If you were hoping for a Cabela's Dickinson SxS...

ninepointer

ninepointer

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...forget about it. During my visit the Barrie store a nice fella at the gun counter was kind enough to phone their gun buyer, who told them it ain't gonna happen. Said the last 2 they brought into Canada took more than a year to sell at cost.
 
It's a pretty rarefied market. As you or I would also expect, anybody buying a London best gun will order it bespoken.

What Dickinson needs in Canada is a proper fitter, to take orders. Come to think of it, that's the same thing all the makers lack.
 
Given the lack of diversity and very low volume opportunities for Upland, at least here in ON, I personally can't further justify investing in just another nice shotgun. Other than the migratory Woodcock, Southern ON hardly has a Grouse population and one or two flushes within the span of a single day isn't exactly what i would term wingshooting in any real sense.

On the other hand, one does find Ruffed Grouse in respectable numbers in Northern ON, however, those "dumb" birds don't much bother to flush and easily located without a bird dog. Spruce, well, I consider it plain wrong to use a firearm to bag the bird. No wonder Cooeys, Mossbergs etc reign so well here. :)

Edited to add: Besides, one may recall that when S&W's 20ga Gold Elite were going for special around US$1K Stateside - the same here still carried a tag of CAD $2800+tax!
 
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straightshooter said:
It's a pretty rarefied market. As you or I would also expect, anybody buying a London best gun will order it bespoken.

What Dickinson needs in Canada is a proper fitter, to take orders. Come to think of it, that's the same thing all the makers lack.
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Cabela's Dickinson is a Turkish boxlock SxS, typically costing between $1000 & $1500 at the stores in the US and offering very good value for money.

A John Dickson of Edinburgh is typically a round action SxS, made a while ago, selling on the used US market for between $10,000 and $25,000. The odd boxlock can be found down in the mid four figures.

I think this is the kind of confusion Cabelas was going for when the choose the name "Dickinson".
 
canvasback said:
Cabela's Dickinson is a Turkish boxlock SxS, typically costing between $1000 & $1500 at the stores in the US and offering very good value for money.

A John Dickson of Edinburgh is typically a round action SxS, made a while ago, selling on the used US market for between $10,000 and $25,000. The odd boxlock can be found down in the mid four figures.

I think this is the kind of confusion Cabelas was going for when the choose the name "Dickinson".
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They fooled me. Mind you, I've not heard of the "Cabela's" version before this thread.

Dickson was at the Calgary Gun Show this year. I brought their catalog home with me (I'll see if I can locate it). They had box locks and side locks available.
 
A lot of the "reasonably priced" "brand name"sxs's are a rebrand of some form. Webley is Turkish, William Powell is Arrietta, likely a few others in the mid range that are Merkel. Really have to look around. Italian stuff seems to be in house built, FAIR & Fabarm, but, they're in the 2500 & up range. The Spanish guns seem to have jacked their prices nowadays, don't see too many of them under other brands, without higher prices, there are a few under the 5 mark still, but, I think they are older models. Beretta and Merkel and Chapuis are in the 5 range.
I ended up buying a Fabarm a couple of weeks ago, seems good so far.
 
Personally I have no issues at all with "rebranding". I'm in the consumer products industry and it happens all the time with every different product one might imagine.

What counts is the quality of product for the money paid. I have read extremely positive personal reviews of Dickinson guns from Cabelas on US forums, particularly Doublegun.

IMHO It's a shame a reasonable quality and great value for money SxS is not easily or regularly available from Cabelas in Canada. However, that is the price we pay for living in a small market.
 
Nobody faults re-branding when replacement is of the same quality or better than expected from that brand. Take Winchester's Japaneses or Browning made products or Weatherby's Howa made S2.

The problem arises when a well known manufacturer re-brands cheaper products of much lower quality (at least questionable quality) and sells it under its name for a quick cash grab. For this, look mostly into SXS and O/U shotguns. Why would anybody pay $1500 for a SXS that is being sold to these latter re-branders by weight? Blind brand loyalty?
 
Home3, then you are getting into the heart of what a brand is for.

Brand names are shorthand in the marketplace for a certain price/quality equation. They are useful for people who, because of lack of first hand knowledge, are unable to form their own independent assessment. If one is competent to judge, then brand name serves no useful purpose and the price premium the brand name commands need not be paid.

I don't know enough to make a good judgement about any rifle, or a semi auto shotgun. But I wouldn't pay 2 extra cents to have a brand name on a SxS shotgun. I'm happy to trust my judgement in that area.

The ONLY value brand name on a SxS has for me is in regard to future resale. To someone who needs the comfort of branding.
 
I intrigued by the fact that it comes in 16 ga. Would have liked to have seen what one looks like up close. Also wanted to check out those triggers.

On the bright side, this situation has prevented yet another nice-to-have but don't need-to-have gun purchase. LOL!
 
If they had a 16 up here I would definitely consider buying one. I love SxS but every once in a while it would be nice to have one that is just fine with steel shot and modern loads.
 
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