Parker Gun Collectors Association Forums  

Go Back   Parker Gun Collectors Association Forums Parker Forums General Parker Discussions

Notices

Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
This must be an interesting Parker...No.45973
Unread 08-12-2009, 09:53 PM   #1
Member
Don Kaas
Forum Associate
 
Don Kaas's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 560
Thanks: 0
Thanked 222 Times in 91 Posts

Default This must be an interesting Parker...No.45973

I was looking at Larry Baer's book recently. It pictures an original hang tag from 45973. The gun was a 12 gauge with 30" barrels weighing 10lb 7oz and targeted with 3" shells with 1 1/8 oz of Tathams #8 with 3 3/4oz of Dupont's No.5 Grain Choke Bore (black) powder. It shot 175 pellets in a 24" circle at 45yds. Cross referencing "the book" tells us the gun was made in 1885 and was a 12 gauge 30" B4 toplever (a C grade with Bernard steel barrels). A duck gun? A trap gun? Both? Perhaps the latter due to the patterning with #8 shot and a heavy load and 3" chamber but then why not 1 1/4oz of them? And the patterns were not especially tight for pigeons...Clearly the weight, the load and the chambering and the higher grade gun itself were special order. If it were a duck gun why not specific larger shot? Maybe someone has this gun, if so your hang tags out there too!

Next to the photo of this tag is one of a wonderful Spanish language label "La Escopeta Parker -Siempre Digna De Confianza" (The Parker Shotgun -Always worthy of confidence). I guess "Old Reliable" didn't translate well...

Last edited by Don Kaas; 08-12-2009 at 10:13 PM..
Don Kaas is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 08-12-2009, 10:43 PM   #2
Member
James Brown
PGCA Member
 
James Brown's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 179
Thanks: 96
Thanked 333 Times in 81 Posts

Default

Speaking of interesting Parkers: "A SHOTGUN STOCK THAT STILL FIRES"

ebay item no. 180396164410

James
James Brown is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 08-12-2009, 10:47 PM   #3
Member
John Truitt
PGCA Lifetime
Member

Member Info
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 965
Thanks: 1,887
Thanked 1,075 Times in 338 Posts

Default

Would a gun patterned as such be more specific to columbare as opposed to traditional box birds?
Understand I have never witnessed such a match or really understood how it works.
John Truitt is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 08-12-2009, 11:02 PM   #4
Member
Kevin McCormack
PGCA Lifetime
Member

Member Info
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,006
Thanks: 1,219
Thanked 3,599 Times in 1,016 Posts

Default

Don, it could have been a special order gun, not unlilke the 8 ga. DHE ordered out of El Paso TX in 1909 by a pair of brothers defending their ranch against "wolves and bandits" as noted in the Order Book, specified to "shoot close with buckshot."

The gun you describe in Baer's book was most likely ordered to that specific loading of Tatham #8's in the 3 3/4 oz. load of Dupont No. 5 Grain choke bore powder to shoot both chachalaca for the pot (a chicken-like bird of the Road Runner family), as well as the deadly chupacabra, the androgynous dog/wolf -like creature that was reported as "rediscovered" in the early 2000's in the remote villages of Central America, Northern Mexico, and the Tex-Mex borderlands.

There is a good likelihood that we will see some of the more remote spotsman's lodges in these areas advertised in upcoming Shooting Sportsman Magazine adverts that will offer optional specialized combined driven shoots for chachalaca as well as baited night shoots for the dreaded chupacabra in additon to the standard high-volume dove, duck, and walk-up perdiz packages.

I'm glad that my passport is up to date and that my ammo locker is well-stocked with everything from high-antimony, polished hard shot 2 3/4' lead # 6's to the ass-kicking NitroMag 3" sintered # 1 Steel. Classic Parker double by day; Black Gun Browning A-5 3" mag by night. Stewart Granger, eat your heart out!
Kevin McCormack is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 08-13-2009, 08:20 AM   #5
Member
Don Kaas
Forum Associate
 
Don Kaas's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 560
Thanks: 0
Thanked 222 Times in 91 Posts

Default

No John, I highly doubt it was a 10 and a half pound columbaire gun with the same shokes in both barrels especially in 1885...Kevin's explanations are more likely. Pick up a copy of Mike Forehand's "Advanced Competition Shotgunning" for a primer on columbaire as well as trap birds.

That beauty on eBay isn't even a Parker Bros gun...
Don Kaas is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:34 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 - 2023, Parkerguns.org
Copyright © 2004 Design par Megatekno
- 2008 style update 3.7 avec l'autorisation de son auteur par Stradfred.