Greetings from new proud Parker owner! (new pictures posted)
 

Hello all. I had limited exposure to hunting growing up but have married into a hunting family and am loving it. Because of my newfound interests, my father decided to give me his grandfather's Parker 12 ga. (Anyone in the Bozeman MT area may recognize the name?) Anyway, it was made in 1917, frame size 2, barrel wt 4 and has ejectors. I believe it is a DH because it has a 3 under the serial # and the barrels are Titanic steel. The barrels have been blued and according to my experienced father-in-law they look to be in great shape and shootable. The trigger guard does have a different serial number on it than the other 3. The stock is in decent shape - some nicks and scratches, but nothing that looks like a crack.

There are a few things that my research has not been able to tell me though: It has a single trigger which I haven't come across yet. It also does not have a safety. End-to-end the barrels are 34" - am I measuring them correclty? My guess is that some or all of this means it's a trap gun - my father says it has a full choke. Any suggestions or comments?

This site has helped me to figure out that I may have a broken ejector sear because I'm having difficulty getting the forend on. I'd like to get this repaired but I don't know what to insure it for if I mail it. Any thoughts on value? Do I need to send this to DelGrego or other Parker specialist?

I appreciate any input or suggestions - Thanks!

(See pictures Chuck helped me out with several replies below)

Alan,

Welcome to the Parker site. Your very luck to have inherited your great grandfathers Parker. I have 2 Parkers that were my grandfathers and I wouldn't part with them for a million dollers. I'll try and answer as many questions as I can based on what you said and what the Serilization Book has listed.

The book lists your gun as a DHE, 34" barrels, and a capped pistol grip stock. You've confirmed that the barrels are 34" which is fairly rare and a plus for you. I do question the originality of both the stock and forend. Take the screw out of the trigger guard, gently lift up the tang and rotate the guard CCW. The gun's serial number should be stamped in the wood. The same applys to the forend wood, take the screws out and separate the metal from the wood and the serial number should be stamped in the wood. It's not uncommon for a beavertail to be made aftermarket and since you indicated that the trigger guard is not the same serial number as the rest of the gun, that's evidence that a different trigger guard was put on to accomodate the straight grip stock. Check out the serial numbers on the wood to make sure.

As far as the forend not going back on, make sure that both hammers located in the forarm are cocked in the down position. You can use a wooded dowel or other non maring object to push it back down if it is indeed up. It should stay down when you release pressure. If it doesn't than something is broken and would need repair. Never take the forarm off if the triggers have been pulled. Always have the gun cocked before taking the forarm off or you will have to manually cock the ejector hammers.

It could be that the safety was made with a safety, then taken off and the holes filled or it could have been ordered without a safety. Looks like there are 2 small filled holes evident in your picture.

For the single trigger, a closeup of the trigger assy and it's selector will help other members familiar with single triggers identify the manufacture. If it was a Miller single trigger, it would be stamped on the side of the trigger.

Value is just a guess. The 34" barrels are a plus, reblued barrels and replacement stocks are a minus. If I had to guess, in the 3k range. Del Grego is certainly the guy to go to if you have ejector problems.

Lastly, there are surviving factory records for your gun. In fact if you get a letter, you may find reference to your great grandfather as being the guy who ordered it. You never know! Check the home page link to download a information sheet. Also, you should consider joining our great group and you will get a discount on the letter.

Good luck.

Chuck - thank you very much for the info. Removing screws seems scary to me - don't I have to have a perfectly fitting screwdriver? I was able to push the hammer down in the forearm and put the three pieces together, but when I try to open the barrels, it won't open the whole way. It looks as though the trigger has been pulled and the hammer pins (?) have released. (Don't know if my vocabulary is right). How do I cock the gun? I have added 2 pics of the trigger to the photo gallery.
Thanks!
Alan

Alan,

You've had some major modifications done to your Parker that I've never seen before. The forend latch assembly looks like it has been modified. The single trigger design is something I have never seen before. Possibly a Timney?? This trigger setup may have something to do with the gun not cocking properly or because the safety is no longer there. The gun cocks the hammers when the triggers have been pulled, the top lever moved to the right and the barrels pulled down. The hook you see on the lug of the barrels hooks on to what is called a bell crank located in the well of the receiver. When the barrels are pivoted, the bell crank, through linkage cocks the hammers located internally within the receiver.

With so many modifications done, who knows what's wrong. I'd recommend putting those photo's in the album section of this site so that other members may comment. The modifications unfortunately really hurt the value of the gun. I'd now estimate 1.5k but who knows?

You may want to take the gun to a local gunsmith just to get some idea what you are facing.

After fifty years of collecting Parkers, I am seeing, for the first time, a Parker double gun with a single barrel forearm wood installed (I think), and a single trigger that I have never seen before. You need to go to a very qualified gunsmith to evaluate the mechanics of your gun. In contrast to the previous poster, a good collecting friend, I believe your gun is worth much more than his estimate. You should order a PGCA letter on your gun to see who originally ordered your gun and it may include evidence of later modifications to the gun.

Chuck and Bill,

Thank you very much for your input. Seems like this will turn into an exciting adventure. I will order a letter and I also plan to take it to a collectors show in March in Sioux Falls for some more info. My wife and I are planning a tentative road trip out east this summer and figure I could make Delgrego one of my stops. I will post my findings.
Thanks again!

Bill (or Chuck)
when you say "very qualified gunsmith", do you have any specific suggestions. Seems like what I read, it's either Delgrego or Turnbull?

I talked to Lawarnce DelGrego about working on my gun and after phesant season its going on a mail trip :banghead: Lawarnce was very friendly and his price guote seemed very reasonable. best ch

Alan,

Certainly Del Grego and Turnbull are excellent at restoring/repairing Parkers however there are quite a few others that are also qualified. Check out the links on the home page for Merrington in TX and Kearcher in OR. Also consider Brad Bachelder in MI and Dewey Vicknair in PA.

I was reluctant to give an estimate on value. Bill Murphy has seen many more Parkers than I will in my lifetime so if he says my estimate is low, I believe him. In my opinion what increases the value is the 34" barrels. There were approximately 163 DHE's in 12ga made with this barrel length. What decreases the value is the replacement stocks, the trigger guard was replaced due to the replacement straight stock, what looks like a modification to the forend latch, and the odd ball single trigger.

Bill, the forend wood doesn't look anything like my 1927 SBT forend. I suggested a Timney trigger because the shape of the trigger looks similar to the Timney 1100 triggers. Do you know if Allen Timney ever made triggers for SxS's?

For what it is worth: A long time gunsmith, Walter Erdmann, used to copy single triggers from scratch in Waterloo, Iowa. I'm thinking other gunsmiths might have done the same to mystify and amuse collectors for generations.