Advice on a DHE

[SallyDeane]

Hello; I wanted some advice on a Parker handed down by my grandfather; I am NOT looking to sell it, I just wanted to know whether there is anything special about the gun, what if any treatment I should give it, and whether there are any Parker experts or shops in the Chicago area I should consult. Note I do understand I can't use today's loads on a Damascus barrel.

I do have the research letter which says the gun was ordered on Sept 19, 1910, and is "a DHE hammerless 12-gauge. It featured Damascus Steel barrels with a length of 30 inches. Its stock configuration was a capped pistol grip. Its specifications were: Length of Pull 14" Drop at Heel 3 1/4" and Weight 7 pounds to 7 1/4 pounds. The requested choke was RH 3/4 and LH Full. The price was $100 with an additional $25 for ejectors. The letters "PJD" were engraved on the shield [my grandfather's initials]"

The gun is in good condition and certainly rarely or perhaps even never fired. I have attached some pictures to give you an idea of its condition.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Sally Deane

[Big D]

Oh my! What a dandy! What you should do is treasure it, and pass it down through your family

[edgarspencer]

Hi Sally, and Welcome to the PGCA Forum.
Your Grandfather's gun appears to be in remarkably nice condition, and it's hard to believe he took it out much.
Apart from a regular wipedown with a good silicone gun cloth, and stored in a humidity free environment, you really don't have much to be worried about.
Contrary to what you may have been led to believe, these guns, and quality Damascus barrels in general, are perfectly safe with modern, smokeless loads in the light loadings, usually under 1200 fps (ft per second.) You'll find dozens of members here who almost exclusively shoot damascus hammer, and hammerless doubles. Look into ammunition loaded by RST. I shoot a dozen or so cases per year of Lite, and Maxi-Lite, in all gauges.
On first blush, your gun appears to have it's case hardening colors refreshed at some time in it's life, as they do not appear like most guns I see. The wood looks quite original, which might lend credence to the case colors also being original.
For insurance purposes, I might suggest you value your gun in the range around $5000.00
Once again, welcome, and drop by anytime.

[Dean Romig]

Big D and Edgar are absolutely right. You have a true Parker obviously in original condition that I would call 'museum quality'.

[SallyDeane]

Thank you all ever so much! I will keep your comments with my research letter. Since the Parker has a family connection we plan to keep it and want to be sure we know how to maintain it!

Thanks again.

Sally

[Dean Romig]

In addition to periodically wiping it down externally it is wise to be sure the bores are clean and oiled just as often.

[Richard Flanders]

Holy cow! What a beauty. Hardly fired for sure. What a treasure. The amount of case colors and the engraving are absolutely spectacular. The screws have been monkeyed with a bit. The hing pin screw slot is buggered a tad; someone had the wrong driver in there at some point. Stunning gun.

[OH Osthaus]

Sally

what a wonderful family treasure

i hope someone takes it for a walk once and a while

[Mike Franzen]

Thanks for sharing your grandfathers gun with us. I'm sure everyone would love to see more pics. I would like to see the forend and the breech face (where the firing pins come out)

[George M. Purtill Member #28]

It is so cool that your grandfather's initials were engraved on the shield. It is unfortunate more people didn't do that. I don't think it cost a penny more.
What a family treasure.
I think the case colors are being unfairly amplified by the photography. If that is true, the gun looks mint.