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Still the finest handgun on the planet, and I own a Colt's Python and carry a Berretta 92 24/7 . My practical experience with Walkers is with Civil War re-enacting and properly loaded, they are the most powerful handgun in .44 cal. yet. I still have and shoot personally the two little off-spring : both Uberti replica .36 Navies with no complaints.
The Colt Walker is quite powerful, with modern replicas firing modern FFFg black powder producing energy levels in excess of 500 foot pounds with both picket bullets and 0.454-inch-diameter (11.5 mm), 141-grain (9.1 g) round ball bullets. The black powder Colt Walker is often regarded as the most powerful commercially manufactured repeating handgun from 1847 until the introduction of the .357 Magnum in 1935, having a muzzle energy nearly exactly the same as a 4-inch-barreled handgun firing a .357 Magnum as my 4" Python. The Colt Walker has long maintained a unique position and mystique among handgun users, and its name is often used as a common expression of any overly large generic handgun example. Interestingly, while there is little to no documented evidence, it is still rumored that a Colt Walker, when loaded with the full 60 grain charge and a Minnie Ball, produces half again the muzzle velocity of the .357 Magnum thereby retaining its crown as the most powerful handgun ever made until the more recent introduction of extremely powerful handguns, including the Smith & Wesson 500 and the Smith & Wesson 460, among others. With the added advantage: It makes a great club when empty; Texas Rangers, employing Comanche tactics with this superior technology made the Southern Plains habitable in the 1830' & 40's. With 'wonder wads' behind each of the bullets- atop the full powder charges- to prevent a possible chain fire the weapon is utterly reliable and I've never experienced problems. For damp weather as in a reenactment, birthday candle wax is good moisture prevention on the front of the loaded cylinder. Two critical shooting tips:1; put a loop(string or leather thong) around the rammer and barrel of a Walker so the rammer does not drop (from recoil) and jam the cylinder rotation; and 2; always raise the pistol barrel up straight while cocking the hammer so that the deformed percussion cap(on any cap and ball revolver) from a previous shot, does not ride into the receiver but falls away, preventing a cylinder jam. Wear eye protection! Generally old timers carried two or more-up to six so yer a' shootin' one and a' cockin' one alternately in each hand. If you saw Lonesome Dove you should have the hang of it. When loading, pinch each cap slightly to insure a snug fit over the nipple(s) on the cylinder back: German made caps are best. The metallurgy of modern reproductions is very good-but have spare trigger and hand springs for the workings and a good screw driver to fine-tune the cylinder rotation smoothly on the pistol when respringing (the temper fades). Rewatch: http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Lonesome_Dove especially when whackin' insolent bartenders etc. Goes nicely with my own Henry .44 magnum rifle(below), original 45-70 Trapdoor Springfield or 45-70 Sharp's Carbine too! I can't just spend all my time in type VII U-boats! hard to say which is the backup! NOTE: This 'bad boy' was converted to cartridge from 'cap and ball' as a safety measure on the set. in real life whether the trigger is pulled or not-you got a headache pardner.