John Dickson | Dogs and Doubles

Auction alert: Dickson 2″ 12 gauge SxS boxlock ejector…

March 29, 2019 by Gregg

Check out this hard-to-find shotgun coming up tomorrow, 3/30 at Poulin Auctions.

Auction alert: Dickson 2" 12 gauge SxS boxlock ejector... — Auction alert: Dickson 2″ 12 gauge SxS boxlock ejector…

It’s a 12 gauge J. Dickson & Son boxlock ejector with short, 2″ chambers. Twelve gauge shotguns with two-inch chambers were popular in the 1930s. People liked how they were lightweight guns, but they were still big enough to feel right to people who had always shot 12-gauge guns.

Today, these doubles are awesome side-by-sides for upland hunters.

LOT 1067: J. DICKSON & SON TWO INCH BOXLOCK EJECTOR SXS SHOTGUN: Cal. 12 Ga. S# 18014. Bbls. 27″ w/ Churchill rib. Ribbed surface is hand filed. Choked .007″ / .017″ (Light Imp. Cyl. / Light Mod.). Dbl. triggers. Ejectors. Auto safe. Bbl. lockup is via dbl. under lugs. Action is in the white. Blued bbls. & furniture. Checkered walnut straight hand stock w/ splinter forend. Action decorated w/ acanthus scroll plus “John Dickson & Son” in a banner on each side. LOP: 14 3/8″ over 1″ leather covered pad. DAC: 1 3/8″. DAH: 2 3/8″. Cast off: 1/4″. Minimum measured wall thicknesses: .032″ left & .036″ right; both measured 8″ from muzzle. Weight: 5 lbs., 12 oz. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: leather very compact case w/ red baize lining. Accessory compartment in case holds case straps. Also includes Dickson & Son oil bottle & 2″ snap caps marked “MORTIMER & SON”. CONDITION: like many British guns, this Dickson has been freshened still retaining 95%+ bbl. finish w/ crisp engraving on the action & deep rich blue on the furniture. Wood shows minimal marking w/ 95% freshened finish. Checkering remains crisp where recut. Initial plate is engraved w/ “LCT”. Leather covered pad retains its dark brown color. Bottom of bbls. stamped w/ “GRIFFIN & HOWE” import marks. Bbl. flats wear 1979 London proofs w/ bore diameters marked at .729″ (still measure). Bright shiny bores. ESTIMATE: $1,500-2,500.

Love Dicksons? This new book will be your bible…

June 20, 2015June 19, 2015 by Gregg

JOHN DICKSON & SON, THE ROUND ACTION GUNMAKER, by Donald Dallas

About twenty-five years ago, the beginning of the double-gun renaissance began. The Double Gun Journal was a big part of this resurgence. So were Donald Dallas’s books on the famous London gunmakers.

Dallas published his first book — Boss & Co, Builders of Best Guns Only — in 1995. Books about James Purdey & Sons and Holland & Holland followed. While information about all these makers had already been published many times, Dallas’s books were these firms’s definitive histories. His original research corrected many errors and resulted in page after page of new information.

Dallas’s latest book — JOHN DICKSON & SON, THE ROUND ACTION GUNMAKER — does the same. With 352 pages and 447 photographs, this hefty, coffee-table size book tells two amazing stories: One is of John Dickson & Son; the other is of how much love the author has for this firm.

John Dickson & Son trade label, circa 1962. Pic courtesy Drake.net.

Dallas spent years researching and writing this book, and to get it into print he used his own funds. It is based on hundred of hours of original research, as well as on Dallas’s exclusive access to the maker’s archive and records. Along with the history of the company, readers will also find:

-Full color pictures of some of the finest Dickson firearms to ever be built.

-The ledgers of John Dickson & Son, with information on the 7,000 or so firearms the company built from 1840 – 2010.

-Production figures for Dicksons guns, rifles, and pistols.

-The patents of John Dickson & Son.

-The trade labels used by the company.

-A reprint of two John Dickson & Son catalogs, 1935 & 1962.

