Pinned stock head

[Dean Romig]

Here's one that could easily be a factory job.


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[Pa SxS]

Dave and Dean, send me the S/N's and I'll see what the records say.

[John Davis]

Letter from Parker Bros. to R. L. Keeney, Somersville, Connecticut, February 4, 1911:

“We are in receipt of yours of the 1st, also gun, which we have examined and find what you describe as a swelling of the stock is in reality due to the fact that the stock is split in the head. This was caused by some strain or blow at some time. We could repair this temporarily by putting a screw or bolt through the head of the stock, bring it up to its original location, and this would cost about $2.00. To clean and repair action would cost about $2.50, rebrown barrels $5.00 and to reblue all the iron parts $2.50. This would put your gun in practically as good condition as new. We would be very glad to do any part or all of this work which you might order. The most satisfactory way to repair the stock would be to put on an entirely new one, which would cost $13.00 net. We have set your gun to one side and will await your further instructions before doing anything with it.”

[chris dawe]

Well that does it Dudley ...now we got to figure out how to pin stock heads as they were done originally..its a never ending challenge

[B. Dudley]

Just more fuel for the “might be factory” fire.

But we can surely say that wooden dowels or square headed bolts still are not factory.

I know, can you imagine someone restocking a gun because it was pinned and then they find the records say it was pinned and then they regret replacing it.

[Dean Romig]

That's one reason we should always save the original stocks when we have them replaced.





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[wayne goerres]

That's a really cool repair.

[Jean Swanson]

When the team of PGCA members copied the records in Ilion , my partner Dr. Rozier , pointed out numerous guns that were sent back to the factory for stock head repair for a fee of $2.00.

I ,over the years, have owned/seen many Parkers that were repaired at the stock head never knowing if it was a factory product or that of a gun smith. I can also say there were jobs that one obviously were NOT factory.

Allan

[Southpaw]

Bigger question is why are cracked stocks happening even when the guns were relatively young. Is it frame issue to wood ratio, american walnut material and straight grains, guns being overloaded or dropped, hard use. Hard to say but doesn't seem to be from oil soaked wood. Is it because boxlocks remove too much material. I have seen more cracked or repaired stocks with the 12 gauge then others but that is just eye test are there just as many 16 and 20 gauge gun stocks that are damaged. Here and now I guess it doesn;t matter too much since there are repair and replace options to the funiture, just wondering out loud.

Obviously pinning repair was considered industry best practice at the time instead if not the replacement of stock, which is the best. Hard to argue $1.50 to $13, with $13 being a quarter to third of the value of the gun at time, grade dependent.

I will have to say whoever pinned that gun, that was the best looking pinning job I have ever seen. Heck I think Merkel on some guns has a pin or what looks like a pin on their boxlock guns from day one and doesn't look near that good.

[Paul Harm]

I've seen some stocks Brad has pinned and if you didn't know ahead of time that they were pinned you'd have trouble seeing it.