The new Dickinson Plantation Grade offers an affordable single-trigger model to the existing Dickinson lineup of classic side-by-side shotguns. This single-trigger gun is made for those of us who can’t remember how to count to two during the stress of a flush and followup shot. (If that's you, don't worry; you're in good company.) This new single-trigger gun is also a good opportunity to take another look at Dickinson side-by-sides, which remain beneath the radars of too many bird hunters.
The Dickinson bears no relation to the British guns of the same name. These are made by Akus/Komando, one of the best Turkish gunmakers. Versions of these guns have been imported by various entities under various names for a while, including Kimber probably 20 years ago, then S&W, Cabela’s, and now under the Dickinson name.
Dickinson makes a full line of O/Us and side-by-sides, all sharing varying grades of good Turkish walnut, true bone-and-charcoal case colors, and an overall classy appearance. The Estate Plantation fits right in to the lineup. The guns come in all gauges, on scaled frames. I recently tested a 12-gauge model both on the range and in the field. Here is my full review.
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Dickinson Plantation Grade Specs
Length: 45.5” with 28-inch barrels
Weight: 6 pounds, 15 ounces with 28-inch barrels in 12-gauge
Barrel: 26-, 28- or 30-inch blued barrels with raised solid rib, brass bead, and five thin-wall chokes.
Action: Break-action side-by-side
Trigger: 6 pounds, 12 ounces
Capacity: 2
Finish: Satin wood/matte steel, with enamel decoration
Stock: Semi-deluxe Turkish walnut
Chambering: 3-inch 12-gauge, 16-, 20-, 28- and .410 available
Price: $2,495
Dickinson Plantation Grade Overview
My single-trigger 12-gauge test gun had 28-inch barrels, a straight grip, and splinter forend with a Schnabel flare on the end. From the checkered wooden butt to the flush-mounted, thin-wall, notchless choke tubes, the gun has elegant lines and features. The walnut on my test gun was relatively straight-grained, with some figure, and very handsome. All the lines were right—except for the Schnabel tip, which does not belong—including well-executed walnut teardrops aft of the side plates.
The gun is a trigger-plate action and so the side plates are purely there for ornamentation. They have sparse engraving that provides an expanse of steel to show off its bone-charcoal case colors. The barrels are deeply blued, with a raised solid rib with “Dickonson” inlaid in gold at the breech end. The wood-to-metal fit is good, not perfect, especially around the side plates, but even to me, who is picky about wood-to-metal, it’s not a dealbreaker at the price. All in all, the gun is handsome and well-made.
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Dickinson Plantation Grade Test Results
The gun weighed about half an ounce shy of 7 pounds, with the weight nicely concentrated between my hands. In a pleasant surprise, the trigger pull was a reasonable 6 pounds, 12 ounces, which is good considering the heavy pulls on many Turkish guns. Although many are leery of a single trigger on side-by-side, this one functioned fine through skeet, 5-stand, and the first volleys of the new dove season. The barrel selector is of the Browning style, where you switch it back and forth to select the barrel. The safety on my gun was very stiff, but fixing it is an easy, inexpensive gunsmithing job.
Despite having a stock cast in the wrong direction for me, the gun shot exactly where I looked. Even the cylinder choke smoked targets and puffed doves impressively. It’s a shootable gun. I do sometimes struggle to look in the right place with a side-by-side, but that is a me problem. Despite this, I shot the gun well, and it functioned more or less flawlessly.
Final Thoughts on the Dickinson Plantation Grade Side-by-Side
Pros
Good trigger pull
Beautiful finish
Classic lines
Cons
Stiff safety
Overall, I liked the gun a great deal. It came in a classy, faux-suede hard case. It is a lot of gun for the money. It wasn’t perfect, but few of us can afford perfection, and despite a couple of flaws (stiff safety, Schnable tip, the occasional inletting bobble), the Plantation side-by-side should put an elegant style of shotgun in the hands of more people, and even moreso now that you can choose between one trigger and two.
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