Newly Discovered U.S. Colt Model 1847 Walker Revolver
Posted on 11/19/2016 12:02:25 AM PST by Swordmaker
Auction No. 112 – Session 1
by Amoskeag Auction Co
November 19, 2016, 9:00 AM EST | Manchester, NH, US
Live Auction
Lot 60: Newly Discovered U.S. Colt Model 1847 Walker Revolver (262 views)
Estimate: $75,000 - $125,000
Description: serial #B Company No. 45, .44 caliber, 8 ⅞" barrel with good bore that shows rifling its entire length with scattered and patchy light pitting present, moderate in a couple areas.
This revolver was recently discovered in Massachusetts and was sent to Herb Glass, Jr. for a complete evaluation. Mr. Glass studied the revolver for several days and provided a two page letter which states among other things that the revolver is a "Genuine Colt Walker, the existence of which was, apparently, previously unreported".
The revolver shows period alterations and repairs by a frontier gunsmith. These include the conversion to a Navy style rammer latch with the dovetail for the original spring neatly filled and polished so it is nearly invisible. The cylinder pin shows a neatly done brazed repair and the barrel-to-frame fit was tightened by removing the frame pins and relieving the front of the frame which removed the two-digit serial number normally found between the pins. The muzzle of the barrel was neatly trimmed by 1/8" likely due to damage. The cylinder pins were then reversed and mounted within the barrel and fit within corresponding holes in the face of the frame. Glass calls this a most competent repair.
It is interesting to note that the number "51" appears stamped on most parts including the cylinder pin, barrel breech between pins, side of the triggerguard near factory "45", on the side of the buttstrap, on the side of the hammer and on the face of the cylinder. Because this work was done by a frontier gunsmith there would be no need to apply assembly numbers as he would likely only be working on one gun at a time, Mr. Glass feels that these numbers represent the year of the work being completed. The wedge is a Dragoon wedge which is numbered 7499 which interestingly dates to about the 1850-51 period lending more credence to the "51" representing the date of repair work.
Once the repairs and alterations were completed the gun was refinished which has removed the pressure ridge normally found on the cylinder and also has caused some of the original markings to become light or no longer visible. The barrel address is evenly light and only partially legible, under magnification with proper light, most letters are visible. The "1847" above the wedge screw remains legible, the "B" and "45" are visible on the left side of the barrel with the balance of the "B COMPANY NO. 45" being no longer visble. The "B COMPANY No 45" on left side of frame is fully legible. The serial number is also completely legible on the triggerguard and is completely removed from the buttstrap. The "B" and "45" are both visible on the cylinder and "45" is stamped on the front inlet of the grips.
The metal surfaces of the revolver show a deep brown patina with scattered old oxidation present along with some traces of the blue finish which was applied in 1851.
Interestingly the triggerguard shows a good deal of original silverplated finish which is heavily tarnished and is an unusual treatment but according to Glass is not unique as he has other martial Walkers that has their triggerguards originally silveplated.
The grips were varnished at time of refinish and they still retain a good deal of that finish remaining and with significant chips at each toe. Walker revolvers all saw hard service and this example is no exception. Glass notes that the revolver saw hard use resulting in damage and was refurbished on the frontier in 1851 and then returned to service where it acquired considerable wear to the new finish.
This revolver could have very well seen Civil War service and if it did, it would have been most likely used by a Confederate soldier and perhaps was returned to Massachusetts as a war trophy only to be stored away and forgotten about.
Mr. Glass makes it very clear how untouched this revolver is stating "I can state with absolute certainty that this gun had not been fully disassembled since its period of use."
Any Walker revolver is a treasure for the advanced U.S. martial or Colt collector. They have been coveted with serial numbers of known examples recorded by scholars since the forties and fifties. The fact that this revolver was previously unknown and remains in such an honest and untouched state of preservation make this a truly special Walker revolver and an exciting discovery for the Colt collecting fraternity.
(17905-1) {ANTIQUE}
Starting bid: $45,000 (0 bids)
Including a beautiful Samuel Hoggson engraved Henry Rifle,
pistols owned by WWII Generals, a near mint 1873 Winchester Military Rifle (not as nice as the one I owned), Factory engraved Single Action Army Colt revolver with ivory steer head grips, TWO rare U.S. 1911A1 .45 ACP Pistols by Singer Sewing Machine Manufacturing Co., three nice cane rifles, two engraved presentation Colt SAA revolvers, a cut-away 1911A1 .45 ACP pistol. . . and thats just on the first four pages out of 29 in the catalog!
Awesome, i love these old Colts. I have a wonderful 1st gen SAA calvary model that is 100 years old.
If it could only talk, the stories it would tell.
Awesome piece of history. Pretty rare too. The modifications to the loading level are brilliant given it’s propensity to come loose on recoil.
I owned an Italian-made replica of a Walker Colt at one time. It was huge and weighed a ton.
Yeah, even on my replica, the loading lever flopped down with every shot. I don’t remember how much powder the cylinders held, but it was a lot. It was like shooting a cannon.
Many years ago, when I was running a gun shop, a customer brought me an old percussion revolver, double holster rig and powder flask to see if I could identify what the gun was. I was an expert on antique firearms and the gun buyer for Simms Hardware and later managed the Old Sacramento Armoury. In any case, when he pulled this huge percussion relvolver—that a friend going through a divorce had just given him (!)— out of his gun case, I thought immediately "Oh my God, it's a Walker!"
