0 Frame 16s

[Harold Pickens]

Scott, sounds like your gun must have 26" barrels to be under 6 lbs. I have 2 O frames that letter at 6 lbs, both with 26" barrels. Both came out of georgia so I assume they were quail guns. Both also were ordered with cyl/mod chokes. I would not care for IC/F on a quail gun either. My favorite choke combo is cyl/cyl. I hunt mostly grouse over my setters. I do have a couple cyl/F guns that I hunt with, but wish that second barrel was either IC or mod.
My grouse guns for many years were a VH 16 1 frame Parker and a Fox Sterlingworth 16. Both had 28" M/F chokes, and what the hell does a grouse hunter need that for. The guy I bought them from had an IC reamer, so I had both guns opened up to IC in each barrel. No real regrets on that, and still have both of them .My favorite Parker is a VHE 20 that someone wacked 1 1/2" off to 26 1/2" and very open choked. Basically, I'm saying that if this gun turns your crank and you want to make it a bonifide quail killer, its your gun . Its probably not really a collectors item, just a solid shooter. Keep us posted and show us some pictures.

[Scott Barter]

Hi Harold,
I reweighed it as I was wondering myself. (Bathroom scale
It is more like 6.2 pounds but it does have 28 inch tubes. My thoughts exactly
As far as opening the barrels. First of all it has a pad so it’s not original. Secondly it is a vh.
It it were a mint, all original DHE or something I would certainly leave it alone.
I do hunt quail, and had a good day over in Oregon a week ago with my fox 16. I have trouble with that gun however as it has so much drop! Plus I’m cross eyed dominant so I’ve got that going for me too!
Primarily out here it is chukars and Huns. I hunt Montana too which is magic for pheasants and sharp tails. A lightweight 16 with IC/Mod is just the ticket! We have blues and ruffs here too but don’t hunt them too often. by the way I shot a Bighorn Sheep in Colorado this year and that was an amazing experience, but cut into my bird hunting time. That little 20VHE is probably the best choice for flushing grouse!

[Harold Pickens]

Yeah, I understand the cross dominance problem--I'm an eye doctor. My son has the same problem. I also shoot a GH 16 O frame damascus that had 1 inch of barrel cut off to 27" before I bought it. It's kind of a loose mod/tight mod now, makes a good pheasant gun. I can/do reload alot and can make spreaders, but rarely mess with them except for in my Lefever 16 ga choked F/F weighing 6 lbs 3 oz. Sounds like you have a great little gun there.

[Scott Barter]

Harold sounds like your a 16 gauge junkie too! My fav shotgun no question. I also have an early browning superposed and early Merkel 200 E both in 20 gauge. I’ve got a little Winchester 42 410 as well to round things out. Almost forgot I’ve got a Rizzini 16 O/U as well. Love them all but this Parker is just so slim and lively. Can’t wait to get out with it.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Scott Barter

Good grief guys!
First off I am not looking to turn targets to dust as I stated, this is for upland bird hunting! I can also match your 35 year’s experience and not on pen raised birds. Trust me, a full choke is not required on Bobwhites!!! Thanks gents!

Sorry, Scott, if my comment upset you. It was not my intention. I meant it when I wrote, "You know your shooting and your needs best." I agree with you that a full choke is not required to take a Bobwhite. Having never shot at pen raised birds except when planted for training purposes, like you, over time I have developed my prejudices about what works best for wild birds where I hunt them. In the end, my experience is not yours. Having said this, I must admit that over time I've come to appreciate originality in vintage guns, but that's my bias, and may not be yours.

[Bill Quillen]

I am new to this forum and new to Parker guns. Have been helping a friend try to evaluate several damascus barreled Parker’s. I have been reading up history and nomenclature and have taken one apart after studying several tutorials as it has an internal crack in the head of the stock.
This gun is a 16 ga.DH with 26 inch twist barrels on an O size frame and weighs 6# 1oz. . Serial 137016 which I take to be 1905. Case colors are worn somewhat and wood has a few dings but looks to be original. The puzzling thing is the barrels . They are pristine inside and out.I do not know Parker’s well but have seen a lot of old guns pitted and rusted.
My question is, how much does twist steel barrels effect price. This would be a magnificent field gun if proper ammunition could be found.I know there is no long distance answer as to how there barrels came down 116 years and look new.

[Harold Pickens]

Sounds like a nice gun Bill, my 1905 made DHE 16 O frame weighs 6 lbs even with 26" fluid Titanic barrels. Perhaps it was well taken care of, or perhaps the bores were reamed to remove pitting, in which case the minimum wall thickness is important.

[Dean Romig]

Likely the barrels are replacements. No D grade Parkers, that we know of, were ever made with Twist barrels. They were either Damascus Steel or Titanic Steel.






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[Bill Quillen]

Thanks Dean Romig for the reply, the barrels are serial numbered to the gun . So parker did make twist barrels for this model in this size and date.
Thanks Harold Pickens for your reply. I do not have a bore or chamber gauge ,but will have the barrels checked to determine if they have been altered in any way.
Does anyone have an opinion as to valuing a sound gun with twist barrels. I have associated twist barrels as a step between Damascus and fluid steel.

[Dean Romig]

I think before anyone can actually assign a value to your Parker you’ll need to ascertain that Parker Bros. actually did fit those Twist barrels to it. The fact that the serial number on the barrel lug matches the number on the water table isn’t proof of anything.

Send for a PGCA research letter to discover if there are any records that might address that very unusual set of barrels on your D.






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