18 ga parker

[Jimmy Hampton]

I recently read a article in the Double Gun Journal by Keith Kearcher about an 18 ga parker,Does anyone know where this gun is?

[Tom Carter]

Jimmy, I saw one advertised last Friday night, I think on Gunbroker, and it was gone Saturday. Cheers, Tom

[Dean Romig]

A few of us were in contact with the seller about two or three months ago. For various reasons those of us who were initially interested chose not to buy it. One reason is that the original 20 ga. barrels were not included. So, it is a DHE with 18 ga. replacement barrels (done by Parker Bros) for which there is no ammunition besides the one box of 18 ga. shells that came with the gun. One would be foolish to shoot the shells that came with it. It is collectible in that it is a "one of a kind Parker" so I'm sure the buyer is very pleased to have it.

Tom, do you remember the final sell price?

Dean

[Tom Carter]

Hi Dean, I did not get the final price. I think the price I saw was around $17,000, but I'm not positive. Cheers, Tom

[James T. Kucaba]

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to hear that Jack Puglisi bought the gun ... That kind of stuff is right up his alley ... If he doesn't have a buyer waiting in the wings, we may see it on his website soon ... We shall see.

Jim Kucaba ... AriZOOna Cactus Patch ... Email: JimKucaba@aol.com

[Erick Dorr]

It was listed on gunbroker for $16,500 for 9 days without a bid and expired that way. Dean thanks for the rest of the story. Too bad the lister didn't feel the need to fully explain its history.
Erick

[Dean Romig]

The history of the gun can be found in the very extensive and detailed DGJ article by Keith Kearcher along with lots of photos. I don't remember if the article alludes to the missing barrels or not. If I'm not mistaken it is vol. 6, issue 3 (1995). I don't have that issue so if someone would be kind enough to look up that article and post the gun's serial number here I would appreciate it. I had the serial number but it would literally take hours for me to find it. I have a nice set of Titanic ejector 20 ga. barrels . . . who knows, they might be the ones . . . :rolleyes:

[Bill Murphy]

Dean, the gun is #156,754. Keith says it was a 16 and the SB says it is a 28 inch 16. A look at the stock book may show that it was made as an 18 but I'm sure the gun has been carefully researched by the PGCA, both stock book and order book entries, but maybe not.

[Dean Romig]

Ooops, there I go relying on my memory again. I'm sure, then, that it must be a sixteen. In any case, the 18 ga. barrels are the set that was made made for the gun by Parker Bros at the request of the ammo manufacturer that the gun was sent to for testing the 18 ga. ammo they tentatively would (or would not) produce. The gun was not originally made as a 18 ga.

[Russ Jackson]

Just pondering the price, How do you suppose the seller comes up with a price tag for a gun like this, and how would the buyer decide if the price is right ? Being so unique ,you would think, would drive the price but on the other hand no ammo really makes you wonder who would buy such a piece ? I realize its neat, but 16,000.00 is not throw away cash !As I said ," just pondering ".

[Bill Murphy]

For someone who wants it, it is throwaway cash for sure. To start a conversation on which Parker has buyer character and which ones don't, start a thread that asks the question. My take is that guns that were used in historic sports like waterfowl hunting, pigeon shooting, early trap shooting, are of interest. Owner provenanced guns are interesting. However, I don't see the lust for the 24 gauge and 18 gauge Parkers, rare as they are. Sure, I would like to own them, but I don't pursue them like I do some others. The 24 and the 18 did not spend time in the field like the others, although the 18 gauge does have a waterfowling story, true or not.

[Russ Jackson]

Bill; Don't ask me why but the guns that really interest me are the odd barrel length guns, the 25" and the 27" etc., hard to find and unique, although I am sure these don't interest everyone. I agree there are probably as many different opinions of which guns are collectible as there are collectors !

[Dean Romig]

Nor do the 24 and 18 gauge guns lend themselves to casual shooting (due to the scarcity of ammunition) which most of us like to do at least occasionally with most of the guns in our collections. I have only one Parker that I will never shoot - all the others I do. For a gun that I can't shoot, even if I want to, my interest level is very low. If this 18 gauge had the original 16 gauge barrels too, I might own it now . . . but it doesn't . . . and I don't.

Further, as I understand it, the condition of this gun is only good.

[Dean Romig]

Just pondering the price, How do you suppose the seller comes up with a price tag for a gun like this, and how would the buyer decide if the price is right ? Being so unique ,you would think, would drive the price but on the other hand no ammo really makes you wonder who would buy such a piece ? I realize its neat, but 16,000.00 is not throw away cash !As I said ," just pondering ".

Russ, when I first contacted the seller in February (after having waited to do so for about a year and a half after learning it was going to come up for sale) he was more or less "feeling the market" and indicated the owners had been told not to accept anything less than $20K and that is what I was quoted but the seller told me he would entertain offers and would forward them to the owners.

There are collectors who would welcome such a unique Parker to add to their collections merely on the rarity factor and there are a bunch of firearms collectors who have no interest in shooting them at all . . . different strokes for different folks I guess.

[Russ Jackson]

Dean; I'm sure you are right, I put the auction on my watch list just to be nosy and see who bought it ,I was a little suprised no one bid on it !

[Bill Murphy]

Yeah, what is it about those odd barrel lengths that intrigues us? My favorites include a couple of 34s, a 33, a 29, a couple of 27s and an 18.

[Don Kaas]

34" Parkers are not "odd". They are even.:rolleyes:

[Dave Suponski]

18! I bet its choked full and full :eek:

[Dean Romig]

I think an 18" would be difficult to shoot well - unless from the hip.

[Bill Murphy]

Don, all of my 34s are odd, not even.

[John Davis]

Like Bill, there's a 33 out there somewhere that interests me.

[Bill Murphy]

Yup, anyone out there know of a 33" hammer gun?

[Dean Romig]

For anyone who may be interested;

I researched my old e-mails concerning the 18 ga. DHE that started this thread and find that I was mistaken about the Vol. & Issue of DGJ that contains the story on this gun.
It is Volume 4, Issue 3 Autumn 1993