A&F CHE 20ga

[Bruce Day]

1904 CHE 20 gauge in original Abercrombie & Fitch oak and leather case with A&F New York marked oil bottle and snap caps. The case has shipping and train stickers.

Gun weight is 6lbs 3oz, and although the original patterning hang tags are missing, they would have given the chamber length as 2 1/2" for 2 5/8" shells, and patterning count for 7/8oz at 2 1/4 drams. The chokes are original at .004 and .023 ( near Cyl. and Full), which Parker suggested as an all-around upland choke. The barrel length is 26" on a 0 frame. Barrels are original diameter and not honed.

With the cylinder barrel, Parker stated that the average killing circle would be 29" at 25 yards and 20" with the full choke barrel, also at 25 yards.

Parker recommended three hammerless era 20 gauge loads:
3/4 at 2 1/4
7/8 at 2 1/4
7/8 at 2 1/2

Actual Parker chamber lengths for most 20 gauges are 2 19/32".

Cartridges at 7/8oz 2 1/2 dram loads are available from Remington, Winchester, Federal , RST and others. RST shells measure 2 1/2" when expanded, Remington, Winchester and Federals between 2 5/8 and 2 11/16. The two lighter loads are available from RST or handloading.

By the early 1890's , Parker had designed its guns for smokeless powder, and proofed and patterned with smokeless.

[Double Play]

Bruce,
With such a great gun and the case, that is a very nice package. If only it had Bernard tubes you would have your "Holy Grail".

[Mark Callanan]

Wow beautiful…...

[Mills]

Thanks for the photos! Bruce always posts great photos of some great Parkers

[B. Dudley]

That C is another one we can call "Big Bird".

[Researcher]

Beautiful gun and case combination. Thanks for sharing.

I don't know of any North American ammunition manufacturers offering a 2 5/8 inch 20-gauge shell. The lengths normally offered in 20-gauge in the first couple of decades of the 20th Century were 2 1/2, 2 3/4, 2 7/8 and 3-inch. The heaviest loads the ammunition companies offered in the 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shell was 2 1/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 18 grains of dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite, pushing 7/8 ounce of shot. That was the heaviest 20-gauge load offered in the 1903, 4, and 5 UMC Catalogues. By 1910, UMC had begun offering the 2 1/2 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 20-grains of Infallible or Ballistite dense smokeless powder, pushing that same 7/8 ounce of shot, but only from the 2 3/4, 2 7/8 or 3-inch hull.







In the early 1920s, when progressive burning smokeless powders were introduced to shotgun shells, Western Cartridge Co.'s Super-X load leading the way, the high velocity 1 ounce 20-gauge Super-X load was put up in Western's 2 3/4 inch FIELD shell.

The other ammunition companies followed suit, and put out their 1 ounce, 20-gauge, high velocity load in a 2 3/4 shell. Peters going the others one better and also offered to put the 1 ounce high velocity 20-gauge load up in a 2 7/8 or 3-inch 20-gauge case. In the early 1930s, after the Olin's took control of Winchester, they revamped the Winchester ammunition line to where the Winchester Super-Speed and Ranger shotshell lines pretty much mirrored Western's own Super-X and Xpert lines. During the 1930s and early 40s, Winchester offered a 20-gauge, Super-Speed, 1 ounce load, in a 2 1/2 inch case as well as a 2 3/4 inch case. Load No. 58 was their 2 3/4 inch, 20-gauge, Super-Speed load, and according to Winchester Catalog 89, Load No. 57 was the same load in a 2 1/2 inch case. Load No. 57 and 58 were still being offered in the 1941 Winchester Ammunition Guide.

Guess I've babbled on enough about 20-gauge shells!!

[Bruce Day]

The load recommendations are from the Parker Small Bore Shot Gun brochure, pp 9, 11. Mine is about a 1915 publication.

I am aware of the 1 oz 20ga loads made by manufacturers in the 1930's but I have found no mention that Parker ever recommended them. Even in the long or magnum 20ga loads in a Parker, I believe those were still 7/8 oz. I don't know what those uncommon Parker 1 frame 20's are intended to shoot.

[Brush Buster]

Bruce ,I know ,I don't have to tell you because on the occasion you post a picture of that gun I always say it but I just can't help myself ,You are one very fortunate fellow to own that little gun ,it is wonderful !

[John Havard]

Wonderful is the operative word. Very, very nice Bruce. Thanks for sharing it with us!

[Bruce Day]

Just trying to provide interesting and informative subject matter to our forum. Dave Noreen's contributions are always appreciated. Readers seem to like photos.

Anything to get away from what went on last week.....see my Thomas Hardy quote under Location.


On a varied note, Parker used the term "killing circle" when describing pattern effectiveness, see the Small Bore Shot Gun brochure. The killing circle is different than the pattern test board, which was a 30" diameter circle at 40 yards and you simply count pellet strike percentage to determine choke. The killing circle was tested at 25 yards and its diameter varied according to the number of shot pellet hits that would be in a bird in that area. So, killing circle varied by gauge, shot size, and choke and measured effective density. However, for the detail minded, that raises many questions and I know nothing more about it. I have not seen killing circle defined either in Parker literature or by other authors.

As an example, a killing circle for a cylinder bore 20ga 7 shot at 25 yards is 29", for the same with full choke, 20".

So, what size bird and how many pellet hits? How exactly was killing circle determined?