The Parker Reproduction Closeout
 

While snooping around on another site I came upon some info that may be of interest to some here. According to The Parker Story, Parker Reproductions were first introduced at the annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) show in 1984 with a display of twenty guns. At the time, the gun was only available in grade DHE, 20-gauge w/26" bbls. choked IC/M. It was soon followed with the same gun, but with 28" bbls. bored M/F. Retail sales were done through a network of established dealers.

In 1986 a 28-gauge was introduced in both 26" & 28" bbl. lengths. The 26" bbls. were choked IC/M and a new barrel choke designation of Q1/Q2 (later changed to SK1/SK2) were an added option on all gauges. The 28" bbls. were choked M/F.

In 1988 a 12-gauge DHE model on a 1 1/2-frame was offered in 26", 28" & 30" lengths. Also in 1988, the A-1 Special and BHE grade guns were added. The A-1 Special and BHE were available in 12-, 20- and 28-gauges initially, but .410 bore on a 00 or 0000-frame was offered later. Also in 1988 we saw the introduction of a 12-ga. double especially for sporting clays and furnished with six screw-in choke tubes in an edition of only 125 guns. It was named the Sporting Clays Classic and advertised as being a very adaptable gun for hunting as well as sporting clays.

In late 1988 Winchester lost its arrangement with the factory producing the Parker Reproduction. According to TPS, the owners decided it would profit them more to tear the facility down and construct a golf driving range on the land. Even though the factory closed, a good supply of unsold Parker Reproduction guns and parts remained and it was announced that the business would continue as usual. This went on for a few years. To help boost sales in 1994 a DHE grade 2-bbl. set with both 16 and 20-ga. barrels was offered, but in late 1994 sales of Parker Reproductions had slowed to the point it was no longer profitable to continue marketing them. It was early 1995 that it was decided to closeout the remaining supply of Parker Reproductions and to discontinue the gun business.

The remaining inventory was sold to a group of three gun dealers -- Cape Outfitters, Jaqua's and Guns Unlimited. These dealers offered the Parker Reproductions at closeout prices. Their advertisement is shown below along with what I believe an unnumbered inventory of the various configurations to be closed out.

I find it ironic that in 1995 the gun was $1995. So I looked up what that amount would be today with inflation. This is a surprise:

$1,995 in 1995 is worth $4,015.47 today. So if one finds say a DHE 20 in that range today, the price has not changed.

Good gosh, I've been cheated.

Thanks for reminding me of how poor I was back then. I so clearly remember that ad and wishing I had the means to buy one of the closeout guns. Sigh...

I was lucky enough to get 2 - 20 gauges and 1 - 12 gauge in that sale event. Wish I had purchased more. Still have a 20 and 12.

I remember seeing stacks of Reproductions in Jaqua's. If only I had known

I bought one 28 gauge two barrel set with beavertail and double triggers. Yes, I was poor but The Lovely Linda fronted me the money.

Reproductions
 

My father passed in 1986…at 65 a veteran of 33 missions over Germany in 1944.
The cigarettes he smoked took him early after many years of heart trouble. Even though I had no money at the time I felt I wanted to order it in his honor and took out a loan for $3000. I recently had it engraved with both our initials and the year he died. I think of him whenever I use it and remember all the hunting and fishing trips together. As you can see the wood is special thanks to the salesman at Cabela’s. It will go to my son.

Wow, some wood, and some letter. I'm sure that gentleman didn't last long at Cabela's.

I also was there toward the end of the closeout, and I remember the price being marked down from the flyer. They still had approximately a pickup truck load of boxed guns. Looking at the availability list, there seemed to be a relatively lot of 28 ga available. A good size group of customers standing around at the time discussed the fact and the general comments seemed to be that the 28's were just way to heavy for a small bore and didn't hold a lot of interest anyway. Some things swing quickly in a market.

Art, it was the 20s that were too heavy for the gauge. Those who passed up on the unpopular 28 gauges were the ones who missed the boat. I wish I had been there to see those stacks of boxes. The rarity of the 12s is catching up to the market now.

That may be and hibdsight shows you are correct about choice. However, I was there and took part in the discussion. Every one has their reasons for choosing guns, and my impression still is that the 28's are a little heavy my taste. My two favorite gauges are 16 and 28, and own numerous guns in both. However, my draw to the 28 is being light but shootable if careful. People will say that a little heavier one shoots better, but that is true of almost every gauge. I favor the 28 in instinctive shooting situations such as grouse (in our section of the world it is practiced in almost impenterable thickets). The light weight is very important for extremely faxt shooting.

