Colt Walker Model 1847

Colt's Manufacturing · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1847

Also known as: Walker Colt, Colt Walker, Walker Revolver, Model 1847 Walker, Whitneyville-Hartford Dragoon, Colt's Pistol Whitneyville-Hartford Dragoon Model of 1847

Overview

The Colt Walker Model 1847 is a single-action, six-shot .44 caliber percussion revolver - the largest, heaviest, and most powerful black-powder revolver ever issued to the United States military. Designed jointly by Samuel Colt and Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker of the Texas Rangers and United States Mounted Rifles, the Walker was conceived specifically for mounted combat against Mexican lancers and Comanche horsemen during the Mexican-American War. Weighing approximately 4.5 pounds (2,041 g) with a 9-inch (229 mm) part-octagon, part-round barrel and an overall length of roughly 15.5 inches (394 mm), it dwarfs every other cap-and-ball revolver of the period and was worn in saddle holsters in pairs rather than carried on the belt. The cylinder holds six chambers, each loaded with loose black powder (typically 50-60 grains) topped by a lubricated round ball of approximately .454 inches in diameter, with separate #11 percussion caps seated on nipples at the rear of the cylinder. The seven-groove, left-hand-twist rifled barrel and long sight radius give the Walker genuine practical accuracy out to about 100 yards, while the massive powder charge produces a muzzle velocity of roughly 1,200 ft/s (366 m/s) and more than 450 ft-lbs (650 J) of muzzle energy - a power level that would remain unmatched by any US-issued revolver cartridge until the introduction of the .357 Magnum in 1935. Only 1,100 Walkers were manufactured in 1847 (1,000 for the US Army's Walker's Regiment of Mounted Rifles plus 100 civilian examples), and the design's identified weaknesses - a tendency for chambers to burst, loading levers to drop under recoil, and the gun's unwieldy weight - led Colt to refine the pattern into the smaller and more practical First, Second, and Third Model Dragoon revolvers that followed. The revenue generated by the Walker contract allowed Samuel Colt to reopen his firearms business, reestablish his Hartford factory, and effectively launch the Colt Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company into the company it would become.

Specifications

Weight (empty)	2041 g (72.0 oz)
Overall Length	394 mm (15.51")
Barrel Length	229 mm (9.02")
Firing Mechanism	Single Action
Trigger Type	Single Action
Magazine Capacity	6 rounds
Magazine Type	Internal
Muzzle Velocity	366 m/s (1201 fps)
Muzzle Energy	651 J (480 ft·lbf)
Effective Range	91 m (100 yd)
Maximum Range	180 m (197 yd)
Barrel Rifling	Left Hand
Number of Grooves	7
Frame Material	Steel
Barrel Material	Steel
Stock Material	Walnut
Finish	Blued Case Hardened

Calibers

.44 Caliber Round Ball (Walker load) · primary — also known as .44 cal, .454 round ball, Walker .44 percussion

Features

Firing modes: Manual
Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder, Cap And Ball Loose Powder And Ball
Safety mechanisms: Hammer Rest Pins Between Chambers
Features: Percussion Cap Ignition, Six Shot Cylinder, Open Top Frame, Part Octagon Part Round Barrel, Rectangular Cylinder Stops, Integral Loading Lever, Roll Engraved Cylinder Ranger Indian Fight Scene, Brass Trigger Guard, One Piece Walnut Grip

Service history

Operators

United States Mounted Rifles (Walker's Company C) · adopted 1847 · as Colt's Pistol Whitneyville-Hartford Dragoon Model of 1847
Texas Rangers · adopted 1847
United States Army · adopted 1847 · as Model 1847 Army Pistol
Civilian frontiersmen and collectors · adopted 1847

Conflicts

Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
American Indian Wars (1847-1890)
American Old West / Frontier era (1847-1890)

Production

Estimated total produced: 1,100 · Production years: 1847

Approximately 1,000 military contract revolvers were produced for the US Army's Regiment of Mounted Rifles (serialized by company: A, B, C, D, E Company, plus a small number of replacement and officers' models) and roughly 100 civilian examples, for a total of about 1,100 Walkers. All were assembled at Eli Whitney Jr.'s Whitneyville armory in Connecticut in 1847 on Colt's behalf before Colt reopened his own factory in Hartford. Fewer than 200 authenticated original Walkers are believed to survive today.

Origin

Country of origin: United States

Designer: Samuel Colt, Samuel Hamilton Walker

Discontinued: 1847

Notes

Loading procedure: pour measured black powder into each chamber, seat a lubricated .454 round ball (or conical bullet) over the powder using the rammer-type loading lever, apply bore grease over the ball to prevent chain-fires, and cap each nipple at the rear of the cylinder with a #11 percussion cap. Safe carry is traditionally five loaded chambers with the hammer rested on a pin between two chambers or on an empty chamber. The roll-engraved cylinder scene depicts the Battle of Bandera Pass between Texas Rangers and Comanche warriors. Serial numbers A, B, C, D, E company-prefixed (plus civilian numbers) - only around 170 authentic Walkers are known to survive, making them among the most valuable American antique firearms.

Background

Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker of the Texas Rangers personally traveled to meet Samuel Colt after surviving the 1844 Battle of Walker Creek - the fight that proved the revolver's decisive advantage over single-shot weapons against mounted Comanche warriors - and dictated the specifications for what became the Walker Colt: six shots, .44 caliber, and powerful enough to drop a horse or a man at 100 yards. Walker himself was killed leading a cavalry charge at the Battle of Huamantla in Mexico in October 1847, reportedly carrying a pair of his namesake revolvers at the moment of his death. The .44 Walker's roughly 450 ft-lbs of muzzle energy held the record for the most powerful US-issued revolver load for 88 years, until the .357 Magnum arrived in 1935, and surviving Walkers - particularly Company-marked military issue examples - have sold at auction for more than $1.8 million, making them among the most coveted American antique firearms in existence.