Grip configuration

[Rich Anderson]

As I was looking through TPS for the number of vent rib guns produced I got to thinking about the grips as well. I found nothing detailing the number of pistol grip vs straight grip guns produced.

Does anyone have knowledge of how many guns came from the factory with staight grips or the percentage of straight vs pistol grip? My own meager assembalage of Parkers leans heavily towards the straight grip configuration.

[E Robert Fabian]

I thought I read in TPS that overall that straight grip was 15%

[Bruce Day]

I like straight grip guns too, but overall, buyers did not. You could be right about seeing an overall number in TPS and I must have missed it because I looked. I did figure that as the grade went up, the straight grip percentage went up. About 10% for V's and up to about 40-50% in the A's. I suppose a person could speculate on all sorts of reasons why. I hear now that straight grip guns sell for a premium but then I know plenty of Parker collectors who prefer PG's, so I don't know if they do or not.

[Dean Romig]

I prefer the straight grip too, but the only guns in my collection with straight grips are a couple of Repros. When the right gun with a straight grip presents itself I will be sure to attempt to buy it but in the meantime I'll take whatever grip a Parker comes with. After all, one must "strike while the iron is hot".

[Rich Anderson]

I can't speculate as to how the grade relates to the grip configuration as I don't own any "high grade" guns. My straight grip guns run from 12 to 28ga and from VHE to DHE in grade. The majority of these also feature the BTF.

[Dave Miles]

I can't speculate as to how the grade relates to the grip configuration as I don't own any "high grade" guns. My straight grip guns run from 12 to 28ga and from VHE to DHE in grade. The majority of these also feature the BTF.



Don't forget the vent ribs, and gold inlays. :rolleyes:

[Jay Gardner]

Seems to me that I read that about 10% of D's had straight grips. They may not have been coveted back in the day, but they sure are now.

I wonder if there is a correlation between the amount of DAH and the type of stock. I have not seen any straight stock guns with 3" of drop.

[Dave Suponski]

Jay,I agree with you. The straight grip guns I have owned and examined seem to have higher dimensions.Even the Parker Repro's with straight grips are stocked higher.

[Robin Lewis]

Dave, are you sure about the repro's being stocked differently?

One day I was putting a couple of repro's to my shoulder in Herb Stratimyre's (sp?) shop up in Vermont and he gave me a look and said that they were all stocked the same. He took the two I had shouldered and "felt" to be different and was surprised to find that they were in fact a 1/8 different in drop when he dropped them into a stock template. He commented "they had better get there processes fix" because he was sure they were all supposed to be the same. Herb was a hell of a gunsmith and I bet he knew what was what!

[Dave Suponski]

Robin,I have a few of the Repro brochures around here someplace and I am pretty sure that they cataloged the pistol grip guns 1/4-3/8" lower than the straight grip guns.

[Dean Romig]

Dave, I've found that to be the case on the Repro's that I own and those I've handled - that the PG stocks generally have more drop than the straight grip. And that goes along with Jay's observations of original Parkers with straight vs. pistol grip stocks.

[Greg Baehman]

I just measured five Repros for D@H...a 28-ga. with a pistol grip has the least amount of drop and a 12-ga. with a straight grip has the most amount of drop.

[Dean Romig]

Well that blows my theory all to tarnation.

When ordering a Repro could the customer specify the drop? Not to say one would be specially made for him but that one might be selected from stock with the required dimensions?

[Greg Baehman]

I'm not sure about custom dimensions regarding D@H, but custom LOP was listed as an available option in a couple of the Parker Reproduction brochures.

[Pete Lester]

Curious, how prevalent was the straight grip configuration on the SBT?

[Dave Suponski]

Pete,According to the "Parker Story" pg.406 approx 1/3 of SBT trap guns had straight hand stocks.The book lists 1,912 guns made.So that equals about 637 guns with straight grips give or take....

[Pete Lester]

Thanks Dave, interesting to see it was more common on the SBT as a percentage of production.