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.
