This Dickson & Gilmore rifle from Louisville is one of their earlier half-stocks based on cheekpiece style and relatively flat butt plate. It has been well used, bore is poor, nipple is smashed, and the hammer is missing... which brings me to its most interesting detail. The tumbler shaft appears to be complete, despite missing the hammer and looking somewhat "damaged" on its outer end. But if you look more closely, the shaft was notched just above where the outer surface of the hammer would be, and a small hole was drilled through the remaining part of shaft. To me, it looks like a cotter-type pin was used to hold the hammer on the shaft, which I have never seen before in Kentucky, or anywhere for that matter. Lock is original to the gun and stamped "M. Dickson" with touches of his original hand-cut engraving... not the rolled-on "engraving" of most perc. locks.
Perhaps the tumbler shaft was modified from its original configuration, but there is no hint of an original threaded hole in the shaft, or for its outer surface to be threaded for an English style slotted nut. I intend to install an antique hammer on it, using a pin to hold it on the shaft. But I'd like to get your opinions on this tumbler shaft... is it original, or has the shaft been modified? I have handled a good number of Dickson & Gilmore rifles, and this is the only one I've seen with its tumbler made this way. Barrel is 40-1/2" with .38" bore and 6-groove rifling.
Geeeze, maybe the gun was made for John C. Fremont's 3rd trip to the Rockies in 1845 when he stopped in Louisville and purchased seven half-stocked rifles from Dickson & Gilmore... he may have wanted guns that were easy to repair in the field with a "quick off, quick on" hammer without those pesty little hammer screws that get dropped and lost!!!
Please give me your opinions on the tumbler shaft... original or modified, and how was hammer locked on? Also, if anyone has an old original hammer with a center-to-center distance between nipple and shaft of 1-3/4," I'd appreciate hearing from you.
Shelby Gallien
