New Member, Inherited Parker

[Bill Murphy]

When I was looking at the picture of the lug, I was creating an optical illusion in my mind. Yes, the beavertail forend was a factory installation. By the way, a double trigger Trap is a scarce combination. Most Traps were equipped with the Parker single trigger. By now, you should be getting private messages from people who would offer to purchase your gun. If you pay dues to the PGCA, you will save money on your letter and also have the privilege to offer your gun for sale on the Members section of the website.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by George Lander

Looks all original Parker yo me. A genuine Silver's pad might be a good choice as well.

Best Regards, George

Really? I am having a hard time believing Parker would have made a Monte Carlo stock by splicing a piece on top, or the adjustable butt plate. I agree, a Silvers, Jostam or Noshok pad would look correct.

[waclifton]

Hi Bill. Thanks for the advice. FYI, I joined the PGCA a very short time ago, and mailed the research letter request yesterday.

You are right on the purchase offers. I'm already hearing from other members, and I haven't even listed it for sale.

I've really been impressed by the number of members that have jumped in to advise me on the gun. I'm wrestling with whether to keep it as a family heirloom or just sell it. I'm 69-years-old, and if anything happens to me, my wife won't have a clue of how to dispose of it - and my several other guns.

If anyone you know might have an interest in the Parker, please point them in my direction.

Here are my contact options:

Wayne Clifton
Pittsburgh, PA
Home - 412-488-3030
Cell - 412-551-5910

[waclifton]

Probably an area that I overlooked in this whole exchange is the trigger situation. When I received the gun, it has a single "release" trigger. The risk of someone picking up the gun without knowing that seemed to be a risk that I wasn't willing to take, so I sent the gun to Larry DelGrego in New York. He said that he had a set of original Parker double triggers, so I had him swap them.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by waclifton

Probably an area that I overlooked in this whole exchange is the trigger situation. When I received the gun, it has a single "release" trigger. The risk of someone picking up the gun without knowing that seemed to be a risk that I wasn't willing to take

I don't understand. What was your concern?

Originally Posted by waclifton

I sent the gun to Larry DelGrego in New York. He said that he had a set of original Parker double triggers, so I had him swap them.

I went back and looked at the original post, and I missed it before, but it looks like the whole floorplate was swapped out, as the single trigger floorplate differs from the double trigger floorplate. I hope he returned your Single trigger, floorplate, etc, as that is worth a lot by itself, and certainly to anyone who buys the gun, for originality. The floorplate is serial numbered to the gun.

[Dean Romig]

I agree totally with your second point Edgar.

However, I understand Wacliffton's concern over the release trigger should someone unfamiliar with the gun attempt to use it.

[edgarspencer]

It's been so long that I was an 'active' clay shooter, I pretty much forgot about true release triggers, although I never owned a gun with one anyway. I started out life, at least as shotguns were concerned, as a live bird shooter, and going back and forth between clays, and complex competition guns would have been a distinct issue.
I have to assume if the OP's gun was owned by an active trap shooter, then he found a gunsmith who could fit such a mechanism into a Parker, but certainly it's so new a contraption, I can't imagine Parker ever offered such a tarnation.
I guess I have to agree, in retrospect, it would have been a pretty dangerous contraption to someone unfamiliar, though, at least for me, picking up another man's gun without permission is a no-no.
I still have trouble transitioning from a pair to a single. I still love my old 101 skeet gun, but being somewhat of a curmudgeon, think single triggers belong on rifles.

[Big D]

Trap guns with release triggers always have decal on the stock or barrels announcing it is a release. Is that a "Rule", or just common sense?

[waclifton]

This gun never had a decal that I ever saw. However, knowing the owner as I do (did), he probably thought that it detracted from the beauty of the gun.

[Pa SxS]

There is no rule, at least in ATA trapshooting. It is however a good idea. There are to many modern trap guns that look almost identical. The decals are usually orange and have a big R in the middle and are usually on the bottom of the pistol grip. It's very unlikely that someone now would pick up the wrong Parker unless you were at a vintage shoot but I understand the OP for siding on the side of safety.