– The story of Charles Gordon, The mad Scottish gun Collector and Dickson patron.

The price for all this is just £60 plus postage.

16g John Dickson & Son Round Action, ca 1962. Super rare, stunning original condition. Sold by Lewis Drake & Associates. Pic courtesy Drake.net.

JOHN DICKSON & SON, THE ROUND ACTION GUNMAKER: A stunning, detailed history of John Dickson & Son from 1794 to the present day.

Established in 1838 at 60 Princes Street, Edinburgh, the firm quickly gained a reputation for building very high quality guns and rifles, their two-groove percussion rifles achieving international acclaim. John Dickson (3) made the greatest contribution to the firm by patenting the round action gun in 1880 that instantly achived critical acclaim as a best gun utilising a trigger plate action. The beautiful and elegant three-barrelled gun followed in 1882 and by the time the ejector had been patented in 1887 the Dickson round action had been perfected. In 1923 John Dickson (3) retired and the business was sold. In 1928 the firm moved to 32 Hanover Street and in 1937 to 21 Frederick Street, the present day location of the firm.

This book goes into great detail on all the types of Dickson guns and rifles built and was written with the full permission of John Dickson & Son. 352 pages, 447 photographs.

A beautiful 10g hammergun by John Dickson & Sons…

January 26, 2015January 25, 2015 by Gregg

John Dickson & Son, 10 gauge Hammer (Under Lever) Shotgun

John Dickson & Sons is Scotland most famous gunmaker. Established in 1820, Dickson first made a name for itself in the 1840s with their fine “Improved Two Grooved Rifles”, a modified version of the British Army’s Brunswick rifle. Later in 1880, the company patented their famous Round Action trigger plate shotgun. In between, they built the 10 bore hammer gun you see.

This double was sold by Dickson in December, 1875, and it looks very original. As you can tell from the specs, it’s big, heavy gun, probably made for pigeon shooting or waterfowling. I would love to get my hands on it and find out how those 32″ barrels feel.

John Dickson & Son, 10 gauge Hammer (Under Lever) Shotgun: Barrel: 32″, Stock: 141/2“, Chokes: 1/8 & 1/8, Weight: 8lb. 2oz. Bore: Left thou, Right thou, Min Wall: Left 35th thou, Right 35th thou, Circa: 1873 Trigger: 2, Ejection: Yes, Serial #: 3179. Price: £6,995

This week’s good guns: Powered by Gunsinternational.com…

June 9, 2013 by Gregg

John Dickson Hammer Toplever Sidelock Double Rifle .500 BPE: Circa 1875, 28″ original damascus barrels engraved “John Dickson & Son” on the left barrel and “65 Princes Street Edinburgh”. 14 1/2″ LOP over a checkered butt with engraved heel and toe plates, 9 lbs. even, extractor, double triggers, pistol grip with engraved steel grip cap, file cut flat rib with one standing and one folding leaf marked 100 and 200, long post bead front sight, stalking safeties, backaction island sidelocks with fine scroll engraving and engraved “John Dickson & Son” on both sides. Excellent condition and we believe all original and likely original finishes, great bores and tight action. Comes in period leather case with maker’s label (missing handle and straps), period sling with correct connectors for the sling eyes and a labeled box of period Kynoch .500 BPE ammo. Price: $13,950.00

20g W.W. Greener FH35 double barrel shotgun, excellent original condition

W.W. Greener, FH 35, 20ga. 28” barrels choked IC/IM. Outstanding Greener FH35: Choked IC/IM. Outstanding Greener FH35. Very rare top safety with AE. Retains 99.9% original color case hardening, not refinished. Double trigger, semi-pistol grip, leather covered pad, splinter forend. Nearly perfect wood, perfect checkering, 100% blue. Very seldom encountered, light weight. An outstanding collector gun. 14” x 1 ½” x 2 ½”. 5 lbs., 6oz. Price: $12,750

BERETTA EXPRESS RIFLE 9.3X74R CALIBER: 24″ Bbbl with raised rib and fitxed sights, color case hardened action, double triggers, ejectors, 14 7/8″ LOP, 98% Overall. Price: $4,699.00

