Quality CH

[Bruce Day]

Some photos of the action of a Quality C. Top action hammer. The action is nice, the Bernard barrels need work but are not cut, the stock is highly figured but dark European walnut and a new forend will need to be made. The stock is being refinished and will be really nice. Skeleton butt.

This is a gun worth restoration and it will be done correctly.

On a related issue, a machinist of small parts has asked if there is a small part that sometimes needs replacement that he could supply. I'm thinking check hooks, particularly since they are all the same size and occasionally break. I keep an extra in my travel gunsmith kit. Suggestions from readers would be appreciated.

[Jay Gardner]

Wow! Just wow.

[Dean Romig]

Looking forward to the 'after' pictures of this great C.

[Chuck Bishop]

Looks like I need a refresher course in identifying hammer guns vs hammerless guns.:shock:

[Mike Franzen]

Maybe that machinist could make hammers.

[George M. Purtill]

Bruce I love the dog and fence on the bottom. It's a split rail fence. My fence I think was a solid affair, almost a stockade.
Does that make 7 known C grade hammer guns with Bernard's?

[Bruce Day]

Boy I sure went stupid there didn't I ? I corrected the text but the title, once set, cannot be edited.

You all are correct of course. For the uninitiated, CH refers to a hammerless gun ( internal hammer), whereas C means external hammer.

George, I think you have the count right. Should be seven known. This one is pretty neat, with the split rail fence. With the D grade guns and lower, the engraving has little variance, but with the C's and above, the first thing you do is see what is in the engraving. Makes them interesting. I would not be surprised if there were at least several more C's still extant and not generally known to the collecting community. Maybe some are good condition, others not so.

[George M. Purtill]

Bruce you are not stupid. The designation C vs. CH is stupid.
It would have made more sense if C was the "hammerless" and CH was C with hammers. But since the outside hammers came first, we are stuck. And of course the newer guns are NOT hammerless; the hammers are hidden.

Can you tell us the SN?

[Bruce Day]

This one is owned by a turnip farmer friend who has to have a good year at the roadside vegetable stand to pay for the work, but I will get the SN sometime.

Another farmer in Illinois is sharpening his axe to whittle out the forend.

[Bill Murphy]

How do we know which seven we are counting? The book calls for 75. It's hard to believe that only seven are in our group.

[edgarspencer]

Very Beautiful, Bruce.
Never say Never, but I would not have expected to see those hammers on a gun lower than Grade 5. The double spur hammer is also present on the New York Salesroom gun you have shown in the Quality C thread. They are very much more elegant than the more commonly seen single spur hammer usually associated with Grade 4.
I believe someone once offered offset firing pins, but not sure. Is that something your friend could consider? Maybe the bushings too.
Also, worn axles seem to be an issue, though that could also be wear in the lock plate.

[Bruce Day]

I know that firing pins ( called plungers by Parker) , both the offset type for lifter actions and the straight type for top actions are made by a PGCA member and we didn't want to interfere with his business.

Your comment about high grade hammers is well taken. Some time ago I posted a photo heavy thread on hammers. I will try to find that and re-post. There were some spectacular examples.

[Eric Estes]

I havent seen a lot of parkers, but of the three hammer guns I have the stirrups in both locks on all three were either well worn and damaged or poorly replaced with something hand made. No idea what others experience is with these small parts.

[Ed Blake]

Check hooks are a good idea. I have broken one. The other parts I seem to have problems with are top lever springs and hammer screws

[Brian Dudley]

I have seen those hammers on as low as grade 3 hammer guns. But not many.

[Dean Romig]

It definitely depends on the era of the grade 3 as to the design of the hammers.