REPLACED BARRELS

[BERRY FLOURNOY]

Recently bought a 12ga Parker at estate sale. Serial #90075. It has replacement barrels that are marked with original serial #. Barrel is marked "Armaf" and "Dagun". Anyone have information on barrels.

[Mark Ouellette]

Armaf is a Belgium firm that provide fuild steel replacement barrels for a log of side by sides. They are quality barrels which I believe were advertised in US magazines during the 50's and 60's. Maybe somebody could offer more information.

I own an 11 pound LC Smith 10 gauge with Armaf 3&1/2" magnum barrels and a W&C Scott and Son Premier grade 16 gauge wiht Armaf barrels. Both are wonderful guns in their own right.

[BERRY FLOURNOY]

How much do these barrels affect $$$ value?

[Eldon Goddard]

Mark has all the cool stuff.

[Mark Ouellette]

How much do these barrels affect $$$ value?

Berry,

That is a good question! If your Parker were a pristine 95% original condition gun of a high grade the hit on value might be 50%. Maybe less or maybe a lot less. The gun is no longer original so value will in 99% of cases take a hit.

I do not have the serialization book handy so I do not know if you have a high grade Parker. If your gun is a lower grade Parker such as a grade 1 or 2, and if it had the original barrels, would be a functional but low original condition "shooter" quality, then the deduction in value would be less than the above. How much, one cannnot say accurately until they have the gun in hand.

My Scott Premier was sold at half the value it would have been had it the original barrels. My LC Smith Grade 2 now being a 3&1/2" 10 gague magnum is worth more, at least to me and other big bore affectionados because it is now a magnum. The above stated a small bore Scott Premier in high condition would fetch five figures if one could find one. The Smith in original condition would sell for $1000 to $2000 depending on condition.

The above are my opinions which are worth exactly as much as you paid for them... :)

Mark

[Mark Ouellette]

Mark has all the cool stuff.

Eldon,

Most of my money I spent on wine, women, and song. The rest I wasted!

Then I changed my spending to vintage shotguns which:
1. Stay in my gunsafe rather than going in one end and out the other.
2. Do not say, "Half Mark, give me half" on their way to their next meal ticket.
3. Sing my favorite songs whenever I pull the triggers!

Add to them a pair of attectionate blond dogs who love me unconditionally and life is good!

Mark

PS: Please read my "tag line" below.

[Dave Noreen]

I have one actual point of reference. Back in 1967 it was 50%. In the Safari Room in the sporting goods department of the down town Fredrick & Nelson department store in Seattle they had two DH-Grades 12-gauges, a straight grip with 28-inch Italian replacement barrels for $125 and a full pistol grip with 32-inch original Titanic Steel barrels for $250. My buddy Jim bought the straight grip gun.

[Mark Ouellette]

Back in 1967 it was 50%.

I always figure a Parker with cut (shortened) barrels is worth 50% as a starting point.

When one could order a Parker an extra set of barrels would increase the cost by 50%. Now, I buy orphaned barrels because I can always find an action in need of them.

Alternatively, consider that if one could now buy a set of quality replacement barrels for a high condition Parker in need of barrels what would they cost? One data point is the recent Simmons attempt to market replacement barrels for Parkers. Another is CSMC. How much do they charge for an extra set of barrels for one of their AH Fox or Model 21's?

So long as there are good condition Parkers on the market a gun with replacement barrels will take a hit in value. If however one needs a particular set of barrels for a high grade Parker those extra or replacement barrels will have value. Supply and demand...

[Drew Hause]

Steve Tasitritsis 'ATLAS ARMS', 2704 N Central, Chicago and (later) 7952 Waukegan Rd. Niles, Illinois offered replacement barrels for Smith and Parker guns in the 50s and 60s using tubes made by E.S.C. Vickers (England) and fit and finished by Armaf in Belgium
http://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identifies%20a/a%20armaf%20fr.htm

These barrels have a 1954 proof date code courtesy of Jim Akins.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1373/6511424/17227428/391381482.jpg

There are Italian and unmarked presumably U.S. replacement barrels out there also.

[charlie cleveland]

wish i had a set of those replacement barrels in 10 magnum for a lc smith and a parker...as said i believe they would add a lot of value to a gun i know they would for me.. charlie