Parker pH question

[josh provencher]

Hi, I have parker 12 p grade and it looks like steel barrels but it looks like barrels have been cut off right in front of chamber and added on is that possible? Thanks wish I could post pictures

[Brian Dudley]

What is serial number? What does the rib say? What is the steel type marking from the barrel flats? T or P?

[Erick Dorr]

Hi Josh it is very possible. Can't say for certain without photos but if you noticed it is most likely. there is a tutorial for posting photos accessed from the home page.
Erick

[josh provencher]

I can email photos? Says t on flat can't read what it says after conn. Looks like test ok then some symbols. I don't know much about these guns. Probably look stupid posting that lol

[Dean Romig]

If you see a distinct line in exactly the same place on each barrel it is very likely that the barrels were sleeved or 'monoblocked' for some reason.

[josh provencher]

Serial number is 175783 hope I can get to bottom of this I need to sell it. I will try and figure out pictures

[josh provencher]

pictures

[Dean Romig]

Yes, those were Twist Steel barrels and definitely have been sleeved. Still have Twist Steel chambers but I've never heard of the chambers unwinding... :whistle:

[josh provencher]

could you explain sleeved? steel barrels added to Damascus? so does the t underneath mean twist?

[josh provencher]

I assume this is not factory and kills value?

[greg conomos]

5/4 is a pretty heavy barrel weight...

[Brian Dudley]

Sleeved means that the barrels have had their ribs removed. Then the barrels are cut off in front of the chambers. The monoblock is what is left. Then the old chambers are bored out to a larger diameter. New tunes that are oversized are turned to insert into the monoblock. They butt up against it where it was cut off. That is the seam you are seeing. The tubes are profiled to match the monoblock. And then soldered into plate. Sometimes welded. If you look at the breech face, you will see the line where the tubes meet the original monoblock. Then the ribs are put back on.

This was done a lot years ago when people thought that composite steel barrels were unsafe to shoot.

Yes, value is reduced greatly. But if done well, it can mean a very shootable gun.

[josh provencher]

is it safe to say i can put it on gun broker as a safe shooter? probably going to loose my shirt on this one.. guess i should stick to collecting pistols haha thanks for your help

[Brian Dudley]

No one here is saying the gun is safe or not. Just telling you what you have.

[josh provencher]

I completely understand that. how do i value something like this? It is about 80% lowest condition I would say

[Phil Yearout]

I don't have much experience selling guns on line, but I'd say list it with the best pics you can and an honest and truthful description of the gun and what's been done to it: potential buyers will determine the value.

[Dennis E. Jones]

Josh,

Many years ago Damascus and twist steel barrels were considered unsafe to shoot with modern smokeless powder ammunition. This is an American phenomenon as the British are still shooting their properly proofed Damascus shotguns. There were warnings on ammunition boxes about not firing modern ammunition in Damascus or twist barrels. Plus many old guns were not properly cleaned and cared for so the barrels rusted causing pits in the steel in some cases making them too thin to be safe. Sometimes barrels burst from being fried with an obstruction in the barrel. The cure in the case of better more expensive shotguns was have new barrels of modern steel fitted or to sleeve the original barrels with modern steel barrels by cutting the original barrels off at the front of the chambers and fitting new barrels in to the breech portion of the old barrels. Not too common in this country as most of the old guns were not valuable enough for either procedure. Someone thought enough of this your gun to have it sleeved for what ever reason so it could still be used.

Hope this helps explain your gun.

[greg conomos]

There aren't enough pics to even determine the value at a distance. But it appears you have a lower grade Parker in not-so-great condition with barrels that have been heavily modified/replaced. Well under $1000.

[Bill Murphy]

OK, "sleeved". Cut barrels off ahead of chambers, maybe 3 1/2". Counterbore chambers so a "sleeve" can be inserted, the sleeve including a full length barrel of normal dimensions. The sleeve is sweated, soldered, whatever, in place and the outside of the new barrel and chamber is filed so the joint is hard to detect. The rib is then reinstalled and the whole package reblued. This was done in the sixties because composite barrels were thought to be unsafe. Your unstruck barrel weight is marked 5-4 which suggests that this may have originally been a ten gauge gun. What is the number (probably 2 or 3) stamped on the bottom of the rear barrel locking lug? This is your frame size. Give us these markings as well as rib markings and we can help you. How long are the barrels?

[Bill Murphy]

Sorry, I missed the posts where sleeving was explained. However, a sleeved #3 frame (if that's what it is) is a useful heavy gun and would sell for a few bucks, even sleeved. Tell us what your rear lug tells us about frame size. Are you sure this is a 12 gauge gun?