"O" frame 16ga. percentage of 16ga. production

[jay shachter]

Has anybody done a count or extrapolation to have a firm idea on what percentage of 16ga. production was done on an "O" frame?

Would it be likely that there are fewer Graded guns, percentage wise, than VH Grade?

[Bill Murphy]

Jay, the ratio of 0 to 1 frame 16s is not something that can be extrapolated within the PGCA database. Frame sizes are not mentioned in order books. Frame sizes are posted in stock books, but not transferred over to the Serialization Book. The stock book frame size mentions are not available in any PGCA database. It just doesn't make much difference, since some of our most petite 16 gauge guns were made on the #1 frame. This #0 frame mystique is overrated.

[Bill Murphy]

Oh my gosh. Jay, are you aware of the fact the some of the nicest 16s were made on #2 and #3 frames. My dainty little #3 frame 28" 16 weighs no more than 8 3/4 pounds.

[jay shachter]

Sounds like the pheasant gun for late season spooky pheasants with 3 1/2" 16ga. Magnums. I will have to admit I have not encountered any large frame 16's. The lightest one I have personally weighed on a #1 frame was the gun that was owned by L.L. Bean at 6lbs. 5oz. The barrels were stamped 3-5. The little "O" frame DHE I have right now weighs 6 1/4lbs. and barrels are stamped 6-4. I have had plenty of #1 frames near 7lbs., most around 6 3/4.

[Bill Murphy]

Jay, oddly, all of my #1 and #0 16s are within an ounce or two of 6 1/4 pounds, except for my #3 frame gun.

[Fishtail]

IMO, the #1 frame is the most ergonomically-friendly of all Parker frames. A 0 frame has some sort of sex appeal attached to it but....gimme a #1 frame any day for a 16.

[Dean Romig]

I'll take a lighter gun regardless of frame size. It so happens that one of my 0-frame 16's, a GH with 26" Damascus barrels weighs in at 6 lb., 15 oz. and though it is a pretty gun, it is not my favorite.

[Big D]

Jay - Your last post says that the unstuck weight of the barrels is the same as the whole gun. We either have a typo, a severely swamped set of barrels, or a mistake in the Meridan stamping cener

[Bill Murphy]

I would guess that the corrected post would be 3-4. Today, I am going out for test fire of the #1 frame 16 gauge DHE that I purchased from a member on this forum in the "for sale" subforum. It is a sweetheart, 24 3/4" cylinder bored barrels and a squished Jostam pad, 6 pounds, 5 ounces, twin ivory beads, great English Walnut, outstanding condition. It is cased in a leather trunk case I purchased a day or two after I bought the gun. Angel Ortiz advertised the case on this forum. Oddly the barrel channel in the case was 24 3/4". You couldn't get a matchbook into either end of the barrel channel with the barrels installed. Sometimes things just come together in the Parker world.

[C.O.B.]

I have 0 frames that weigh more than 1 frames and of course visa versa. It's my understanding that the majority of the weight is in the barrels and the stock. higher grade guns with nice wood might be more dense and a VH. Also things like ejectors and BTF will add weight.