Hi MAXPRESSURE,

I got your PM about the Walker.  One of the best, if not THE best source for Colt blackpowder weapons is "Colt - An American Legend" by R. L. Wilson.  His info has been verified by Colt and the book is considered by them as an authoritative source.  I finally dropped $65 for a copy when I had my website . . . and it has been worth it.  The following comments and fragments are from R.L. Wilson:

"The Ordnance Department agreed to an order for 1000 Walkers.  These were a joint design of Colt and Walker.  The prototype was made in New York . . . by Blunt & Syms!"  Colt didn't even make them!  As was typical at the time.  Eli Whitney, Jr, son of the cotton gin inventor, agreed to manufacture 1,000 for the government and 100 for general distibution.  It weighed 4 lbs and 9 ounces - was .44 caliber and became the largest Colt handgun ever made.  The gov. order was completed in 1847.

It was about this time that Colt organized his own factory and began producing his own pistols . . . the Transition Walker or Whitneyville-Hartford.  [I really like these smaller "dragoons" . . . Uberti makes or made some beutiful replicas of these and the Walker].

All the Walkers were made in 1847 [Serial numbers were 1 - through 1100], but the "Dragoons" were made from 1847-1848 till 1982 . . . yep 1982!!

To answer the question about bad cylinders.  239 early Walkers had bad cylinders and Colt fixed them.  These are rare as "hen's teeth" today and are known as the Fluck Dragoon - not a "Fluck" but named after ther researcher who discovered this modification.  Serial numbers were 2216-2515.

Again. as I said before, all this info is from R.L. Wilson . . . except for a few personal comments.

By the way, Colt contracted with Colt Blackpowder Arms in Brooklyn, N.Y. and the Colt Walker is/was in production in 1998.  Price was $599.95.  The Pocket Navy [Yep . . . that is where I got my handle] was $389.95 in 1998.

Hope this helps.

fred -

do you have any information on the famous LeMat?

Yep . . . somewhere!  I'll have to dig it up.  Should have left my website up! 

Lot of misinformation out there about the LeMat.  I'll look up the site I had on the LeMat.  It's on disk somewhere . . . I hope!

Pocketnavy,

 A very belated thankyou for the info. Do you know what type of black powder was used? Grade size not brand. Any difference in powder gradations between .44 and smaller calibers? max