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Author Topic: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle  (Read 12877 times)

Offline Sequatchie Rifle

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Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« on: October 13, 2009, 05:46:59 AM »
I'm sure someone out there can answer this question- I have a DGW 50 cal flintlock made in the 1980s.  Does anyone know who made the locks on these rifles?
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Leatherbelly

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2009, 06:45:25 AM »
 Not sure who made it but L&R make a replacement if the original is broken.
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Offline Randy Hedden

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2009, 07:22:07 AM »
I believe that would be Italy.

Randy Hedden
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northmn

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2009, 11:52:59 AM »
They were Italian made.  At that time you could also buy Italian locks for building.  The cheap ones were cheap, the better ones were pretty good.  I have two locks called Ashmores, left handed, that are better than most of the other locks being made at that time.  They are fast, well designed and spark very well. No use naming them as they are now defunct.  One common "adjustment" you can make to one of them is to replace the DST set screw with a longer one to get a better trigger pull.  That used to be one of the only production flintlock rifles worth a d---n.

DP
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Offline frogwalking

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2009, 03:03:51 PM »
I had a 40 caliber Dixie rifle from the late '60s that had been manufactured in Belgium.  There is one at auction now online.  It has already bid up to twice what I paid for it new.  Don't know when they moved shop to Italy.
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Mike R

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2009, 03:31:09 PM »
Whereas Dixie has had many of their models made in Italy, I thought that the Tenn rifle cited was made in Japan?
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Offline Robby

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2009, 07:03:25 PM »
I bought one of those in the 70's,in a L/H flinter, it had "made in Japan" stamped on the top of the barrel. I liked the gun, but never could warm up to it for that reason, thats just me I guess. I sold it, and it was over thirty years before I had another, and that one I had to make myself.
Robby
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Offline Sequatchie Rifle

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #7 on: October 13, 2009, 08:28:19 PM »
Yes this is one of those with the "Made in Japan" barrel.  I bought it at a pawn shop just off of Ft Bragg in 1987 for $70.  I gave it to my son this weekend and we went to shoot it, but the flint was bad, so I replaced it with a spare I had for the 40 cal I bought from Ken Guy.  The flint is a bit big and the hammer can't go to half cock.  I removed the Made in Japan from the barrel a few hours after I got it home back in '87!  I couldn't hardly stomach having a "Jap" rifle in the house that wasn't captured by a GI!!  So, after changing the flint yesterday, the rifle shot every time!  It was a misty, damp day and we were shooting by the Flint River here in Northern  Alabama.  It was dead on- we were hitting cans from 50 - 60 feet consistently, and a pumpkin for further away!  I also got a chance to shoot a newly acquired .32 cal I picked up in Barboursville, KY this weekend from Robert Kidd.  It was like a cap gun compared to the old 50, but equally fast and accurate!

Back to the reason for the lock question- this lock is very fast and reliable.  What size flints would some of you experienced fellers recommend?

Thanks,
Bill
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Offline Nate McKenzie

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2009, 10:14:29 PM »
All I have seen were made by Miroku in Japan.
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Offline T.C.Albert

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #9 on: October 14, 2009, 04:15:49 AM »
I thought the Japan Dixie Tennessee rifles were touted as being made by some of Japans finest with near olympic quality barrels ....but i dont know if they did all the metal work, triggers and locks etc...I got one new in the mid 80s, and find that I am still well pleased with it and think its a very good gun for a mass produced import...in fact maybe one of the best...

I believe the mid 80s is when Dixie switched the Tennessee rifles, both the .32 and the .50 to Japan from the older Belgin imports of that model? I was also a bit miffed when I took delivery of a "made in Japan" rifle at first.  Mine was made in one of, if not the first year of the Japanese models, and maybe the quality has degraded a bit over the years, but knowing current Japanese quality standards, I doubt it...
TCA
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Offline trentOH

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #10 on: October 14, 2009, 05:18:18 AM »
"What size flints...."

5/8" flints are what you should go with.  I have two of them. One likes bevel up, the other prefers bevel down.
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Offline Sequatchie Rifle

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #11 on: October 14, 2009, 05:46:23 AM »
Exactly what I was looking for!  I'll order some from TOW this evening!
Thanks!!!
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northmn

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #12 on: October 14, 2009, 03:43:50 PM »
You should also consider Rich Pierce for flints.  His are very highly recommended and you would likely save on postage.

DP
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Offline Sequatchie Rifle

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #13 on: October 15, 2009, 05:36:25 AM »
Do you have his contact info?
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Offline SCLoyalist

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #14 on: October 15, 2009, 05:51:59 AM »
Send an email to Rich at  rpierce@dom.wustl.edu  and tell him what size you need along with your mailing address.   I've ordered a couple of times from him and the rocks show up in my mailbox within a week.   If they work, send him payment, if they don't then send him back the flints.
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Offline Sequatchie Rifle

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #15 on: October 16, 2009, 12:31:48 AM »
Thanks for the info!
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Ron T.

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #16 on: October 17, 2009, 04:09:54 AM »
Quote from: Nate McKenzie on October 13, 2009, 10:14:29 PM
All I have seen were made by Miroku in Japan.


Miroku made the Citori o/u shotgun for Browning which replaced the Browning Superposed in the Browning line of shotguns.

I have a Miroku-made Charles Daly (circa 1970) 28 gauge over/under shotgun I used for skeet that is a beautiful little shotgun (5.75 lbs.) made on a 28 gauge action rather than a 20 gauge action like so many 28 gauge guns were made.

If those Miroku-made MLs are anything like the quality of the shotguns Miroku made for Charles Daly and Browning, they're extremely high-quality.

Jus' my 2¢...    :)


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.
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Offline Sequatchie Rifle

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #17 on: October 17, 2009, 08:29:00 AM »
The rifle really shoots well.
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Offline Pete G.

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #18 on: October 19, 2009, 03:32:33 AM »
I got one of the L&R locks for my rifle to convert to flint. Wish that I had not. My particular example would not ignite the prime consistiently. Sent it back and they re-heat treated the frizzen and changed out the springs. Not much difference. I think that maybe the frizzen is a little too hard, but haven't gotten around to tempering it yet. Also the mainspring seems to be soft, so maybe some work to do there also. Hard to get motivated when I've got a Chambers Golden Age lock on my favorite rifle that will fire every time until the flint is worn too short.
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Offline Sequatchie Rifle

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Re: Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Rifle
« Reply #19 on: October 20, 2009, 09:13:34 PM »
Should I order 5/8" x 5/8" or 5/8" x 3/4"?

Quote from: trentOH on October 14, 2009, 05:18:18 AM
"What size flints...."

5/8" flints are what you should go with.  I have two of them. One likes bevel up, the other prefers bevel down.
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