Howdy pards,
Aint no x-pert but I have been shoot'en these guns for years, got my first Dragoon when I was just 14,,,,dang that was a long time ago!! Anyway, been shoot'en the Walkers & Dragoons in cas for 3 or 4 years now(i shoot Rem.s lot too) and have several of each, even got a double shoulder rig(thanks to kid couteau) for the Dragoons and with a pair of them under your arm pits and a pair of Walkers on your hips you got to remember one thing, dont bend over, cause you'll fall down!!
The lever thing is an easy fix on the Walker and if you shoot a full charge in the Dragoons, it will cause the lever to fall as well, theres an easy fix to that too. The walkers are heavy but to me they point very well as do the Dragoons. Out of the box most of the Walkers will shoot pretty much point of aim at a modest distance but the Dragoons, much like the 51's & 60's tend to shoot high, again an easy fix, I've had of my front sites replaced on the Dragoons with a "very" taller one, then I just take it down a little at a time untill it suites me.
Heard a lot of folks talk about beating their wedge up by shooting a full charge but I've found I can shoot a 6 stage match(i've done this many times with the same pair just to see) with 55gr. of "2F" with no ill effect, "3F" is another story, higher pressures will cause some damage after a time. I'll also loads up 3 pair sometimes, that way their only getting a full charge for 2 stages instead of 6, its easier on the guns but makes clean up time a lot longer!!
Anyway, I love these guns, if ya'll are ever in my neck of the woods and would like to shoot a match with some Horse Pistols,
I would be more than happy to loan you a pair.
ps- that was a Walker that the Duke called a Dragoon in True Grit, the Walker was named after Col. Sam Colt & Col. Sam Walker, the Dragoon was named after some military outfit that was named after the Dragoon Mnt.'s if my old memory serves me right,,,, lots of times it dont though!!