Custom Dixie Tennessee Mountain Rifle

[BigSkyRambler]

Bought this off an auction thinking it was a run of the mill Dixie Tennessee Mountain Rifle with a couple of mods (patchboxand nosecap).  Upon receipt (yes, frizzen was broken in transit), I discovered a replacement lock and barrel. Lock unmarked except for what look like 3 hashmarks on interior face. Barrel stamped ".50 CAL 1806". Any thoughts on makers of barrel and lock? The lock is slightly larger and more refined than the NOS Dixie lock for comparison.

[Bigmon]

I had one of those and it was a good rifle.  HOW in the world could they break that frizzen!!??   And with out damaging the lock further??

[BigSkyRambler]

My guess is they dropped the rifle on bench after wrapping in bubblewrap. Being in open position,  it is vulnerable.  Box undamaged.

[Bigmon]

Someone put that patchbox over where Dixie had a grease hole.  I have that same patchbox on a Tennesse half stock 50 cal percussion I built yrats ago,
Also, that barrel looks shorter than the standard Dixie rifle,
I wonder if that 1806 is not meant to be a date, but maybr a serial number or part number?
Nice rifle

[Mike Brooks]

L&R replacement lock?

[Mike Brooks]

Once they got rid of the crappy lock and barrel there's a good gun in there. But it's hard to call it a Dixie SMR now, much better.

[Bob Roller]

I had one of those and it was a good rifle.  HOW in the world could they break that frizzen!!??   And with out damaging the lock further??

That lock is a close copy of the Chet Shoults Ketland from the mid 1950's.That frizzen could be broken by a fast closure and not by
shooting the gun.There is no way the broken frizzen can do anything except take the gun out of service until it's replaced.
A lot of Dixies rifles came from Belgium and I worked there in the Summer of 1958 and it was HOT and I did function test them after
unpacking them.I made a lot of these locks using parts made from Chet's tooling and did have a few broken frizzens from snapping
them shut and the quick snap was aided bt the camming action of the frizzen spring.That camming also acted as a resistance to the strike of the flint to create the sparks.I did at first copy the Shoults mechanism with the mainspring bearing on the tumbler and the changed it to the
linked style.I also made a very few of these with a reenforced hammer from another Ketland that I made for the "Flint Hawken"so the idea of such a gun could be realized.I think Log Cabin may now own the tooling for these locks but don't know if anyone is trying to make locks from them.The Ketland I made for the "flint"Hawken was a good performer and had a frizzen designed so a small roller could be used and gave it a real advantage over the Shoults style.I sent a number of these to Switzerland and Germany and the buyer of these in Switzerland was a woman.OK,rant over,have a good evening.
Bob Roller

[BigSkyRambler]

Once they got rid of the crappy lock and barrel there's a good gun in there. But it's hard to call it a Dixie SMR now, much better.

I have had to reset my brain on this rifle. Since it was advertised as a "Dixie Tennessee Mountain Rifle " and I purchased it as such, All my assumptions since were based on that. I think more likely it is a custom SMR whose builder used Dixie hardware and set triggers for the build. Lock has been sent off to have new frizzen fitted, incidentally.