doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Cabela's Dickinson SxS Question

Hey Doug, Wades finish is about like mine. He really hunted his S&W hard and it shows. His Dickinson's better but as much as I can recall, it's scratched up also.

Maybe he'll chime in here soon.

Best!

Greg

I have a Dickinson 20ga that I picked up for field test from Cabela's in Owatonna. Measurements are a bit different on mine: LOP 14 3/4", DAH 2". I like high stocks, but this one is too long for me--especially right now, in northern Wisconsin! Owatonna also had a 16 and a 12. The 20 had the nicest wood of the three. All are straight/splinter/DT, all $1399.

Re the "slightly used" part . . . I'll have to check with Tom Bryant at Sidney before I do the writeup, but I don't think they're actually used--or at least most of them aren't--in the sense of having been fired. I believe what happened with them is similar to the old I. Rizzini (FAIR) OU's that Cabela's picked up and closed out at pretty attractive prices when New England Arms went out of business. The guns are actually new, but because they went from one dealer to another, they're not classified that way.

I've shot several rounds of skeet with mine. Accuracy is fine. Best I've done is 23, but it clearly shoots where I look. Good, solid breaks even using 3/4 oz loads through the C/IC choke combo. My only real complaint are the triggers. Specifically the front one on mine. My trigger pull gauge only goes to 8#, and this one almost gets me there. It's crisp, but it's way heavier than it should be.

Weight on mine is just under 6 1/2 on a digital scale. They could save weight with a shorter forend (pretty long splinter), and I'm guessing the raised rib--which is pretty high for a sxs field gun--probably adds some as well. The wrist is thick, as is the stock in general, although that's at least in part because it's a through bolt gun.

Other than the trigger pull, function has been perfect. $1400 for a gun with ejectors and a full set of choke tubes, more than decent fit and finish (stock is proud where it meets the receiver, but not bad)--don't think there's much on the new sxs market that can compete.

Larry, I'd guessed the same Larry about Cabelas calling some of the guns "pre-owned". The breech face of my 16 shows no evidence that it's been fired.

I didn't notice the thickness in the wrist, measured the circumference at 4-5/8". Mine has LOP of 14-3/4", DAC is 1-1/2" and DAH is a sixteenth more than 2-1/4".

I'm curious to find out what difference there is between the 20 and 16 ga. frames. Mine is a hair less than 1-1/2" across the water table, is 2-1/8" across the breech face, and breech face height is 1-1/8". Center of the breech face where it meets the rib is only 1/16" higher.

I'm a little surprised that the safety isn't automatic.

Jay

Jay, I'll be sure to doublecheck that, but I'm pretty confident they can't sell them as "new" if they picked them up from another dealer. Same applies if you trade them a gun you bought new but never fired. They can call them "unfired in the box", but not new. Might even have something to do with any warranty from the manufacturer, but I'm not sure about that.

Hi all, Cabela's seems to put these guns in both the Gun Library and New Gun sections of their stores. Guess it all depends on the store and how that store markets them.

I know I've been looking for a 12ga Dickinson with tubes and some stores I've contacted have them in the New Gun section, but are not listed on the Library Web Site.

So....who knows!

Best!

Greg

Greg--Owatonna had 3 in the Library, none listed under the Library inventory. They should still have a DT 12ga, and I think it has tubes. $1399.

Thanks COL for the tip. The must have got some in as earlier they told me they didn't have any.

I'll check it out.

Thanks again!

Greg

Here's the link to the Cabelas library Dickinsons available presently. It changes from day to day. I bought a 12ga with choke tubes from the Lehi, Utah store.

<http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/search.cm...mp;x=23&y=8>

It looks like the new ones are all priced at about $1,599 and the older fixed choke guns at $1,399...Geo

The Cabelas website does not list all the guns available at all the stores. As of last Monday there were 4 Dickinsons at the Rogers MN store, 3 of which were in the Gun Library. They've had these guns for at least a month, and they never appeared in their online listings. Mine and others at $1399 had the choke tubes.

Sorry for not responding sooner, but I have been out shoping for fine guns with Wanko .

My impression of both finishes are that they are not strong. Both in the case coloring and poly finish. This is equal for the S&W and the Dickinson. I have owned my S&W for four years and have owned my Dickinson for two. I dont shoot my Dickinson all that much due to if I want to shoot a 12 I usually shoot my Dickson do it has recieved much less wear than my Smith. I will say that the poly finish scratches easily on both but less so on the SW and the case coloring wears off fast without applying a protective finish. This has happened not only on my S&W but a friend of mine gun as well. Here is a picture of the action of my S&W.