Dimick rifle

[oldarcher]

I am considering a Dimick rifle as my next build. I purchased a Dimick built by Red River Arms from Las Vegas, New Mexico in the late 70's but traded it or whatever because although it shot well I really did not like the large rear stock/butt plate area. It just felt clumsy. I was shooting a GRRW Leman 1/2 stock rifle at the time and it felt a lot more comfortable. I would really like to find better pictures of the old Red River Dimick ( the pictures in the ads from the 70's are not light enough to see detail) or anyone's Dimick so I could pick out the parts that I like as well as see how I can slim down the rifle to look like a Dimick but feel like a Hawken. I can find some fairly nice pics on the search engines but I was hoping for better. I like the idea of German Silver furniture and I already have an L & R bar lock with a drip bar, and a Colrain 1" barrel. I do not to intend to build a "bench copy" just one that looks similar.  I would appreciate any pictures that you would be willing to share. Thank you for your consideration.

[mountainman70]

Hi Archer,there is an original Dimick fullstock on Gunbroker.com.Nice lines and size.I been thinkin about building one like it for a while.Check it out.I almost bought it several yearsa ago.Dave

[oldarcher]

Thank you Mountainman, Great tip, I can't imagine how I missed the listing, I check Gun Broker everyday.
The rifle is really not what I expected. There are so many differences from my past conceptions and what I have seen that I really don't know where to begin...I guess that I was certainly not expecting a cross between a longrifle and something that reminds me of an Ohio fishbelly.
I think that this gives me a great deal of latitude on the interpretation of a Dimick for my build. Thanks again!

[PPatch]

A quick search of ALR using “Dimmick” shows only a few threads. I did not go through all of them but one interesting remark here:

"As far as pictures of Dimmick plains rifles, there are a number of books that show examples. These would include (but are not limited to) The Plains Rifle by Charles E. Hanson; and Missouri Gunsmiths by Victor A. Paul."

dave

[Dan'l 1946]

  I think that Don Stith has a Dimmick on his web-site--St. Louis Plains Rifle Co.
                                                       Dan

[JoeG]

Scott Sibley sent me these pictures, while not a  Demick it  is a plains rifle and close in time period
and has a german silver TG that is still available

[JoeG]

I just checked and James Gordon's three volume set ,the great gun makers for the early west, has  several pictures of  Demicks work

[hawknknife]

The plains rifle pictured above I purchased at a Jackson, Mississippi gun show in 2009.  It is marked on the barrel "J.F. Dittrich, St. Louis"  The lock was made by T. Gibbons and so marked on the inside of the lock plate.  Dittrich moved to Mobile, Ala in later years and the lady who sold it was from Mobile.  It had been wrapped in oil linen and was slightly pitted all over.  I later sold it in a weak moment to a Gent in Colorado....

[JoeG]

it is a great looking rifle ,
 I would like  to try and build a copy
I already have the trigger guard 

[Hungry Horse]

Joe;

  The Dimmick triggerguard that is sold by TOTW and a few others, is the right shape, but is too small. I bought one for a California muzzleloader, and it is a perfect match, but when I compared it to a genuine Dimmick that was at a local gun show, it was way too small. This guard might be off of a squirrel rifle by Dimmick, and not a plains rifle.

                         Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

Good looking lock even with all the neglect showing. The front
part of the plate looks like a Rigby lock I made last year and the
hammer is much like a Greener I still have.IF anyone is interested,
I can make a good quality lock like this using a simialr hammer designed
by Bill Large over 40 years ago and I still have the mould for it.

Bob Roller

[Dphariss]

This is likely your best bet for a set of Dimick  parts.
http://www.donstith.com/h_e__dimick.html
I like the entry pipe forend better but either way is correct and this is a good parts set from what I can see.
Dimick, like the Hawken brothers, made better quality rifles than most.

Dan