Will It Blow?

[Bruce Day]

A fellow we met at the Pheasant Fest had wanted me to look at his Parkers, and we met for an hour this afternoon at the local club. He inheirited from his grandfather a couple Parkers, a DH 16 and a GH 10, both damascus. The 16 had been neglected but not abused, had a pad but was a nice gun under the grime and surface rust. The barrels looked good, so I grabbed a couple shells. So many believe that damascus barrels were for black powder only and fear the stories about damascus barrels exploding, unraveling and all such things that people here know as nonsense. So he had never shot the gun, we loaded it, he held it at arms length and pulled the triggers. The gun went pop, pop, and I was priviledged to be there to see a grown man as happy as a kid that he could shoot his forebears gun. He will take some pheasants with it this fall then send the gun off for some cosmetic work. We then shot two rounds of skeet with it and he had fun breaking clays from the first shot on.

And then I get an email from another acquaintance with photos of the test arrangement he made to shoot a 12ga P with twist barrels. Again, pop, pop and nothing happens except a big smile comes.

We all know these matters but so many do not and I know we will have a couple new PGCA members out of these experiences. You can shoot these old guns and not have to dress like Ralphie in the snow suit in A Christmas Story ( like I did the first time with damascus barrels) .

[Fishtail]

I much prefer the holding it at arms length method over that concrete bunker method.

But really, if one is freaky about shooting such a gun, firing a couple shells doesn't mean much other than it withstood the firing of a couple shells. Maybe the next two will cause the gun to blow up, eh?

If I were concerned about a Damascus or twist gun blowing up, and I'm not, I'd at least 'proof' it with some shells that are heavier than I intended to ever actually use.

[Bruce Day]

I had no concern that anything bad would happen, none at all. I loaded the 16ga with the same load that Parker used for patterning that gun at that time, a 7/8oz, 2 1/2 dram equivalent load. Certainly later Parker load tables and hang tags I have posted here show up to 1 oz 2 3/4 dre loads for patterning and service, and of course up to SAAMI proof standards for the time for proof loads. The intent was to show that the gun was shootable, in fact, fun and easy to shoot with the loads Parker intended.

Yes, if I felt that re-proofing was necessary, I could have loaded very heavy loads, but why do that and subject the gun to something that might crack an old stock when it is not needed. And I'm sure the owner didn't want that.

This is another Nebraska gun and the grandfather owned thousands of acres and the finest hotel in Minden, where eastern hunters would come by train and auto and stay for a week hunting the marshes and upland fields. Many brought fine Parkers with them and Nebraska came to have a culture of fine shotguns. The Mahoney 20ga hammer D that I have shown here came from close to this 16ga.

Many of these old guns were shot with very heavy loads, much higher than I would shoot. The owner told me of finding his grandfathers hand loads and shooting a few and how much they whacked his shoulder. I've heard many stories like that, and conclude that old timers experimented to see how much smokeless powder and shot they could cram in a shotshell for their own special recipes that were guaranteed to shoot down low flying aircraft. These had to be in excess of Parker proof loading and I suspect this was one manner in which some barrels were blown. I suspected that this gun had been proofed loaded a few times since original Parker proofing but its overall sound condition ( though dingy and grimy) is a testiment to lasting Parker design and construction. By the way, the wood was that gorgeous pattern Circassian walnut under a dingy oil and dirt finish. I'm like a kid on a treasure hunt when I can rub and wipe off some crud and see gorgeous figured walnut hidden away under there.

[Fishtail]

The reason I don't like firing a gun from a rest, without human contact, is that it is much more likely you'll do some cosmetic damage to the stock as a result of recoil.

[Bruce Day]

I agree. I recommend some sort of bungee and blanket arrangement to absorb recoil if a person doesn't want to hold it to his shoulder.

[OH Osthaus]

ok - i'll ask

what does this guy normally fire that he even has this set up available

[Bruce Day]

That is part of a gun range by Lake Okoboji, Iowa. Cannons maybe, I donno.

[Opening Day]

Originally Posted by Bruce Day

I agree. I recommend some sort of bungee and blanket arrangement to absorb recoil if a person doesn't want to hold it to his shoulder.

Or the old tried and true trick of a tire and a string works just fine and if you wrap the stock with some cloth no damage to the stock... Sometimes the old ways beat out the new ideas

[Ruff Hunter]

I've "tested" damascus and other old guns by holding them at arms length and leaning around to the back side of a medium sized tree trunk. Its hard to visualize, but easy to do, and it shields the face, neck and chest area behind the tree. Of course, I've never had anything explode either.

[Bruce Day]

or:


The owners other parker is a 10ga GH 32 dam uncut both ends and with gorgeous fiddleback black walnut both sides. This old growth wood is so hard to find now. That gun has a separated stock head and needs internal pinning and gluing before shooting. Gary Carmichael had asked a question about how many Parkers are left. Well , here are at least two more very decent guns that are worthy of preservation .