PDA

View Full Version : new parker owner


JAMES BAKER
12-06-2009, 08:11 PM
have inherited a Parker 1906 VH and would like to find out if its
a reproduction. as some people have said.I checked the seriasl number
and it said it was made in 1905. comments and info greatly appreciated.

Dean Romig
12-06-2009, 09:18 PM
Winchester started making the Parker Reproduction in the mid-1980's and never made a VH

Can you post a few pictures and the serial number?

JAMES BAKER
12-10-2009, 04:27 PM
135408 serial number behind trigger

JAMES BAKER
12-11-2009, 02:13 PM
the barrel length is 26 inches
it has a V inside a circle - there is a large 3 with a smaller 12 next to it - there are
the letters WK indicating it was repaired in August 1941 - on the barrel lug there is a 12
and a 1 1/2
there is also a v on the watertable over the serial number 135408
on the backside of the barrel lug is the number 48
the barrel says Vulcan steel
hope this helps as these are are all the markings i have found.
will get some pics posted soon.
think this is a genuine Parker Bros or a reproduction?

E Robert Fabian
12-11-2009, 02:56 PM
James, your gun is listed as a VH capped pistol grip 12 ga. with 30" barrels, no options.

Dean Romig
12-11-2009, 03:07 PM
think this is a genuine Parker Bros or a reproduction?

See my first post to your question.

It is not a reproduction if it was made in 1906.

WK is the stamp of the Superintendant of the Parker Gun Works, Walter King

JAMES BAKER
12-11-2009, 03:22 PM
geeezzz i guess its the real thing huh? could the barrels have been shortened by
Parker Bros in Aug 1941? i have no paperwork showing that. would a background check be worth doing?
i am thrilled to have a real Parker Bros shotgun....too cool.
thanks for all the help....now am interested in value for insurance purposes.

Dean Romig
12-11-2009, 03:34 PM
James, you're jumping to conclusions. Nothing you have shown us indicates anything about August 1941.
See my most recent post about what the WK stamp means.

"Geeezzz" to quote you :corn:

JAMES BAKER
12-11-2009, 03:46 PM
in my haste to find info i saw the remington repair codes link and entered the WK and
got back the message that it indicated the Parker was repaired in August 1941...so
making the mistake many do when "assuming" anything I figured the barrel may have been shortened at that time. ooops on me...LOL.

Francis Morin
12-12-2009, 09:29 AM
James- first of all, welcome. FYI, there are members here who know Parkers as well as His Holiness knows where all the lavatories are in the Vatican. Research alone on our beloved "Old Reliables" can in itself be a life-long labor of love. If your Vulcan 12 Parker was produced in Meriden in 1905-1906 and the records show it had 30" barrels when it left the factory, that you can take as "Gospel" truth here.

Did Remington shorten the barrels to 26" in 1941? I can't say, but I doubt it. Why? First off, I should guess they would would have offered the owner another set of 26" barrels fitted to his VH. When barrels are set and regulated, or "Englished" they have to shoot to point of aim and not "cross pattern" and the regulation done on the original 30" barrels, no matter the choke(s) would be gone forever with a 4" reduction. Even if a skilled barrel man/machinist, like the late Jim Geary (Parker's top barrel man) could remachine a recess or "jugged" choke, you would still have a possible problem in good patterns, and also, the fine balance Parkers were known for would also be adversely affected.

Another point, if you will bear with me-and I am guessing, but as, unfortunately, so many fine doubles produced during the turn of the 20th Century had 30" barrels- and later their owners wanted shorter barrels and more open chokes, the vise and hacksaw came into play often. Why would the owner send this VH to Remington in 1941 and pay for an "alteration", assuming Remington would have honored his request, when he could "alter" his gun almost for free?

I am curious as to the code or website site you used to determine, if I read your post correctly, that Walter King's stamp may have meant this Remington operation in 1941. I would like to visit that site myself, out of curiosity.

