Original JACOB DICKERT FLINTLOCK | Hands on at the Rock Island Auction Company

[Monty59]

Here is a Video on YouTube about a very  nice Jakob Dicker rifle in a great condition !

Monty

[Yazel.xring]

Wow, thanks for sharing Monty. Hope I don’t sound like a dunce to the masters here. Always willing to learn, so let me have it.

[Shreckmeister]

Early on while attending one of my first shows, I made the mistake of resting a man's longrifle on the end of the ramrod while examining the patchbox and he gave me $#*! for it.
I never did that again.

[WESTbury]

It is a great looking rifle and all the restorations look fine, but I did not apply the 6" rule.

I was glad to see that he did not cock the lock and dry fire it.

[Buck]

Rob,

While watching the video I noticed that and thought of you immediately - HA!

Buck

[spgordon]

Great video! I wish there were more video "tours" through the features of various longrifles ...

[Shreckmeister]

Rob,

While watching the video I noticed that and thought of you immediately - HA!

Buck

   Oh was that you?  You really should hot glue your ramrod thimbles in place.  An ounce of prevention you know.

[Telgan]

I hate to say it but I would call the handling a bit ham handed - At three separate occasion, I see the weight of the rifle being rested on the cock. Can you imagine that breaking out the lock mortise on an antique flintlock , much less a newly made gun. Love the gun

[Yazel.xring]

I hate to say it but I would call the guy a bit ham handed - At three separate occasion, I see him resting the weight of the gun on the cock. Can you imagine that breaking out the lock mortise on an antique flintlock , much less a newly made gun. Love the gun

Noted! Thanks for the feedback!

[Yazel.xring]

Great video! I wish there were more video "tours" through the features of various longrifles ...

14 more videos like this from this trip in the works

[rich pierce]

Appreciate the video. Always admired that gun.

[WESTbury]

14 more videos like this from this trip in the works

Ethan,
I'm looking forward to seeing the additional videos. Any teasers as to what the subjects will be?

[jdm]

Wow! what a great rifle . Thanks for posting .   PLEASE PLEASE don't pick them up from the butt end and  roll them around .

[Ats5331]

Cool stuff. What a cool gig to talk about Muzzleloaders and Kentucky Rifles all the time! Where do I sign up haha?

[Yazel.xring]

14 more videos like this from this trip in the works

Ethan,
I'm looking forward to seeing the additional videos. Any teasers as to what the subjects will be?

I picked out a bit of everything really. Not everything as high profile as this, but wanted to give folks, especially those new to muzzleloading a look at muzzleloaders from around the world.

Cool stuff. What a cool gig to talk about Muzzleloaders and Kentucky Rifles all the time! Where do I sign up haha?

Let me know if you know how to get paid in muzzleloading 😉😂 These trips/videos are out of pocket for me. RIA was very kind to book me a hotel though, to be transparent about it.

[WESTbury]

Let me know if you know how to get paid in muzzleloading 😉😂 These trips/videos are out of pocket for me. RIA was very kind to book me a hotel though, to be transparent about it.

Well, it's a "win-win" situation for you and RIA. You get to see some nice guns and RIA gets more exposure for the auction.

[BradBrownBess]

Was really hoping to see one on the Iron Mounted Bess - Pocock Musket. Loved the Early pre bess with plug bayonet.

****Question on this Dickert - is the forestock repair (replacement) basically the entire stock from ramrod entry to muzzle? Does this appear somewhat period or more recent restoration? Also I am assuming the ramrod pipes are modern as well or replacements of some point when the forestock replaced.

I see this is a reconversion to Flintlock as well (as so many are) - from the video and pictures the gun looks quite beautiful.

[WESTbury]

****Question on this Dickert - is the forestock repair (replacement) basically the entire stock from ramrod entry to muzzle? Does this appear somewhat period or more recent restoration? Also I am assuming the ramrod pipes are modern as well or replacements of some point when the forestock replaced.
I see this is a reconversion to Flintlock as well (as so many are) - from the video and pictures the gun looks quite beautiful.

