16 Gauge Parker SN 118030

[Grantham Forester]

Heard of a 16 gauge Parker sn as above coming up for auction- local farm liquidation. I called the auctioneer, he doesn't know anything more. So- it can't be a Trojan Grade- in 1903- could it be a hammer gun with either Twist or Damascus or Bernard barrels, or a VH or higher grade ( or VHE or higher if equipped with ejectors. Any insight from the cognoscenti here would be very much appreciated. Assume that a 16 gauge made in 1903 would have 2.5" chambers???

[Brian Dudley]

Unfourtunately, that number is not in the "book". So there is no way of quickly checking what it was.

The "book" is based on Stock book records. The PGCA home page does say there are records on that number, which means there are surviving order book records. So, a research letter can be had for it.

[Grantham Forester]

Call back gives me this data- 16 gauge 28" Vulcan Steel Barrels DT, EXT original stock with pg and DHBP-- Not sure of frame size or if it has the 12.5% tool steel wear plate- will know Sat when I attend the auction and eXAMINE IT- ALSO DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS SIZE 1 FRAME OR A SIZE 0 FRAME- YET-Owner has never shot it- describes it as having good blueing and some case coloring left, stock and forearm uncut and free of repairs- std pull and drop for an early VH 16 I am guessing- $850?? maybe???

[Brian Dudley]

That serial number would not have originally had the 1905 or 1910 wear plate installed since it was made in 1903.

If the gun was returned for any service work after 1910, it could have been retrofitted.

[Eric Eis]

Call back gives me this data- 16 gauge 28" Vulcan Steel Barrels DT, EXT original stock with pg and DHBP-- Not sure of frame size or if it has the 12.5% tool steel wear plate- will know Sat when I attend the auction and eXAMINE IT- ALSO DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS SIZE 1 FRAME OR A SIZE 0 FRAME- YET-Owner has never shot it- describes it as having good blueing and some case coloring left, stock and forearm uncut and free of repairs- std pull and drop for an early VH 16 I am guessing- $850?? maybe???

At 850 in the condition you described, it would be a steal... O frame or 1 frame.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I think you're dreaming if you think it will bring $850 at a well advertised farm auction. If a 16 gauge Parker came up at one down where I'm from, every bib overall wearing hillbilly from 100 miles around would be there to bid on it. Somebody would get bulled up, decide nobody was going to buy it but them, then run the thing to double or triple it's value. You could offer them one straight up for half that and they wouldn't buy it, but put it on a farm auction and guys seem to just go nuts. Maybe farm auctions that have guns are different where you live, I'm hoping they are and you're able to get it reasonable.


DLH


P.S. When I say bib overall wearing hillbillies, I don't intend that as an insult. I am one, I just don't overpay for guns at farm auctions.......

[Russ Jackson]

DLH


P.S. When I say bib overall wearing hillbillies, I don't intend that as an insult. I am one, I just don't overpay for guns at farm auctions.......[/QUOTE]

Deatry ,Here I thought you were giving us Boys a Compliment !!!!!!:rotf:

[Gerald McPherson]

DLh is up to his old tricks again. Stirring up hate and discontent. Trying to start some stuff.:rotf::rotf::rotf:

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Notice my P.S. disclaimer.

D

[John Dallas]

From what I've seen, DLH doesn't overpay too often

[Jerry Harlow]

From what I've seen, DLH doesn't overpay too often

To his credit, he does not overcharge when he sells on here either.:)

[Grantham Forester]

Would the fetching price vary, assuming same condition, from a 0 (std 20 frame size) to the 1 (std 16 frame size)? The same farm area auctioneers sold some LeFevers, an Ithaca Single Trap gun and two LC Smiths in June, the Ithaca brought $900 hammer price, and no seller's premium (unusual) just a 10% buyer's premium, so the gent that bought the Ithaca SBT paid $990-- The LeFevers and Smiths were a mix of 12 and 16 gauge guns, all DT and std. manual extractors, good condition, no cut barrels- they all brought between $600 to $725. The Winchester .22's were the top money guns at that auction.

The farmer told me that the Parker 16 was engraved with bird dogs and birds- but it has Vulcan Steel barrels- he didn't want to open it up and remove the barrels and the forearm and give me the identification data from the water table and barrel flats and lug (sn matching?) so I wondering if it was a higher grade that had Damascus barrels, and was re-barreled with the Vulcan Steel barrels at a later point in time. In my neck of the woods, Damascus barreled shotguns, whether with outside hammers or hammerless, are called "Wall Hangers" and are priced accordingly.

