doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Accomplished! John Dickson & Son 12ga

I have been interested in and looking for a Dickson for the past few years.

Living where I do, I seldom get any opportunity to actually hold or shoot any gun before I send money for it!

I like grips better than straight stocks so that really limits guns that I might choose to purchase (not that straight is a total dealbreaker as I have both styles). Nicely figured wood is always a plus.

I prefer 28-30" barrels for my field guns. 28" is ideal.

I really want my 12ga field guns to be at 6#12oz or less. I have been searching for a magical 12ga that is at or under 6.25 lbs. I hand load all of my upland game ammo for my vintage guns. My 12ga shells are either 1oz or 1 1/8oz @1200fps low pressure 2.5" length. This gun was proofed for 2 3/4" @3 tons per sq. in. when new barrels were installed.


I had seen this particular Dickson on the internet over a year ago. It was one of the most beautiful shotguns I had ever seen BUT the issue for me, was sleeved barrels. I has only held one sleeved gun previously. I see more sleeved Dicksons for sale than not. I saved the phots of this Dickson on my computer desktop. I just loved it other than the sleeving.

The gun sold after several weeks. No big deal...there are more shotguns, right?

Well two weeks ago I was doing my daily search of gun sites. Dang if this beauty didn't show up once again! Well this time I called immediately to made a deal on it to be mine. I wasn't about to lose it.

The shotgun is all that I had hoped it to be along with meeting all my criteria. The sleeving is fine not bothering me at all. It does not distract from the rest of the gun. The gun had been back to the Dickson shop in 2019 for maintenance along with fresh strip & clean, recut checkering, etc before its trip across the Atlantic.

I hope you will enjoy my photos while I am loving owning this precious vintage firearm.






Now for the BONUS! Here is the provenance that goes along with the life of this fine shotgun:

This magnificent Round-Action is one of many guns that serve as poignant reminder of the sacrifice and personal cost of war. Made for Percy Lionel Moubray in 1890, gifted to him by his father, Capt. W. H. Moubray (Royal Navy) for his eighteenth birthday. Later becoming Capt. P. L. Moubray, Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) he would serve in The South African Campaign before heading to the western front in 1914. On the 29th of October of that year, whilst defending the Menin road into Ypres, the main supply line for the British, the 3rd battalions loses for the day amounted to 5 officers (inc. Capt. Moubray) and 250 men. His name inscribed on Panel 37 of the Menin Gate Memorial.

I will enjoy carrying this wonderful gun and shoot birds with the continuing honor and memory of Capt. P.L.Moubray. Rest in peace Captain. Your shotgun is in loving hands.

Cool gun. What happened to the other two?

This gun being marked “3”.

Best,
Ted

Nice gun. There is a simple reason you see so many sleeved Dicksons. They are worth it and the supply is very limited with a lot of people looking for your gun. In a perfect world they would get new barrels but I'd rather see a sleeved gun than one with Belgian or Italian barrels. May you enjoy it for many years before you pass it along to the next happy owner.

dukxdog, very nice gun and I hope you enjoy it. Another reminder of the tragic consequences of the defence of freedom. Such a terrible loss of young men. Hopefully the gun continues in use , partly as a tribute to the fallen. Regards

Congratulations! Dicksons are the best looking SXS in my opinion, and that of many others. Gough THomas had written that in terms of sheer thoroughbred lines a Dickson yields nothing whatsoever to the finest sidelock ever built.

It was ordered by a Royal Navy captain. Back then a captain earned about 350 pounds per year and could afford the cost of a Dickson or any other best gun. Pricing policy today makes a best gun cost more than the total annual pay of a captain. Funny how prices were reasonable in times of high demand and ridiculous in times of falling demand.

Re the nationality of barrels on best guns or as tubes for sleeving. As far as I know most are made with barrels from the Belgian company Delcours.

I noticed it over on that other board as well, a very nice looking gun. Enjoy it in good health and those South Dakota roosters had better beware.

