How common are non-automatic safeties

John Havard · 07-24-2011, 12:11 AM

The title pretty well says it all. The VHE 12 I just bought has a non-auto safety. Would a search letter record that choice or was it fairly common?

Thanks in advance to all for their observations and input.

John

ch · 07-24-2011, 06:19 AM

Well i'll have a go at it. And some will surley help with facts. From Parker Story. King's design of the Parker hammerless gun saftey had a provision for automatically moving the safety back to the safe position when the gun was open. This was accomplishedby a rod,0r pin, which was moved by the top lever crank when the gun was opened and which pushed the safty lever into the "on safe" position. Some shooters, however, do not like this automatic feature on a doublegun saftey and remove the pin in order to make the safety non-automatic. There are occasional notes in the Parker Brothers' order books that indicate a gun ordered with a non-automatic safety. So I guess maybe a letter would tell wether it was ordered that way or not. I would think the ones ordered that way just had the rod removed but i'm not sure of that. ch

Dean Romig · 07-24-2011, 07:04 AM

It's unlikely that a letter would mention that on a Grade 0 Parker but anything's possible.
It is a pretty simple procedure to remove that rod. Any competent gunsmith could do it in about a half-hour and that's very likely the way a great many non-automatic-safety Parkers got that way.

Double Play · 07-24-2011, 07:28 AM

I have a D grade that letters with non-auto safety so the information could be there if the gun was ordered that way. I have two guns that are only used for clays and I had the safety rod removed so as to avoid a missed target due to forgetfulness.

Dean Romig · 07-24-2011, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Frey

I had the safety rod removed so as to avoid a missed target due to forgetfulness.

No comment...

Oops, was that a comment?

J.B. Books · 07-24-2011, 09:41 PM

Not that common from factory, easily modified. FWIW I think most "Skeet" guns came with non-automatic safety, what about the "Double Traps"?

Autumn Daze · 07-24-2011, 11:05 PM

Pete, My double trap is non automatic and my SC has none at all.