GH 8

[Mills Morrison]

By popular request . . . here are some photos of the new 8.

[Mills Morrison]

Bottom to top: Trojan 20 gauge on no. 0 frame; VH 16 gauge on no. 1 frame; GH 12 gauge on no. 2 frame; DH 10 gauge on no. 3 frame; GH 8 gauge on no. 6 frame.

[Brian Dudley]

That thing is a monster! Look at the thickness of the wrist compared to the rest.

[Mills Morrison]

L - R : 8, 10, 12, 16 & 20

[Mills Morrison]

Brian, it made the DH 10 you fixed for me look like a 410. Not even I was expecting it to be so big

[greg conomos]

What year was it made? I think mine was 1913. It looks very similar.

[Mills Morrison]

Mine is 1913 as well.

[charlie cleveland]

mills that is one fine gun but i belive its a little bit big for the wife..the shell collection is great...and it makes a 10 ga look awful small.lordy i love these big old gun s...have you got to shoot and pattern the big 8 with 8 ga shell s yet..what a gun you have and with a single trigger....charlie

[Harryreed]

Not only a nice 8, you must be proud of the whole group!!! All very nice.

[Frank Cronin]

That gun is a BEAST. Great pics! Congrats!!!

[Scott Janowski]

Very Nice! Is that a Miller single trigger?

[Eldon Goddard]

Those are some great pictures. I like picture 4 the best.

[Brian Dudley]

That single trigger is to keep you from wanting to pull both triggers. :-)

[Scott Janowski]

Yes......but what if it makes the decision for you?

[Mills Morrison]

It is a Miller single trigger. Here is a picture of the selector which is built into the safety. I got the research letter back and it says it was sent back to the factory to have the chambers lengthened for 3 1/2 shells.

I have not been able to shoot Charlie's shells in it yet. We were out of town most of this weekend and not anywhere I could shoot.

[Mills Morrison]

Here is a comparison of the 8 to the 20. Now I need a 28 and maybe a 410.

[Richard B. Hoover]

Lordy, Lordy---them barrels look almost as big as the tree behind it.

[Daryl Corona]

Finally Mills,your search is over. Congrats on a nice looking gun. I would'nt want to have to buy your ammo for you.:rotf:

[Brian Dudley]

Mills, I have a single 8ga primed paper hull. Been kicking around. I will bring it to the southern. It is yours.

Based on the looks of the chamber wall thickness, it doesn't appear they couldn't have built an 8 on any smaller than a 6 frame.

You did good on that one Mills. When you first started looking, I know you were after a fixer upper. That one looks like anything but.

[Daryl Corona]

That single trigger is to keep you from wanting to pull both triggers. :-)

Just hope that that cannon does not ever double on you Mills. Ouch!

[Mills Morrison]

Thanks for the shell Brian! Yes, I started out looking for a fixer up, but this one does not need anything. The stock is brand new.

I have had a 10 double on me a few times and it was not that bad. Hope that does not happen with this one.

My son looked at the trigger and said the gun was missing a trigger.

[Mike Franzen]

Congrats Mills on a super nice Parker! You done good.

[Eric Eis]

Mills bring that gun to the Southern, I may know that gun.....

[Dave Noreen]

FWIW, here is my 8-gauge UMC/Rem-UMC shotshell offerings info --

I have looked through some of my old Union Metallic Cartridge Co. catalogues, and find their 8-gauge shells were only offered loaded with bulk smokeless powder or black powder. I don't find any 8-gauge loadings with dense smokeless powders.

In 1903, 04 and 05, UMC's 8-gauge shell was the "Trap" shell, green in color. Bulk smokeless powder loads were --

5 drams with 1 1/2 ounces of shot
5 1/2 drams with 1 3/4 ounce of shot
6 drams with 2 ounces of shot.

In black powder loads they offered --

5 drams with 1 1/2 ounces of shot
5 1/2 drams with 1 3/4 ounces of shot
6 drams with 2 ounces of shot
6 1/2 drams with 2 ounces of shot
6 1/2 drams with 2 1/4 ounces of shot
7 drams with 2 ounces of shot
7 drams with 2 1/4 ounces of shot.

None of these catalogues mention the length of the shell these loads are put up in. UMC's primed empty 8-gauge paper shell, equivalent to the "Trap" shell, was head stamped "Expert" and was offered in 3 1/4 inch length for $25 per thousand, and 3 1/2 to 4 inch lengths for $28 per thousand.