[Bill Murphy]

If it's got birds and other engraving, it may be a rebarrel, hopefully a factory rebarrel. You have to take the gun apart to see the grade marking and frame size marking. The barrel lug should have Parker looking small font serial numbers matching the receiver. On the other hand, a later rebarrel would have the larger font on the lug. Buy the gun if you like it, then send for a letter to see what the real story is. Keep in mind that your frame size options include more than 0 and 1 if the gun is a rebarrel.

[John Farrell]

I had a farmer offer me a SxS a few years ago that I noticed he used to hold the milk room door open when he was milking cows. He saw I had one in my car as we were driving around the place and he casually asked me what kind it was and what I paid for the Parker gun. I told him a neighborhood number. When we got back to his place he asked me to wait, went into the cow barn and brought out a Stevens 12 gauge. It was in terrible condition. He offered it to me for half what I told him I paid for the Parker. Got mad when I said no. Good for the milk room door only I thought.

[Grantham Forester]

Over 300 rural folks attended, at least the booth ladies told me they had passed out 300 bidders numbered cards- The Parker VH was NOT a 16, but a 12- 30" Vulcan barrels choked F&F and with, I assume, 2 & 5/8" chambers- barrels uncut, 85% blue, no dents or dings, 100% bores both barrels, and "rang true"; no loose ribs, original sight. stock intact both forearm and pg butt-stock with Parker Dog Black bake-lite butt-plate- no dead bird in its mouth, top heel spur, flat top wood screws with minor rust flecking, 13 & 1/2" LOP from the front trigger!

3" DAC, 3.5" DAH, someone had shaved down the straight line comb from the fluting about half way from aprox. midpoint to the heel top, where the butt-plate spur is inlet- giving it a "Schweinenruck" Germanic look, that means "Hog-back", and a cheap worn leather lace on pad had stained the rearmost area of the butt-stock.

A somewhat- unusual pad, as most every leather lace-on butt-pads I have seen to date had the laces and eyelets on the bottom, this one had them on the right hand barrel side of the gun, as installed.

No 2 frame, weight stamp is 4 and smaller 4 ;pre-struck weight of 4 lbs. & 4 ounces I believe, and had a capital K for the barrel maker's stamped ID- All serial numbers matched, top lever to right of TDC on the top tang strap, un-boogered screws and seemed to be properly "clocked"--

Now for the un-good part- with the gun closed and fully cocked, and on empty chambers, when the Safety slide is at the rear position, you can put pressure on either trigger and it will not fire. But as soon as you slide it forward, the right barrel sear lets go and the hammer falls.

Then if you then move it back to Safe and repeat this, then the left sear lets go and the left barrel hammer falls. Nicht zer Gut!!I passed on bidding on this, uncertain as to the cost of repairing, and also because I have both a 12 30" VHE mfg. 1929, and a 12 Trojan 28" made in 1924. It sold for $1900 w/o any buyer's premium, as was the case with all the many other items, including 6 other guns, sold.:shock:

There was also a Remington 721 BA in 30-06, with a Lyman or Stith Alaskan 7/8" dia scope in 2.75 power in an Echo side mount- solid, not a tip-over- No one could figure where the bolt release was on this older rifle, and it did not have the Mauser style long extractor as did the 1903 Springfield and it's many clones: Winchester Model 54 and Model 70. This showed signs of hard field use, the bore was good, had original iron sights and sling swivel clips, period steel BP-it sold for $1325.00 Way over what I would have paid for it, if I needed an older scoped Bolt rifle in 30-06 Springfield caliber.:nono:

[charlie cleveland]

lots of these old parkers are not what the people who want to sell them says they are..such as in your case..i once won a auction on gunbroker it was suppose to be a 12 ga lifter when it arrived it turned out to be a 10 ga..i was happy it was a 10 ga but some people would have sent it back...charlie

[Bob Brown]

I had a similar experience at a small local auction with a 721. It was a 300 H&H magnum with the 26" barrel. Also had a 3X scope in a tip off mount on it. The old gentleman that had owned it packed grease into all the nooks and crannies before he passed away. It had dried and the bolt release was stuck forward. Anytime someone picked it up the bolt would slide out of the rifle. I wasn't sure what the problem was but I bid on it anyway. After a closer look an overnight soak in Hoppe's took care of the problem. If I recall correctly I paid the grand sum of $70 all in for it.

[will evans]

I won a 12ga LC Smith hammer gun online that arrived as a 16ga. I was "okay" with the exchange, to put it mildly.