Parker or English?

[Theodore LeDurt]

I want a heavy hammer 10 gauge. Not an 8 or 9 lb gun, but a 10lb plus one. A friend located an E1 Parker 10, and I have to admit that this will be my first hammer gun and I'm not familiar with the Parker hammerguns, but the seller says there is very little color left on the barrels and action, yet the gun seems good and tight.

For a few shekels more an English 10 gauge Greener is also available in similar condition. When I purchased a 12 gauge there was no comparison as heavy 12 gauges are quite rare from the English and a Parker #2 frame, 32" gun over 8lbs, was perfect for waterfowling.

My question is, factoring in balance and quality which gun would be the better buy? I realize this is a Parker site and even broaching the subject may be tantamount to heresy, but I am looking for an honest assessment , given the limited details.

Thank you for any help.

[Bill Murphy]

A ten pound Parker Brothers ten gauge is usually on a #4 frame which is quite scarce and valuable in good condition. A Greener that meets your weight requirement would be as good a choice if in good condition. If not overused, I regard either to be of good quality and suitable for heavy shooting.

[charlie cleveland]

bill you gave the gentleman a good and honest information...i dont think he will go wrong with this info... thanks charlie

[Big Friend Ten (BFT)]

Theodore,

If you want a 10 pound 10 gauge by all means buy one.

There are many of us who waterfowl with 1 1/4 to 1 3/8 oz Nice Shot or ITX 10 gauge loads with great success. For these a 9 pound gun is very much sufficient to absord the recoil. Please see the reloading section of this forum for more information.

I like my 10 pound guns but the 9 pounders are a little quicker to shoulder.

Respectfully,
Mark

[Theodore LeDurt]

Absorbing recoil is my concern. While Greener may of had his 96 to 1 rule, and that works fine for a standard lead load, my experience has led me to believe a 120 to 1 rule makes for a more comfortable shooting gun with waterfowl loads.

[Harry Collins]

Theodore,

What load do you intend to shoot? What size shell?

Harry

[C grade]

Theorore
I have both a Parker Bros. and a Greener hammergun in 12 ga. I love them both, and find the workmanship excellent on each. They seemed to be priced about the same for comparable condition. I feel the Greener cross bolt is a stronger action but Parkers hold up just fine as evidenced by those of us that shoot thousands of rounds a year through one. Personally,I would pick the gun that fits you best.
David

[Theodore LeDurt]

Originally Posted by Harry Collins

Theodore,

What load do you intend to shoot? What size shell?

Harry

Three of us, have just purchased a reloader, but have not bought bushings or reloading components. We will be loading 2 7/8" shells with 1 3/8oz loads of ITX or E shot when available. This is the only decisions we have made so far.

I should mention that while formerly using an English pigeon grade 12 weighing 7lb 4oz, while it did not have much recoil with target lead loads, when shooting a 1oz load of Black Cloud, was uncomfortable to shoot, and removed skin on middle finger behind the trigger guard. This is what led to my decision to shoot heavier guns for waterfowl. Even many of the new autos exceed 8lbs, so I purchased a DH 12ga, my first Parker, that weighs in at 8lb 6oz. Still desiring a long range gun, and missing a 10ga, has led to the decision to go with a hammer 10.

[Big Friend Ten (BFT)]

Theodore,

I hunt primarily with an EH 10 Hammerless weighing a mere 9 lbs 3 oz. With 1 3/8 oz Nice Shot at 1200 fps it is deadly on Canada Geese at over 60 yards. Please know that those 60 yard shots were measured over decoys. I would not attempt shooting that far for pass shooting.

I think my trusty EH or even my 10+ pound Parkers would recoil too much if I were to shoot Black Cloud. BC is pretty fast steel shot and to me, best suited for an autoloader that softens the “felt recoil”. BC and other modern steel loads seem to have very sharp recoil from a fixed breach gun. This probably is property of the burn rate of the powders they use.

I have also used 1 1/8 oz Nice Shot at 1200 fps in a 12 gauge 7 and a half pound LC Smith. This combination killed geese cleanly over those same 60 yard decoys.

My 10 and 12 gauge waterfowl loads are low pressure starting at 6500 psi plus 1500 psi for the hardness of the Nice Shot. Neither the 10 nor 12 gauge recoil sharply. I feel a push rather than a punch. As stated, they are very deadly on big geese.

Please see the reloading threads where we 10 gauge guys discuss our loads. No one ever mentions excessive recoil.

For what it’s worth,
Mark

[Labowner]

Theodore I shoot a 9.5 lb. 10 ga. gun and there is little felt recoil with the Sherman Bell loads. I've shot 1.5 and 1 5/8 oz. loads for water fowl and 13/8 and 1 1/4 oz. for crows very comfortable.
I like the adjustable shot powder bar on my ten reloader with a digital scale to confirm loads.