Great time to "buy" a Parker Reprodcution

[Bill Anderson]

Here is another of the many great buys lately for a Parker Reproduction since the economy went South.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=277395127

Of course if you bought your Parker Repro a couple years ago or so for an investment gun this is NOT good news to you!

Bill

[Dean Romig]

Nice wood...

That price is about what I would expect to pay for what that gun is.
Nothing wrong with it at all but it lacks certain qualities that I consider desirable (to my own taste).

[Bill Anderson]

Yes, it won't appeal to everyone, but it is $800 to a $1000 less than just a couple years ago for a similar 28" 20 gauge if my memory serves me right.

Bill

[Phillip Carr]

20 gauge magnum?

[ron belanger]

20 gauge magnum?

Apparently, the chambers are 3" allowing for a magnum shell...you can however still shoot 2 3/4's too!

[Bill Murphy]

Very early P gun with "getting started" checkering on forend. Great wood in buttstock. Screws are either prototype period screws or have been messed with a bit. I would rather pay another $500 for a later gun when the checkerers were better trained and practiced and the screw mechanics had made and installed a few more screws. A great piece of Parker Repro history at a reasonable price and 28" barrels. The color of the early Emebbi case lining is not a trick of the camera. The color was really that ugly. Thanks to the Skeuses, the lining problem was corrected very early in production. But that wood is really nice.

[Dean Romig]

Now that you mention it Bill, the slots in screws on the floorplate are much wider than on later Repros and the checkering on the grip and buttplate insert as well is all less than 'professional' quality.

[Kenny Graft]

It has been a good time to buy....Few months back I bought a 20 two barrel set PG-DT-SF in its case, about 98% had one bump at the toe...minor and easy repair. It was on gun broker with a start bid of 3850.00....no one bid against me...(-: It was special with the 26" barrels being Q1/Q2 I did not have that barrel lenth-choke combination......SXS ohio

[Bill Murphy]

If I weren't interested in a lot of other projects, I would consider an underpriced 28" 20 gauge. However, were all alike in wanting "exactly" the configuration we want, regardless of the price. I got mine in the closeout and don't need another one.

[David Holes]

I remember the closeout, Parker what? For that much. They did catch my eye but I was't buying. I wish I could go back now. Dave

[Bill Davis]

I remember being at the Grand American in Vandalia and seeing piles of Parker Repros being closed out at $1895 and up for combos. Jaquas and Guns Unlimited had them. Cape Outfitters were also selling them at the time. It was the deal of the century!

[Greg Baehman]

Now is indeed a good time to purchase. But I agree with nid-28, the closeout sale was the real deal--I got in with a 28-ga. DHE.

[Bill Davis]

I had forgotten that single trigger guns brought a $100 premium. Times have changed!

[ron belanger]

Now is indeed a good time to purchase. But I agree with nid-28, the closeout sale was the real deal--I got in with a 28-ga. DHE.

What year was the closeout?? (not that I would have gotten a gun...just was not Parker "aware" at that time...:crying:)

[Greg Baehman]

I believe it was 1995.

[Richard Flanders]

I went in an Alaskan gunshop back then. The guy had 12ga repros lined up on the counter marked $2495 ea, said he couldn't give them away and begged me to just make him an offer on any or all of them.

[Kenny Graft]

I bought a 20 combo from jaqua's....it was a single trigger set. I had to take a loan to get it!....That was before I relized that I liked double triggers like my first gun dad gave me. I had beagles for hunting bunnys, Ohio had no ringnecks left by then! Never could work that selector with cold hands or with any speed! I sold it!!! That was 18 years ago.....I was 39 years old....(-: Times are better now...I have a nice collection of repro double trigger guns...a gordon setter pup.... hunt birds in Kansas and grouse in P.A. Now how to get back to age 39?.........SXS ohio

[Chuck Heald]

I picked up my first (and only) Reproduction 28" 28ga SST, straight stock, splinter from Jaqua's a couple yrs ago for $4k. I bought it with the idea of making it into a 410 with the CSM barrels I ordered before I bought the gun itself. Beautiful gun and I believe a best buy bargain for the money. An equivalent gun for gauge/price in a Spanish gun just can't hold a candle to a Parker Reproduction, IMO.