THOMAS BLAND 12- 3″ MAG- APPEARS UNFIRED- BOXLOCK EJECT- 30″ Bbls- 98% ORIG CASE COLORS- APPEARS UNFIRED: #18810, Thomas Bland & Son, West Strand, London WC2: A 12 Bore Original 3″ Magnum Boxlock Ejector Model Brent Made in 1957 with 30″ Ejector Dovetail Lump barrels with rib extension third bite at .729 .020 & .035 (Mod. & Full), Original 3″ chambers, Birmingham proof at 3 1/2 Tons per square inch and 3″, It then was proved again at 1200 BAR in 1992 and has the proper reproof marks, Double triggers, Splinter forend with an Anson release, Open pistol grip stock at 14 1/4 x 1 1/2 x 2 1/8″ over a 7/8″ pad, Cast-off for the right hand, 7 lbs. 12 oz., 35% engraving coverage, Retains 98% original case colors, 99% original barrel blue, The wood is 99% original, The checkering remaining at 100%, The bores are new.
Price: $2,850.00

L C SMITH, HUNTER ARMS, IDEAL GRADE, 20 GAUGE, 28" BARRELS — L C SMITH, HUNTER ARMS, IDEAL GRADE, 20 GAUGE, 28″ BARRELS

L C Smith Ideal Grade 20 Gauge Automatic Ejectors: 28″ BARRELS, F&M, EXCELLENT BLUE, MIRROR BORES. AUTOMATIC EJECTORS, MARKED 2 3/4″. FEATHERWEIGHT FRAME, TRACES OF CASE COLOR. PISTOL GRIP STOCK, SPLINTER FOREARM, NICELY FIGURED WOOD, EXCELLENT CHECKERING. GRIP CAP CHIPPED, ORIGINAL HAWKIN RECOIL PAD. HIGH DIMENSIONS – 1 1/2″ X 2 1/2″ X 13 3/4″, 5 POUNDS 14 OUNCES. Price: $1,850.00

Super rare Dickson Double Rifle brings big $$$$$….

October 10, 2012 by Gregg

Last week I put up this post about a rare Dickson Round Action double rifle. It went off at auction on Saturday, 10/6, and the hammer price blew away the pre-sale estimate. The Dickson hammered down at $23,700 vs. a pre-sale estimate of $6-8,000.

I was told that Dickson made fewer than 20 round action double rifles. That kind of scarcity, plus this examples good looking condition, are certainly the reason behind it’s high price. Here’s the info on the gun from the auctioneer:

John Dickson & Son side by side top lever double-barrel Express rifle, .500 cal., London and black powder proof barrels with ejectors, a highly scroll engraved receiver, trigger guard, lever and tang, a gold-filled safe indicator, a right-handed English walnut stock with a cheek rest, a pistol grip with checkering to the wrist and fore end and a brass escutcheon on the butt stock, serial #4655, 28″ barrels.

Auction alert: a John Dickson round-action double rifle…

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012 by Gregg

John Dickson Round Action Double Rifle, .500EX

Dickson round actions are one of those shotguns that guys go crazy about. First patented in 1880 and the refined throughout the 19th century, these doubles are made on a unique trigger-plate action that gives the guns their unique, rounded look.

Because they’ve been making side-by-sides for 100+ years, Dickson round-action shotguns are easy to find. Dickson round-action double rifles are not, though. In fact, this one coming to auction on Saturday, 10/6, is the first one I’ve ever seen. And from what I can tell, it appears to be a very nice, and very original rifle.

John Dickson Round Action Double Rifle, .500EX

Lot 341: John Dickson & Son side by side top lever double-barrel Express rifle, .500 cal., London and black powder proof barrels with ejectors, a highly scroll engraved receiver, trigger guard, lever and tang, a gold-filled safe indicator, a right-handed English walnut stock with a cheek rest, a pistol grip with checkering to the wrist and fore end and a brass escutcheon on the butt stock, serial #4655, 28″ barrels. Estimated: $6000 – $8000