Would Parker have done it?

[John Truitt]

Just stirring up some thoughts.

Would Parker have made or have been willing to make a 28 gauge hammer gun or a 410 bore hammer gun had the request been made.

I understand hammer guns were falling out of favor at the time the 28 and 410 were introduced.

But would Parker have been willing to make one or more?

[Rick Losey]

I doubt the tooling for a one of would have been practical

[Mills Morrison]

Probably, if the price were right and for the right customer. Colt made only one 8 gauge (so I understand) and it was for Grover Cleveland. This was an era where companies aimed to serve the customer

[Brian Dudley]

I am sure they would have if a customer wanted one. But i doubt it would be on anything smaller than an 0 frame since that is the smallest hammer gun frame that was built up till then.

[edgarspencer]

20 gauge hammer guns were made up into the 160,000 SN range, so since there already existed tooling for 0 framed 16 and 20 gauged guns, it wouldn't have required much work to build one in 28 gauge. It may have turned out a little heavy, but certainly no more than an 0 framed hammerless 28 when compared to the typical 0 framed 20.
As there were several American gun makers,and plenty of British and continental makers turning them out, it does make one wonder why Parker never did.

[Mills Morrison]

I wonder if one is hiding in the missing records?:whistle:

[George M. Purtill]

If the right Connecticut Governor had asked, they would have made it.

[Bill Murphy]

Edgar is right. No tooling neccesary for a 28 gauge hammer gun on the 0 frame. If Dr. Truitt had been around, it would have been a 34" gun.

[edgarspencer]

I wonder if one is hiding in the missing records?:whistle:

......or under Gary Carmichael's bed

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Thanks Edgar I wondered where in the world I put the thing!

[Jean Swanson]

Do not forget Parker Brothers made around 5--- 20 bore single barrel trap guns of which I passed one up in Las Vegas some 30 plus years ago for $1500 , because I was told and thought Parker only made 12 bores in single barrel trap guns.

To answer John's question----yes----Parker was in the business to SELL guns !!

Allan

[Dean Romig]

I am sure they would have if a customer wanted one. But i doubt it would be on anything smaller than an 0 frame since that is the smallest hammer gun frame that was built up till then.


The serial number on this 20-gauge Lifter is 10165 and the pin separation is 18MM which translates to less than 13/16" which is the 0000-frame size. In fact, it is more than 1/16" smaller - which would make it slightly smaller than a 00000-frame size... if Parker had ever even made such a frame size. The frame sizes were determined by firing pin separation at the breech face and are incremental by sixteenths of an inch. The 0-frame has a pin separation of 1" exactly. The 00-frame has a separation of 15/16" exactly... and so on.

My point is that Parker Bros. could have easily made a .410, even in a lifter, if they so desired. That bore size was certainly being made in the British Isles at that time.


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[Eric Estes]

Never say never. One could turn up yet. There are a lot of missing records as Mills pointed out. Wouldn't that be something!

[John Truitt]

Dean,

Is that an early lifter that does not have the recessed hinge pin?

Would smaller frames like you are referring to been more likely found in that very early period?

[Dean Romig]

Here it is John. It is an enigma as far as its features and configuration are concerned, but it does letter.




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[Bill Murphy]

Think of how difficult it was for the Skeuse family to build a small frame hammerless Parker with ejectors, cocking slides, complex floorplates, single triggers, you name it. How easy it would have been to build a 28-.410 hammer combo gun on an 0 frame.

[Mills Morrison]

It even looks like a 410 frame

[Mills Morrison]

I wonder how much it would take to have a second set of barrels manufactured in 28 gauge or 410?

[John Truitt]

that is awesome. Thank you for sharing the images and info on the gun.

It is cool how they integrated the smaller breach balls with the step for cosmetics. I really like that design.

Parker did some very interesting things. Thanks again for sharing. That is one very cool piece.

Thanks for all the info guys.

[Brian Dudley]

Dean,

Wouldn't that gun be considered a sort of pre-courser to the 0 frame, when the few orders for 20g. guns were filled on a one-off basis before a standard small bore frame was made?

A lot of the VERY early Parker lifters (first couple 1,000 S/Ns) of larger gauges measure all sorts of odd sizes since standard frame sizes were not yet established.

[Dean Romig]

It could be Brian. It was certainly one of the very first 20 gauge Parkers made. I wouldn't say it may have been a pre-courser to the 0-frame but it is obvious Parker Bros. hadn't yet settled on the 0-frame size for the twenty gauge.




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[Dean Romig]

Actually, Parker No. 10165 is only the second 20 gauge known, according to "Parkers Found" on page 13 of the Winter 2015 Issue of Parker Pages.





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