the unofficial pachmayr upgrade thread
 

I didn't see a specific forum for them , so if you want, lets post them here?
some may cry foul and consider them gaudy and un-parkerlike, but just between you and me, I like flashy shotguns.
I saw my first pachmayr upgrade at the Richmond show where the PCA had 3 tables set up. I fell in love with the one I have now.
I had to have it.
sure, its not the czars A1, but it was just what this young single sailor needed.
its a 26" vr ic/mod, sst, btfa, ejt, skeleton buttplate....and gold everywhere.
anyone else have a fancy for these upgrades?

I know there is a book out on them, but id sure like to discuss them here one on one. got anything to share?
numbers made? popularity? value?
ok...I started, your turns!

What book? That is a wonderful gun.

Frank Pachmayr: The Story of America's Master Gunsmith and His Guns
Hardcover
January 28, 1997 by John Lachuk

I take it theres not much interest in pach-parkers?
or are they somewhat scarce?
does anyone here have one?

I like it...not over-done like some gold embellished guns. Top lever work looks to be of a grouse?? Send pics of the rest of her...(-: thanks SXS Ohio

Would enjoy seeing some additional pics!

are they somewhat scarce?
does anyone here have one?
has anyone seen one at shows or a recent pca meet?

There are several Pachmayr Parker upgrades at the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, WY.





.

now that's encouraging.
anyone here have one?

see any for sale on the net?

Here's one

for sale? any specs?

That's impressive :bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

Not for sale. 16 ga. 30 inch 1 frame

sorry. thought you were answering post 10.

They come up for sale once in a while, there are two types of Pachmayr upgrades IMHO, ones like yours that had a lot of time and money spent on them, and then you can run across a DU upgrade that was used as a raffle gun at a DU event. These do not seem to be as finally finished as a gun like yours.

Jims example above is a good example of one of these upgrades that actually look close to an original Parker by way of style. A lot of them dont and are more a along the lines of true custom built guns.

http://www.gunsinternational.com/gun...n_id=100727900

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/627811062

Like I said, there were great ones upgraded like Jimmy's, and then there are the other upgrades.

did anyone notice the boogered rib signature on the GI one for sale?
seems to me the classic...measured with micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an axe.

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

I don't want to corrupt this thread but these Pachmayr guns remind me of some that were upgraded for someone in Anchorage some years back. My friend Trigg owned the 2-gun set, which ended up at Steve Barnette's, I think. The single gun was at a shop and was eventually redone to nicely remove the "Crazy Man" gold inlay for a buyer. I have tons of pictures of these guns if anyone is really interested.

Carl, i feel like your assessment is closer to reality than just opinion.

pm me. i might be.

I have been meaning to post these pics since this thread started. A1 Special 28ga 00 frame with 30" barrels upgraded by Pachmayr.

I find them beautiful Dave.

very nice.

what would be a price range for these pretty guns I see posted?

I, too am interested. As I recall, they are quite expensive, not some "bargain basement deal."
Sam Ogle, Lincoln, NE

In 1984 my family and I were traveling from Tennessee through the LA area and I stopped to visit the Pachmyer store. I met his secretary that had been with him for years.
Frank had recently sold his business and was not there. She invited me into his
office in which several high grade European and American doubles were in his
private gun cabinet. There were also a couple of beautiful Parker upgrades, too.
She gave me a tour of the business. She showed me the area he stored hundreds of gun stock blanks. She said Frank would spend hours each day grading them.... his favorite thing to do! She told me a story that after Frank sold his business he came in one day and saw where the new owners had reduced the price of many of the guns he had sold them. He was so upset he
wrote them a check on the spot for over a million dollars and bought many of
the guns back! Most had been moved into his private office which I got to see. He told them "he had paid more for them than they had them priced"! His secretary said he was eccentric and could afford to be!

great story. now lets hear some numbers.