Then I took a second look. . . and realized it wasn't a Walker at all. I thought perhaps it's a First Model Dragoon, but no, it's not. Certainly not a 2nd. What in hell is it?
He left it with me to research what the heck it was. It took me several weeks of digging but I found that what my customer had been given was a Colt that was a gun that was rarer than any other production line model Colt ever made. Only 337 of them were made and they had their own serial number range at the end of the Walker range. They were made on Walker frames and parts with First Model Dragoon barrels and loading levers for the specific purpose of replacing the Walker Colts the Texas Rangers had lost or destroyed in service! They'd been considered apochryphal as the records had been destroyed when the Colt factory burned in 1862(?). But in the 1930s a collector by the name of Fluck did deep research and found duplicate records documenting the order along with invoices in the Texas Ranger Archives specifying the changes and the run in a letter from Colt, and established the model and its existence, made prior to the release of the First Model Dragoon. They are called the Colt Fluck Dragoon in that collector's honor.
It's likely that a total of 1,000 Fluck Dragoons were eventually made by Colt using up Walker parts, selling the balance to the public. They are still the rarest production, non-special order gun made by Colt.
At the time my customer brought this one in, there were 26 known surviving examples in collection and museums. This was the 27th found! There have a couple more turn up since. About five years before then a rusted, beat up Fluck in ratty condition sold at auction for $17,000 Plus buyers premium of 15%. This on my customer had was in really good, shootable condition with about 20% original finish. Probably worth then a good $30k. The holster rig was even rarer, being an original Walker saddle holster for two Walkers. . . and few of them have survived. The flask was an original Colt Walker powder flask, also exceedingly rare! Estimated value of the holster was $15k to $20k, flask around $5,000. Some gift!
By the way, prior to the Walker in this auction turning up, there were 184 known surviving Walkers in museums and private hands. This B Company serial # 45 was not catalogued among those, and makes the 185th.
Only felt like it weighed a ton. . . 9 ½ pounds loaded. Fun to shoot. Tongue of flame for fifteen feet from the muzzle! WHEEEEE!
60 grains of black powder.
Correction, make that 4 ½ pounds. Misremembering. I was recalling another gun I had. Still heavy.
19’th Century’s equivaqlent of the 44 magnum...
“Tongue of flame for fifteen feet from the muzzle! WHEEEEE! “
Got an 1856 in my bedstand. Anybody breaks in at night is gonna have a heart attack when it goes off!
The .44 caliber black powder 9" barrel Walker actually has a higher stopping power rating, as does the old .45 Long Colt, 7 ½" barrel Single Action Army Colt from 1873, than does the .44 S&W Magnum round fired from the 8 ⅜ " Smith &Wesson Model 29 on the Hatcher Relative Stopping Power Scale. The .44 S&W Magnum at its best will rate around 60 to 66 on the Hatcher Scale, while the old black powder rounds of the long barreled .45 Long Colt rate an amazing 75 or so and the older yet Walker, would rate at a whopping 78!
"Why?" you are probably asking.
It has to do with the physics of energy transfer. A sonic boom occurs when an object reaches the speed of sound of the medium it's traveling in. . . the boom is caused by its sudden lowered ability to efficiently transfer energy. Above that threshold energy doesn't transfer as easily. . . but below it it does. An object, say a bullet, cannot efficiently transfer its energy until it reaches the speed of sound — the velocity at which the medium can accept the energy and move it away — of that medium. So, our hypervelocity bullet from a magnum is somewhat limited in the damage it can do even though it's carrying oodles of energy, until it slows enough to deliver that energy. The speed of sound in air is around 1130 feet per second, but in water it's a bit faster, say 1250, but your Magnum bullet is trucking along at 1600 ft/sec. it's gonna punch a nice neat hole in the target while shedding some velocity but it might take, oh say 9" to lose 400 feet per second of speed. The average human body is only 9" thick, chest to back . By the time our .44 mag has slowed enough to do real knock down shock damage, it's on its way to an innocent bystander!
The guy you hit with the Magnum may be mortally wounded, but it's a nice neat hole that's gonna bleed, while he keeps a shootin' at you and others, until he keels over from blood loss! The thing lacking was the knockdown punch unless you got lucky and hit bone or a vital organ, etc.
Now, let's take our antique cartridge or cap and ball hog legs. . . Those Bullets never ever reach the speed of sound! They're moseying along at about 1100 feet per second and hit the intended bad guy and start delivering every foot pound they're carrying right from the get go and then STOP in the target delivering ALL of those foot pounds where it will do the most good. . . and they are unlikely to add collateral bystander damage to innocent people, pets, or even bureaucrats after passing through several walls, down the street. Voilá, better stopping power!
Just make sure there's nothing volatile or flammable in the line of fire or you'll need a visit from the fire department. . . the black powder is not quick to extinguish. I recall it lasted a couple seconds until the last of it burnt out.
I own a few myself. Very fun to shoot. If anyone is interested, here is the catalog -
http://legendarygunstexas.com/images/Cimarron_Catalog_Pt._1.pdf
Me too: I have an excellent 1851 Navy Colt made in 1856 and an 1860 Army made in 1862 with its original holster and Union officer sword belt. Colts are the centerpiece of American history.
That is awesome. My father was a collecter of Colt SAA. He did the walnut grips on mine before he passed. Mine is 1919 manufacture, it is a shooter. Very smooth action with about a 3 lb trigger. Nothing like that 4 click cocking of a colt.
A few more I've picked up over the last 40+ years. 
I am wanting a muzzle loading revolver to shoot, no safe queens in my collection.
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