Manufactured in the final quarter of the 19th century, the elephant gun is a fine example of truth in naming; it is a gun intended to be fired at an elephant. With the technology of the era, before the rise of smokeless powder and the spitzer bullet, the only answer to the bigger beasts of the African continent was bigger weapons firing bigger bullets, with this example throwing a four bore ball, just shy of an inch (roughly 24 mm) in diameter, dwarfing modern "anti-material" bullets. Even with a monster weapon like this at their disposal, the hunters of the era were not guaranteed of victory, or even survival; the solid lead slugs of the day expanded with gusto, making shot placement and angle of attack critical to punch through the thick hide of dangerous game and hit the vitals, a task made harder by the rapid ballistic drop of black powder projectiles. Failure to make the shot count could result in the frustration of seeing a long-tracked quarry run away to lick its wounds, or the terror of being on the wrong end of a charging, enraged elephant. The barrel is of thick construction, with a polished bead front sight and a platinum accented two-leaf rear sight (fixed 50 yard leaf, folding 100 yard leaf) on the matte flat top, which is marked "JOHN DICKSON & SON, Patent/63 PRINCES STREET, EDINBURGH", with scroll engraving on the lower edges of the chamber and London proofs on the underside. The receiver is nearly covered with scroll and floral engraving, with "JOHN DICKSON & SON, PATENT" on each side, a gold cocking indicator and "SAFE" marking, automatic safety and a large barrel lever. A thick and sturdy pistol grip stock has been fitted, with fine engraving on the casehardened hardware, a raised carved seashell on the forearm tip, an unmarked silver inscription oval on the underside and a thick rubber recoil pad. Measurements: length of pull - 14 1/2 inches, drop at comb - 1 3/8 inches, drop at heel - 1 7/8 inches, cast - off 3/8 inch, toe - out 3/4 inch, overall weight - 18 pounds 11 ounces. With a brass reinforced, leather covered and red felt lined hard case with the Dickson label on the interior and the following accessories: an ebony handled screwdriver, casing wad seater and shot measure, pewter oiler, ebony wad container, a large 4 gauge round ball mold with integral sprue cutter, and a set of five loaded 4 gauge paper shells

Very fine. The barrel shows 80% plus brown Damascus finish, with bright wear at the muzzle and along the edges, light spotting and handling marks. 85% plus case colors are present on the frame, with vibrant color overall and some light wear and handling marks. The stock is fine, with some mild dings and evidence of mild cleaning. The case is very good, with mild wear and handling. Mechanically excellent.