Need serial number id please

[Dan Burke]

Evening folks, this is my first post and I've spent quite a few hours since finding your site yesterday reading and enjoying the conversations. I have a favor to ask as I now have the Parker that had belonged to my grandfather and his. I'm trying to figure out what gauge it is as I only have 12 ga ammo. It is smaller than 12 but not a 20 i think so the best guess was a 16 but now i see there were some 14 and 18's built also. I'd like to have make this a shooter again but its going to stay in the safe if its an oddball :-) The Serial is 57087 and is on a #1 frame and has a number 2 above the serial on the water table. The flats are stamped 4 6 which is the weight i'm guessing. There is also a silver shield inlaid on the bottom of the stock in front of the butt plate. It has a black butt plate with a dog with bird in mouth. I'll post some pic's but have to wait until monday for the bank to open so I can get to it. Our library does not have the Parker Gun Identification & Serialization book and I don't have the extra for the price on Amazon. I'm hoping to bag some birds with this later in the year and then let my sons do the same so 6 generations will have used this double, and well earned its keep. Thanks in advance, from my reading your a great lot

[Dan Burke]

Also should mention it has 32" Damascus barrels,

[Bob Jurewicz]

Sorry Dan not in the Book.
Bob Jurewicz

[Bruce Day]

Kevin Pickett, the owner of River Hills Sporting Clays in Boonville, knows guns and has a nice Parker collection. Have him look at it. Sounds like an early GH 12 ga but its possible it could be a 16 with unusually long barrels for most 16's. A 14ga would be very uncommon.

The Parker ID and Serialization Book sells for about $35.

[Dan Burke]

Thanks for the information. I was really hoping there was something there after I checked on the first site I came to and it said there were records but it didn't say what. Do you know where I can pick the book for that price? I checked Amazon and it was $68. I'm a carpenter and things are slow so trying to keep my new Parker addiction on the dl before the wife gives me that look LOL . Thanks for that contact too Mr Day, I'll give him a call on Monday and see if he's willing to look at it. If its not in the book but the website says there is information on it, would it be worth getting the Parker letter for it or not?

[Bruce Day]

Dan, here's my assessment.
1. see www.bluebookinc.com for the Parker ID and SN book. Price $35. Since your gun SN is not there and you are only interested in learning about your gun, don't buy the book.
2. A research letter is available, but unlikely to show anything more than original shipment to a distributor. Its a base grade gun and unlikely to show anything more, but it's something I would do because I have $40 to spend and I like to know the history.
3. Your gun was a very common form of Parker, a GH, over 18,000 were made. Its highly likely to be in original configuration. I can't tell more without photos.
4. Your major issue is what cartridge this gun is made for. For that you need to take chamber and barrel inside diameter measurements and post them here. Or you can put 12, 16 and 20 ga shells in and see what fits. If none do, then you fall back on ID measurements and you need to post them here.
5. Shooting. You need to know whether the barrels have been bored out and are not original ID. If so, you need to find out wall thickness. If you have original wall thickness, often around .035 in Parkers, and there are no barrel dents, bulges, cracks, rust under the ribs, etc, then Parker original service psi limits apply, which went up to around 10,000 in a 12, but since I don't know what ga you have, I don't know what service limits apply. Its always a good idea to usually use loads less than service limit in any gun, damascus or fluid, modern or old, and many people here load their own or buy shells from RST.

[Dan Burke]

Thank you again Mr Day, I think I will go ahead and get the letter, if for nothing more than to save a bit of its history and time spent for someone down the family tree, although so far I have quite enjoyed what I've learned, would have been nice to have gotten it from one of my ancestors even if it was in the form of a letter. I was lucky enough to find a piece of paper in my model 97 stock where the original owner had put the date he bought it and where, kinda like history reaching out. I'm actually glad to hear it was one of the more common, that usually means I would be able to get parts should I ever need any. On the gauge, I know its not a 12, the shells I have won't fit into the bore and I just moved and haven't unpacked the boxes with ammo so nothing else to go off of that way but I do have a dial caliper and a micrometer so tomorrow evening I'll post some pictures and sizes. Now I'm really kicking myself for getting rid of my reloading tools. Looking forward to learning more and I'm glad I found this site.

[Dean Romig]

Dan, try abebooks.com

I find one there for $34.95. It may or may not still be available.
Type Parker gun identification serialization
Author Charles E. Price

[Bill Murphy]

You threw us a curve when you said you couldn't get a 12 gauge shell into the "bore". Into which end of the bore were you attempting to insert the shell? The shell should fit into the back end. It will not fit into the front end if it is a 12 gauge gun. The serial number of your gun is in the right range for a 14 gauge gun, but a 32" 14 gauge would be a very rare gun. Keep in touch when you measure the bores and chambers.

[Dan Burke]

LOL Bill, I have shot plenty of doubles before so I know which end the shell goes in, but I can see from other posts that its always better to mention that just in case. I snapped some pictures tonight and hopefully I can get them on here. The only problem I have now is I was at the gun range and someone was looking it over while I was talking to the range guy and they dryfired it and now it seems the firing pins won't retract. Everything worked like a champ up until that point. I can take the forearm off and then it will break open but the pins will not return to the cocked position. I'd say this has happened before because there are notches in the ejectors where they have rubbed a few times. Any ideas?

[Dean Romig]

Actually, your serial number is in the range of earlier hammerless guns with non-rebounding hammers and those notches in the extractor were put there at the time of manufacture for that specific reason. When you fully open the gun the hammers will cock and the "pins" will no longer be visible. Dry-firing a hammerless Paarker will do no damage.

[Bill Murphy]

Someone will get on here momentarily and tell you how to cock your gun. I don't know if there is something different about a non rebounding gun when it comes to putting it back together after firing.

[George Lander]

Dan: Your Parker 57087, while not in the "BOOK", is in a range of "D3" guns built in 1889. That translates to "Grade 3" in stock book "20M" or "G" Grade. Some one here should be able to tell you how to get the hammers cocked & firing pins released, if not, call Jim Kelly at Darlington Gun Works at (843) 393-3931. He will be able to tell you. Tell him that I told you to call.

Best Regards, George

[Dan Burke]

Thanks again for the information. I've pushed on the pins(hammers on this gun) with just finger pressure and they still move and have tension, but for some reason they will not engage the cocking mech now. I've tried it with it assembled and disassembled with the catch rod (under forearm) depressed and still nothing. I looked over the schematic on the parker site and am hoping its something simple and not a broken sear.

[Dave Miles]

Dan: Your Parker 57087, while not in the "BOOK", is in a range of "D3" guns built in 1889. That translates to "Grade 3" in stock book "20M" or "G" Grade. Best Regards, George


George, what are you talking about?
In the range of a D3, translates to a Grade 3, or G grade.
I'm totally confussed, I think I missed something.

[Dean Romig]

The gun is a "D2" which is a Damascus barreled Grade 2 or G Grade.

[George Lander]

Dean & Dave: I think that I got confused. All the guns in "THE BOOK" beginning with SN 57030 and ending with 57207, with the exception of SN 57064 which is a "D4", are "D3s" which, I should have said "translates to a D Grade (not G) with Damascus Steel barrels" But the gun as shown is definitely a Grade 2 or "G Grade" with Damascus Steel barrels. A letter from PGCA should confirm this.

I stand corrected........George

[Dean Romig]

It was all in the wording George. I know you knew what you meant.