JOHN DICKSON PERCUSSION SINGLE SHOT SPORTING RIFLE WITH CASE AND ACCESSORIES, MADE FOR CHARLES GORDON.

JOHN DICKSON PERCUSSION SINGLE SHOT SPORTING RIFLE WITH CASE AND ACCESSORIES, MADE FOR CHARLES GORDON. SN 3862. (1884) Cal. 25 Bore. .625 Groove diameter. 4-groove wide shallow rifling. 27″ Swamped octagonal Damascus bbl with under-rib has top flat file cut and is marked “John Dickson & Son 63 Princes Street, Edinburgh”. Silver bead front sight and one standing two folding leaf rear express sight with inset platinum lines are dovetailed through. Bottom of bbl is stamped with SN, “J. D & S”, and with appropriate London black powder proofs for 25 bore. Ebony ramrod has brass head; tail is also brass, with tempered blued worm under cap, and mounts through two thimbles, rear with integral sling eye. Patent breech with vented platinum blow-out engraved with fine scroll, is nicely filed. SN is on hook. Breech iron also has fine scroll. Lock with broad flat serpentine hammer is also scroll engraved, and has front sliding stalking safety with brilliant temper blue. Trigger plate and rear thimble have stylized pineapple finials, and are scroll engraved. Trigger guard has flared, checkered spur grip. Trigger guard bow is scroll engraved. SN is engraved at tail. Beautifully streaked and figured dense European walnut half stock is finely checkered at wrist and forearm, and has grayish horn forend tip. It measures 14-1/2″ over checkered steel scroll engraved long tang buttplate. Bbl attaches with single side nail through engraved oval steel escutcheons. Drop at heel: Approx 2-3/8″, drop at comb: Approx 1-5/8″. Weight: 7 lbs. 4 oz. LOP 14-1/2″. Makers original fiddle-figured mahogany case with inlet brass corners, D-ring handle, and pivoting hook closure is lined with dark green cloth, and has proper Dickson trade label in lid. Case contains round ball single cavity steel bullet mold numbered to the rifle, 3-pc jointed ebony cleaning rod with full complement of cleaning accessories, combination nipple wrench, small leather covered powder flask with adjustable nozzle marked in grains, small ivory bottle containing unused spare nipple and with a #1 engraved on top, small pewter oil bottle, patch cutter, case hardened steel mainspring vice, 2 ebony handled turnscrews with German silver ferules, a round un-hallmarked silver capper, and small brass nipple charger. Case has two empty partitions which would have contained large and a small rosewood or ebony bottles. Small lift-out box with sliding lid is built into one end of case and contains the cleaning implements. PROVENANCE: Copy of factory ledger. CONDITION: Excellent. Bbl browning has some freckling and minor marks. Case hardened parts retain nearly all their orig finish. Trigger guard retains about 80% of its orig blue. Stock retains most of its orig finish with a number of marks and nicks, and some fairly deep dents, mostly on right side of butt. Bore is excellent, bright and shiny. Lock is crisp. Safety works. Case has seasoning checks to lid. All partitions are tight, and lining is intact and only lightly soiled. All accessories are near new. Rifle has had stock dimensions altered and barrel shortened, as is reflected in copy from Dicksons ledger. This work was evidently carried out in August, 1908, which incidentally, is a short time after all Gordon’s guns were sold at auction. Rifle was built as no. 1 of a pair, but not an identical pair, cased individually, and built at different times. Consignor states that rifle is very accurate with 80 grains of Swiss 3 F and patched round ball. A magnificent Dickson rifle built for the eccentric Scottish collector, Charles Gordon. 4-42629 MGM232 (12,500-17,500)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2011

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	1443	$13,225.00	JOHN DICKSON PERCUSSION SINGLE SHOT SPORTING RIFLE WITH CASE AND ACCESSORIES, MADE FOR CHARLES GORDON. SN 3862. (1884) Cal. 25 Bore. .625 Groove diameter. 4-groove wide shallow rifling. 27″ Swamped octagonal Damascus bbl with under-rib has top flat file cut and is marked “John Dickson & Son 63 Princes Street, Edinburgh”. Silver bead front sight and one standing two folding leaf rear express sight with inset platinum lines are dovetailed through. Bottom of bbl is stamped with SN, “J. D & S”, and with appropriate London black powder proofs for 25 bore. Ebony ramrod has brass head; tail is also brass, with tempered blued worm under cap, and mounts through two thimbles, rear with integral sling eye. Patent breech with vented platinum blow-out engraved with fine scroll, is nicely filed. SN is on hook. Breech iron also has fine scroll. Lock with broad flat serpentine hammer is also scroll engraved, and has front sliding stalking safety with brilliant temper blue. Trigger plate and rear thimble have stylized pineapple finials, and are scroll engraved. Trigger guard has flared, checkered spur grip. Trigger guard bow is scroll engraved. SN is engraved at tail. Beautifully streaked and figured dense European walnut half stock is finely checkered at wrist and forearm, and has grayish horn forend tip. It measures 14-1/2″ over checkered steel scroll engraved long tang buttplate. Bbl attaches with single side nail through engraved oval steel escutcheons. Drop at heel: Approx 2-3/8″, drop at comb: Approx 1-5/8″. Weight: 7 lbs. 4 oz. LOP 14-1/2″. Makers original fiddle-figured mahogany case with inlet brass corners, D-ring handle, and pivoting hook closure is lined with dark green cloth, and has proper Dickson trade label in lid. Case contains round ball single cavity steel bullet mold numbered to the rifle, 3-pc jointed ebony cleaning rod with full complement of cleaning accessories, combination nipple wrench, small leather covered powder flask with adjustable nozzle marked in grains, small ivory bottle containing unused spare nipple and with a #1 engraved on top, small pewter oil bottle, patch cutter, case hardened steel mainspring vice, 2 ebony handled turnscrews with German silver ferules, a round un-hallmarked silver capper, and small brass nipple charger. Case has two empty partitions which would have contained large and a small rosewood or ebony bottles. Small lift-out box with sliding lid is built into one end of case and contains the cleaning implements. PROVENANCE: Copy of factory ledger. CONDITION: Excellent. Bbl browning has some freckling and minor marks. Case hardened parts retain nearly all their orig finish. Trigger guard retains about 80% of its orig blue. Stock retains most of its orig finish with a number of marks and nicks, and some fairly deep dents, mostly on right side of butt. Bore is excellent, bright and shiny. Lock is crisp. Safety works. Case has seasoning checks to lid. All partitions are tight, and lining is intact and only lightly soiled. All accessories are near new. Rifle has had stock dimensions altered and barrel shortened, as is reflected in copy from Dicksons ledger. This work was evidently carried out in August, 1908, which incidentally, is a short time after all Gordon’s guns were sold at auction. Rifle was built as no. 1 of a pair, but not an identical pair, cased individually, and built at different times. Consignor states that rifle is very accurate with 80 grains of Swiss 3 F and patched round ball. A magnificent Dickson rifle built for the eccentric Scottish collector, Charles Gordon. 4-42629 MGM232 (12,500-17,500) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2011 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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