Two questions for you Art:

1. If a 28ga. Repro is a little heavier than you prefer, what is your preferred weight for a 28 for your usage?

2. What do you think a typical 28ga. Repro weighs?

I like a sxs twenty eight to weigh as close to 5 pounds as possible. I have and have owned several that were in the 5-5-1/4 pound range. My favorite grouse and quail gun is a custom RBL with a stock ordered to fit me. It has 30" barrels and is choked .002 and .005. I shoot it very well. Due to health issues, I have used a lot of light guns over my life, especially in tight cover. In O/U configuration I prefer the baby frame Beretta 680 series with no sideplates. The older ones with fixed chokes tend to weigh around 5-1/2 pounds.I shoot them well over dogs and pass shooting doves. The reproductions I have handled tended to weigh around 5-3/4 # and I have seen them near 6#. I have probably a half dozen or more 16 gauge doubles under 6 #(one of them a Parker DH). For situations without heavy walking I will generally use one of those, particularly when ammo use is high. The 16 is a little heavier but much bulkier than the 28 so that is a deciding issue when I carry a lot.

I have several light 20's but seldom use them. The 28 is lighter, many of the 16's very close in weight and I find the 16 in general to have a lot of upside performance over the 20.

Ross Seyfried wrote a very positive article about the RBL several years ago about decoying ducks with a 30" 28 ga RBL. This was after I had been using mine for many years. I have shot birds up close and at a great distance with mine. I used to back up my daughter on quail with it and used a mixture of spreaders and nickle plated buffered 5's. If I had a shot on the flush I used the spreader load and if she missed twice I would take the bird at some extreme ranges with the buffered load.

While on that same snoop I had mentioned in this thread’s first post the following letter was also found. For those of you that purchased a new Repro from any of the 3 dealers during the close out and didn’t receive snap caps at that time or soon thereafter; too bad.

My double trigger, beavertail, two barrel 28 gauge set came from Guns Unlimited. They were wonderful to deal with. The lady I talked to opened up at least three boxes to find a piece of wood she liked. Not a bad deal for $2695. And I got my snap caps. Mrs. Don Shrum supplied me with the oil bottle at a show a bit later. She said it was the last one she had. I think that was a bit after Don passed away. I was in Vegas when we got word that Don was gone.

I briefly owned a 20 gauge with 28" barrels with DT. It was 6 lb 14 oz and I quickly sold it as I was a big grouse gunner at that time and it was just too damn heavy to carry up and down those hills. I bought it NIB for $2550 on Gunbroker. Sold it at a profit about a year later. I never fired it. It came without the leather case but was in the original box.

God bless you Marty

Repro 16ga. barrels
 

Prior to the actual closeout of Parker Reproductions which began in early 1995, Parker Repro in 1994, efforted bringing down their remaining inventory of 20ga. guns by contracting with Krieghoff to produce approximately 500 sets of 16ga. barrels to be fitted to Repro 20ga. 0-frame guns.

For those that know, own or have owned 20ga. Repros with a set of Krieghoff 16ga. barrels:
1. Were all of these approx. 500 sets fitted to 20ga. guns by Krieghoff --or-- were a portion of the approx. 500 16ga. barrels sold off individually?
2. Were any of these 16ga. barrel sets stamped with the serial number to the gun they were fitted to by Krieghoff?
3. Do all of the Krieghoff produced 16ga. barrels have the band of Repro-style engraving at the breach end of the barrels?
4. Were all Krieghoff 16ga. Repro barrels 28" long?
5. It has been reported that the 16ga. Krieghoff barrels were factory choked Q1/Q2, IC/M or M/F -- how are/were yours choked?

Bonus questions regarding the Galazan Repro 16ga. barrels:
1. Were all these barrels produced by Merkel in Germany?
2. Do we have an estimate of how many of these barrels were produced?
3. Do any of these Galazan barrels have the Repro-style engraving at the breach?

I have 2 of the 20/16 Mine are both 28" and choked mod/full. SN match their respective receivers. Top rib design/etching is different than the Japanese barrel, band is there but different looking. Both barrels share same splinter forend.

I remember that ad and am looking for a good copy of it. Dad and my Uncle Hugh both bought 20 gauges from that sale and I now own Uncle Hugh's. Hopefully I will inherit Dad's one day too.

