Lost my mind
 

New member last month, started picking up SBS guns in January at auctions. 1 Lefever, 1 LC Smith, 2 Parkers all 12 Gauges and 1 Ithaca 20. I'm still trying to find the secret for removing the Parker barrels so I can figure what the guns secrets are. I would guess that some of that info would come by requesting a research letter for each gun since the serial numbers are there. I've noticed that serial numbers are not compete when members are discussing thier guns, why? I am very interested in SBS guns so any info on collecting Parkers would be a great help since I'm now in deep water explaining to my wife why at my age I need a new hobby. Many Thanks,

Tight Lines, Bill

Bill,

Your problem not being able to take the barrels off is not unique assuming you have taken the forend off, and moved the top lever over to pivot the barrels down. If you did this and the barrels don't lift up and off, you probably have a stuck cocking rod due to built up crud. Before you attempt to take the barrels off, make sure the gun is cocked if you have ejectors.

There are various threads concerning your problem and possible solutions. Do a search typing in "cocking hook" and read the threads. Here is a link to a good one from that search: http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthr...t=cocking+hook

Most members here do post their entire S/N. Some don't due to their perceived security issues. Unless you post the entire S/N, we can't look things up in the Serialization Book.

Thanks PA, I had an idea security was the issue on the #'s. I'm not knowledgeable in any respect on SBS guns, so your reply on the barrels will help, I found a list of #s on the Internet the D gun was in 1901 and the V gun was 1903. Thats all I know to date so I'm going to send off a couple of requests to Parker Research. Again Thanks, Bill

I visited the web site you suggested and how about that, all I had to do is dry fire, then the barrels came off easy.

#105694 & #119250 As soon as I figure out how to post the pictures I will

That's good news Bill. I'd probably get the gun to a gunsmith who knows Parkers and have it cleaned.

There is lots of information on Parkers if you go to the PGCA home page and click on the links.

We'd all like to see close up in focus pictures of your guns. Why don't you post the S/N's and maybe we can give you some more basic information.

The attached pictures are of the 2 guns discussed abovehttp://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=3443[/IMG]

Bill: Neither of your Parkers are in the Serialization Book but you can check ion the home page to see if there is information available for a letter.

Best Regards, George

Which is exactly what I did when I had a similar problem. The little toggle underneath the barrels at the flats had broken. A smith removed the broken part from another pair of barrels and fixed the gun. He also said the grease inside my gun, an 1896 issue, had turned extremely hard, so when someone forced the barrels open the toggle snapped off. The gun would no longer lock the firing pins back.

Lesson, if an old gun refuses to open when the top lever is activated do not force the issue, rather have a guy who knows Parkers futz with it.

The bores of my gun are like new! It seems that the gun broke decades ago and could not be shot.

Just a note: those screws in front of the trigger guard should line up facing fore and aft....along the axis if the barrels. When they are misaligned they have been removed and replaced into the wrong holes. I suggest that you get a proper gunsmith screw driver (buy the little set from Brownells) remove and put the screws into the proper hole, ...don't over tighten. We try to get all of the screws to line up in the entire gun and when the gun was made, they did.