Colt Walker on TV

[DragoonRick]

I was just watching a “Gun Smoke” rerun. Dillion was on foot with a prisoner running from the bad guys.  The cast always have SAA Colts but this one guy had a Walker in his hand.  The show armorer probably added it to Him. On brief photo of that gun. 

[Zulch]

That’s neat Rick. What episode, do you remember? Black and white or colored version of the show? I’d like to see that one. I’ll bet the good Capt. would remember that one too.

[DragoonRick]

It was a color episode. On hour long..  that Walker was way out of its time element.  1847 to post 1873. Wow

[Zulch]

That’s pretty neat though, maybe they hung around like old model cars did you know? It is possible 😁👍

[Miguel Loco]

I agree Tim. There weren't that many made, but whoever managed to get one, treasured it.

[ShotgunDave]

Capt will be along any minute, to tell us which season and episode it was in.

Cool to see old guns in TV shows and movies. I always keep an eye out for them.

[G Dog]

What was Dillon doing a-foot?  That's not his standard roll.

At my location, back in the day, we never missed Gun Smoke.

[Ringo]

It was a color episode. On hour long..  that Walker was way out of its time element.  1847 to post 1873. Wow

Remember True Grit ? Mattie's revolver was a Walker. The action took place in 1880, according to Mattie's father tombstone. Way out of time too... Mind you, John Wayne used a 1892 Winchester in the movie. Way before its time then... 

[Captainkirk]

Do you happen to recall the episode title, Rick?
Most of the Gunsmoke episodes I've seen multiple times are B&W. The color episodes only began re-running since January on my favorite western channel. Still, I may have seen it. Any hints?

[Miguel Loco]

Using a older style pistol was not all that uncommon in the old west. A gun was very expensive, especially the new fangled cartridge revolvers, not to mention the cartridges themselves. Any mining town would have had large stores of black powder and from what I've heard, even the local druggists carried percussion caps. The process of resize, remove and install a primer in a cartridge was well out of the means of most people.

I do know that when they finally got permission to dig out the ground where the original Spangenberg Gun Shop in Tombstone was at before the fire of March 1882, they found all kinds of revolvers....but the most common by a long way was the 58 Remmie. From that I'd say that there was a place for percussion revolvers well into the 1880's....and probably longer. Look how many originals are still popping up today. A pistol was a major investment and if it went bang....it most likely got used.

[Captainkirk]

Bear in mind that in the made-for-TV series "Lonesome Dove", both Woodrow and Gus carried and preferred Colt Walkers converted to cartridge. While strictly Hollywood fantasy, it follows to reason that real ex-Texas Rangers who learned to like and become quite efficient with their Walkers would retain them, and have them converted to cartridge use. It's a big hunk of artillery.

[G Dog]

In the show Call used an 1860 Army.  He tosses Newt an 1860 Army ("better to have it  and not need it ...") and wears one. In the book Gus packed a Dragoon.  Deets in the book carried a Walker with a broken hammer spur. ("only man in the outfit stout enough to carry one all day").

The events are in 1876 ("like the Souix just done Custer").  I doubt many guys were still luggin Walkers by then.  I doubt that there were very many conversions.  Why bother?  Also, there were hardly any Walkers in the first place. (1100, as noted).

[DragoonRick]

My failure of recall.  It was a black and white episode.
Rick

[Captainkirk]

My failure of recall.  It was a black and white episode.
Rick

I do seem to recall an episode like that but not the details.

[Captainkirk]

In the show Call used an 1860 Army.  He tosses Newt an 1860 Army ("better to have it  and not need it ...") and wears one. In the book Gus packed a Dragoon.  Deets in the book carried a Walker with a broken hammer spur. ("only man in the outfit stout enough to carry one all day").

The events are in 1876 ("like the Souix just done Custer").  I doubt many guys were still luggin Walkers by then.  I doubt that there were very many conversions.  Why bother?  Also, there were hardly any Walkers in the first place. (1100, as noted).

Thanks for the refresher, G. Seems it's been longer than I remembered since I watched Lonesome Dove. Guess I'll have to put that on the list to watch again, and soon! And you're correct that by '76, all cavalry and most civilians had switched over to the full frame 1873 Colt and 1875 Remington revolvers.