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SOLD Pre-Dixie Gunworks - Turner Kirkland flintlock 45 cal $500 Shipped price

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DillyJamba

32 Cal
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Location
Saint Charles Missouri
A little ugly but functions well with a good bore, there is pitting on the mirror finish on the OUTSIDE of the Barrell, I tried to show it well in the photos I believe it could be polished out or would be substantially improved aesthetically by a rust bluing. Seems like a bubba build but the bore and lock are good! From what I've read online this is a pre-dixie gunworks gun.

$500 Shipped to your door OBO
 

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I know DGW's TMR came only in .50 or .32, but this isn"t specifically a Southern gun, and I don"t find the caliber in text and can't find it in pics...?
 
I don’t have a Dixie catalog saved from that era, but I do remember their catalogs from the early sixties. Turner Kirkland, was the name of Dixie’s founder and long-time proprietor. “Turner Kirkland” and “Dixie Gun Works” were pretty much synonymous.

Anyway, Mr. Kirkland introduced his “New Dixie Squirrel Rifle,” I think in the late fifties, as one of the first, and possibly the first, newly-made muzzleloading sporting arms. Originally, it was available as a .40 caliber percussion, with a patent breech and about a 40” barrel. I would say the stock was roughly a late Lancaster style, it was brass mounted, and I believe there was a brass cap box in the right side of the buttstock. I’m pretty sure these were made in Belgium. This rifle was a raging success, but the 15/16” barrel was too heavy in .40 caliber, so it later (mid sixties, maybe?) changed to .45 caliber in a 13/16” barrel. I believe the flintlock version was offered pretty early in the game, and he then came out with his “Deluxe” version, of which I am pretty sure the subject rifle is an example. The Deluxe Pennsylvania Rifle (which I believe it was called) was a dressed-up Dixie Squirrel Rifle with a full-sized patch box and Roman-nose stock. I’m reasonably certain this rifle was introduced in the mid-to-late sixties, and Belgium would have been the country of origin for as long as these were in production. I think these were discontinued in the mid-seventies, when Dixie introduced their Mountain Rifles, which were made by Miroku in Japan.

I’m working from a sometimes flawed memory here, but as a pre-teen in the mid sixties and all the way through high school I devoured the annual Dixie Gun Works catalogs. Anyone who remembers those days or has old Dixie catalogs on hand is welcome to correct my errors.

The rifle offered for sale here looks like a really good example of an early reproduction muzzle-loading sporting rifle. Best of luck to the seller and to potential buyers!

Notchy Bob
 
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Dixie Deluxe Pennsylvania Rifle… boy did I drool over them as a kid in the 70’s… you didn’t see many on the reinactment fields they were pretty high priced at the time.
 
Notchy Bob,
You are exactly right. I bought one of those from Turner in the Mid 60's. It was a percussion lock, patent breech,
45 cal. The rifling was very shallow and worked great with a 445 RB .010 linen patch and 45 gr. 3f powder.
That rifle won all kinds of manure in the matches.
I still have it after all these years, it sure is ugly LOL!
Barry
 
These early Turner Kirkland rifles (made in Belgium) were really well made, although the styling was a bit crude (as noted above, being the first genre of purpose-built muzzleloaders in the modern era). I had a percussion version in .40 caliber once.

@Notchy Bob brings up a good point... are you sure this is .45 caliber? It looks like it in the muzzle photo, but so many of these were in .40, it's worth asking.
 
A little ugly but functions well with a good bore, there is pitting on the mirror finish on the OUTSIDE of the Barrell, I tried to show it well in the photos I believe it could be polished out or would be substantially improved aesthetically by a rust bluing. Seems like a bubba build but the bore and lock are good! From what I've read online this is a pre-dixie gunworks gun.

$500 Shipped to your door OBO
If you are willing to take $450 for it I will be willing to take it.
 
I don’t have a Dixie catalog saved from that era, but I do remember their catalogs from the early sixties. Turner Kirkland, was the name of Dixie’s founder and long-time proprietor. “Turner Kirkland” and “Dixie Gun Works” were pretty much synonymous.

Anyway, Mr. Kirkland introduced his “New Dixie Squirrel Rifle,” I think in the late fifties, as one of the first, and possibly the first, newly-made muzzleloading sporting arms. Originally, it was available as a .40 caliber percussion, with a patent breech and about a 40” barrel. I would say the stock was roughly a late Lancaster style, it was brass mounted, and I believe there was a brass cap box in the right side of the buttstock. I’m pretty sure these were made in Belgium. This rifle was a raging success, but the 15/16” barrel was too heavy in .40 caliber, so it later (mid sixties, maybe?) changed to .45 caliber in a 13/16” barrel. I believe the flintlock version was offered pretty early in the game, and he then came out with his “Deluxe” version, of which I am pretty sure the subject rifle is an example. The Deluxe Pennsylvania Rifle (which I believe it was called) was a dressed-up Dixie Squirrel Rifle with a full-sized patch box and Roman-nose stock. I’m reasonably certain this rifle was introduced in the mid-to-late sixties, and Belgium would have been the country of origin for as long as these were in production. I think these were discontinued in the mid-seventies, when Dixie introduced their Mountain Rifles, which were made by Miroku in Japan.

I’m working from a sometimes flawed memory here, but as a pre-teen in the mid sixties and all the way through high school I devoured the annual Dixie Gun Works catalogs. Anyone who remembers those days or has old Dixie catalogs on hand is welcome to correct my errors.

The rifle offered for sale here looks like a really good example of an early reproduction muzzle-loading sporting rifle. Best of luck to the seller and to potential buyers!

Notchy Bob

I bought a DGW "Tennessee Mountain Rifle" in the early 80's, it was a LH .50cal FL with set tiggers and a low grade Curly Maple full stock (but at least real Curly Maple) and iron furniture (thankfully) sans patchbox; all it had was a grease hole in the Butt side; very much a Poor Boy style but with a Butt plate. That rifle shot better than most I've since used and got a lot of attention here in Australia; since those days I learned to buy good ML's and patiently squirrel the $ away to afford it.
 
I have a .45 cal rifle marked Dixie Gun Works Union City Tennessee on the barrel. Made in Italy. Was given to me by the son of a high school classmate that is no longer with us. Son said his dad built the rifle from a kit in 1975. He had inlaid an eagle in the left side of the buttstock along with 2 bi-centennial quarters marking the bi-centennial of the USA along with a couple of weeping hearts on either side of the wrist. The patch box plate and the butt plate are one piece. Also stamped on top of the barrel is “Lancaster”. He engraved his initials on the left side lock plate. I won’t change a thing on this rifle because he was a friend of mine. I cleaned the rifle thoroughly when I got it and shot for the first time in probably 30-40 yrs. Grouped good at 50 yds. Don’t know if the rifle has any collector value or not but that makes no difference to me. If anybody has any information on the rifle I would appreciate knowing about it.
 
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