doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com DICKINSON WOOD UPGRADE

Here it is:

Wood on the Dickinson exceeds the quality of that on the FAIR. A little more figure.

Fit and finish are nearly equal on the two, with maybe a little edge going to the Dickinson.

Trigger pulls are good on both, with the FAIR being a bit better (lighter).

Ejectors are very good on both. Because of the very strong ejectors on the Dickinson it is a little harder to close (ejectors cock on closing). I'm no "strong man", and it is not really objectionable to me.

I ordered fixed chokes on the Dickinson, and the FAIR has tubes, but both guns are well regulated.

Both are straight grip guns but the Dickinson has a nice, long trigger guard tang with engraved screw heads. The FAIR does not. it has a very utilitarian guard with a short tang.

Wood finish is about the same on both, and can be easily improved at home.

Dickinson has a raised, flat rib. FAIR has a concave, swamped rib.

Either gun can be ordered with your stock dimensions.

Nicer checkering on the FAIR, than the Dickinson.

Dickinson comes in a nicer, faux suede, case. FAIR case is plastic, but okay.

Dickinson weighs 5 lbs. 8.8 oz.. FAIR weighs 5 lbs. 4.5 oz. Both have 30" barrels.

Overall impressions after shooting both on the dove field:

In some ways I like the appearance of the Dickinson better, even though the FAIR has nice gold inlays of game birds. The Dickinson is just a very sexy looking double. The Dickinson is a true trigger plate gun, while the FAIR is a box lock, for what that's worth. The trigger pulls are a bit better on the FAIR, but after bout five seasons with the Dickinson, I have no beef with them, either. The fixed chokes on the Dickinson (.008" and .008") are very useful for dove and quail, and clays. I'll admit, though they're not traditional, I like the choice of five choke tubes for the FAIR. I shoot them both about equally. I have always thought I shot a raised, flat rib better, but this may be the exception. The rib differences may not matter as much at .410 ranges.

Which is the better value? Hands down, the Turkish Dickinson over the Italian FAIR Iside. Dickinson was bought at about $1850, the FAIR at about $2750. Do I like them both? Heck, yeah. Got no plans on divesting myself of either one.

FAIR Iside Tartaruga Gold







Dickinson







SRH

Excellent evaluation Stan.

Stan, you nailed it. I have owned both. Just have a 30" basic Iside with a optional long tang which I like (and it will look better with wear), but it's not close to as nice as the Dickinson long tang. You're right, the Dickinson seems to be a better executed gun. My hopeful saving grace is that I shoot this Iside confidently and well. We'll see. Should have saved my Dickinson, but I went through some "aimingitis," so I hope this 30" swamped-rib Iside pulls me back into some better SxS game shooting. I like it a lot so far. It's simple, but it has an elegantly simple and well proportioned action. Very plain, but nice.

Here's my 16 ga. Basic Iside.

Great review!! Thanks Stan!

Best,

Greg

Nice review Stan, thanks!
I bought a barely used 20g. Dickenson and it had to be sent for trigger work for heavy triggers.
I purchases a FAIR Iside in 12g at auction, NIB and it had a barrel regulation problem which the company would do nothing for me however had I purchased it from Arrieta2, Quality Arms in Houston I am sure he would have taken care of it for me under warranty.
+1 for the Iside for being made in Italy over Turkey.
The soft faux suede case for the Dickenson is a lot nicer than the Iside plastic case however if used on a regular basis I imagine it would wear poorly. For me, they just sit in a pile since I use long fabric zip type cases when I go out shooting or hunting.

That long tang is much nicer than the shorty on mine, Dave. I didn't know there was a choice, at the time I ordered mine, or I'd have gotten it, too. Doesn't change the shooting characteristics, but it looks much better, and probably adds a bit of strength to that slender grip. Seems like that would/should have been included on the Tartaruga Gold model.

One thing I forgot to mention is that the Dickinson has the butt checkered nicely, and the FAIR has a checkered wood buttplate. No big deal either way, but just thought I'd mention it.

SRH

Nice review, thanks.

Good point about the cases.

My FAIR came through Bazil Slaughter, a gunsmith in NV. I had dealt with him before and felt comfortable with out relationship. I remember the woes you had with those two guns, Milt. Sure wish it hadn't been that way with them.

SRH

Ya, someone mentioned that options were available, so I went through John Boyd at Quality Arms and got the long tang, 30" barrels, and custom stock dimensions. I enjoyed working with John and I'm very pleased with the gun.