Money Well Spent
This morning at 7:35 the FedEX truck stopped at my driveway. The driver stuck his head out and hollered, "78?" I hollered back "Yup!" and the package was handed to me.
Once back inside I carefully but anxiously opened it up to find a fabulous Parker twenty-gauge DH with 28" Damascus barrels. My very special little gun had finally come back to me after several months in Connecticut for a bit of a facelift.
I bought this one from Mr. Rodney Walker maybe four or five years ago and almost regretted the purchase because of its absolutely grungy condition... to say nothing of the stock having been cut off at the skeleton buttplate and a 1.5" hunk of stock from some other gun screwed on.
So it sat in my safe until last summer when I made the decision to invest a bit of cash into it to see what was under all the grunge and horrible varnish (which completely disguised the French walnut beneath it).
The barrels still need to be sent out for a little bit more than just cosmetic reasons but at least now I have the inspiration to get it done very soon.
This Parker was originally ordered by Rear Admiral Thomas Perry who commanded the American Fleet in the Carribean during the period that the Panama Canal was being constructed. I have the letter that Mark Conrad sent me on this gun No. 147673
Adm. Perry lived in New York state and was an avid ruffed grouse and woodcock hunter and keeper of some fine bird dogs - even entering them in shows.
The smith who did the work tells me it has one of the prettiest pieces of French walnut he has ever seen. You be the judge...
Oh, and I am very pleased with the leather covered pad he installed. I chose to have that done for reasons of LOP.
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