Latest News

Round-Action in Arizona

Scottish gun evangelist, Simon Reinhold, had the unique opportunity to use one of our guns earlier this year in Arizona in the pursuit of quail. The weapon of choice was a beautiful little 20 gauge Round-Action that was made in the 1990's for a long-standing Dickson customer in Scotland. You can read about Simon's adventure in the August-September 2024 Issue of Covey Rise magazine. 

Do you have a special hunt coming up? 

Do you want to use the epitome of a Scottish bespoke gun in the shape of a Dickson Round-Action? 

Get in touch Here to discuss how we make this happen for you.  

Vintage Gun Inventory Update

Whether you are looking to grow your collection or upgrade your current sporting gun, John Dickson & Son has a superb range of pre-owned vintage guns from Scotland's gun and rifle makers. All guns have been prepared through our workshop making them available for immediate sale and delivery, and working with our export partners we can facilitate sending your purchase to a nominated firearms dealer in your country.  

We have just added a few interesting and rare Scottish guns to our inventory, including:

• John Dickson & Son Pair 12 gauge Sidelocks - Classic 'London Pattern' guns from 1919, Kell Engraved, 2 3/4in chambered new barrels fitted
• 
  
• John Dickson & Son 12 gauge Round-Action - Built 1907, recently re-manufactured to 'New Gun' specification
•  
  
• John Dickson & Son 12 gauge Round-Action - Newer 29in steel barrels, semi-pistolgrip stock, made in 1899
• 
  
• John Dickson & Son 12 gauge Round-Action - Beautiful long-stocked gun with excellent provenance, made in 1898
  
• 
  
• John Dickson & Son 12 gauge Round-Action - Early 1893 action, long stock, 27in sleeved barrels
• 
  
• James MacNaughton 12 gauge Sidelock - One of the last guns built in the Edinburgh workshop in 1998
  

If we can assist with any further information on the guns above, please get in touch using our contact form Here 

Please note that the vast majority of our guns find new homes before they even make it to our website so get in touch if you are looking for something specific.

September Featured Gun

We see the start of the partridges in September and so highlight this delightful 20 gauge John Robertson boxlock shotgun that we currently have for sale. These delightful guns were retailed by Boss & Co. in London to cater for customers who asked for a more affordable gun compared to the Best quality Boss guns the business was focused on making. John Robertson was the owner of Boss & Co. and so supplied this line of boxlock guns with his name on them, however the guns also carried the Boss london address and used the Boss serial number system. The gun is in superb condition and benefits from new barrels fitted in 1954. 

You can find more details of this rare gun  Here 

A Boys Round-Action 

Every month we receive many enquiries from around the world regarding Dickson guns and the current custodians looking to find out more about their gun - when was it made? who was it made for?  We are very fortunate that the Dickson records are fairly comprehensive and can usually answer these questions. Recently we received an enquiry for the details on a Dickson Round-Action gun made in 1901, it was built with unusually short barrels and a very short stock.

A quick look in the records revealed a gun ordered by Captain Towes on the 30th October 1899 and mysteriously delivered to a W. R. Bertram just under two years later in August 1901. Another question was immediately raised, why did it take so long to build the gun?

Dickson No. 5330 was delivered on the 6th August 1901 as a Round-Action gun weighing 6lb, with 27 inch barrels and fitted with a 13 3/8 inch stock with a detachable horn pistol grip. 

The gun was ordered as a gift from Captain Ernest Beachcroft Beckwith Towse for William Robert Bertram, who was his 13 year old nephew. The boys age would explain the short stock and short barrels.

The delivery time is very unusual for this gun as it was close to two years between order and delivery, when guns typically ordered in early 1901 were delivered by the Autumn of the same year, ready for the shooting season. This can possibly be explained in that Captain Towse was deployed in the Second Boer War in 1899 and could not confirm the order. Captain Towse had also ordered a 12 gauge 30 inch barrelled Dickson Round-Action for himself, which was delivered on the 30^th October 1899. Note that this is the same day that he ordered the gun for his nephew, which he must have done when in the Dickson shop collecting his gun.

