H.E. Dimick Plains Rifle | Freeman's

H.E. Dimick Plains Rifle

Western Expansion

.50 caliber. 35.75" double-keyed hook breech octagonal barrel with underlug. NSN. Browned finish, blued iron furniture, walnut half-stock with pewter nose cap. Single shot percussion ignition muzzleloading plains rifle. Unmarked single screw percussion lock with double set triggers, barrel marked H.E. DIMICK & Co/ST LOUIS in two lines. Heavy barrel measures 1.125" across the flats at the muzzle with an exaggerated snail shaped bolster and a long wasp-waisted two-screw tang. Scroll shaped triggerguard with finger extension, crescent iron buttplate and plain toe plate. Elevation adjustable Buckhorn rear sight, dovetailed German silver Rocky Mountain front sight blade. Wood ramrod with brass tip and base appears to be original and is secured by two plain iron thimbles. A very attractive example of a prototypical Plains Rifle by one of the most notable of the St. Louis makers.

Horace E. Dimick (1809-1874) was probably the most prolific of the famed St. Louis makers of Plains Rifles. A direct competitor with the famous Hawken shop, Dimick produced his variation of their famous plains rifle, as well as smaller caliber sporting and hunting rifles, target rifles and even delivered roughly 1,000 rifles that were used to arm Birge's Western Sharpshooters (14th Missouri Volunteer Infantry) which was later redesignated as the 66th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Those Dimick rifles did yeoman's service during the first 12-18 months of the Civil War in the Western Theater, in particular at battles like Fort Donelson and Shiloh. Dimick also imported large numbers of guns from England and Belgium and offered these guns with his retailer mark on them along with American produced guns like Metropolitan Navy percussion revolvers and derringer style pistols. Next to the Hawkens, Dimick is probably the most famous and collectible of the St. Louis Gun makers.

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

Good to very good. Bore very good, moderately oxidized with strong rifling and some lightly scattered pitting. Barrel with some of the old brown finish that shows moderate thinning, wear and loss. Metal mostly smooth with scattered surface oxidation and some pinpricking. Barrel marking clear and legible. Rear sight and buttplate with traces of blue. Iron furniture with moderate oxidation, lock somewhat mottled and oxidized. Percussion lock functions correctly. Stock with old repair at wrist including a dowel reinforcement, broken wrists are not uncommon on Plains Rifles due to the heavy barrels and typically thinner wood in that region. Otherwise the wood remains rather nice with light to moderate wear, good edges and scattered bumps, dings and mars.

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Arms, Armor and Militaria

H.E. Dimick Plains Rifle

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