The Complete Package -- Parker Reproductions

[Kevin McCormack]

I owned two Parker.l410s over the years, the first one a barn find VH that still had lots of wonderful original CC, the second a washed out but all original and wonderful GHE from Doug Turnbull purchased at the (I believe) next-to-last Vintagers event held at Sandanona. Doug rejected my pile of choice guns in trade so I wore him out with cash.

Both guns have since gone down the highway of commerce and I am proud to have made their current owners happy. Now I think I would like to have a Parker Repro .410 or an RBL .410 mostly because I like to shoot and actually hunt with the gauge. A friend once invited me on a woodcock hunt with the caveat, "Bring a man's gun, none of those piss-ant "butterfly guns" you usually show up with". His scouted area had a flight come through late the day before so we knew the action would be hot. To restore his faith in the little guns (and to re=educate him in their efficacy), I showed up with my LC Smith 28" .410. His great Brittany Spaniel "Skye" worked like a field trial champ and we flushed over 20 birds. We both shot limits of 3 birds apiece, him with his Beretta BL 3 20 ga. and me with my Elsie, with no cripples and no lost birds. I recall firing 7 shots and him not very many more; we hunted well togethr. On the ride home he said, "Not too bad for a kid's gun."

I know I will have to buy a combo set in a Repro to get the .410; Tony G told me they made c. 14 single (non-combo) RBL .410s, but I have never seen one. I love to say, "They are out there." Maybe I'll run into one at the firehouse guns show this weekend.