Whoever said your older Parker might have been one of the Japanese Olin Kodesha may well have been confused. Dean Romig answered that accurately, as the basic level grade for those repros was the DHE I believe, and our PGCA forum has an entire section just on those fine guns as well. And anything Dean Romig tells you about Parkers (or Volvos) you can "take to the bank"!!:cool:

JAMES BAKER
12-12-2009, 04:26 PM
On the home page for PGCA there is a Remington Repair Codes link. Not knowing
what the WK stood for I entered it and it came back "this repair code idicates this Parker was repaired in August 1941". So I just assumed that was what it meant.
Any idea what the insurance value should be on my Parker? I was burglarized 2 years ago and lost several rifles and shotguns along with some pistols,that i had
not listed on my insurance...duh on me I know. Some were recovered luckily and
fortunately I got my Parker only recently.Thanks for all the info you have given
me. Would research letter give me more detailed info as to who bought it,etc.

Francis Morin
12-12-2009, 05:35 PM
Thanks for the nice prompt reply. I haven't yet checked into that section of our PGCA website, maybe Remington used that WK in honor of Walter King, I do not know. Remington-UMC, being a major gun manufacturer even before they purchased Parker Brothers in 1934 may well have moved Parker records and codes into their own system as they moved the machinery and inventory from Meriden to Ilion in 1937- others may be able to shed some light on this, I can't- sorry--

Sad to hear about the theft- always a concern today, and am glad some of your firearms were retrieved. A good quality heavy gauge steel gun safe with a quality locking system (Sergeant & Greenleaf and stainless steel backing plates and through rods) bolted into the flooring is a "must" today for anyone who collects quality firearms. I would forgo the probable purchase of another quality gun IF the funds required would also cover such a safe (I have two)--and a retired MSP detective neighbor who stores a few of his guns in mine and watches my property like a hawk-- best prevention against a home invasion or a burglary is a good alert neighbor-IMO.:shock:

JAMES BAKER
12-17-2009, 11:28 PM
any idea about value of this Parker? called insurance agent and asked about an
appraiser and he didnt know of any in our area that specialized in old firearms. any
ideas or suggestions about possible value appreciated.

Francis Morin
12-17-2009, 11:56 PM
I did go to the Remington repair codes and sure enough WK means that date in 1941. How they did that I'm not sure, maybe some of our researchers know. Off topic, but the late master cane rod maker of Ossining NY, Everett Garrison had a code system that would designate the month and year when he had finished the certain rod, and there was a period when he re-started his codes.

Students of his rods, like Hoagy Bix Carmichael have researched that. Perhaps this area of Remington repair codes, as compared to codes previously employed when the Parker Gun was made at Meriden under the Parker family owndership might be a subject for some research.

I have the two "bullet and fire" proof Browning safes, so my insurance coverage from my home owners policy primarily covers my guns when they are out with me afield, in the vehicles, or on a gun club range. My agent is also a hunter and a collector (Belgian Brownings and Luger pistols) so it is nice, should I ever have a claim, to at least have a agent who knows something of older guns and their values. The adjusters are the "devil in the details here"

I'm not qualified to appraise guns or their conditions. My gunsmith/friend in Grand Rapids does this service for his clients if they request it, perhaps if you have such a gunsmith in your area with a good solid reputation that might be one way to go. I'm reminded in closing of the old wisdom: "If you seek to know the true value of something, as three different persons who are not related and who have NO interest in ever buying that item from you".

Best of luck in your search, and I am glad you received the Parker back.:cool:

Dean Romig
12-18-2009, 06:53 AM
As with any of these fine old gun's values, "condition is everything (almost)" so if you can post a few high quality photos we can get a better idea of its approximate value. Barrels that have been cut, as stated before, can seriously affect the value of a gun so show us some pictures of the ends of the barrels as well.

Robin Lewis
12-18-2009, 01:14 PM
Francis

If you have The Parker Story, look on page 158 to learn about the repair code.

In general, it is a letter code that indicates when they worked on the gun but does not indicate what was done. From what I read in TPS, Remington stamped their guns with this same code during the final assembly phase of their gun manufacturing process. They didn't do this with the Parker gun during manufacture but they did use the codes on repair work done on Parkers.

The repair codes should be found on the barrel flats, usually on the left. Sometimes, but not always, a '3' suffix is found on repair codes.