Greg,
I will address your 5 questions.
1. Not all of the 500+ 16 barrels were added to guns by Kreighoff. Some (? how many) were sold aftermarket and were made available by various dealers. I remember Robin Hollow having 3 at an early Southern
2. All Kreighoff fitted barrels were #ed to the 20 gun.
3. All K barrels have the same pattern but each has an indivdual production number.
4. I have never seen a K barrel that was not 16 GA.
5. I have only seen the 3 choke combos you state. I have heard of SK1 and SK2 but never seen one.
Bob Jurewicz

Thanks Bob. What I was questioning in #4 is were all the Krieghoff’s 28” long? Or did they also make other lengths as well for this project?

If you or others that have a set of Krieghoff barrels stamped with the serial number to the gun they were fitted to, would you please post a pic showing it. TIA!

I have never seen or heard of anything other than 28".
Bob Jurewicz

Yes it has the SN stamped on the flats area of the Kreighoff barrel. Just verified.

P 00415
Bob Jurewicz

Bob

I presume that thix is the P prefix gun you mentioned in the Reproduction chart thread 3 or 4 months ago. I find it odd that they stamped the barrels with a typical serial number format. I would think that if they were doing it, they would match the format of the frame. I have never encountered a P prefix gun. Could you post a frame picture of the SN?

Water table

All Parker Repro barrels, including the added K barrels are stamped in the same fashion: GAUGE FOLLOW BY THE SERIAL NUMBER
Here is a pic of the second K barrel in this set. Marked in same fashion as first shown in previous picture.
Bob Jurewicz

The Krieghoff people realized that the P was not intended to be a part of the numerical serial number, so they didn't include it. Or maybe the Repro people made the decision. No mystery there.

Here is a set of Parker Reproduction 16 GA barrels that puzzle me.
Any ideas?
Bob Jurewicz

Those look the same as the original Krieghoff 16 gauge Repro barrels….

TPS suggests that about 150 guns were produced with these barrels in the two-barrel 20/16 sets.



.

Dean,
Could you direct me to the page in the TPS where this is stated. I can't find it.
Thank you!
Bob Jurewicz

You’ll find it in Vol. 1 Pg. 179.

Greg,
Thank you!
So. Does this mean that the first 150 16 Ga barrels didn't have the Kreighoff Stamp and about 350 more did. Or, were there another 500?
Bob Jurewicz

Deleted

Those are good questions Bob, I don't know.

Do we even know the approximate quantity of Krieghoff produced barrels for Parker Reproductions? Was there about 150, 500, or even more?

At the time when TPS was being written the authors reported “We are not sure of the exact quantity of 16-gauge barrels produced but have information that it was about 150.”

In the article Nick Sisley wrote for Shotgun Sports magazine after interviewing Jack Skeuse he wrote: “Before Tom Skeuse died he had an idea, an ambition, a dream. He wanted to take some of the DHE 20 bores and have them fitted with 16-gauge barrels. But once the Japanese factory closed shop. Jack figured that dream of his dad's was gone. "But I knew it was a great idea, one set of 20-bore barrels for quail, woodcock, grouse, plus a set of 16-gauge barrels on that very small 20-bore frame for pheasants and any upland game bigger than a quail encountered at slightly longer distances. With the advances in shotshells, of course, the 16 bore takes on added positive dimensions. “So, Jack contracted with one of the worlds-known gunmakers Krieghoff in Ulm, Germany. He sent 500 DHE 20-gauge Parker Reproductions to them, and they fit 16-gauge barrels precisely to the 20-gauge receivers. Each, of course, was individually done. It was with a set of 16-gauge Krieghoff barrels I shot the ruffed grouse referred to in my opening paragraph. Those barrels were fit to the 20-gauge Parker frame. Jack Skeuse spoke of these 16/20 combos. "In 1994 this was our best-selling gun. Three-quarters of them are already sold."

As Ed Muderlak would say … “The investigation continues…”

Shown below are 16ga barrels that I believe were added to the 20ga frame in the picture - "through Regeant" (as described by original owner).

Therefore, creating a "factory" 16/20 set.

God bless you Marty for remembering your Dad and recognizing him

Wild Skies
Great post and info. I recently purchased a 28GA 2-bbl set on Gunbroker. It came with the same paperwork you listed, as well as the original bill of sale from GU, Omaha. It was in a pawn shop in rural NC and the sellers didn’t know much about it, because it was their late uncles. They had the 26” listed as IC/ M, but when I talked with them, they sent me some pics. It was actually Q1/Q2! NIB as well. Apparently the owner just kept it in the case and in a safe since purchase. Upon receipt, the breech faces where pristine, so confirmed NIB. Been enjoying it on the sporting clays course, and can’t wait to hunt with it in the fall. Wonderful piece of American shotgun history, with a great story to boot.