FIREARMS COLT WALKER 47

THE LEGENDARY HANDGUN THAT REALLY WON THE WEST

- KEN AMOROSANO

When the Mexican War began in 1846, Capt. Samuel H. Walker, U.S. Army, traveled east, looked up Sam Colt, and collaborated on the design of a new, more powerful revolver.

To understand the significance of the Colt Walker 47, one must first pay homage to the Colt 1836 Patterson. U.S. War Department officials reportedly were favorably impressed with the 1836 Paterson. It was Colt’s first commercial repeating revolver and marked a significant milestone in the evolution of firearms. Designed by Samuel Colt, this singleaction, cap-and-ball revolver featured a five-shot cylinder and was available in several calibers, with .28 and .36 being the most common. Its sleek, streamlined design included an integrated folding trigger that only appeared when the hammer was cocked, a novel feature that provided a cleaner profile but also required greater manual dexterity to operate.

Lightweight and portable, the Colt Paterson was particularly valued by Texas Rangers and other frontier forces for its capability to deliver multiple shots without reloading. However, it had limitations— loading the cylinder was complex, requiring disassembly, which proved inconvenient in high-stress situations.

When the Mexican War began in 1846, Capt. Samuel H. Walker, U.S. Army, traveled east, looked up Sam Colt, and collaborated on the design of a new, more powerful revolver. Samuel Walker, who had experienced firsthand the inadequacies of existing firearms in high-stakes engagements, sought to create a powerful and reliable handgun that could be used effectively on horseback.

The result was the 1847 Walker, the largest and most powerful black powder repeating handgun ever made. Samuel Walker carried two of his namesake revolvers in the Mexican–American War, and the imbalance between the enemy and the troops with the introduction of the powerful Colt Walker, changed the direction of armed conflict out West forever.