Beautiful gun, dukxdog. Such condition. Could we see a couple close-ups of the sleeving joint area? I'd like to see how Dickson handles that.

I hope you shoot it as well as it looks.

Well done. Classy and beautiful choice.
JR

That's a beauty and benchmark shotgun. I would love to own such a gun, most especially a Dickson, exactly like that. I have come to love sleeved barrels because they put things within fiscal reach. Sometimes.

Since that is Number 3, do you have any idea of what #1 and #2 were?

Beautiful indeed.

oh my!!
MacNaughton and Dickson are 1 and 2 for me.
Your new to you Dickson is what dreams are made of.

Enjoy.
Ithaca1
Bill

Beautiful - congratulations! You might enjoy this video of them discussing and shooting a Dixon...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhHPSrVylwo&ab_channel=TGSOutdoors

great buy. Case colors probably redone at some point but done very well. I have had a few sleeved guns, one was done so well it was almost impossible to tell. Love the gold cocking indicators.

Beautiful gun

I only hope one day I'll be able to afford a "true" round action like a Dickson or one of the other Scottish makers of round actions.

Beautiful gun....

Sleeving only bothers the jealOus X'spurt nit pickers that frequent this site.....hint hint

Lovely gun!

I had a 6.25 pound Lang BLNE that was 6.2 pounds. It was all all over the place and I shot it poorly. That, combined with a ton of cast off, sent it down the road.

Your Dickson is stunning. I don't think sleeving or re-barreling matters as much as how it was done. Quality varies as does balance.

That is a wonderful piece - it is also an example of something perplexing (and somewhat common) -- poor checkering on the safety and top lever.
Those are always the two areas I look at first to assess the quality of the engraving. If its too difficult to checker the top lever well - pierce it.

A few years ago I was looking for something different. I considered a nice English boxlock but like you the Dickson had an appeal like no others.
I contacted Dan Morgan knowing his love for Dickson's and his frequent visits to Scotland to visit Graham MacKinlay.
At the time he told me about one or two he knew about. But one day he told me of a very nice gun that was just recently going through work being done by Graham.
It was a 1943 Dickson with 28" barrels. The gun came with the original case with the original owners initials and had his initials still on the gold oval.
A deal was done and shortly I had a dream of a gun in my hands.
Now I do not shoot it all that well but when I miss I look good doing it.
Cheers

Dukxdog,
Congrats on your wonderful find! If you shoot it well, NEVER let it go! Don't ask me how I know! I love my 5 lb. 12 oz. Churchill for hunting.
Karl

Lovely gun. You so seldom see one with a pistol or POW grip. I wonder if it wasn't restocked from straight to pistol at the time of refurbishment. The figure of the wood also feels more "modern" to me. I am curious to hear your impressions after using it in the field. I perceive a lower center of gravity in a trigger plate action resulting in the action carrying beautifully in the hand. This is aided by the the rounded action. There isn't, in my view, a better carry gun. Your next target can be a DMB round action O/U!

FYI, you can visit Dickson's web site and contact them as they can sell you accessories. They have snap caps, leather labels, oil bottles, cleaning rods, cleaning cloths and chamber brushes.
I have purchased several items from them,
Delaney & Sons here in the U.S. may have some items as well. I know they had cleaning cloths and caps.
Last year at the Southern Side by Side they sponsored a Scotish shooting event.
Not telling my score

Can you PM me, please? I have some further information on your beautiful gun.

A lovely gun, from the day when men of wealth were willing to fight for the nation that made them wealthy.

Shoots it well ,haha He shoots everything well. If I could only be half as good

See this yet, Bobby?

Beautiful gun

I was assuming you bought the Dickson on Hill Rod and Gun, but after looking at the two, obviously not. Hill has his listed as #2 of a pair but perhaps it was #2 of a triple (or more). They look pretty similar in the wood grain. Are there records?

I'd be happy to have either one certainly.