By 1910, the "Trap" and "Expert" were gone and the 8-gauge offerings were in the "Arrow" shell, salmon color. Bulk smokeless powder loads offered were listed as being in a 3 1/4 inch case --

5 drams with 1 1/2 ounces of shot
5 1/2 drams with 1 3/4 ounces of shot.

There was no offering of loaded extra length 8-gauge shells.

Black powder loads offered were --

5 drams with 1 1/2 ounces of shot
6 drams with 1 3/4 ounces of shot
7 drams with 2 ounces of shot.

The "Arrow" primed empty 8-gauge shells were stamped HANDLOADED on the side and were offered in 3 1/4 inch length for $25 per thousand and the 3 1/2 to 4 inch lengths for $28 per thousand, and all carried the notation "bulk powder only."

Through the 1915-16 Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Co. catalogue the 8-gauge offerings remained the same as 1910. By the 1918-19 Rem-UMC catalogue only the 3 ¼ inch empties were being offered and the only bulk smokeless load was 5 ½ drams with 1 ¾ ounce of shot. Black powder loads remained the same.

[Greg Phillips]

Beautiful gun, very nice clean engraving, enjoy. And yes heading in the other direction 28 then 410...Congrats

[Mills Morrison]

Thanks for all the responses and compliments.

Dave, thank you for that loading info.

[greg conomos]

Mills, sorry if I am cutting in on your thread, I will delete this if you wish. I love comparison like this, though, and here is a photo I took for my brother some time ago. It's the GH8 Damascus below the GH28 Damascus.

[Mills Morrison]

No problem Fishtail. Great photo!

[Rich Anderson]

Greg that GH 28 damascuss has to be a rare gun. What are the barrel lengths and chokes? Perhaps you could share more with us as it deserves it's own thread.

[greg conomos]

It is a 26" barrel gun with 14" LOP. I don't recall the chokes other than 'it has some'. I'll see what I can dig up on it, it's been a while since I pulled it out of the safe. It lettered from 1903.

[wayne goerres]

You will know you pulled the trigger with the 6 dram 2 oz black powder load. The gun is awesome Mills. Let us know if you find any cleaning tools for the 8ga. Charlie and I have had to improvise a lot.

[Mills Morrison]

Thanks Wayne. My 12 gauge rod seemed to do just fine. I angled it a little bit to get an extra grip on the crud

[greg conomos]

C.O.B., the 28GH has chokes of .008" and .037" and was one of 2 guns featured in an article in Autumn 2004 DGJ (before I owned it).

[wayne goerres]

The first time I fired mine (with black powder) I took it out side and washed it out with the garden hose.

[Dave Noreen]

According to The Parker Story there were 38 28-gauge Damascus barrel GH-/GHE-Grades. 15 with 26-inch barrels. First one I ever saw was "Grandma's Gun" that showed up at Potomac Arms in Alexandria, Virginia, and I put Kevin McCormack onto it. See The Double Gun Journal, Volume Eight, Issue 3.

A meeting at a Pennsylvania Turnpike rest area to compare "Grandma's Gun" and a similar gun from Western PA --

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Parker/GrandmasGunandHerSister.jpg

[George Lander]

Mills: Have you ordered a research letter on your 8? Congratulations on a great find.

Best Regards, George

[Bill Zachow]

Brian, just for info, Parker also built the 8 on 5 frames. I owned one many years ago.

[Dean Romig]

Bill, that must have been a "light weight" as far as 8's go - do you remember the weight of that one?

[Mills Morrison]

Mills: Have you ordered a research letter on your 8? Congratulations on a great find.

Best Regards, George

Research letter reveals that it was ordered and shipped to Maine and sent back later to have the chambers lengthened to 3 1/2.

I would like to see a 5 frame 8 gauge just to compare to mine. This 6 frame is a little on the heavy and cumbersome side, but I am not complaining.

[Mills Morrison]

According to The Parker Story there were 38 28-gauge Damascus barrel GH-/GHE-Grades. 15 with 26-inch barrels. First one I ever saw was "Grandma's Gun" that showed up at Potomac Arms in Alexandria, Virginia, and I put Kevin McCormack onto it. See The Double Gun Journal, Volume Eight, Issue 3.

