8 ga

[charlie cleveland]

i was cleaning the old 8 ga hammer gun i got from mills and just happened to look at the serial no. it is 65145...got a letterthat mills sent off for and let me have it..well i got down the parker bible and looked up the number.yep it was in there just happened to notice there were 6 consective numbered 8 ga s in a row number 65141 through 65146..i think that bill murphy reported these guns came from california some copany ordered them..for sure this old 8 i got from mills that was a silent auction gun came from california.it must have stayed in california because thats were the guy who gave it to the silent auction lived..the gun i have origanaly had 34 inch barrels but sad to say they now are 27 1/2.. they were stub twist barrels..seems like a lot of these old 8 ga s had stub twist barrels...any way wonder if any one else has one of these 6 old guns in this serial block 65141 to 65146...charlie

[Eldon Goddard]

Charlie Mr. Delahoussae(sp?) gun is in the serial number range it clearly shows 65142. It is also in California. Interesting in that it is also stub twist and cut. I wonder if it was common to cut down those long barrels at some point.

[charlie cleveland]

i traded for mr delahoussae gun.that makes two of them 6 california guns found just 4 more to go...don t have it in hand yet but will soon...can t wait.....charlie

[Bill Murphy]

Charlie, what do the letters say? We would like to see pictures of the letters as well as the two guns you have acquired. Who were they originally sold to?

[George M. Purtill]

Congratulations Charlie

[Thomas L. Benson Sr.]

Your new nickname is ( 8 Ga. Charlie.) Thomas

[charlie cleveland]

only have a letter on the8 ga silent auction gun serial no 65145... letter says it was oredered byet allen of san fransisco quality r top action hammer gun 8 ga barrels 34 inches with capped pistol grip stockweight 12 lb 8 oz..will get the wife to post a picture of the letter and of the gun forgot the letter says cost 60 dollars plus 35 dollars for 8 ga barrels... iwonder if there might be infoi for number 65142 8 ga.....the letter says 65145 had plain twist barrels but the parker story list it with stub twist also the no 65 142 in the parker story says it was a stub twist gun i saw this on the barrels when mr david shown it on the forum....all this is really interesting to me hope some of you fellas can sort it out...charlie

[charlie cleveland]

thanks thomas for the new name i hope to live up to it...charlie

[George M. Purtill]

thanks thomas for the new name i hope to live up to it...charlie

Charlie- you already have.

[charlie cleveland]

heres the letter on gun no 65145 and some pictures of it.charlie

[charlie cleveland]

this is a ole fishtail opening gun.. its in a ugly state of repair but in much better shape than when i got it from mills..i ve probably shot this gun a 100 times with low power loads but would not be scared to shoot it with higher powered loads but as you can see the stock has had it share of misfortune..this is probably the worst condition gun i ever saw to be still shooting...charlie

[Bill Murphy]

Charlie, I saw it before the restoration. It looks great now.

[charlie cleveland]

was E T ALLEN a store selling guns or was he just a person.. charlie

[wayne goerres]

I think most of us would have retired the old 8ga. That hose clamp sure sets it off. If you get a deer with that one it will really be special.

[George Lander]

Charlie: "YOU DA MAN" Please get that old girl's stock fixed professionally.

Best Regards, George

[Mills Morrison]

Charlie did not tell the part of the story where a prominent gunsmith in SC declared the gun beyond repair. That night, I offered it for sale to Charlie and he accepted. Not two weeks later, Charlie had the old gun in shooting condition.

Charlie, do I understand you have acquired another of the 8 gauges in that order of 6? Good job if so.

[Bill Murphy]

Charlie, E.T. Allen was a dealer in guns and sporting goods at 416 Market Street, San Francisco. Their advertising mentions that they were agents for Parker shotguns.

[charlie cleveland]

thanks bill for the info on et allen...i kinda thought they were but not sure..mills yes i have acqired another 8 ga it is one of them 6...have not got it in hand yet maybe by saturday..can nt wait to see it.. i know its got a few issues to fix...would nt it be something if the other 4 of them 6 turn up and know were they are hope they have been took better care of than the other 2 have... charlie

[Mills Morrison]

That is great! So you are up to 3 8 ga Parkers now? That is good news. I need to get up to two now.

