Steg, Texas Man, care to jump in on this one?

 

Since I do not cast bullets from original or reproduction molds, I have no answer. When I do shoot, since I am very lazy, I use store bought bullets. In reality, I do so because working with molten lead in a NYC apartment is not a cool thing to do. In fact, it is a very good way to get evicted if and when you are found out! And, when one lives in a rent controlled apartment having a very low rent..........
Bye the bye, when I do shoot, I go to Pennsylvania to shoot, and buy my powder and caps there - both being illegal in NYC and possession of them carries a large mandatory prison (hard time) sentence.

 

Yipes!!


One is not allowed to even own Black Powder and Percussion Caps in 'NYC'??

Nor, any Cap & Ball Pistols or Revolvers either?


Worse than England then...


So sorry to hear this.

 

It is perfectly legal to own and possess percussion pistols in NYC. You do not even have to register them or have a permit for them. You just cannot carry them about on your person because the NYCPD has a zero tolerance policy for handguns and firearms in general. In NYC one needs a police permit to possess a long gun, and in some parts of the city, this is almost impossible to get.
When one owns percussion handguns in NYC, one has to be discreet.
With regards to a ban on possession of powder and caps, it makes sense when you consider how closely together we live here., It would be too dangerous. I live in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan. It is 14 city blocks long and 8 city blocks wide and has a population of about 1 1/4 million people. We live like sardines here.
Why do I live here? Convenience and economy. I live in a fairly large rent controlled apartment and my rent is less than $500 a month. I eat my meals in a local diner where I can eat a 4 course dinner for less than $15 including tip.....and I can buy anything anyone could want (except firearms related things) within 2 or 3 blocks from where I live 24 hours a day.....and I have lived here for over 40 years.
I do not support any of the restrictive firearms laws of New York City or State or their arbitrary enforcement by the NYPD. However, like with anything else one cannot control, one learns how to adapt when one has to. Let us say, it would not be a good idea to try to mug me or break into my apartment. I have excellent lawyers and would worry about thepolice afterwards.
By the way, the proper term for the Walker bullets which are the subject of this forum is conical bullets.

 

I Googled the picket bullets and found a site: thetruthaboutguns.com, where Mike Cumpston writes about them. He ordered the correct,(what that could mean?!) Pedersoli Mould from Dixie Gun Works. They seem to be some spiky fierce looking rascals weighing in at 170 gr.
No dimensions are mentioned. Loads were 40 gr Swiss 3 fg, 1031 fps and 45 gr Swiss 3 fg, 1158 fps. If you contact Dixie they might be able to help you with the dimensions.
Mel

 

I've seen that site. I think the Pedersoli mold produces a rather lightweight bullet of 170 grains compared to the originally discussed, in 1847 at least, conical numbering 32 per pound, or 219 grains each. It would be interesting to see if the 2nd/3rd gen Walker molds produce a heavier conical than the Pedersoli mold.
BTW Steg you would be mighty welcome down Tejas way, ceptin theres no water and its too hot in the summer. If you happen to have an original conical mold for your own Walker, could you possibly put a micrometer to it to measure the OAL and max diameter. I have some profile pics from the web and if I even just had the OAL I could estimate other dimensions. From my research, and as the late Mr. Rapley probably mentioned to you back in 2003, the original conical molds for the Walker are 10 times as rare as the revolver itself, only 1 single conical mold having been delivered by Colt for every 10 of the 500 military marked Walkers shipped to Mexico. Thats why I frequent estate sales, antuque shops, gunshows, etc. here in Texas alot, looking for both old .44 single and six cavity conical armory gang moulds. You just never know what you might run across, like that conical brass gang mold I came across in Bexar last year I mentioned to you.
I might just check with the curator of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame to see if they have an original they can measure.

 

'Preciate the Texas invite, but having been raised in South Florida (Miami) before air conditioning was invented, I tend to stay away from hot/warm places. My ideal climate is where it doesn't get hotter than 75 degrees.
I'm sorry, but my "original" Walker mold is beat up to the extent that measurements would be meaningless. In addition, both Robin (rest his soul) and I have some questions about its authenticity and provenance.

 

Well if I do come across an original mould I'll let you know. You never can tell.

 

OK pards. Steg has put in his 2 cents in which is mucho appreciated. Any of you 2nd or 3rd gen Walker owners of authentic Colt Walker bullet moulds care to jump in and take a caliper and provide me with the OAL and diameter of the needle nosed picket bullet?

 

Google is your friend:

Antique Arms, Inc. - Colt 1849 Revolver - Colt Walker Late Transition Dragoon Bullet Mold --Extremely Rare--

Gun Review: The Walker Colt | The Truth About Guns

 

Thanks BogeI really need to get a copy of Rapleys book. Maybe I can download a copy from the web. Assuming the mould for the transitional Walker is similar with regards to the size of the Walker pickett conical, I may be able to estimate dimensions graphically. It certainly looks similar and certainly not like the bullets for the 1848 Dragoon.

 

I did download and print out a pic of the transitional Walker conical mould and put a rule to it and compared it to its companion rb mould. It looks to make a conical with an OAL of about 1.5X the diameter of the rb, or approximately .68" in length. I also made an estimate of this conicals weight. Interestingly, it works out to within 10 precent of the spec weight of 219 grains. So I think I am on the right track.

 

Steg, very interesting about your NYC residence. Also interesting that someone with a small fortune in black powder Colts lives in Manhattan. It's amusing to me. I don't know why but it just is.
I have close friends in NYC and really love the city. I don't make it down as much as I used to but used to go a couple times a year before my friends all got married and had kids.
One of them lived in the East Village for quite a few years and just sold his place there. He lived on East 3rd street almost directly across from the NYC Hells Angels club house. He has since moved back over to Park Slope Brooklyn.
I would never give up a $500 rent controlled apartment in NYC either! With rent that low one could afford another apartment in a gun friendly state to keep all his non-antique stuff in!
Sorry to go off topic fellas.
Thanks for the interesting info on black powder guns in NYC Steg.

 

There has to be at least one PARD here who has a 2nd/3rd gen Walker conical mould to get me a conical OAL.