This custom Colt Walker represents a very unique element of firearms collecting. This gun is not an Italian reproduction, but a completely custom, American-made copy of one of Colt's most iconic guns that was made sometime during the 1940's to 1950's. Very little is known about the enigmatic maker who was producing these replicas; likely because, when these guns were originally made, they weren't marketed at replicas but as original 19th Century Colts! What is known is that a number of Walkers, Patersons, and Baby Patersons were custom made by an "enterprising" gunsmith during the mid twentieth Century, and were originally sold to uneducated collectors for extremely large sums of money! Thanks to the internet age, and recent scholarship regarding the authentication of original ColtWalker revolvers, modern collectors are able to identify these replicas as copies, however the fact that they were American-made, and are VERY close to the original guns from which they were copied, have given these mid-20th Century replica's a loyal collector following of their own!
As an added historical touch, this Walker Colt bears a serial number of 1009; which replicates the original serial number of one of a pair of Colt Walkers (numbers 1009 and 1010) that were presented to Samuel Walker by Samuel Colt in July, 1847!
The pistol itself is in excellent condition. The action is smooth and positive with a solid half and full cock. Like most Walkers, if the hammer is cocked to aggressively, the inertia of a the heavy cylinder can cause it to over-rotate and not lock up correctly (there's a reason Colt re-design the stop notches for the Dragoon cylinder in the 1850s). However, if the hammer is cocked slower and more deliberately, the gun locks up just fine and appears to be quite shootable.
The barrel is in excellent condition. The Colt address stamp is intact and fully legible. There is no wobble in the barrel. The bore is in good shape with sharp rifling and no major pitting. The cylinder matches the barrel in condition. Each one of the chambers is crisp and clean with no pitting or erosion. The serial number is clearly visible on the cylinder and matches the rest of the gun. The cylinder scene is partially obscured but much of it is still visible .
The grips, trigger guard, back strap, and loading lever are all original and all matching. The back strap is cut for a shoulder stock.
