A family Parker - Page 7

Holeshot · 07-02-2013, 06:28 PM

Patrick, I got one in the members only forum, In wanted to buy. A fellow PGCA member helped me out. Becoming a member has its advantages. Dave

charlie cleveland · 07-02-2013, 07:41 PM

the old 8 ga i got from mills extractor was stuck in place but with a lot of patience it came free...you could not even put a shell in the barrel it was so rusty but after a lot of oil and a bore brush it now excepts shells..the gun was off face 1/4 of and inch...i m shooting it now fired it 8 times this past sunday with smokeless powder... you can make a shooter out of this gun you have just be patient... charlie

Patrick Hanna · 07-03-2013, 01:09 PM

Dave, thanks for the nudge towards membership. I just joined. Charlie, thanks for the encouragement. By the way, guys, here's why I'd rather not put this plate back on the stock--and also why I'm sure no one would be interested in making a cast of it. But it does raise another question: Considering this is not a fancy gun, and not shootable with the current barrels--probably destined to be a wall hanger--is there any point in preserving this old butt plate? I mean if I can luck into a replacement?
Patrick

Holeshot · 07-03-2013, 01:50 PM

The break looks straight enough that I would try splicing a piece to that plate. thanks for joining, the people on this forum are the best and always helpful. Dave

Patrick Hanna · 07-03-2013, 02:24 PM

Hi again, Dave. Yes, I've thought about splicing a piece on, and I can easily do that sort of thing if I can find the material. Coming up with hard rubber for a splice might be a problem. I also thought about splicing a piece of dyed wood. And I've even considered making my own replacement butt plate (including the spur) out of walnut. It obviously wouldn't be authentic, but I've got the tools and experience to do it and make a perfect fit. Yet another option would be to cover the plate with a vintage-looking leather pad. Before jumping into any of those plans, I think I'll post an inquiry and see if anyone has a plate they would allow to be molded. Thanks for the suggestion.

Richard Flanders · 07-03-2013, 10:02 PM

Jeezus! I just want that gun to speak up and tell us what it's been through! What a story it would have to tell.

Patrick Hanna · 07-03-2013, 11:29 PM

Hey, Richard, as I've dug my way through this old piece, I've come to have exactly the same feeling about it. Looking at that butt plate, you can tell that it has recoiled against someone's shoulder hundreds or thousands of times. Looking at the barrel weld repair, I speculate that the owner burst the barrel, had it welded by Bubba at the blacksmith's shop, and kept right on shooting it. I've wondered if it belonged to a professional market hunter back in the day.

But here's the best part: I have a buddy who is not only an avid shooter and fishing buddy of mine, he's a band mate with me (he plays tenor sax against my guitar in a jazz quartet) and who's also a short story writer. A week ago, he emailed me and said: "What are you working on that would inspire me? I need story material." I answered: "Come over and I'll give you story material." I showed him all the details of the gun--the wear on the butt plate, the weld on the left barrel, etc. etc. Then I said: "Go write the history of this gun for me. I don't care if it's a total fabrication. Just tell me how it came to look like this, and then how it came to rest, with pieces in boxes and bags, in my cousin's garage in central Missouri for about 30 years." His eyes lit up and he salivated...

I expect in a couple more weeks I'll be able to read that history. It'll be a total fabrication spun out of my buddy's fertile imagination, but it'll be a good read!

Patrick

charlie cleveland · 07-04-2013, 09:48 AM

you got to let us read this storey too... charlie

wayne goerres · 07-04-2013, 12:09 PM

Should make a good read.

Patrick Hanna · 07-07-2013, 07:14 PM

Hey, Gentlemen,
I was back on the hammer gun today, cleaning screws and threaded shafts, etc., getting ready to put it all back together and make it look like a shotgun again. I took a real long, hard look at the finish on the barrels, and I can't tell what it was, originally. It is quite pretty, and even in this state, it shows off the figure in the laminated steel barrels. I can tell that much. But I'm really ignorant about these barrel finishes and curious, too. When I first looked at them, I thought they were browned, but that seems to have been a trick of color and light in all that painted on shellac finish. Now it looks much more like deep black/blue, with less color on the figure. So, my question: What would have been the typical barrel finish of a grade 1 Parker with laminated steel barrels, circa 1883? I would really like to know. Thanks again to all.

Patrick