Parker Gun Weight??

[Dean Romig]

That is the first time I have heard of lead weight being added to the stock anywhere other than at the very butt of the stock.






.than

[B. Dudley]

Yes. That is surprising to hear. And lead in the wood can cause problems.

[Gary Laudermilch]

I had a 20 ga VH pistol grip years ago. It had a hole bored under the grip cap. It was filled with lead slugs wrapped with cellophane tape.

[Ken Hill]

Originally Posted by Bob Brown

Did you look under the trigger guard? My VHE 20 straight grip with 30" barrels has a drilled hole filled with lead under the trigger guard. It goes at angle back into the butt from near the end of the guard. The weight matches the letter, so I assumed it was factory. It gives it a nice balance.

Bob,

Other than taking the trigger guard tang screws off, I wouldn't know how to loosen the trigger guard to look underneath it.

Interesting someone would put lead under the guard.

Thanks,
Ken

[Bob Brown]

Perhaps it was added later to move the balance point. It doesn't seem to have harmed the wood. The requested specs as ordered in the letter:

"According to Parker Bros. Order Book No. 91, it was a VHE hammerless, 20-gauge. It featured Vulcan steel barrels with a length of 30 inches, chamber lengths of 2 7/8”, and Lyman sights. The stock configuration was a straight grip and a Silvers rubber butt was requested. The requested specifications were: Length of Pull 14 ½”, Drop at Heel 3 ½”, Weight 6 pounds, 6 ounces."

I don't know if it was added to match the ordered weight though. The rest is original and matches the letter. She would probably be a bit muzzle heavy without it. There would be no way to tell on yours without removing the trigger guard.

[Bob Brown]

With the silvers pad on mine I don't know what is under it. I thought that they had probably mounted the pad and put the finish on and then weighed the finished gun. With an actual lbs and oz target there wouldn't be many places they could add weight without negatively affecting the balance.

edit: it appears the lead is either a part of a round bar or was melted and poured into the hole.

[Craig Budgeon]

Ken, you state that your gun was manufactured in 1916 which means it was originally stocked in European walnut. The present stock appears to be high quality American walnut to me which is denser than European walnut.

[Dean Romig]

Ken, now that I have enlarged your pictures and more closely examined the detail, it your gun now wears a Remington replacement buttstock of American Black Walnut crotch grain.





.