New Guy, old gun
 

Hi all. So I have this old gun here that I got when my Father passed away in 1976. It's a Parker Bros. And it's in pretty darn good shape. Other than a couple of small dents in the barrel she's straight. ser.# 204080. Any info would be great. Thanks in advance

New Guy, old gun
 

Oh ya I didn't mention it is a 16ga.

It's a 0-frame P grade made in 1923. Someone has blued the receiver. That dent you show in the barrel can be mostly removed but will likely always show. Pretty hard to get that one completely out. Could be a nice little shooter. Good for you in getting it. Someone else will come on and tell you how many P grades were made in 16ga. Could likely use a good cleaning and inspection to make sure it hasn't any issues. Maybe we have a member near you who could look at it for you.

That's a pretty desirable PH. It would make a great little grouse gun and it wouldn't take much to get it shootable.

nice little gun and there always special coming down the family tree...yes there will be some folks that will answer your questions soon...wish i had a case with my gun...one interesting thing i see is the serial noseems high for a p grade but i see that it is so marked....charlie

Thanks for the replys. I know the gun is stock original as my Dad got it from his Dad who was the first owner. As for the reciever being reblued I don't think so. I used this gun when I was 14(some 40 years ago) to hunt ducks and pheasents and it still shoots today. I tryed to stay away from using the left barrel. Being desirable, what do you think it could be worth?
Brett

Here is another old family PHE 16ga with likely value $4000 to $4500. Yours being the smaller frame and a straight grip would likely make it more desireable but the poor condition with severely dented barrel, incorrectly blued frame and buggered screws significantly reduce value to maybe a quarter of that, if not less.
Fortunately there is a first rate Parker gunsmith in the Pacific Northwest but to correct the problems with your gun might well cost $1000. Let people here know if that route interests you and a referral will be made.

P grades are scarce when you compare their numbers to the lower V grades, and 0 framed 16ga guns are desireable, Most Ps that turn up lately are damascus barreled too, Yours appears to have steel barrels. A good barrel man will make those dents disappear from the inside, but unless you spend a little bit more and have the outsides restruck and properly cold rust blued, the dent will show to some degree. Maybe it's the lighting, but the water table (flat horizontal portion of the receiver) appears blued. I can't remember the product I bought from Brownells a long time ago to chemically removed blueing. I had a very nice Winchester rifle that was made with a case harded lever, but had been cold rust blued. After removing the blueing, much of the original case colors were still present. All 0 framed straight stocked guns are so pretty. Congrats on getting hold of a good piece. Worth hanging onto.

Believe me steel barrel P grades are hard to find in any condition, about 1200 total made in all gauges, The rare ones 410- 4 made 28- 5 made 8ga 4-5 made, This post makes me wish I still had my P grade collection!

Whether the cost of a proper restoration would be as much as Bruce suggests, I am not qualified to say based on the photos you posted, but it would be money well spent in my estimation.

Gary, many years ago I looked at a 28ga PH in a shop in Cincinnati, and passed on it because it had damascus barrels. I couldn't see anyone spending $250 for a wall hanger. I was young and stupid. Now I'm old and stupid.

I'm back. I took the Parker to cabelas to have it appraised. The man said it was sad to see such a nice gun so worthless. He claimed the barrel had been cut off and the stock also. The barrel measures at 27.92 in. And the stock is about 14.25 in. Under the butt cover is about 2in. Of leather with a rubber but pad. What are the length of the two. Oh yah, guy offers me 5 to 600. I may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night... Thanks.

Bret, you can expect that kind of ill-informed response from most of the Cabela's gun library employees, including the majority of managers.

We're a lot more sensitive here (we've all had sensitivity training) and we'll give you honest and experienced evaluations of your Parker.





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Thanks Dean

A barrel that measures 27.92 is very likely original. It would be recorded as 28” but it’s very common to see uncut barrels measure a little under, and occasionally a hair over.

204080 easy to remember number. Book shows it is correct at 28 inches.
Is there a dogs head butt plate still on the stock under the leather?

Sadly enough, no. The stock looks like it hasn't been cut as there doesn't appear to have any rough edges and looks square. Length?

I'd take that lace on pad off the stock. Over time it will disfigure the wood if it hasn't already. I agree that the receiver has been blued and you need new screws for the floor plate which are easily attainable. You have a desirable gun with family history but somewhere along the line it has fallen through the cracks regarding proper care. You have the opportunity to make things right again and have the gun "properly" restored. There are qualified people on this forum that can do the work and it would be money well spent and IMHO will increase the value of your heirloom Parker.

Unfortunately in today's world going to Cabela's for a proper appraisal is like asking a doctor for legal advise.

Rich is right. It really looks like a desirable gun anyone should be proud to own

Family P 16ga
 

Love those 16's just went o NM and bagged limits of Blue Quail with my 16 DHE Damascus works like a charm. Put a little TLC in the baby and good shoot it you're very lucky Parker owner Now!!

Rich is right about getting that leather lace-up pad off to see if it has buggered the finish yet. This gun doesn't need much to spruce it up. Get the bluing off the receiver, get new floorplate screws or have those repaired, and take the barrel dent out as much as possible and you're in business. I have a 24" steel-bbl PHE-16 that is absolutely deadly on woodcock and grouse in tight cover. And don't go away; make sure to post pictures of the gun after it's been fixed up.

Anyone steer me in the right direction to a guy to do the restoration. Western or eastern Washington state?

Don't limit your self to a smith in a particular region of the country. You want the best and will have to ship the gun anyway. My recommendations would be Brad Batchelder in Michigan or Doug Turnbull in New York state. I have a Parker that Doug did and it's fantastic and I know Brad and have seen his work which is also excellent.

16 ga, O frame , straight grip PH--wow, what's not to like! You could get that dent fixed, and then just shoot the gun to see how well you like it. You can easily remove the bluing from the frame yourself, and you'll have a great shooter. Later you can adress the buggered screws. Has the stock been cut, does it still have the original butt plate? If you get tired of that gun, you know where to find me.

The elephant in the room when I see a gun like this with a buffed and blued receiver is did the same shade tree mechanic also hot blue the barrels?

Harold, how easy is it to removing the blue? How?

I have used Birchwood Casey Blue and Rust Remover and a Frontier pad. I believe some have used vinegar--but maybe others will weigh in. You don't want to buff the metal.