Inherited 16ga Trojan

[Tim Staton]

All signs point to me inheriting my Grandfathers 16 ga. Trojan. (serial: 227193)

The barrels have a small amount of corrosion on them from the past few years of non use. Bores are clean and action is still tight and smooth. Overall appears to be a very solid gun.

I plan on hunting with it, as that would be the best way to honor the gun and my Grandfather.

What kind of loads can I shoot through this thing? I believe that the chambers are 2.5", rather than 2.75". Am I limited to the RST loads? Do I have my perfect excuse to get into reloading?

About that rust on the barrel. Suggestions on best way to deal with it? It appears to be very light surface rust, no pitting. Don't have pictures yet. Will have once I have the gun, but it's in my grandparents basement for now.

Looking forward to joining the Parker owners family!

[George Lander]

Tim: A 16 gauge Trojan in good overall condition would be fine to shoot with "off the shelf" low brass loads or RST loads. I would suggest to first have a knowledgeable gunsmith in your area check the gun over for safety. As to the light surface rust, 4/0 steel wool and 3 in 1 oil should take care of it. Use it lightly. Your chambers probably measure 2 5/8 inches.

Your Grandfather's Trojan is in "THE BOOK" as having been built in 1928 as a 16 gauge Trojan non-ejector with 28 inch barrels and a pistolgrip stock. Join the PGCA & order a research letter on your gun.

Best Regards, George

[Dave Suponski]

Tim, Do as George suggests. RST are good friends of ours and the shells they make are first rate. Check your chokes if they are a little too tight for the type of hunting you plan on doing you can reload with spreaders to open up the patterns.There ya go ....the perfect excuse to reload! As of right now RST does not offer a spreader in 16 gauge. But they soon will. I have a nice recipe for 16 gauge spreaders that I will share with you if you need. Please do not mess with those wonderful Parker chokes.

[Tim Staton]

Thanks George! I do plan on having a good gunsmith check it over before I put anything through it.

The Book info sounds accurate, and it's pretty darn cool that it's that old.

What's the best way to ascertain the choke on the barrels? In my quick look at the gun I didn't see any stampings indicating that info.

[George Lander]

Well Tim you won't see any stampings to indicate choke, only barrel unstruck weight. Have your gunsmith measure the chokes, but as Dave said don't have them opened. Use the spreader loads as he suggested.

Best Regards, George

[Dean Romig]

There's only one way to properly measure the chokes on your Trojan and that is with a bore micrometer. Don't use one of those graduated brass "go - no go" things because they really don't tell you anything. Another thing to do is to pattern it at different yardages and with different loads to determine % of pattern coverage at those yardages.
You are not limited to RST or any other low pressure - low recoil loads. You can use most off-the-shelf loads but you will like the reduced 'felt recoil' of the RST loads a LOT better than the off-the-shelf stuff. The only time I use off-the-shelf loads in my 16 ga. Trojan is when turkey hunting.

[Robin Lewis]

If you need information of how to pattern your gun, take a look at this FAQ http://parkerguns.org/pages/faq/ChokeSize.htm for guidance. Count pellets and shoot a few shots and you will know what you have.

[calvin humburg]

Thats neet Tim, you are gonna like that trojan!

[Tim Staton]

Thanks for all the input guys! I lost both my grandfathers in April, and it turns out that I am going to get guns from both of them. Can't think of a better way to remember two incredible old men.

I am sure that I will have more questions about the Trojan when I have it in hand. Until then I will for sure enjoy perusing the boards and learning as much as I can about them!

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Tim, I hope my grandsons will have the same thrill at receiving some of my Parkers as you do.Treat the gun with the same respect as you did your grandfather, the gun will serve you well and your children also, remember every time you shoulder the gun your grandfather will be there with you! Good luck Gary

[Tim Staton]

So I finally have the Parker in my possession. Overall looks like it's in pretty solid condition as I expected. A couple of small spots of very light rust developing on the underside of the barrel. The rest of the metal looks to be in good condition, but guessing that a lot of the original blue and case hardening (is that what it is?) has been worn off. I will post some pictures soon of the current condition soon.

Need to find a good gunsmith in the Madison area. Not many left in the area and not sure which one I want to deal with and trust my growing collection of older firearms to.

[Dean Romig]

Tim, there's probably a Madison in every state... which one do you live in?

Maybe we can help you find a good gunsmith.

[Tim Staton]

Tim, there's probably a Madison in every state... which one do you live in?

Maybe we can help you find a good gunsmith.

Good call. Madison, WI.

There used to be Bill Schultz @ Rusk Gun's, but since they closed I haven't been doing a lot of digging to see who I trust to do good work. After poking around some more this afternoon it has an aftermarket "Red Head" recoil pad on it that looks like it was fitted by a 7th grader in shop class. No damage, just poor transition from stock to spacer to pad.

[Dean Romig]

Try Bachelder Master Gunmaker in Grand Rapids, Michigan.