New user/ Trying to ID a Parker Bro. SXS 12 Guage
 

"Special Notice: On the early lifters, the serial number is on the water table, the forend iron, the trigger guard and the side of the barrel lug. The number on the barrel flats is the Order Number, not the serial number."

I copied the above off this site. Just bought a PB side by side in a 12 gauge with external hammers.

The gun was made in 1880
The serial numbers on the barrel lug, the trigger guard and the forend arm are all the same.
However, the number on the water table is different. There is no "grade" marking on the water table. Only a 5 digit number and a pat. date 03/16/1875

On the barrel flat there is #"46", the letter "T" and the Pat. date 4/11/1876

The # on the barrel lug is "02".

Can anyone help me understand all these numbers?

This is my first time on this site. Thanks in advance for your help

can you post pictures, and the serial numbers

is it a lifter?

one option is that it may be a composed gun

Photos Requested
 

I hope the photos are attached. Thanks for your help,

Bill

Being new to this, Im not sure how to post photos.
The number on the Barrel Lug, Trigger guard, and the Forend arm is 17680
The number on the water table is 19445
Thanks, Bill

Trying again
 

Hopefully this worked.

Bill

If the number on the water table differs from the rest of the gun, then it is a non-matching gun. It is odd that all of those other numbers match and not the frame. But... Who knows.

At the southern this year, I was looking at a gun with Mr. Hoover that he owned and it appeared to have actually been re-framed. It was a super early serial number, but had all sorts of later features to the frame and other parts. The frame was numbered to the earlier barrels, but with later stamps. Kind of hard to explain, but trust me, it was interesting.

If you order a letter, Your gun COULD show some sort of factory return that may shed some light on it.

But likely it is an after the fact creation made up of two different guns.

More photos
 

Again, Thanks for your help...Bill

Just as interesting is that Parker says that both numbers were manufactured in 1880 and there is no "order number" on the barrel flat. .

The barrel flat order numbers were being phased out by this time. The numbers are less than 2,000 apart. And Parker was making that or more each year of production.

The last 17,000 series gun I owned had no order number on it.
Also, guns made for inventory likely did not have order numbers stamped on them. Just my thought. This gun being an 0 grade could have been a gun made for inventory.

Some early lifters with the "No radius frame" were prone to cracking and were rebuilt at the factory with the new radius frame design. I would think that Parker would have serial numbered the new frame to the original barrels but maybe this is not the case.