"Newbie" on deck

[Grantham Forester]

Hello! My name is Grantham, but everybody calls me Grant- so that works out! I have been bird hunting almost all my life, starting out as a farm boy in the Midwest in the CRP and Soil Bank times. Fewer birds today perhaps, but I love to be out afield with my GSP. I have been using a older Browing Auto-5 20 gauge for many years, but recently my wife's grand father left me his Parker 12 gauge double. It has 30" Vulcan Steel barrels, two triggers, small forearm and full pistol grip stock and a black butt plate with a dog's head holding a snipe or woodcock in his mouth. It does have the automatic ejectors, and the safety re-sets itself when you open the top lever. It has been stored away for 20 years, but was well cared for, most of the barrel blue and the wood finish are intact. It was his prized possession. I did look up the serial number and it was made in Meriden between 1929 and 1930. I will try to get some pictures later!

[Dave Suponski]

Welcome Grant...We await your pictures......:)And may I suggest that you join us with a membership to the PGCA now that already own a Parker gun....

[John Dunkle]

Hey Grant!

Welcome to our little slice of the internet!! ;)

As Dave mentioned - pictures of your Parker or your GSP would be outstanding!!! So, settle back, put up your feet - and enjoy this community...

:cheers:

John

[Dean Romig]

Hi Grant! Welcome to our Parker Gun community... you're going to have some fun here and you'll learn a lot too. We never stop learning about these fine old Parkers... there's always some new feature or stamping or nuance popping up that we were unaware of. It just gets better and better.

[calvin humburg]

Yup yessir u bet cha we likes pictures of Parkers n dogs! Glad to here from you. ch

[Grantham Forester]

Yup yessir u bet cha we likes pictures of Parkers n dogs! Glad to here from you. ch
Thank you. Mighty fine looking Pointer- I have heard of the "Osthaus Tail" and the "Nine O'Clock" tail to describe the uplifted tail of a Pointer or Setter on an intense point- but this is the first I have seen described as a "Fish Tail"-- My guess, that dawg is into some birrrds- meaning-- "Mr. Bob"-- am I correct?:bigbye:

[calvin humburg]

Fishttail is a very cool feature on some ol Parkers. First made so you could open a hammer gun with hammers cocked. Then they kept putting them on Hammerless guns to use up the stock when they quit making hammer guns. That is the thought. Maybe the fishtail on a hammerless gun is somebodys signature that did that gun maybe the same guy did all the fishtail guns don't know but I would pay more for one with it. They should never of quit the fishtail. 15914

15915 Thanks for the complement on Sam. He is never caged he hangs out at the farm when I'm in the field so he hunts 24 7 well when he's not sleeping. He rides in the tractor and when he see's a Jackrabbit or Phesant he starts shaking worse than me looken at the Grade section of The Parker Story. OH yes he is into quail the first bird he pointed was a quail I shot and couldn't find. I said what are you pointing the bird is over here well you know who was right.

[George Lander]

Welcome Grant! and please do join PGCA. Order a research letter on your Parker & you may find who it was originally sold to along with it's original specifications.

Best Regards, George

[Grantham Forester]

I am curious about this- did Parker ever make a shotgun for a left-handed shooter, so that the top lever would move to the left? My first shotgun was a Savage-Stevens 20 single barrel hammerless, and it had a top slide safety button as do the double barrels. It was unique, as you could open the gun by moving that top lever either to the right or the left. Most of my pals had Iver Johnson 20 gauge single shots with the exposed hammer however!!

[Dean Romig]

Not that we are aware of Gramtham. If so, it would most likely have shown up in the order books. It most certainly have been a special order but we know of none.
That was one of the advantages of the lifter mechanim - could have been just as easily operated by either a left-handed shooter or a right-handed shooter.