My latest Parker

[Phillip Carr]

Received my letter on my latest Parker, and wanted to share the information on the gun. It looks to be purchased for T C DuPont who was the president of du pont at the time this was purchased and not to long after the du pont gun club was opened. I have not been able to dig up a lot of information yet, and can not find out if MR du pont was even an avid shooter. I would appreciate any information that the members can share.
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/Philcarr/Parker/019-1.jpg (http://s557.photobucket.com/user/Philcarr/media/Parker/019-1.jpg.html)

[Rick Losey]

http://www2.dupont.com/Phoenix_Heritage/en_US/1902_b_detail.html

[Mills Morrison]

Nice find there.

[Dean Romig]

Wow! It is a wonderful thing to have a Parker that can be traced back to DuPont as the original purchaser. The DuPont family were avid shooters and hunters. I remember when Steve Barnett had some DuPont skeet guns for sale almost ten years ago. They were all DHE's in twenty and twenty-eight gauges and were in high original condition.

You are a lucky man!!

[Mills Morrison]

Some of the Duponts had plantations in SC. One is near Dad's place and is now in a foundation created by Eugene DuPont. They were big duck hunters.

[Rick Losey]

a little on the DuPont gun club
http://www.wiltrapshoot.org/wta_information.html

The Wilmington Trapshooting Association (WTA) traces its roots to the duPont Gun Club; organized in November 1910 with the duPont Company as it financial backer. This Club existed and sponsored shoots until it disbanded in October of 1915. Many of the same shooters incorporated a new shooting club, WTA, the following year, 1916. This was a “share holder” club with Alfred I. and William DuPont as large share holders.

and from
http://www.hagley.org/2013/03/two-new-trapshooting-collections-at-hagley

Last month, the Manuscripts and Archives Department also received the records of the Wilmington Trapshooting Association, currently located in Newark, Delaware. The du Pont Gun Club was founded on the modern-day site of the DuPont Experimental Station with the backing of the DuPont Company, T. Coleman du Pont, and Victor du Pont in November 1910. The DuPont Company employed nearly twenty men with the sole responsibility of promoting the building of gun clubs, so it was appropriate to have one on the banks of the Brandywine. DuPont Company President T. Coleman du Pont pledged an annual gift of $200 for awarding trophy spoons to tournament champions.

and this tidbit
Lights were installed in 1915 for night shooting, eventually leading to the beginning of the end for the club. Even though night shooting stopped late in 1915, a suit was filed in Delaware courts due to complaints of noise. The case was heard in court where it was testified that not only noise, but also shot falling onto a local road, had become a nuisance. The club finally closed in 1916.

[Erick Dorr]

Phil can u show us a picture of the "comb bolt" ?
Erick

[Bill Murphy]

Rafts of information on early Dupont shoots and clubs can be found on la84foundation.com, research subsections. That is where we find information on early shooters, early Parkers, you name it.

[Dean Romig]

Maybe it's www.la84foundation.org ??

[Phillip Carr]

Thanks for all of the cool feedback so far. Thanks to Jim Dispagno for selling me this gun. We thought there might be some history on the gun, but did not know for sure. I wrote to the Hagley Museum today and have a response back already they will see what they can find out on this gun by doing some research next week.
As far as a comb bolt I have no idea what this is? Can someone help me on this?
Also I tried to go to the LA84 foundation but it looks like a sports site. Do I have the correct web site?

[Chuck Bishop]

Phil, when a gun was returned to Parker for repair, quite often if it didn't have the new style tapered bolt plate and bolt. They would install this free of charge. In the Order Book you would see the word "comb bolt" stamped. I take it to mean "combination bolt."

[Dean Romig]

Where the gun was manufactured in 1911 and the latest design of the replaceable bolt plate and bolt was a production change in 1910, I find myself wondering why the gun would even have left Meriden with the older style in the first place. And, if it was customary to replace it on each gun sent back to the factory (at no charge) after it was put into production, why this gun didn't receive that upgrade before it was sent out to fill the order.........?

[Phillip Carr]

Thank you for the explanation on the Comb bolt. I have learned something new today on Parker guns and am glad to be a part of the Parker collectors.

[Phillip Carr]

Thanks Bill I found the web site. Lots of neat information. I found that the du pont gun club opened on December 17, 1910. This gun was ordered on January 6, 1911. I did find an interesting note while looking at the LA84 web site. It seems that the president of the club MR Coyne was 15 minutes late to the opening prompting MR Skelly to take the first shot, which he powdered.

[Chris Travinski]

Sounds like a neat gun, high straight stock!! Do you have any pictures?

[Phillip Carr]

Here are a few pictures. Sorry for the delay.

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/Philcarr/042-1.jpg (http://s557.photobucket.com/user/Philcarr/media/042-1.jpg.html)
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/Philcarr/043.jpg (http://s557.photobucket.com/user/Philcarr/media/043.jpg.html)
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/Philcarr/045.jpg (http://s557.photobucket.com/user/Philcarr/media/045.jpg.html)
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/Philcarr/046.jpg (http://s557.photobucket.com/user/Philcarr/media/046.jpg.html)
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/Philcarr/047.jpg (http://s557.photobucket.com/user/Philcarr/media/047.jpg.html)

[charlie cleveland]

nice gun and a very interesting storey to go with it..yes this was a good find...charlie