[Mills Morrison]

I just bought a vintage photo that has what looks like an 8 gauge Parker in it.

[Rick Losey]

I just bought a vintage photo that has what looks like an 8 gauge Parker in it.

and it looks like ????????????? :corn:

[Mills Morrison]

Here it is. Worst case scenario is it is a cool old photo for a cheap price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350887179876

[Rick Losey]

might be, that is a great picture in any case

[Mills Morrison]

Charlie, make sure you post photos when your new catch arrives.

[charlie cleveland]

will post pictures when the ole gal gets to mississippi...i m sure glad them barrels are still 32 inches long woulda been better with the 34 s she was built with...i ve got a lot of rust to scrub away too by the pictures...read the surprize forem in the hunting section with parkers..yep the old 8 ga lifter finally connected on a doe...charlie

[CraigThompson]

I need to get up to two now.

I realize the 8's not legal for waterfowl , but is it legal for deer with buckshot in South Carolina ?

[Rick Losey]

I realize the 8's not legal for waterfowl , but is it legal for deer with buckshot in South Carolina ?

i expect it is legal for deer where buckshot is allowed and for turkey most everywhere

[Mills Morrison]

What Rick said. Not to mention it is legal for sporting clays

[Bill Murphy]

Our friend Jim Hall shot the L.C. Smith versus Parker Challenge one year with his eight gauge hammerless.

[Carvel Whaley]

You cannot use the 8ga in Virginia for any hunting. Carvel

[Dean Romig]

You cannot use the 8ga in Virginia for any hunting. Carvel

But you can use a 3 1/2" 10 ga. autoloader or pump...
Now that's just silly!

[Mills Morrison]

A silly law? Imagine that.

I figure since the 8 gauge ban is tied up in a treaty with Canada and Mexico, it would be pretty hard to repeal. It suits me fine to use it for turkeys and clays and maybe pheasants someday. Mine is so heavy, I am afraid it might sink my boat

[charlie cleveland]

i wish you boys could hunt with the 8 ga if ya ll wanted to...they are a little heavy but there s just something about useing the ole 8 that makes me keep toteing one..mills you gona have to get you a big tractor inner tube and put around that boat of yours we don t want that big d grade of yours to get wet.... charlie

[CraigThompson]

You cannot use the 8ga in Virginia for any hunting. Carvel

Well that may very well be true , but you can bet your backside if I ever get one I'll kill a deer in Virginia using it !

Heck I could use it during Damage Control hunting no problem . Which is kinda BS as anythings legal then 22 cal CF , suppressors etc etc etc .

[Daryl Middlebrook]

Gentlemen, I have three 8ga. Parkers, three 4ga. various British, and one 3ga. gun. The "trick" in using these guns to upland hunt with is to use a "porter". Just like they do in Africa.

Austin once told me that he had evidence that Parker Bros offered a porter as an option with the sale of their 8ga. guns. This option was never listed in any catalog. So far I have been unable to find an original Parker Porter. I have had to stoop to using a repro. Repro's are commonly disguised as grandsons.-----Daryl

[charlie cleveland]

one thing for sure that porter is gon have to be in good shape to carry a big 4 ga afield all day.i figure you would need at least 2 porters to carry one big 4 ga..i could see myself shooting at quail with one of these guns..now all we need is some porters daryals got the 4 ga s...guess will have to go west to get them quail...i seen a picture of tom arbrust friend shooting a 4 ga with 40 inch barrels they said it weighed 24 lbs...thats about twice what the average 8 ga weighs..guess i d better start working out in the gym...charlie

[wayne goerres]

The shells would add an extra 10 or 15 lbs to your carry weight.

[Bill Murphy]

Maryland's only mention of the eight gauge is that it is illegal for migratory birds. Now I have to find out whether pen raised mallards are considered "migratory birds".

[Daryl Corona]

They are Bill. At our club in Balto. Co. you have to use No-Tox shells on a release tower shoot as per DNR.

