Fishtail Top Levers

[Ray Masciarella]

Would the Parker Pages indicate the latest reported gun with fishtail?

Of course, I don't know anything about this but it would seem to me that, regardless of grade, Parker just used up old stock. Hammer gun production slowed a lot after 1890 or so. No reason to discard them. Grade was dependent on engraving rather then style of lever. Today, companies just throw old parts out because their lawyers (like me) tell them to do so but back then that didn't happen. Since Parker still offered a hammer gun after hammerless came out, they were probably not just used up in all early hammerless production because they still needed them for hammer guns.

What is interesting is that some hammer guns made well before hammerless production began actually have straight levers. I have seen an A grade made in about 1885 with a straight lever that looked original to the gun.

Anyway, Im really not qualified to opine but just share my thoughts.

Ray