1 st parker

[Keavin Nelson]

The VH 2 frame 12 ga. has been in the family three generations. It hung on the wall of my bedroom from the time I was about 8, in very sad shape. Bad restock that had failed, safety worked backwards, left barrel wouldn't cock, off face, and loose, with pitted barrels and a small crack at a dent on the left barrel. I worked with a local smith about 15 years ago to return it to solid use. I restocked it, corrected the safety, cleaned up the bores, had the crack tig welded, blued the barrels and re-cased the action after polishing. When I showed it to my then 86 yr. old uncle he was quite touched, and spent the better part of two hours telling me and his two sons how many rabbits it had killed, grouse my dad had taken, and an occassional duck, and at least one deer.. It kept grandmas cook pot full! My son has already laid claim to it, on to the forth generation!

[Marty K.]

When I was about 22 or so I had the idea I wanted to shoot and hunt with a traditional side by side. My brother worked at Creekside while going through college and ordered an Ithaca SKB 20 with 26" barrels and beaver tail....well it was a fine little gun but I wanted a "historical" piece to hunt with and I looked over briefly the big 5. The Parkers just stood out to me and it wasn't close. I found a VH 16 at a gun show with a $1000 price tag which you all will remember was a lot of money in those days especially for someone my age. But I had to have it and in those days at least for me Parkers were hard to find...anyway an older dealer I trusted walked over to look it over for me. I was shaking...he took his time, looked it all over, and pronounced it an honest gun...SOLD! For the next few years I hunted grouse, pheasants and woodcock with that gun but never was as accurate with it as I was with a single barrel pump....But I practiced and improved and used it till I got some snow in the right barrel and caused a bubble...Sent it to Lefever and they were able to fix it but they refinished the stock and left it blond which I just couldn't stand ..so it was sold...But I wish I still had it.....I do have a few more now