In need of some senior collector advice…
 

As some of you may know I recently sold my 12ga DHE repro after losing the forend on a hunt. Well the wife has graciously allowed me to purchase another gun for replacement given the situation. :cheers:

In roughly 3-4 months I will have about 3-6k dollars to play around with for said Parker. I will be using whatever gun it is for clay shooting and hunting grouse woodcock pheasant etc. so I’d prefer an open choked gun that has 2 3/4” chambers. But that’s just a preference my wife has insisted that the deciding factor on a purchase be that it is a,”good buy”.

I have been looking a lot recently and I’m unsure of what I should be looking for exactly. Another reproduction in 12 or 20ga? Or should I finally look for an original Parker since I’ve never owned one 12 16 or 20ga? Hammer gun?

The only Parker I own at this time is my 28ga reproduction and I shoot it well, I’m in no need of a 28ga.

So my question to you gentleman is this.

For those of you with more than one Parker in the vault, given my budget and situation what would you be looking for and advise me on? What should I look out for and avoid?

Broad question I know but I’m looking forward to hearing from y'all, thanks.

You will get a wide variety of responses, so here is my advice. Buy the most original, best condition 20 gauge you can afford. If that falls outside your budget buy the most original, best condition 16 gauge you can afford. Assuming whichever you choose fits you within reason.

If you will be primarily using it for clays, buy a 12g. Look at solid, good condition VH/VHE guns. Longer bbls add to the price but longer bbls on a clays gun are a good thing. You should then also have enough $$ left over to buy a solid 16g hun for hunting. That too can be a VH/VHE grade or even a Trojan would be a good hunting gun. You might find a deal on a 20g gun that falls within the $$ reserve after the 12g purchase, but it might be a shorter barreled gun. The higher grade guns look pretty, but they don't shoot any better than a Trojan, G, V or D grade.

If you are looking for something shoot, then I’d start with a gun that fit me and go from there.

Buy what your pocket book allows, I just bought a 30" V grade 20ga in nice shape for 3500 I am happy with it, and that is all that really matters, Gary

A very high original condition 12 gauge Trojan or VH or VHE. A very high condition gun will be expensive, but it will go up in value where an average condition gun will not. Don't worry about the condition going down. I haven't seen any deterioration in any of my guns over my period of ownership. Good luck.

Any sxs that I buy has to meet the following conditions:
1 the stock must fit me well
2. The stock has to be complete and original. No cracks, chips, repairs etc.
3. Barrels must be the length I'm looking for and for its intended purpose
3. Barrels must be original to the gun and Clean.. Ie no dents, uncut etc
4. Must be the right gague for its purpose. Ie; skeet, trap etc
5. And anything else I can think of

1. The Parker is safe to shoot and take afield;
2. When I put her to my shoulder and swing her it feels good. And I will do this a hundred times when considering purchase if at all possible. Half the time I do it with my eyes open and half closed (n.b. obviously this can't be done when buying from a distance but this is where you get to know the dimensions that work well for you and the reason you buy with an option to return to seller;)
3. Before I buy I know that everytime I open the safe I would want to pick her up and check her out, wipe her down. She just makes me feel good. Sometimes I'll want to take her out of the safe and just hang out in the house while I pay bills or futz around;
4. I WANT to take her hunting and if I drop her accidentally and put a nick in the wood it's not the end of the world- it's just another story;
5. Seek advice from one of the experts here on this discussion board. Most are more than willing to offer solid advice.
6. Because I'm not an expert on specs, history and all things Parker, I do bring a checklist of things to know about the candidate I'm considering purchasing, but frankly this is all secondary to 1-5.

Best of luck.

I don't own many Parkers and I'm a user not a collector.

Best of luck!

While I have spent a lifetime, hitting the big 80 next week, enjoying vintage doubles, a young man doing a lot of hunting may well want to consider a modern gun with barrels that can handle all types of shot the authorities may inflict on us. I bought the Launch Edition RBLs as they came out to handle that eventuality. I've done quite a bit of hunting with my RBL-16 on public lands requiring non-tox.

What is the feeling on “Upland Gun?”
I came upon the curiosity of their modern hammer gun. I like using my vintage hammer gun on the sporting course, but always worried about it and the ammo for it. I’m not much of a hunter but the idea of a hammer gun in the field is intriguing.