[ron belanger]

I bought a 20 combo from jaqua's....it was a single trigger set. I had to take a loan to get it!....That was before I relized that I liked double triggers like my first gun dad gave me. I had beagles for hunting bunnys, Ohio had no ringnecks left by then! Never could work that selector with cold hands or with any speed! I sold it!!! That was 18 years ago.....I was 39 years old....(-: Times are better now...I have a nice collection of repro double trigger guns...a gordon setter pup.... hunt birds in Kansas and grouse in P.A. Now how to get back to age 39?.........SXS ohio

:rotf:Ahhh...the age old dilemma...by the time we have the means we are losing the wherewithal...!! :crying:

[Bryan Lusk]

I'm a new member and just received this gun in which I am well pleased. This makes my third repro, two 20's and one 28. Thought 3 inch mod/full gun would be great on western pheasants.

[Bryan Lusk]

Here is another of the many great buys lately for a Parker Reproduction since the economy went South.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=277395127

Of course if you bought your Parker Repro a couple years ago or so for an investment gun this is NOT good news to you!

Bill

I collect American doubles and have become addicted to Parker repros. They are great investments not to mention great handling hunting guns. I was searching for info on this gun and your post came up. So I joined, nice forum. The wood on this gun is unbelievable and handles great.

[Dave Fuller]

I've owned a few of them, some I paid up for and some I sold for a lot of money. The one that I love best is the close out gun from Jaqua's that I bought in the 90s for $1900.

[Bill Murphy]

The "Closeout" was the greatest gun sale in the history of double guns. My two barrel set 28 gauge came from Guns Unlimited. They were extremely helpful. They looked at three identical sets for me and picked out the one with what they described as "exceptional" wood. A few months later, they sent me snap caps that they had promised. That was quite a surprise.

[Bill Anderson]

Here is another "super low" priced 20 gauge Reproduction for those hunts this fall:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=288129684

Bill

[Bobby Cash]

What's the conventional wisdom on this fine set?

http://www.gunsinternational.com/Prototype-Dhe-16-20ga-reproduction-1-of-1-FACTORY-british-proof-built-for-the-english-market.cfm?gun_id=100254324

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk136/2low8s/100254324-1-L.jpg

[Greg Baehman]

ooooh, that's a nice one! 20-ga., 28", Q1/Q2 Repro barrel sets don't grow on trees. Lotsa moohla for those nice desirable sets, eh?

Notice the numeral font of the Q1/Q2 chokes on this set is a little different than others usually encountered. Here's how they're normally stamped:

[Kenny Graft]

That is a fine set with double triggers and two 28" barrel sets....The 20ga. 28" Q1/Q2 is a hard one to find....I own one and I know of one other set. Priced very close to the set I bought few years back, mine has a pistol grip-DT-SF both 28" Q1/Q2....Chuck is a great gun guy to deal with...thanks all...Kenny,,,, SXS ohio...(-:

[Dean Romig]

Greg, my 28" 20 ga Q1 & Q2 barrels are identical to yours and have none of those proof marks that the GI gun displays. Of course the GI gun is an early "P" repro and those were a 'horse of a different feather' so to speak, with certain attributes all their own. My 20 ga. Repro is 20-3524 and is a two-barrel set, 26" and 28" with both barrel sets Q1 & Q2.

[Greg Baehman]

Dean, that gun has English proof marks because it went to England, not because it's a P Repro. I had to do some checking on the proofmarks. Can’t recall ever having seen a Brit gun marked with “kg” rather than “bars”. Appears this one was proofed during the period 1985-89, when they were converting to metric marks (but you might still find the old “tons” proofmark) but before they standardized on “bars” vs “kg” (which mean the same thing anyhow). And that’s the magnum or superior proof. You wouldn’t have to worry about what you shot in that gun—not that you should anyhow, with a Repro.