[charlie cleveland]

well i m glad mississippi has no law against hunting anything with the 8 ga except federal birds...killing a deer even though it was a doe with the 8 ga with that pumpkin ball load is at the top of my list in the things i wanted to do in hunting. now that i ve done this i think i will load up some of the short ten ga loads iin my old parker or lc smith and get back to hunting with a round ball load.. by the way the serial no on the old lifter is 25403now only got 26 1/4 inch barrels..shes took a doe with a buckshot load that tom armbrust loaded up for me and also the secound deer it has taken was killed by the round ball load made and loaded up by me..the lead ball weighs 2 ounces pushed by 40 grains of blue dot power its really a low power load..i hope others will try getting a deer with there parker shotgun espesially those with the eight ga..if not a 8 then try your 10 or 12 or the small ga s 16-20-28-410. i ve taken deer now with the 8-10 12...hope to add the rest of them..but with the round ball load i ve gotone only with my round ball load so you see my list is still very long...charlie

[Carvel Whaley]

I loaded some 10 ga shells with 0000 (.360 dia. ) buck shot to shoot in my hammer coach gun, 19 in barrels. They put all 9 pellets in a 30 in circle at 30 yards and went through 3/4 plywood. Have not had a chance to hunt with it yet but have high hopes. Carvel

[charlie cleveland]

thats a good shooting gun you got caravel i hoipe you get to hunt with it soon..where did you get that 0000 buckshot at i would try that load...charlie

[Carvel Whaley]

Charlie, its 36 cal round balls that hornady sells for flintlock guns. 3 fit perfect in thin brass 10 ga shells. I still haven't found any 10 ga round balls. 790 or so in dia. Do you use a patch in your 8 ga with the balls? Carvel

[Rick Losey]

Carvel

You could contact these folk about a mold

http://www.jt-bullet-moulds.co.uk/moulds.html

[charlie cleveland]

i do not use a patch with the ball caravel..thanks for the info on the buckshot..my 8 ga mold came from these same people that rick has got posted here these are really quality molds..you ll not get any molds made in the usa at theis price...i will order me a ten ga mold from them...charlie

[charlie cleveland]

i got the 8 ga today at 12.00 it arrived with no harm in shipping..i assembled the gun it locks up tight its a fish tail top lever gun.the barrels have been cut from the factory 34 inch to 32 inch..the inside of the barrels have cleaned up nicely some pitting but not bad bores are way better than my other parker 8 ga s..the stock is in good condition lots of oil in the stock but no cracks or splits...now theres lots of rust on the outside of the barrels i ve worked slowly with a pad and oil for about 2 hours already but got a while togo the barrels will plenty good for shooting i would have to say theres over 40 thousands left at the muzzle end..the right side trigger holds good sometimes but sometimes it don t the lside hammer holds but has a hair trigger the hammer springs are very stout the fireing pins have good springs in them...have got to brush out the chambers a little were a shell will slide in easier...guns gona need a lot of elbow grease and care...but gun should shoot ok ..its tight and it is on a 6 frame its a lot lighter than the sister gun to it ... mister david the fellow i got it from weighed it at 11 1/2 lbs i think this will be right...i would say this gun was shot and cared for in the early days of her life but as she got older and you could not hunt ducks with her any more that she got put in a corner and about forgot about..in a few days i will post some pictures of her hopefully being shiot..forgot this is a stub twist steel barrel gun and the barrels weigh stamped wight on barrels 7 lb 6 ounce...if i had some of these old gunsmiths boys talents i could turn this old gun into a pretty nice old gun but heh i aint no brad or brian for sure..but some day i want some of them boys to rework the barrels and wood maybe...till then i m open to suggestions on the old mill s old gun sister to this gun..the gun i just got is serial no 65142 mill s old gun is 65145 so i guess the gun i got today is the older sister by a few hours or a few days...both these guns were shipped in that lot of 6 guns that were all 8 ga s to et allen i know for sure mills gun came from california to the parker silent auction and mr david who i got the sister gun from lives in sanfransico at the present time..all he knew about this gun was he thought it had belong to a grandpa in his family... well there are four more sisters out there some where i hope they have survived..does any you boys out there own a sister to one of these old guns...charlie

[wayne goerres]

Congratulations on your new (old) 8ga. This has been a red letter week for you. Next week is going to seem a little slow for you. Post some pictures for sure. What grade is the old gun. Is it a lifter gun.

