so what is the general concensus on pach guns?
I see 2 camps...some nice some cheap.
im wondering, did mr. pachmayr have engravers of different levels of skill working for him, where his name went on everything, or did he just have good days and bad days?

Different skill level, different attitudes, different price points, and most important, different demand level from customers. The bottom line is that we will never see such a company in the future. Today, the customer is largely responsible for the quality of his custom gun.

did people send their guns in or did pach buy a parker and do it?

Both. The donation guns are not up to the same standards as the true customer ordered guns.

I saw one at an Iowa DU some 25? years ago. It was to be raffled off to one lucky winner in the U.S. I thought it was really a wonderful gun at the time. The one I remember was lavishly (over) done. At the time, I had not yet owned any Parker, but it did start the fires burning.
Sam Ogle, Nebraska

Had the same experience with the Pachmayr gun at a DU banquet. Not my cup of tea but certainly was worth a look and a good fund raiser piece.

I know sometimes records are sold to collectors groups. just wondering who holds it or if its still is possible to run my serial in the pachmayr books, to see who had mine done and when?

Easy, call them.

As a kid I got to wander around Pachmayr's on a few occasions as the shop was just a couple of blocks from my dad's office. My impression (purely subjective) was not great. Frank Pachmayr had no time for a kid in jeans and a t-shirt; too far below his pay grade. His prices were very high even for mundane stuff and his gunsmithing was ok but there were better 'smiths in the L.A. area at the time. The people that worked in the shop were usually very friendly and helpful and I liked talking to them. As a kid I felt he mucked up more Parkers than he helped. The work was beautiful but just not true to the original form, if that makes sense. I believe his engraving was done by someone in Germany and the stocks were done in-house. To this day I can spot one of his guns from across the room; they just have a certain look to them. And he bought one of my dad's cohorts DHE 28 ga for a song and I am still P.O.ed about that as I was just a kid and couldn't afford to buy it for my self.
C.G.B.

Thanks Carl; that was a very interesting post. The one I saw made me want a Parker; so over the years, I have had and own a couple. (One 32" VH with a custom made stock; and a 28"28 Ga. Repro with double triggers, straight stock, and beavertail F.E.)
I shoot both a lot.
Your story made me feel as if I were there.
Sincerely;
Sam Ogle, Lincoln, NE