A meeting at a Pennsylvania Turnpike rest area to compare "Grandma's Gun" and a similar gun from Western PA --

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Parker/GrandmasGunandHerSister.jpg



Those 28 gauge GHs' are nice. Hopefully, one will find its way to my safe one day:whistle:

[greg conomos]

My 10 ga # 3 frame, at around 10 or 11 pounds, kicks more than the 8.

[Mills Morrison]

Kick is determined by the weight/shot ratio. My Dad's repro 28 kicks more than my NH 10. My 8 is plenty heavy to absorb a lot of shot charge.

[Jeff Bonadurer]

Mills,

Beautiful guns ! That big 8 is very impressive. Congrats ! ! !

Kind regards,

Jeff

[Bill Murphy]

The only #5 frame eight I have seen was a hammer gun. It was living a few miles up the road from me when I visited it. The condition was not enough to make it interesting. Somebody found it interesting, because it sold quickly. My little 30" DH eight gauge weighs only ten pounds and is on the #6 frame. It is the only hammerless 30" eight in the surviving records, and probably the lightest hammerless eight Parker Brothers made.

[Mills Morrison]

It would be cool to have an 8 gauge 5 stand competition at one of our events.

[Rich Anderson]

Greg thanks for the info on your wonderfull 28, it would make a great Grouse gun. I'll look up the DGJ articals.

Mills be very carefull if you tread into the small bore water's they are habit forming. I'll have two 28's at Drakes if you would care to shoot a round with one.

[Rich Anderson]

Mills I have it on VERY good authority that there will be another Parker 8ga at Drakes, so load up some shells and we can have a big bore shoot.

[Mills Morrison]

Ok. Sounds good

[charlie cleveland]

this will be the time to shoot those gage mates at clay targets and use the big 8 sshells for bigger game..mill s i still cannot get over how nice your 8 is...charlie

[Mills Morrison]

Thanks Charlie.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

On Dogs and Doubles, there is an auction alert for a beautiful WC Scott 8 bore hammer
gun with a set of 10 ga barrels also. Go look at it--WOW!

[wayne goerres]

I think their auction estimate is a tad bit low.

[Bill Zachow]

Dean, it was a lifter, and as I remember, not much over 10 pounds. Quite a beat up gun that had come out of Rhode Island by way of the Gun List. Interesting point, the standing breach was milled for the shell heads. Serialed in the 11000 range.

[Bill Murphy]

Dean, I missed your question. Yes, the #5 frame was a smaller gun, maybe the one Bill Zachow mentioned. I don't believe I ever looked it up in the SB.

[Mills Morrison]

Here is a GH 28 that was really tempting from last year's Spring Southern

http://i1306.photobucket.com/albums/s577/Mills_Morrison/086_zps53d834f8.jpg (http://s1306.photobucket.com/user/Mills_Morrison/media/086_zps53d834f8.jpg.html)

[Dean Romig]

I wish I'd seen that gun!

[Rich Anderson]

I wish I'd seen that gun!

You and me both!
Who was the dealer or was it an individual?

[Mills Morrison]

It was a dealer but I don't remember which one. I just took this photo while looking around. It was around $9,000 which seemed like a really good deal. I just did not have that kind of money (and don't now)

[Daryl Corona]

Just cruise the tents looking for a Zebra rug. Should'nt be too hard to locate.:rotf:

[Mills Morrison]

A Parker 28 gauge is a gaping hole in my collection, but it will have to wait a while to get filled

[Dean Romig]

$9K is about half of what such a gun is worth, presuming there are no issues.

[Bill Murphy]

Zebra skins?

[Rich Anderson]

I can't imagine a dealer haveing a GH 28 for $9K without there being issues with it. Still a deal if the problem isn't to great....like cut barrels.

Mills you would get a lot more use from a 28 than the 8 :duck::)

[Mills Morrison]

Most guns there were priced well above what I thought were fair prices. This was one I thought was fairly priced. Just did not have the funds.

Rich, you are probably right, but a 28 doesn't make quite as big a bang.

[Daryl Corona]

Yeah, but Mills a 28 is just downright sexy. Julia would look just smashing with that smallbore in her hands. Are you there Julia?:cool:

[KCordell]

Really neat collection. The GH 8 is very impressive. Thanks for sharing.

[Mills Morrison]

Yeah, but Mills a 28 is just downright sexy. Julia would look just smashing with that smallbore in her hands. Are you there Julia?:cool:

She shot her VH 16 this weekend

[Mills Morrison]

Ordered some hulls and wads from Precision Reloading. Have an email to Tom Armbrust for the remaining reloading tools