VH 16 GA BARREL QUESTION

[Andy Humphriss]

I just looked at a vh 16 ga 0 frame s/n 93358. The gun matches the serialization book 26" barrels capped pistol grip manufactured in 1899 with vulcan steel barrels. Gun looks to be all original and in good shape my question is when did parker brothers start shipping guns with vulcan barrels rather than damascus barrels? I think this is an early gun with steel barrels. Any info is appriciated.

[Brian Dudley]

VH grade guns always had Vulcan barrels. Since the time they were introduced in the 1890s. It was Parkers first grade that was standard with fluid steel barrels. With the exception of maybe the AA grades.

[Dean Romig]

VH grade guns almost always had Vulcan barrels. Since the time they were introduced in the 1890s. It was Parkers first grade that was standard with fluid steel barrels. With the exception of maybe the AA grades.


Minor correction Brian.

There are known VH guns with original composite barrels.

"almost" and "never" are a couple of words we should refrain from using when discussing Parker's ;)




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[Brian Dudley]

Of course there is always possible exceptions to the rule. However, for the sake of education, i would not waver in my statement that VH guns were, from their inception, made with Vulcan steel barrels. Just because a hand full of odd ducks may have been made with another type of barrel steel, for one reason or another, does not change that.

[Dean Romig]

As you wish...






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[Alfred Greeson]

I once had a G grade with Vulcan steel barrels from a V grade built in I believe 1892 or 1893 and as I recall from my humble research that they were some of the first Vulcan barrels built, maybe or maybe not but as I have learned from this sight, never say never. Like my little 1926 Trojan 20 ga. with proof marks that say " tested P B and U S A" under it on each barrel. No one seems to have seen or heard of that before so the Parker mysteries continue. What we know for sure is that God a

[Alfred Greeson]

What I was saying was that God and Parker Bros. built some really fine shotguns and we shoot a lot better because of it.

[Brian Dudley]

Al, i would wager your gun was rebarreled with Vulcan barrels at a later date than original manufacture. Does the gun letter as originally having Vulcan barrels?

[Alfred Greeson]

Thanks Brian, I did not get a letter for that gun.

[greg conomos]

I'm having a hard time understanding the issue here...there is a VH that was shipped per the book with Vulcan steel barrels, which is the barrel type that almost all VH's were shipped with. What's the mystery?

[Brian Dudley]

I think the OP was originally thinking that VH guns were first offered with Damascus barrels and then changed at some point to vulcan barrels, which is not the case.

[Andy Humphriss]

I appologize for not being clear on my question. I ask when where vulcan barrels first avalible on parker guns?

[Bill Murphy]

The Serialization Book will give you a "clue" if you check it out. 88220 seems to be the first V Grade entry in the SB. That is 1898. Maybe our historian will give us an idea of what the Order and Stock Books say about this "maybe first VH" gun. Or maybe not.

[Andy Humphriss]

Thanks for that info bill.

[Chuck Bishop]

Bill, here is some info "from the black hole".

The authors of TPH made a mistake, 88200 is not a VH, it's a DH. The first VH as far as we know was 87891. It was a 12ga. with 30" "Blk Bbl". The stock book lists this gun as a V0 and Titanic steel. The first VH with Vulcan barrels is 88105. The order book shows it as "Blk" for barrel steel, the stock book shows it as a V0 along with the word Black. According to order book 44, this gun was one of 50 VH's (all priced at $50) and were sent to the E.T. Allen Co of San Francisco CA in March 1898.

According to TPS, there were VH's made with Damascus steel. There is an order in 1916 from Iver Johnson in Boston for 10 guns, all 10ga. consecutively S/N'd starting with 173953 and listed as being sold for $25.00. VH's with Vulcan barrels normally sold for $41.50 at that time. The stock book shows this gun as a Dam Vul DV.