New member Minnesota

[Jerry Greene]

Hello all, what a sight! Looking up Parker Brothers shotguns got me here. Was givin 2 guns this last thanksgivng that have been in family for 4 generations. #92688 with a "V" above # 97098 with a "V" above.,\ both vulcan steel s x s barrels.
1) was wondering if i should shoot them, and if shooting steel is ok thru them, 2) how can i tell what guage they are? no markings give any clues.

thanks, look at sight for a bit, but could not derive anything that might help me out on ?? thanks

[OH Osthaus]

sounds like Christmas came early at your house - great to be the next generation to care for the old Parkers

The V is the grade -

92688 shows in the book as a V grade 12 gauge with 30 inch barrels
97098 is not listed

the frame size is stamped on the barrel lug - Safe to shoot depends on the condition - how are the barrels - any pitting inside? please post some pictures of the guns.

if you are not familiar with old shotguns you should have them checked by someone who knows SxS's - Steel shot is not good for these old doubles, there are nontox waterfowl loads like nice shot that will let you get these back into the duck blind.

[10ga Hammer]

Welcome Jerry! Please post pictures, we like picture! We can give a better assessment if we can see some nice clear closeups.

[Jerry Greene]

First thanks for such a quick reply! Here are a few shots, any other shots i should take to show more of condition ? i pretty sure they are 12 g wit the rubber end ,and 16 g with out. thanks

[OH Osthaus]

Rubber end? a recoil pad ? Does the other have a hard buttplate with a dogs head on it?

from the bottom picture - I take it the closest one is the 12 gauge - I see some condition issues in the stock there. Looks like a chip missing along the top tang and some deep dings in the wood. If that is #92688 do the barrels measure 30" as they should, and is that the one missing the bead on the top front of the barrels?

if the far gun is a 16, from what I can see it looks to be in nice shape, how long are the barrels on that one?

the two other questions for conditon for both is the inside of the barrels, from the little I can see they may need a good cleaning, then check for pits inside.

also, there is a number on the barrel lug - the part that raises up on the underside of the barrels - that will tell us the frame size, and other marking under the barrels on the flat suface help with infomation such as barrel weight.

a simple test for the action being tight ( call on face) is to take off JUST the foreend ( pull down on the latch on the under side and it pulls away at an angle - reverse the procedure to put it back on) leave the barrels locked in place and hold the gun upright by the wrist and give it a shake, you don't need be rough at it, if you feel or hear a rattle it may need some attention to bring it back to shooting conditon.

pictures of the rest of the guns would help.

[Jerry Greene]

Oh, hey thanks here are your answers to your questions;

#92688 measures 30" the other 28" insides look ok, went to a gun store today and bought cleaner etc... after cleaning all good there inside both barrels.

barrel lug 16g, is either 0 98 or 89 0 with a large"0" and a small 5 stamped in it.

barrel lug 12g is either 68 8 8 89 with a large 2 stamped in it with a small 5 in it.

and yes a dog with a duck in his mouth is on butt plate.

all in i guess there not worth much, maybe 500 or so, but thanks for helping me out here. Seems they are ok to shoot small loads out of, IN LEAD... so i just might hit some trap with them.

[OH Osthaus]

first let me say I am not an official appraiser - and - its my personal feelings - since they have been in the family for that long -I truly hope they stay there.

the extentions on the 12 and the chip by the tang cause some value issues and you want to be sure the wood is in good enough condition to shoot- the value is certainly seriously affected. you might want to watch ebay or the gun auction sites and find new wood for it.

now - on the other hand - a 28 inch 0 frame 16 gauge in good shape - as yours looks to be - is a desirable gun - way more than $500- check Gunbroker.com or gunsinternational to see the value to insure it for. shooting light loads like RSTs ( http://www.rstshells.com/ ) and keeping it clean will let you see the 5th generation shoot that gun.

[Jerry Greene]

OH.... thanks on all the info! Action is all very tight, no movement at all when assembled. All in i might just mount them in a frame for over the fire place, they really are wonderful to look at. Thanks again.

[Holeshot]

I would mount that 16 guage to my shoulder and go hunting. IMHO seems like a better place for it.

[Autumn Daze]

I agree with David. Have those barrels checked by a competent gunsmith and hunt them great Parkers!