Brad---The rifle is quite good looking. To see what it looked like in 1980 before the restoration, check out pages 210 to 213 of Shumway's Rifles of Colonial America Vol. I.

[mr. no gold]

To my eye, the wood has been replaced from perhaps 6" ahead of the lock.That is a lot of lost wood. Job was exceedingly well done, however. Given that there does not seem to be lost wood ahead and above the lock plate and there is scant wood loss above the lock plate at the breech, it would not surprise me if this rifle was not an original flint gun. Who reconverts a gun to flint and then leaves the wood in such a sad state? Looks like the second trigger was put back in as well. Back then the main trigger was taken out on occasion and an adjustment allowed the set trigger to be used solely.
Wonderful Dickert; if anyone is bothered by the restoration, but wants one, my advice is go find another one that pleases you. It will be a long wait.
Dick

[bama]

Amen to the last statement! 👍

[BradBrownBess]

Correct me if I am wrong - this gun with its age would 100% have begun life as a Flintlock. When I think "Reconverted to Flint" I think barrel has had the Percussion nipple attachment removed through cutting and usually the entire lock replaced as converting the gun to Flintlock would require hacking up the original lock to remove the frizzen.

I'm not knocking the rifle - I'm more trying to learn oo what is constituted as a restoration versus repaired (period, non-period, etc)
So this being a Dickert (Rare - but not that rare as I have found at least 5 sold in the last 10 years with a basic Google search) - where does so much of the value lie?
What is original here is the buttstock, toeplate, sideplate, and an altered barrel if reconverted to flint.
Lock would not be original unless highly modified to convert back to flintlock.

Beautiful gun and I am sure it will bring a price in the estimate. Does being part of the Moller collection add to value? I know being published is a positive thing but not always anything other than an owners opinion.

***If anyone has pictures of the gun prior to restoration please post if allowed - I dont have the Shumway's Rifles of Colonial America Vol. I. book at present.

I do plan on partaking in the auction to be up front and honest (probably not this rifle though - noth enough original material there for me).

[mr. no gold]

Brad, you are correct in the process: rifle was flintlock; may, or may not have been converted to the percussionr ignition system; and sometime in the last 50 years was retuned to flintlock. This is a rather common modern alteration. The value in the gun is that it is an 18th century rifle made by one of the major builders of these arms. Dickert's pieces likely served in most of the early wars/battles in the country. As to an original rifle, the barrel, lock and buttstock with a short portion of the forearm can be discerned as being correct and original. Forearm replacement, however long or short is an acceptable restoration to most true collectors of these arms. Again, refer to Shumway for photos. Hope this helps some.
Dick
 

[WESTbury]

Brad---You could not do better in taking note of the counsel of Dick (mr. no gold).

Most of the other rifles are "attributed", the Dickert rifle IS a Dickert rifle.

[BradBrownBess]

Took a while finding those Shumway books (Vol 1 of course) but did get both in fine shape - originals - and a decent price from a book dealer. Look forward to seeing this Dickert pre restoration.

[BradBrownBess]

I received my beautiful copies of the Schumway Books Vol 1 and 2.

Still very curious on the Dickert Rifle - I can look at the pre restored photos and see the Frizzen, Frizzen Spring, Frizzen screw, and Cock are not what is in the book prior to restoration. Neither are the double set triggers. The Shumway book shows a single trigger.

The closer I look, the lock looks completely different, as the pan is 100% different for sure.

So yes this rifle led one hard, hard life. Basically nothing is original but The Butt stock, Patch Box, and barrel (if that's 100%) - another Dickert is on another auction is being described as having 12 inches of forestock and barrel replaced (they did confirm for me). Estimates on that one reflect it. I would assume this gun to be obvious to such a modification/restoration.

Not one I will be bidding on but a Dickert is on the radar for the future. I will say the J.P. Beck in the RI auction is a handsome gun - though smooth bore (maybe not to some's liking).