Parker conversion

[tom leshinsky]

Did Parker ever convert a hammer side lock to hammerless side lock? There was a old man (84 yrs old) with one at the Denver gun collectors show this past weekend and he had one. It was a lower grade with laminated steel bbls.
It looked like it could be a factory job but I never heard of one.

[Dean Romig]

He had a PARKER that had been converted? :shock:

That's something I'd like to see.... I can't even imagine how that would have been accomplished :confused:

[edgarspencer]

I can't even get beyond "WHY?"
I doubt you were looking at a Parker frame. The alignment of fire firing pins would pretty much make such a feat impossible. Hammer frames in the lock area are much thinner than hammerless frames.

[Patrick Lien]

Did Parker ever convert a hammer side lock to hammerless side lock? There was a old man (84 yrs old) with one at the Denver gun collectors show this past weekend and he had one. It was a lower grade with laminated steel bbls.
It looked like it could be a factory job but I never heard of one.


That gun was actually a grade 3 with sculped bolsters. It also had a Remington repair code on the barrel flats which makes you wonder if Remington did the conversion. Overall the gun was in poor condition and the barrels had been cut to 28" but it was interesting to see and wonder what it looked like on the inside. I took a picture of it with my cell phone. I will try to find it and post.

Patrick

[Dean Romig]

Thanks for being there Patrick, and for taking pictures.

[Robert Delk]

I suppose if Dan Lefever could convert a muzzle loader to a breech loader that about anything is possible given someone with the right skills.

[Patrick Lien]

All I had was my cell phone so the pictures are not the greatest but here it is. It was a fully functional gun.

Patrick

[Dave Suponski]

Boy, I would like to see the internals of that gun.

[Patrick Lien]

Boy, I would like to see the internals of that gun.

Me too Dave. I did take the barrels off and there was a Remington repair code. The old gentleman had owed it for 70 years by his estimate and it was like this when he purchased it.

Patrick

[edgarspencer]

I doubt that was done by the factory but I can clearly see it was done by a skilled person. Still, the question of 'why?' . It kind of reminds me of a guy who comes every year to the Dublin Antique engine show with a simplicity lawn tractor with a ford flathead V8 in it. The workmanship is what I expect NASA demands, and the sucker runs and drives, but it's one of those exercises in engineering that seem to have no logic.

[Dave Suponski]

Edgar, I think the logic of these kind of excesises amounts to"Just wanted to see if it could be done" and how well it could be done.

[Robin Lewis]

15 - 20 years ago I was in a shop with a skilled craftsman and he showed me a Parker that was like this gun, but only on one side. The other side was a regular box lock. I asked him why and he said "to prove I could do it".

[Dave Noreen]

Both Parker Bros. and Remington Arms Co. made samples of hammerless conversions of their hammer sidelock doubles, but both eventually settled on boxlock hammerless designs for their public offerings. These hammerless sidelock conversions are shown in The Parker Story and in Charles Semmer's Remington Double Shotguns.

[tom leshinsky]

See guys I not crazy! I know a Parker when I see one, i have been dealing with them for 50 yrs,, I didn't want to examine it further because I didn't want to buy it. He wanted around $3000 for it and it was in BAD shape.
Patrick, I'm sorry I didnt get to visit with you and thanks for the pics. The only thing I do with my cell is say hello.

[Bill Murphy]

When Dan Lefever advertised his service of converting muzzle loading shotguns to breechloaders, he stated. "Just send in the barrels and the trigger plate. That's all we need."

[edgarspencer]

These hammerless sidelock conversions are shown in The Parker Story and in Charles Semmer's Remington Double Shotguns.

I can't find any reference in TPS regarding conversions, but do see the prototype Hammerless shown on page 121. Where are the conversions shown which you referenced?

[edgarspencer]

I didn't want to examine it further because I didn't want to buy it. He wanted around $3000 for it and it was in BAD shape.


Three grand is a lot of money for someones project, but if it truly is a Parker conversion prototype, that might have been the bargain of the century.

[Dave Noreen]

Maybe I should have said "sidelock hammerless prototypes". I'm at our place in Kodiak, AK, 3000 road miles from my books and research materials.

[edgarspencer]

Thanks Dave. The prototype shown in TPS is not remotely similar to the gun show find.
My son left Kodiak last year, after being stationed there for 5 years. He's now flying out of Clearwater FL, but hoping to make Kodiak on his next transfer again. He said to say hi to the guys at KISA