Help me understand this...
 

New to Parkers but a shotgun hunter for 45 years. Couple things I'm confused about. I always assumed that you cannot hunt with damascus barrels (let alone shoot them with modern loads) but I see on here a lot of folks do. Is there a way to know if an old gun is safe? I assume a competent smith? Also, I've had several Elsies and they just don't fit. Do folks with these old Parkers just "make em fit" and deal with it or do they have less drop (as a generalization) than some other old American guns? Finally, why would one desire a hammer gun over a hammerless? Nostalgia? Do they present a totally different experience and are they reliable in bad weather for hunting? No, I've never handled one, sadly :(

Why would someone prefer a blonde over a brunette over a red head .

Pretty much the same thing when asking why someone likes hunting with a top lever hammer or a lifter hammer or Damascus/twist barrels .

Ask yourself why you want a SxS rather than an O/U or semi auto or a corn shucker .

:bigbye:


Oh yeah and I shoot the heck out of Damascus and twist barreled guns with smokeless powder loads . :whistle:

And yes I conform to whatever dimensions the stock may be within reason .

My belief is that the soundness/condition of the barrels is more important than whether they are Damascus or fluid steel. I think that good Damascus barrels are even stronger than fluid steel of the same era. I would not shoot many of the commercially available loads in any side by side, no matter what the age of the gun.
As far as gun fit; you need to know your dimensions, and look for your fit the in the classics. Good dimensions are out there, you just have to find them.
Hammer guns are an acquired taste. Once you acquire the taste, Katy bar the door! Hammer guns are a lot of fun!
A word of caution. If you're gonna get into hammer guns, watch out for the Under Lifter.
In my opinion, the finest of the hammer guns.

Welcome to the PGCA Andy and thank you for becoming a member. We all grew up knowing damascus guns would blow apart if shot with smokeless powder. Then one day a guy named Sherman Bell decided to find out for himself whether or not it was true. His research and experimentation is fully documented in the Double Gun Journal. It shifted everyone’s paradigm who read it. As a result thousands of great old wall hangers came down off the mantle and began giving their owners much pleasure. I would highly recommend you get Sherman Bell’s articles and read about one of the most fascinating excursions into debunking an old myth. Come to the Southern Side by Side in April and I guarantee you will get to handle and shoot a damascus barreled, underlifter hammer gun if you want to.

Andy,
Thanks for becoming a member of the parker forum. I recently purchased a gun with damascus barrels. Before I shoot it, I will take it to a gunsmith and have him check the entire barrel walls for thickness and he will let me know if its safe to shoot in his opinion. I know very little about old guns, so I am extra careful. The first old shotgun I purchased I took to a gunsmith and he showed me a repaired spot in the barrel which I could not see, and he could barely see. He said it was a good repair, that area of steel was only .015 thick, and the gunsmith did not recommend shooting it. I am glad I took that gun in first. I only shoot r.s.t. falcon lite shells in my oldest guns. Good luck,

Wow thanks for all the quick responses. I devoured the Parker book by Johnson but frankly couldn't get past the gushing praise and glowing love and obvious bias and found it a tough read with the writing style. So that being said I got an "overview" and now need to figure out what a "lifter" is and go handle a hammerless. I have a friend who shoots old Bakers with hammers in a side by side league so I'll have to call him. He said they're like single malt scotch...once you acquire the taste they're addicting. I appreciate all the help, I'll have to find those articles because frankly shooting a gun over 100 years old (safely) has a certain appeal to me.

Andy, for a while Johnson's conscientious efforts were all we had, and we were grateful for it. I share your opinion about his book. At the time, it was informative to me.

I can appreciate it and do realize it was written some time ago King. Can anyone recommend a better read?

The Parker Story is the BIBLE of Parker knowledge. There are often used copies available on this website for reasonable money considering the information contained therein.