11-Gauge Parkers

[Richard B. Hoover]

Chuck,

That is great. How deep can you get into the bores? I am still hoping to learn more about full length tapered bores, so if they can reach 15" you could measure the full length of most barrels.

By the way, I forgot to post a couple of other things that had led me to my conclusions about early Parker 11-gauge guns. It had been suggested that Charles Parker just may not have cared much about precise bore dimensions. Then in June 1996, I had the wonderful opportunity to measure the bores and chambers of the Prototype Parker S/N 06 at the Meriden Historical Society. It was originally thought to be S/N 90 and in 14-gauge. Charlie Hezog and the late "Big Iron" Ed Kapelski helped me to measure the gun and fing that it was chambered for short (2") Maynard shells and with rlief chokes in the last 4" at the muzzle. My measurements revealed that both bores were perfect 12-bore dimensions (0.729") over almost the entire length of both barrels (Attached). This precision 1866 barrel boring amazed my friends in the NASA/MSFC machine shop. The Prototype was chambered for Maynard shells and it had an abrupt lip at the end of the chambers so that once it had been fired and the hulls were still in place it could be used as a muzzle loader. This was fine, since the caps were not in the shells, but fitted on percussion nipples on the top of the receiver. An 1866 or 1867 Ad in the Webb N. E Railway and Manufacturer's Statistical Gazeteer described this type of gun. The Meriden T-Latch Parker with Percussion Nipples may be the only one of its kind still in existence, and I doubt that they made very many to start with. I attach the Webb Ad as there may be new members of the PGCA that have never seen it, but I think it was probably published in TPS.

Richard