank you.

I still want a safe modern reproduction. that thing is hoss.

(In video description) "Only 1100 of these gun were mad" Why are they mad, Ian? :D

Awesome video! And awesome information. Thanks, Ian.

Good video and very well delivered.

Anybody else really happy with the daily content? Because...I am.

According to T. R. Fehrenbach in his book, "Comanches: The History of a People" the Colt Walker is what finally made it possible for European/American forces to finally deal with the Comanches effectively. walker Referring to the Walker Colt's predecessor, the Colt Texas in .34cal, famed Texas Ranger Jack Hays " . . . was the first captain in Texas to recognize the potentialities of Colt's newfangled revolvers. Because of this in early 1840 he fought the first successful mounted action against the Pehnahterkuh Comanches. Riding beside the Pedernales River northwest of San Antonio with only fourteen men, Hays was ambushed by a party of some seventy Comanches. Previously, the standard Texas tactic was to race for cover and hold off the horsemen with their long rifles - heretofore, the only hope for survival. Hays, however, wheeled and led his men in a charge against the howling, onrushing horse Indians; the fourteen rangers rode through a blizzard of shafts and engaged the Comanches knee-to-knee with blazing revolvers. Hays lost several men to arrows - but his repeating pistols struck down a dozen warriors. "Startled, amazed by white men who charged and whose guns seemed inexhaustible, horrified by heavy losses the Comanche war band broke and fled. The Rangers killed thirty Comanches." This success is what spurred Walker to talk to Colt to make a more powerful revolver.

You brought me back to my childhood. My aunt and uncle owned some of the land around the Battle of Mansfield Louisiana. When we would go visit from Shreveport, my brother and i would be line to their study library where they had original civil was guns. They dug up canons, trap doors and lots of pistols. My favorite was the case of dual colts.

Although it will take serious commitment for me to ever own and shoot a fire arm here in the netherlands I am fascinated by these "tools". I really appreciate your knowledge and the presentatio of these forgotten weapons..Thanks Ian

Super informative video, love Colt guns and history!

Loading the conical bullet backwards doesn't just increase the amount of powder you could fit it. It changes how the pressure behaves. Much more of it will be directed at the cylinder walls which is what causes it to burst. There is at least one youtuber who experimented with handloading rifle bullets backwards a while back. They experienced split necks on almost every case that was fired.

What a magnificent old firearm, and an excellent presentation. Thank you Ian.

“Dammit, he’s dual-wielding walkers”

I simply do not understand how a business as secure as Colt is capable of finagling itself into bankruptcy. Ah, nuts to that, though. The revolver is beautiful.

"Well, you gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie?" Josie Whales.

Really appreciate having CC for those of who are kinda hard of hearing. Thank you Ian.

Always a great review!Thank you Ian.

Howdy Buckeroos, I have handled and photographed, over forty original Walkers. What an impressive gun - especially if you can find a set of pommel holsters. It makes the hard to load and fragile, Patterson's, look flimsy by comparison. It did have many problems which were addressed by the Dragoons. An important part of Colt's history.

Well, I found my new EDC

Excellent review by the expert, Ian. Thank you.

thanks this vid has great history details and very well presented the engraving on the cylinder is most interesting and it would have been advantages to include an example even so I thank you so and do hope you include such detail by editing this vid thank you again for such great info

Only the Cylinders blew out. Colt got some bad steel. 1100 guns where made. 1000 went to the Rangers, and 100 where used as presentation guns to government officials as gifts so Colt was trying to get a government contract, which he did in 1851 with the Navy revolver. Of the 1100 made only about 98 are known to still be around. So make sure that is a real Colt Walker. In the late 70s, Colt actually did a run of Walkers at that time..

That's the gun I've always pictured Roland Deschain carrying. Holy hell, what a beauty.

Fantastic pistol! Thanks for the informative video on this classic weapon.

I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. Very informative and interesting for this Limey.! Peace.

