Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Shot The Behemoth: Colt's 3rd Dragoon .44, by Uberti

Monster of a handgun. The Third was the perfected Dragoon (the final stage in its development from the Walker, to the First Dragoon, and then the Second), which the US Army bought lots of starting in 1851, and was only replaced with the adoption of the Colt 1860 Army in that year.

Function was flawless, apart from having to clear exploded cap debris a couple of times (which was a quick and easy matter). Very happy with it.

With 40 grains of FFFg Goex black powder pushing .454 lead balls, the recoil felt about like shooting an S&W Model 27 or 28 with full house, heavy, .357 Magnums. Different, however in producing huge plumes of smoke with each shot.

Note: The Dragoons were only exceeded in power by cartridge guns with the introduction of the S&W Registered Magnum in .357 Magnum.

Sights are nicely regulated on this gun, placing the holes just a little high, but nicely centered, at 10 yards.

Uberti made a good one in this particular specimen, and no latch drop, which had been a problem for some of Uberti's Dragoons in years past. They seem to have resolved that. The latch holds the loading lever securely under heavy recoil.

Here she is ready to fire, forty grain spout installed on the flask.



And for comparison, here she is next to an 1851 Navy. It's a giant of a handgun, meant to be carried in pommel holsters on your saddle, not on your belt (Officers who wanted a pistol to carry in a holster on their belt acquired an 1851 Navy .36).



This is a six shot group from ten yards, standing, off-hand, one-handed.



And this one is from standing, off-hand, two-handed. This is one heavy gun, so a two-handed hold is quite welcomed.



Great fun. Now to clean her up.

A true horse pistol.Looks nice.

Nice!

I enjoy seeing your range reports with various guns!

Awesome piece, and looks like it shoots great.

Cool TRW ! Always wanted one of those!!!

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Cool! I do love shooting these cap & ball revolvers.

A couple years ago I started using the foaming “wipe out” to clean them, on the advice of another BP shooter. Just spray it on everything except the grips (will mess up oil finishes on wood), give it some time to eat the fouling & wipe it off. It leaves behind a preservative residue.

Thanks. That's, in fact, what Captain Walker requested from Colt, i.e., a revolver roughly along the lines of the Patterson series (the revolver series that sunk Colt, initially, as a gun maker, due to low sales, despite having been liked by the Texas Rangers), but holding one additional round (six in total), and with sufficient power to bring down a horse with one shot, thus .44 caliber accepting a huge charge of powder in the chambers, vs the Patterson, the most powerful of which was chambered in .36 caliber.

Of course, Walker requested other modifications, too, such as a trigger guard, which the Patterson lacked.

In order to make it this powerful, though, due to the state of metallurgy at the time, the Walker (and the Dragoons) needed to be massive and heavy guns.

Thanks.

Love that movie.

Sweet! I just bought this. Been wanting a Schofield ever since Unforgiven was released. Taylor & Co Schofield 7 inch barrel, charcoal blue barrel and cylinder, case harden frame. The charcoal blue has a deep luster to it. I have plenty revolvers in 45 Colt, Colt SAA's, USFA's, Ruger Vaquero's, I wanted something a little different so I bought the Schofield in 44-40 WCF.

I bet that gun would teach a Comanche some manners.

Beautiful, Grizz. Wouldn't mind having one like that, myself.

LOL. Yep. In fact, I believe the scene scroll marked on the cylinder is that of US Cavalry forces routing a bunch of Comanche.

Nice Schofield!

I'm sure you know, but that fire bluing comes off pretty easily.

I think it's by far the nicest bluing there is. Too bad it's not more resilient.

Legendary TX Ranger Jack Hays was the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of Colt’s Revolver on Comanches at Enchanted Rock. With his Colt Patterson.

It’s too bad Ranger Walker was killed before he got to try out the model named after him.

On a related note, I consider Samuel Colt and John Browning to be two of the most important Inventors EVER.

DANG IT TRW, your gonna cause me to go out and buy a Black Powder Revolver. 🤠

LOL. Absolutely. Do it.

Did not know that. I plan on shooting the hell out of it anyway.

So if it is a little high at 10yds it is probably dead on at 25 30 ish.
Is 40gr the max load???

That is a awesome revolver you got.


Cash purchase of 2 of em might be a good idea.

Do they switch out cylinders somewhat simliar to a 58 rem??