Preferred Parker Reproduction Options

Rex Northen · 03-03-2016, 08:48 PM

A thread here on a recent gunbrokers auction piqued my interest, as a member noted that a 28 Gauge DT, PG, BT with two sets of 26" barrels wasn't highly sought after.

I'm curious about option preference. Here's what I think market preference is (not necessarily my preference) in descending order, would like additional thoughts from you guys who see a lot of these:

Exceptional wood: eye of the beholder
Gauge: 28, 12, 20
Triggers: Double, Single
Grip: English, Pistol
Forend: Splinter, Beavertail
Barrel Length: 28", 26"
Barrels: Two sets
Chokes: Individual by gauge/length, but Q1/Q2 brings a slight premium

Dean Romig · 03-03-2016, 10:01 PM

My personal preference...

28 gauge
highly figured dark wood (not fond of Claro)
straight grip
beavertail forend
double triggers
26" or 28" barrels - makes no difference to me
Q1 / Q2 is my preference but will accept IC / Mod
ivory bead preferred

Condition of case color and barrel blue is not important as this is a hunting gun for me.

And this is mine - it fills almost every preference I listed.

.

George M. Purtill Member #28 · 03-04-2016, 06:48 AM

I saw that GB auction and bid quite aways along but the wood really turned me off. I agree with Dean on the wood.The wood unfortunately can be eye catching or detracting.
I like all the PRs now. Until I found a 28 with two bbls and BTFE for my son to buy I didn't like them at all. Now I wish I had that gun.

Bill Murphy · 03-04-2016, 12:38 PM

Rex, the two barrel 26" set you mention is clearly a sought after gun. It has all the features we want as well as being a "special order" gun because of the barrel length. It sold way too cheap, in my opinion.

My favorite combo is 28 gauge, straight grip, beavertail, double triggers, 26" IC & MOD, 28" MOD & FULL. The only possible improvement would be both sets in 28" and a set of .410s.

My other dream Repro is the 28" IC & MOD 12 gauge double trigger gun that I purchased from a poster who advertised here. Not actually a special order gun, being mentioned in the final 1993 catalog, but quite rare. I could mention a dream 20 gauge, but they weigh as much as most 12s, so don't serve much purpose.

tom tutwiler · 03-06-2016, 02:22 PM

I had the 20 most folks wanted and sold it. 28" full/mod, double triggers, straight stock and perfect fit and killer english walnut. Unfortunately it weighed 6 lb 12 ounces. Way too heavy for a 20 gauge. It went down the road as I'm a grouse/woodcock hunter. One of these days I'll find the right repro (28 gauge with DT and BT) at the right price. Until then I'll have to settle for all these Foxes in my safe.

C.O.B. · 03-06-2016, 02:48 PM

Dean I thought that 28 was Kathy's gun? Perhaps you just miss typed

Dean Romig · 03-06-2016, 03:19 PM

Good catch Rich!

The barrels (26" Q1 & Q2) and the BTFE are from Kathy's Repro but the back half (straight grip and bouble triggers) is mine. The rest of my Repro 28 is splinter forend and 26" barrels IC/MOD. Kathy's back half is double triggers and a pistol grip. It is fantastic to be able to swap parts around on these two great repros.

Mine with the straight grip and Kathy's with the pistol grip.

.

Gary Laudermilch · 03-06-2016, 05:15 PM

What I like about this forum is that there is a wide variety of likes and dislikes. It is interesting to hear a variety of opinions. When I saw this thread I thought, oh boy this is tailor made for the light gun guys.

Well, I'm not of that persuasion and I'm an old duffer grouse hunter. I've been down the light gun road more times than I care to remember. Tom says that 6-12 is too heavy for a 20 but to me that is the ideal weight for a 20 gauge grouse gun. My 26" repro weighs 6-12 and is, in my opinion, the finest grouse gun I have ever used. Precisely why I prefer repros to original 20's - they weigh what a 20 should weigh. Just my opinion of course!

Rex Northen · 03-06-2016, 05:21 PM

Seems like there's something of a consensus, from a very small sample size, on a couple of few items:

28 Gauge is most preferred
Double triggers preferred
Beavertail preferred
Straight grip preferred
Bad wood is a non-starter

That's pretty much what I expected - thanks!

I probably won't get around to any statistical analysis on it, but the delta in pricing from a PG, splinter, single trigger 20 gauge to a straight grip, BT, double trigger 28 gauge is 70-100%.

Total 20 gauge production was over 6000 while 28 gauge was around 4200, but I'm guessing that only a small percentage of the 4200 were straight grip, BT, double trigger; while a large percentage of the 20 gauge was PG, splinter, single trigger... Supply and demand.

Rex Northen · 03-06-2016, 05:24 PM

Was typing when Gary responded, but an entirely different opinion.

I decided to shoot my 28 gauge on sporting clays yesterday, and the small contact area, combined with 100 rounds in a couple of hours definitely left a mark!