Need Assistance with an Inherited Parker

[Lark Burger]

I'm cleaning out my parents' home and there's a Parker shotgun. I've gotten as far as looking up the serial number - 80432, so I know it was made in 1894, it's hammerless, and it has a damascus barrel. Beyond that, I'm stumped. I got to the page about determining grade, and got no farther than "remove the barrrels." How is that done?

This gun belonged to my great-great uncle; my brother and I think it should either go to the local historical museum which he endowed, or to a collector. It's my understanding that Parkers are considered to be extra-special, so it should probably go to a collector who would appreciate it instead of hanging on a wall and gathering dust.

[E Robert Fabian]

80432 is listed as a DH 12 ga. 30" barrels capped pistol grip. Sounds like a nice family gun Lark.
The DH is a grade 3
You need to remove fore end then open gun and barrels should come off.
Please try and post pictures, if you have problems posting let me know we'll get up for you.

[Lark Burger]

Took some photos. And got the barrels off - thanks for telling me how.

[E Robert Fabian]

Looks like a nice honest gun Lark.... hasn't been messed with.

[Harry Collins]

Lark,

What a great looking Parker. The screws have not been buggered up and I see some case color in the floor plate. Looks to have been well taken care of. The DH is what was refered to as the "Doctors" gun as it took that level of wealth to own one of that grade.

Kindest, Harry

[Jack Cronkhite]

Lark: Very nice. Now there's a gun that should also make it back to the field. The wood makes me believe it went hunting. It looks like it was well used in its history and well cared for and then stored for a long time. Does that sound about right?
Cheers,
Jack

[E Robert Fabian]

Lark, hold the gun up to light and look down barrels are bores bright shiny or they could be pitted... may have to run a cleaning patch down bores first.

[George Lander]

What a fine looking unmolested DH Grade 3 Parker. You should keep it in the family to pass down to future generations. There will never be any more like it. Spend a few bucks and order a PGCA Research letter. You may be surprised at what you find.

JMHO Best Regards, George

[calvin humburg]

Thats what dreams are made of!

[Lark Burger]

Robert - thanks for the information. It's nice to know the specifics. I'd thought about ordering the PCGA letter, but couldn't get the computer here to cooperate. Will try later on the laptop.

Jack - you're correct about its history. It was originally owned by E.L. Essley. He was born in western Illinois, and wound up in Chicago having started a machining company around 1910. He enjoyed hunting and would often come back to the family farm to do so. He tried to introduce pheasants to this area in the 1920s, but they didn't "take." He eventually gave the gun to my grandfather, who didn't hunt and it's been stored since then. (probably 70-80 years)

The bores are generally shiny; the left one appears to have some pitting and a score at 9 and 12 o'clock and the right one may have a few scratches or it may be dirt. There's got to be a cleaning kit around; will ask my brother where it is.

I'm kind of torn about what to do with it. I have no children. My brother has two young daughters who I doubt would have much interest, and their lives will be changing so much over time that they wouldn't want to drag it around with them.

We could donate it to the local museum that the original owner endowed, but then it would just hang on the wall and gather dust. Seems a shame for it to end up that way. We're in no hurry at this point, but we do need to get a decision made some time.

With its age, is this something that could actually be used in the field? I remember lots of brass shells in the attic, but those have been gone for years.

[E Robert Fabian]

I would have it checked by a competent gun smith to see what condition it's in. There are many here that use these guns. The gun in my avatar is a 1889 10 ga.
What the smith is checking for is condition of barrels and wall thickness.