[Bill Murphy]

The "P" is part of the serial number, right or wrong, generally agreed to be prototypes. Mr. Skeuse made comments on the P guns here a while back. The reason for the magnum proofs is that all 28" 20 gauge Repros had 76mm chambers. Nothing unusual about the proving of the gun, but the gun is of a very popular configuration and Chuck won't have it for long, even at that price.

[Dave Suponski]

Interesting gun. Seems to have an oil finish vs. the traditional high gloss. Yes...No...Maybe?

[Bryan Lusk]

Did anyone notice the 20 ga. that sold today on gun broker for 2950.00? It had choke tubes and was just wondering if that was a factory option or did the owner have them installed. The auction #288935531

[Kenny Graft]

Brian...the only repro factory model that had srew in chokes was the spoting clays classic in 12 gauge, 100 or less were made....Thanks Kenny SXS ohio

[Robert Rzepiela]

According to CPI inflation calc, today you would need just over $3000 to match purchasing power of $2000 in 1995. So the low "$3K" repos seems to be keeping up with inflation ...

[Chuck Heald]

RR,
If you consider that the low $3k guns are often moderately used and worn a bit, they are still beating inflation, since they aren't in "new" condition.

[Steve McCarty]

Apparently, the chambers are 3" allowing for a magnum shell...you can however still shoot 2 3/4's too!

I recall when the 3" 20 gauge magnum came out and people flocked to it. Apparently it put a big dent in 16 sales.

Lately however I hear guys complaining about their mag 20's and most shoot the older and shorter shell. The belief is that the mag 20 spits out a longer, narrower and rougher pattern. Not to mention that it "barks" like mad.

I own a new 870 that has a steel shot choke tube for the 3" steel shell and I may use it on geese. But usually I shoot the shorter shell.

As the following of the 3" 20 mag wains will the 16 come back? I hope so. I shoot old 16's and like them.

[John Dallas]

Bob Brister did some elaborate testing on 3" 20 gauge lead shells and concluded it was not a good combination. Very long shot strings

[Bill Murphy]

Since the "modern" 3" 20 gauge came out in 1954, I have shot hundreds of thousands of shotgun shells, not one of them a 3" 20. However, I do own a box of early 3" 1 1/8 ounce #6, just in case I get the urge.

[Dean Romig]

I used to shoot them at pheasants in the sixties but I always thought the pheasants were getting the better part of the deal, being on the other (softer) end of the discharge!

[Chuck Heald]

Well, I have at least 3 guns with 20g 3" chambers, maybe I oughta try a 3" shell someday. ...maybe.

[Mark Ouellette]

The longer 3" 20 is like the 3&1/2" 12 gauge cartridge. They both allow the use of LARGE shot. Anything smaller than #2 is probably a waste or lead or steel/non-toxic.

[Steve McCarty]

I have always enjoyed the light, fast 20's. For upland game, dove and quail I've never been able to notice a diff between shooting a 12 or a 20, except that it is so much easire to haul that 20 around.

I would love to see the 16 come back in style. It shoots a 3" magnum 20 weight of shot with better patterns and many 16's are pretty light. Some call a 16 load a "square load" -as wide as it is tall in the shell. They shoot even patterns.

I think usage of the 20 3" magnum is waining.

[Steve McCarty]

I bought a friend's Ithaca 385 3" 20 after he passed. Nice little gun. My friend had put one of those rubber slip on butt pads onto the gun. He shot a lot of 3" shells and the little gun beat him up. If I want to shoot a lot of shot, I shoot a 12. If I want to carry a light, easy to swing gun, I shoot a 20 with the short shell.

[Michael Murphy]

I hunted Pheasants for years with a 20ga. over/under. Used 3" shells almost exclusively.
Copper plated #5s were deadly medicine for the Pheasants. I've heard for years that the 3" 20ga. wasn't worth crap.
Don't buy it. Its another one of those old, often repeated myths that were started by some outdoor writers with time on his hands, but little experience with the concept. You know, the same guys who said that if you shoot damascus barrels you'll kill yourself.

