How to determine barrel chokes?

[Don Kaas]

As I stated, Parker Bros introduced Parker Special Steel barrels for the GH in 1908, a full 8 years after your gun was made. It doesn't take much "out of the box" thinking to realize that the gun most likely went back to Parker Bros and the original (likely damaged or severely pitted) 1900 Damascus barrels were replaced by the then current fluid steel barrels some time after 1908. I own (or have owned) no less than 6 Parkers that this happened to (original Damascus replaced by new fluid steel barrels) and the factory records bore these conversions out. Send for a Research Letter on your gun and if this happened before 1919 there will likely be a record of it. I will also show your gun left the factory in Meriden, Conn. as a Quality D2 or GH with Damascus barrels. Anyway, those are the facts.

[Sandy Goss]

Thanks for the clarification. I'm a newbie at all this and my disconnect was not realizing that Damascus guns could be rebarreled to shoot smokless powder loads. I will follow your recommendation to order a research letter on this gun. Even if it's not completely up to date it will be nice to know the as-built information.

Thanks again for your help.

Sandy Goss

[Bruce Day]

Originally Posted by Sandy Goss

not realizing that Damascus guns could be rebarreled to shoot smokless powder loads.
Sandy Goss

Interesting statement, particularly since those Damascus barrels were proofed by Parker with smokeless powder.