.357 Magnum, 1934. You're thinking the .44 Mag in the 1950's.

I own a Uberti repro. If you file a flat spot on top the "knob" of the ram lever retaining spring then the lever will not drop down when the gun is fired.

Outstanding program! Loved the history!

God bless you Ian! Thank you for keeping history ALIVE! Never forget, never surrender!

I have a replica of the Walker Cold. It is a brute of a weapon and heavy as Hades. Load it to the recomended level and it is a cannon. I had a extra one I had picked up very cheap and was wondering about it. My local gun smith and I decided to try it and see what might happen with operloading it with black powder. We maxed it out and barely could get the ball seated. We had it in a vice and rempte trigger pull. WhenI pulled the lanyard it went B O O M and sent the ball down range. I was surprised. No damage we could find to the weapon. I cleaned it up and then we tried the miniball in it along with a sabot round. All fired with no problem even with all cylinders fully loaded it went off like a dream. When Hunting I generally carry it fully charged as a back up weapon and it has nevr let me down yet. The only complaint I have is the time it takes to properly reload it is much longer than I care for normally.

Thank your for a damn good video. I just wish more people would do such a great job teaching about firearms..

Walker to Colt : A mechanical wagon capable of carrying what I have in mind is still over half a century away. For now, let's just go with this. I had to 'liquidate' my '47 Walker for the time being. Will buy again.

I like how you introduced the handle dropping out of place first instead of how the gun would literally explode.

Ideal for shooting from a horse - relatively little recoil (as the weight of the pistol partly deals with that), and the weight of the pistol does not matter very much when one is on a horse. So actually it is a practical pistol - for its stated purpose, which is as a cavalry pistol.

Guess this is where they got the idea for the Cadwell Uppercut in Hunt: Showdown.

Presenter is a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Very insightful 👏

I 3d printed a working (obviously not firing) replica of this, and even in plastic this gun makes you feel like a boss.

As a Texas native, I have to say "Outstanding!"

I used to own a replica Colt Walker. Thing was a massive beast. .44 magnum black powder pistol. When I would go to the range, I would always be the center of attention once I fired it. lol Big iron, bigger boom.

Excellent piece of History. Thank you for sharing!!

Thank you for your videos!

'The gun blew up in old Corky's hand, which was a common failing of that model."

Caldwell Conversion Uppercut

I really like that not only do we get to see gun but we also get the history of the gun and the people behind it

Interesting video many thanks.

In a little under fifteen minutes, he really explained that gun well.👍

Colt: The Forever Bankrupt Company

Great Video!! Awesome Gun!! Colt Walker, Dragoon and Pacemaker my Favorites. Regards from Europe Barcelona Spain

I attended Texas A&M in the 1970s and on the 3rd of the Rudder student hall was the Metzger firearm collection. There was a Walker there and it totally outsized all the pistols displayed around it. It was a Ranger issue one and was displayed with the badge of the Ranger who owned it.

Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker and Samuel Colt, remember these names

Did not sell? On Storage Wars, two Cowboys hauled one out of an abandoned storage locker, and when they had it evaluated, it was valued at $25,500.

Thanks for your erudition and explanations.

The Walker Colt revolutionized the fighting against the Comanche who could release 10 arrows in the time it took to load the muzzleloading rifles of the day. Early tactics were to fight dismounted. With the Walker Colts the Rangers learned to fight the Comanche from horseback. "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne describes the Texas Ranger (among others) and Comanche clashes along the Texas frontier.

THANK YOU for giving the DATE of your video! Wish everyone would do this.... You are an amazing story teller.... great video!

if you've read Blood Merdian by Cormac McCarthy, this gun, well, the dragoon, plays a prominent role into that madness. and if you haven't read, i highly recommend.

Cool massive gun!!!! Thanks for the info!

Robert Duvall pistol whips a rude bartender with this beast in Lonesome Dove. The scene is on youtube for anyone that's interested.