Ugly Duck

[wayne goerres]

Today wile in Alabama I stopped at the Gander Mountain. There in the rack all by it self sat the ugliest Parker I have ever seen. Sum fool actually coated all the metal surfaces with the same finish they use on Mosburgs and AR's. It is completely black and very ugly. I couldn't walk out of the store and leave it there. Be leave it or not the gun is actually in descant shape. It locks up solid, the barrels are uncut and they are bright and shinny. There is a little external pitting and a head repair in the stock.Dose anybody know how to remove this finish or should I just go ahead and camouflage the stock and fore arm (just kidding).

[wayne goerres]

Trying to attach pics but it did not work .Will try again.

[wayne goerres]

Trying again.

[Rick Losey]

i would first try a solvent or paint stripper on a spot under the foreend

or naval jelly


good luck and nice save-


OR - sell it to Mills (for a premium) as a salt proof Parker

[Daryl Corona]

Looks like it has been parkerized. No pun intended. It's really not that ugly IMO.

[charlie cleveland]

good going wayne...another parker that was lost and is now found...charlie

[Jerry Harlow]

It is a parkerized Parker. I had thought of doing that to a gun in poor condition for hunting.

The barrels were probably bead-blasted or sand-blasted before going into the Parkerizing tank which puts a phosphate coating. If you have someone rust blue them they should be able to smooth out the rough finish and return to the original finish. Same with the receiver but you may lose the engraving to get it smooth before either leaving it in the white, bluing it, or case coloring.

It would make a good field gun as it is. But you'll never get your money out of refinishing it unless you can do it yourself.

[wayne goerres]

Strange but the first thing I thought of when I saw this gun was Mills. He said he lives in the middle of a big swamp. The old gun is kind of neat in an ugly sort of way. I may just repair the crack in the stock and use the hell out of it the way it is. This is my first steel barreled Parker.

[Dean Romig]

I double clicked on the pictures of the frame and barrels.... you all should do the same to see more detail.

[Mills Morrison]

Funny. At least they left the wood alone.

[wayne goerres]

I think I will measure the chamber lengths to day. I hope they are 2 3/4". May try shooting it. Who knows it may be a winged wonder.

[Rick Losey]

the coating should not affect the shooting -

if you can keep yourself from looking at it rather than the target

[charlie cleveland]

to me this old parker looks good..with the stocked fixed she will make one fine field gun..charlie

[Bill Murphy]

The normal chamber length would be "2 5/8" for 2 3/4" shells".

[wayne goerres]

Just shot the old gun and surprise surprise she shoots real well. About 15 min's with green scotch brite takes whatever that finish is off the barrels. Believe I will clean it up and blue it. Sorry Mills you will have to find another one for the swamp.

[Ed Blake]

You should have that split stock head looked after before it gets worse. I've never seen a split that far back into the nose of the stock.

[wayne goerres]

The head of the stock has already had the typical head repair don to it. I don't know weather it was done before the split or after the split. Will probable have to bore out the dowel pin and then glue the split and glue a new dowel back in.