Greatest Rifle On God's Green Earth: The Dickert
How often have you hear the phrase, "The gun that won the West!" or perhaps, "The gun that won WWII" in reference to either perhaps the Winchester lever actions (in the West) or the Garand for WWII? There are even other catch phrases for, the "great equalizer" or, "God made men, Samuel Colt made them equal".
Ever since I learned of the Gun maker Jacob Dickert, I became enamored with his rifles and the role they played in American history. There should easily be a phrase, "Dickert Rifles, the guns that changed the course of human events". Is that far fetched? No I think not.
Perhaps the humble German immigrant, devout Moravian, was so very humble and quiet that he shied away from any historical attention or association with great accomplishments where his works were pivotal in their role. The hardworking, Lancaster gunsmith, unbeknownst to him would leave an everlasting impression on this continent and thus the world.
List of muskets furnished by local gunsmiths to the Lancaster County Committee of Observation in 1776 at the beginning of the American Revolution. Lancaster County Papers, Volume 1, Historical Society of Pennsylvania. (note: Dickert supplied 34 rifles)
Jacob Dickert Rifles were ordered several times, before and during the course of the American Revolution. He produced rifles from the time of the French and Indian War, the Revolution, the early years of the new nation, and the War of 1812.
Dickert Rifles are credited as the rifles carried by the men who turned the tide in the Revolution at the battle of Kings Mtn, where British Major Ferguson was killed and his troops defeated. A Dickert rifle is the only surviving rifle known to have been at the Alamo, and Dickert rifles are recorded to have been given to early makers of Fur Trade era rifles to, "copy" or make in a more affordable fashion.
The original Dickert rifle in the Alamo shrine.
The Dickert rifle repelled the French, freed a people from British tyranny, defended a young nation from foreign insult, expanded westward with free trappers, and fought Santa Ana in Texas. There is no tool of liberty, no fashioned steel, carved marble, written scroll that embodies the tenacity and vigor or American Liberty and our willingness to kill for freedom like the Dickert Rifle.
This is why I chose to have myself a Dickert. The greatest rifle ever to grace God's green earth.
My Dickert:
Links for further reading:
https://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=180
http://www.customflintlock.com/dickert_history.php
http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dickert-rifle
https://drtlibrary.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/final-days-to-enter-the-drawing-for-a-replica-of-the-dickert-rifle-used-at-the-battle-of-the-alamo/
Hey Denny, That's a fine looking rifle. How does it shoot mate? A few of my favourite movies are The Last Mohican, The Revenant and the Patriot. I'm fascinated at how they would wage war in that manner. Brutal. I'd love to shoot something like that some day...Not at a range though. I'd want to be out in the wilderness like back in the day...So cool.
You've got some nice toys mate.
I'll send you some links here of where we shoot:
So awesome!
This is our clubs walking/shooting woods:
Ok, so I’m not jealous at all! :) Ok, yep I am!
Looks amazing. And firing that rifle...So cool. I shoot quite a lot, going culling for deer tonight on a property not far from home but it’s nothing like your properties! Thanks for sending.
@galenkp It's actually more fun than it looks.
If that's the case then I gotta get me some!
I may be coming over the the States this year for SEMA in Las Vegas. I might see if I can find somewhere that I can have a shoot. There may even be people here that do it. I know that at the two gun clubs I shoot at they do black powder so possibly they have similar rifles? Just never seen it done. I wanna go full Daniel Boone style though! :)
I shot a black powder pistol once a couple of months ago. That was cool too. This one. I don't think I would have made a very good Jesse James...The time it took me to load this thing would have seen me shot dead in my first gunfight.
Gorgeous piece there mate!!
That's the thing, it kind of forces good marksmanship on a person. Sight picture, trigger control, follow through, because you might not have another shot. Look what happened to Alexander Hamilton. Dang, those were the good ole days; a sitting Vice President and Sec. of Treasury having a duel to the death. Imagine that on CNN.
I agree. I’m doing a course this weekend in preparation for shooting the IPSC State Titles (pistol) in a few weeks here. The course is going to talk basics I assume and I am doing it to kind of reiterate the things I know and to hopefully get some additional focus. I tend to shoot pretty well but with pressure from the other competitors and myself on
the weekend of the comp who knows? I think habit plays a big part as does “muscle memory” I suppose.
I don’t shoot for a living and no lives depend on it and so I don’t get to train day in and day out. I practice draw, hand position, target acquisition and first trigger pull a bit and am pretty good at that but when every shot (and split second) counts who knows what happens.
When someone’s shooting back, or lives depend on it? I imagine things get pretty real, pretty quickly.
I shoot PRSAus long range tactical rifle comps and have had some outstanding placings and some shit ones too. After analyzing each competition I have come to the understanding that I’m a mental shooter meaning that my result is directly related to my state of mind at the time. Interesting how the mind plays such a big part.