[George M. Purtill]

Congratulations Charlie 8 Bore.
Post pictures of your new baby.

[Mills Morrison]

Good job Charlie! Sounds like your biggest concern may be the oil in the stock making it weaker than it should be. Sounds like you did well

[Thomas L. Benson Sr.]

Charlie: I hope you post some photo's of this big boy real soon. I might get lucky and find a Parker 8 Ga. Someday,that is in my income bracket, so that means it will have to be real reasonable. Thomas

[charlie cleveland]

boys i wasjust lucky on this find... charlie

[charlie cleveland]

i wonder whats usally the cause of a hammer not holding back on one of these old hammer guns... i shot the old gun this evening the left barrel... woulda shot the right barrel but the hammer don t hold to good... charlie

[Rick Losey]

i wonder whats usally the cause of a hammer not holding back on one of these old hammer guns... i shot the old gun this evening the left barrel... woulda shot the right barrel but the hammer don t hold to good... charlie

can you feel the tension from the spring?

it could be the notch in the tumbler is damaged or dirt has accumulated and blocked it

or the tip of the sear is damaged

[Allen Peterson]

Congratulations Charlie on the 8 ga. I know you like those big bores.

[charlie cleveland]

I can feel it catching some and it will hold sometimesi think your rite about it being dirty thanks allen i do like the big bores i may have to use brian s page on the tear down of a hammer gun i have got fair on hammerless at repair but never pulled the side plates off a hammergun charlie

[Dean Romig]

The innards of a hammer gun are a whole lot easier to access than a hammerless.

[Rick Losey]

you'll find a side lock much easier to get into. you don;t need to remove the stock to get at the workings

there is a bolt/pin next to the left hammer that goes through and comes out in the same spot on the right side plate

you should be able to remove both locks once this is out. with the lock out, you can see if dirt or wood splinters getting in the way. Clean the lock's insides with a toothbrush (use an old one or your wife's - solvents taste terrible :rotf:)

now you can hold the lock in hand and cock the hammer to see if the nose of the sear catches in the tumbler's notch. Just keep a firm grip on the hammer when you need to trip the sear's extension (sits at a right angle to the lock - enters a hole in the stock to meet the triggers). you do not want this dry firing.

If a good cleaning resolves the issue - great news. other wise you need to decide if the issue is the sear or tumbler. taking a lock apart is not that hard once you have done it a few times- its a bit daunting the first time. But you could just send the lock to someone like Brian a lot easier than sending an 8 bore.

If the lock works fine out of the gun, then look to the trigger, is it not properly resetting in place and keeping the sear from coming all the way down. I actually had one that this was all it was. took the triggers out, cleaned them , took out a slight bend, and cleaned the slots in the stock they go in and everything was good to go.

let us know how it goes.

one hint- when I take a lock apart- i draw the plate on a piece of paper. then tape each piece and screw on that paper with an arrow drawn to the spot on the outline of the plate to remember where it sits. I have taken many locks apart. but it still do this- I don't lose small parts and have fewer DOH moments putting it back together. and watch the small parts, some try to escape. this is a job for a clean workspace. I do it on a large white towel.

[charlie cleveland]

when i get a spare moment i will tear the locks down with this info and brians drawings i should be able to do this if not i will ask for help for sure gosh its cold here tonight suppose to be about degrees i think my coputer board needs cleaning or up dateing all the letters run together tonite cannot even put a number on the board charlie

[Rick Losey]

Cold?

Just had the dogs out

It's a balmy 3 degrees here and it's clear so it will go down some

[Bill Zachow]

Charlie, just be very careful when you remove the side plate. It is very easy to chip out some stock wood that has been "glued" to the plate from old oil. I have found the easiest way to get the plate moving from the stock is to loosen the plate screw enough that it is proud to the left plate and then tap it gently with a plastic hammer. This will cause the right plate to move. Good luck. Bill

[Rick Losey]

very good point Bill, I forgot to say that - and that is an area that is easy to damage and will be very visible.

[Chad Hefflinger]

Some real nice 8's just showed up on guns international