[Steve McCarty]

I hunted Pheasants for years with a 20ga. over/under. Used 3" shells almost exclusively.
Copper plated #5s were deadly medicine for the Pheasants. I've heard for years that the 3" 20ga. wasn't worth crap.
Don't buy it. Its another one of those old, often repeated myths that were started by some outdoor writers with time on his hands, but little experience with the concept. You know, the same guys who said that if you shoot damascus barrels you'll kill yourself.

What, therefore; is your opinion of the 20 gauge 3" mag? Do you believe that those who dislike them are full of beans? I have to admit that I have seldom shot a 3" magnum shell and that was when I was a kid...a very long time ago. However, since I have a new 20 gauge (870) that will shoot a steel shell I am considering shooting the gun at geese/ducks.

[John Dallas]

Mr. Murphy. Suggest you read Bob Brister's "Shotgunning - The Art and the Science". His testing was innovative and very revealing. Not the result of "some outdoor writer with time on his hands"

[Bill Murphy]

John Dallas brought up a good point when he mentioned Bob Brister. His experimentation and his books were a labor of love, not a serious source of income. He was a long time outdoor writer who probably never missed a paycheck in the last fifty years of his illustrious career. He was also a noted competitive flyer shooter and was still winning NSCA honors in the last year of his life. He could identify a shotgun in poor light. Any of us would benefit from a read or reread of his books. Moss, Mallards, and Mules is usually available very reasonably on the used book market.

[Michael Murphy]

I have Bob Brister's book and have read it. However, you'll have to explain how more shot in the pattern at the same relative velocity, equals poorer performance on game birds. It just isn't true. The pattern may not be as "uniform" in its distribution, Which is what Brister focused on, if I remember correctly, but it still has more pellets in it. Also, remember, that I was referring to copper plated (and sometimes buffered) #5 shot. As I remember, Brister's experiments, didn't include that combination.
I should also point out, that when I was younger, (before the lead shot ban for ducks), numerous ducks also fell victim to that same load.
If we applied that same logic re: Brister, to the 12ga., then nobody would be having any success with 3" or 3.5" loads for ducks. I think Duck hunters would disagree.

[Bill Murphy]

I agree with Michael, short shot strings are highly overrated. I don't think Bob Brister ever implied that ducks can't be killed with long shot strings. He did make good use of a wife and a Ford station wagon to calculate how far a duck flies between the first and the last shot in a string. As shotshell technology progresses, I am reluctant to give up either my wife or my 1974 460 powered Country Squire.

[Michael Murphy]

I'm afraid that if I suggested the "Brister" experiment to my wife, I'd be on the receiving end of a shot string - Short or Long.

[Steve McCarty]

I agree with Michael, short shot strings are highly overrated. I don't think Bob Brister ever implied that ducks can't be killed with long shot strings. He did make good use of a wife and a Ford station wagon to calculate how far a duck flies between the first and the last shot in a string. As shotshell technology progresses, I am reluctant to give up either my wife or my 1974 460 powered Country Squire.

Hunting with one's wife? Do you mind if I tell a story? It's off top tho, but here goes:

I had just met the women who became my wife. I showed her some property my family owned that had quail on it. I said I was going quail hunting and she wanted to go along, but not shoot. "Okay" I said, "But if you want to do that there is an old tradition in hunting that you must adhere to." She said she would. I told her that if she spotted a bird that she should lean over and stretch out her arm and point her finger at the bird and put one foot directly out behind her. She takes instruction well and after a bit I saw her go "on Point". I followed her point and kicked up a bird and shot it. I turned to her and said, "Now go get it and be sure not to chew it up." She didn't want to touch it so I did.

Now 33 years of married bliss later, if I tell that story she becomes enraged, so I don't tell it much anymore. But you've heard it and it is still funny. She was in her 20's and cute as a bug's ear and an and outstanding pointer.

[John Dallas]

My wife is a setter, not a pointer.

[Steve McCarty]

My wife is a setter, not a pointer.

Yes, I understand, but can she hunt?