water table - barrel and lug - bottom of barrels - top of barrels

"missing" rib markings - close up of barrel - stock checkering - stock

grip cap - stock and cap - forend - bottom of gun

Quick two cents. Re-blacken the barrels, retime the screws, recut the checkering on the forearm. Don't believe buttstock is original and don't believe that is an original grip cap or period correct pad (or fitted that well either). What is the LOP now? I think restore it to what it should be. I don't believe I'd recase color it as it has some good color already. PS. Reserve the right come back and edit my answer as soon as I stare at your pics a pit more.

Double PS. Man, that's an awesome sporting clays gun on the vintage circuit for sure.

Who knows what is going on with the couple spots of rib matting that is missing. Most likely some damage to the rip that was polished out and removed the matting. Are those spots low? They would have to be to have completely remove the matting.

Looks to me like the reciever was blued. maybe it is just the lighting.

The buttstock checkering pattern is not correct and poorly done. The checkering itself is ok looking, but the pattern is very bad. And the grip cap is not correct. As for the buttstock itself... hard to say. Have you checked for a Serial number under the guard? There is not much about the form of the buttstock that screams that it is a replacement, but the overall finish of it compared to the forend points to at least a refinish if not a replacement.

As for what to do to the gun, it is compeltely up to you. It would be a very good candidate for a complete restoration since there is a lot of little issues with it. In that senario, the rib matting is the only thing that would strike me as being the difficult thing to repair correctly.

I do agree that recutting the checkering and adding some finish to the forend is a good idea. Maybe also redo the checkring on the wrist to be correct would be a good idea (if there is enough to work with there). Or maybe even a replacement of the buttstock to one that that is 100% correct.

Other than that, I think you ahve a good shooter there.

Or it could just be a shooter.

There is nothing about this gun that cannot be put right. Even with the buttstock, which may be the original (albeit bodgered). But the cost of it all done by a good 'smith might be as much as the gun's worth at the moment.

That said, the value in this gun is the barrels. They are VERY rare. In that regard, this gun is a solid candidate for the typical Parker "restoration." It is a piece of Parker history that has some real value and should be preserved.

Best, Kensal

A quick summary - The rib "missing matting" 3 areas are not lower than the remainder of the barrel. The entire rib at that point is lower than the barrel, so it is probably not rubbed of. Maybe it was missed originally. The barrels do ring like church bells. The inside bores are fine. IM and M chokes. The grip cap is not original. I'll remove the stock to check for matching numbers. Now, I'm not sure if it is a replacement or a bad "refinish" job. And, of course the screws all need to be timed.

Any thoughts - who to send the barrels to for rust blue?

It would be a great clays gun! It just needs some TLC.
More opinions welcomed

Two additions:
1 - I removed the butt stock and it is not the original
2 - the mystery of the missing wavy lines - according to "The Parker Story" volume II
It seems this was hand rolled on to the rib. There were a few 'mistakes' when this was done. I believe that it was 'missed'. After all, this is a 32" bb, and the blank metal is exactly that - blank - the waves were never applied.

Mr. Cibelli,

That is a very nice gun with loads of potential.

Make of her what you want.
IMO: i would consider having the barrels re blued (rust blued as they appear to have been hot blued at one time byt eh presence of the lower rib weep holes), Restock her or have the existing stock modified to fit your dimensions ( you are not affecting her value since it is not an orginal stock/ so dont let that deter you). I would not have her re cased as I do not believe in this. I have seen several guns warped by the process. The original hardening is still there it is just the coloring is gone.

Enjoy the gun. The long barreled subgauge Parkers are a real treat. Hope to hear you get her out and bust some clays with her.

Give us your where abouts and I am sure myself or some of the other guys could stear you towards someone to reblue the barrels/ do some stock work for you.

How could a gun get out the door at Parker with missing rib matting? That sounds strange to me. I agree with the others: blue the bbls, recut the forearm checkering, put the correct grip cap on. If I had deep pockets I might restock it with a correct butt plate as well. That is a nice gun.