Captain Towse attempted to order another gun for W. R. Bertram on the 1^st March 1906, as a coming-of-age 18^th birthday gift, and part-exchanging his own Dickson gun, but this appears to have been cancelled. There is no note of a further gun being delivered to W. R. Bertram. 

William Robert Bertram was born in Edinburgh in December 1888. He was the son of Major William Bertram and Ethel Angell Towse. He succeeded his father’s title of Nisbet and Kersewell, Lanarkshire, on his death in 1915. William Robert Bertram joined the military and progressed to Lieutenant with 75th Foot, Gordon Highlanders, 1st Battalion, before the war. Later as a Lieutenant-Colonel with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, 8th Canadian Infantry Battalion (90th Rifles). He was awarded CMG and DSO for his service. He married Zoe Weldon L’Estrange Eames, daughter of Lt. Col. William L’Estrange Eames, in October 1917 at the Holy Trinity Church, Henley on Thames, England, and they raised one daughter. William Robert Bertram died in August 1970, in Penzance, Cornwall, and was later buried in the Coulter Church Yard, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Sir Ernest Beachcroft Beckwith Towse, VC, KCVO, CBE, (23 April 1864 – 21 June 1948) was an English British Army officer and campaigner for the blind. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Towse was 35 years old, and a captain in the 1st Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders during the Second Boer War when the following deeds led to the award of the Victoria Cross:

On the 11th December, 1899, at the action of Magersfontein, Captain Towse was brought to notice by his Commanding Officer for his gallantry and devotion in assisting the late Colonel Downman, when mortally wounded, in the retirement, and endeavouring, when close up to the front of the firing line, to carry Colonel Downman on his back; but finding this not possible, Captain Towse supported him till joined by Colour-Sergeant Nelson and Lance-Corporal Hodgson. On the 30th April, 1900, Captain Towse, with twelve men, took up a position on the top of Mount Thaba, far away from support. A force of about 150 Boers attempted to seize the same plateau, neither party appearing to see the other until they were but 100 yards apart. Some of the Boers then got within 40 yards of Captain Towse and his party, and called on him to surrender. He at once caused his men to open fire and remained firing himself until severely wounded (both eyes shattered), succeeding in driving off the Boers. The gallantry of this Officer in vigorously attacking the enemy (for he not only fired, but charged forward) saved the situation, notwithstanding the numerical superiority of the Boers.

Captain Towse shoots at Lt Col Maximov at point-blank range in this British newspaper illustration from 1900

The shot that blinded Towse was fired by the Russian volunteer Yevgeny Maximov who was struggling with Towse during the action on Mount Thaba. Queen Victoria, it is said, shed tears when pinning the decoration. Possibly at her instance, The War Office awarded Towse with a special wounds pension of £300 a year.

He retired from the army in February 1902, but was appointed by King Edward VII one of His Majesty′s Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms on 1 January 1903. Towse′s VC action left him blind and he spent much of the rest of his life working with the blind. He served in the First World War as a staff officer working with the wounded in base hospitals in France and Belgium, as well as promoting the welfare of blinded former servicemen. Towse was chairman of the British and Foreign Blind Association, founded the British Wireless for the Blind Fund in 1928 and was a trustee of The Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind (GWB, now known as CLARITY - Employment for Blind People). He provided GWB a grant of £500, which enabled them to start making soap.

In 1940 he made his house available as a rehabilitation centre for civilians blinded through air raids. His sister, Beatrice Julia Beckwith Towse, was a committee member of the Disabled Officers Garden Homes (formerly Ex-Officers Direct Supply Association) organisation; she lived with him after his injury. Among other appointments, Towse was a national vice-president of the British Legion from 1927, and Vice Patron of St Dunstans (now Blind Veterans UK) from 1946, holding both posts until his death in 1948. Pipe Major George S. McLennan (1884–1929) of the Gordon Highlanders composed the 2/4 march "Captain E.B.B. Towse, V.C." in his honour.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Gordon Highlanders Museum, Aberdeen, Scotland.