Arthur,
Welcome to the PGCA forum. Congratulations on having a fine Parker shotgun as a family heirloom. To my eyes your gun doesn't look that rough compared to some I have seen. While your stock looks pretty beaten up and broken it is possible it can be refinished and repaired to like new shooting condition. The metal also can be brought back to shooting condition as well provided there aren't deep pits in the barrels that would make the gun unsafe to shoot. There are a number of specialized gunsmiths in the country who could evaluate your gun and give you an estimate as to whether it would be safe to shoot or not. From there they can tell you how much it would cost to redo the barrels, repair the stock and even recase color the receiver. It can be pricey and you may choose to do only some of it. Personally I might have the barrels redone and the stock repaired. Some gunsmiths who can do the work and are highly thought of by forum members are Brad Batchelder, Kirk Merrington, Keith Kearcher and Darlington Gun Works. These are in no specific order and all do fine work. I would advise against taking it to the closest gun store who advertises gunsmithing work. Some of those gunsmiths do wonderful work but some are butchers who would ruin the gun in short order. It pays to check out the work of those people who will work on any gun.
I know other members will offer their expertise and I advise you to pay close attention to them. We have some real experts on the forum and they know what they are talking about.
Dennis
|