H. E. Demick St. Louis Single Keyed Plains Rifle Percussion Conversion

.50 caliber. 35" single-key octagonal barrel with under rib. SN: NSN. Browned finish, iron, German silver and pewter mountings, walnut half-stock. Plain, singel screw, externally unmarked commercial percussion lock is maker marked "F. B. Moore" (?}. Top flat of barrel marked "H.E. DIMICK & CO. Heavy barrel measures 1.15" across the flats at the muzzle with extended double screw iron tang. Single triggers, dovetailed buckhorn rear sight, dovetailed German silver Rocky Mountain front sight blade with steel base. Extended spur triggerguard, Brass buttplate, oval German silver escutcheon at barrel key, pewter forend cap. Wooden ramrod secured by two plain steel pipes. 

Horace E. Dimick (1809-1874) was probably the most prolific of the fames St. Louis makers of Plains Rifles. A direct competitor with the famous Hawken shop, Dimick produced his variation of their famous plains rifle, as well as smaller caliber sporting and hunting rifles, target rifles and even delivered a lot of roughly 1,000 rifles that were used to arm Birge's Western Sharpshooters (14th Missouri Volunteer Infantry) which was later redesignated as the 66th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Those Dimick rifles did yeoman's service during the first 12-18 months of the Civil War in the Western Theater, in particular at battles like Fort Donelson and Shiloh. Dimick also imported large numbers of guns from England and Belgium and offered these guns with his retailer mark on them along with American produced guns like Metropolitan Navy percussion revolvers. Next to the Hawkens, Dimick is probably the most famous of the St. Louis Gun makers.

Good. Barrel with an oxidized plum patina showing scattered light surface roughness and some pitting, particularly around the breech area. Lock with a dark brown patina. Lock functional, bore good,  with rifling and scattered oxidation and light pitting. Stock with wear, and with added finish. Some wood loss around the lock mortise,