Fitting Barrels

[Ed Blake]

Can a set of barrels without a wear plate be fitted to a gun with barrels having the 1910 wear plate? Thanks

[Bruce Day]

Ed yes but..... Look at the differences in the bolts and their mating lug recesses. You will need to change one or the other. Diagrams of the 1910 locking bolt and bolt plate interconnection are shown in the Parker catalogs such as the pine cone and the flying geese catalogs. You will quickly see the problem.

[B. Dudley]

It is easier to fit a set of post 1910 barrels to a pre 1910 action than the other way around.

The issue being that the bolts in post 1910 guns are square on both sides and have the angle cut into them as a Channel. This was done as to make a tighter action and eliminate any chance of side to side play in the action.
Now... With that change in design to the bolt, the design of the top lever mechanism was changed also. So, it is not like you can take a pre 1910
Bolt and put it in a post 1910 action. They are both completely different from each other.

Still following me?

What you would have to do is modify your post 1910
Bolt by removing the square edges so that it is angled all the way across like the earlier bolts. You can either modify your existing one or modify a spare one and put it in.

The other option is to install a wear plate to your barrels you want to fit. This is not such an easy task.

[Ed Blake]

Thanks for the responses. I had an idea of a two barrel set but it may be more trouble than it is worth.

[Autumn Daze]

Ed, it sounds like a lot of work but it's not that bad, Especially if you can come up with a bolt to match the barrel.

[Dean Romig]

If you have the extra set of barrels in hand I would recommend fitting the 1910 pat'd wear plate to that set of barrels. That or get a set of barrels with the 1910 plate. The barrels don't have to be post 1910 manufacture - just need to have the 1910 plate. Many guns that were returned to Parker Bros. for just about any kind of service or repair would have the 1910 plate and bolt retrofitted to the gun, as a matter of course, at no charge to the customer.

[Kensal Rise]

Originally Posted by Dave Suponski

Ed, it sounds like a lot of work but it's not that bad, Especially if you can come up with a bolt to match the barrel.

With all due respect, there is a LOT more to properly fitting up a set of barrels than the plate/bite issue. Actually, that's one of the more manageable aspects. If a hobbyist is not well trained in fitting barrels, and especially Parker barrels, the chances of making a muck of it in some way are about 80%.

If you must have a second set of barrels, there is no better investment than a professional fitting.

[Dean Romig]

Kensal is absolutely correct. A few barrel sets might snap right on as if they were made for the gun but most of the time they will need some fine fitting. Hopefully the new set will be too large and won't close or even come close to it. A lot of smoking and fine filing then re-smoking and more fine filing, and so on, and so on. It is tedious and very exacting but will hopefully be worth the effort in the long run. If the new barrels are too small (fit loosely) at the beginning... you'll probably need to find another set of barrels.

[Ed Blake]

Oh, if fitting was involved I would not attempt it on my own. I stay in the shallow end of the Parker pool.

[Dean Romig]

Sometimes I get in over my head and wind up "treading water" until a rescuer comes along...

I have an 1898 DH on a 2-frame that started out with a very nice set of original 30" Titanic Steel barrels. I have since fitted a 12 ga. set of Damascus 30" barrels and a set of 10 ga. 30" Damascus 2-frame barrels. It is an "all around" large bore Parker now.