Barrel reproductions

[Brandon Mcdougald]

What are the best ways to tell if any of the parts on my Parker shotgun are reproductions or have been repaired?

[Paul Ehlers]

Almost all original parts of a particular gun will either have the full serial # of the gun or the last three digits stamped on them somewhere. These are usually in a hidden area like the underside of the trigger guard tang, in the stock under the tang, under the forearm tip, etc.

Be careful looking for these. Without proper fitting screw drivers & knowing what you're doing. You can do more damage to the screws & parts than it's worth finding out if they are OEM.

Can you tell us what parts in particular you have questions on?

[Brandon Mcdougald]

I believe all of the pieces have the same serial number I'm just worried about the other markings I'm not sure what they mean

[Alfred Greeson]

If you can send pictures, we can help with whatever markings you are seeing. You can also look back through the forum and see where other members have had similar questions.

[Brian Dudley]

Barrels can be completely original. they could be original barrels that were re-proofed. Barrels could be sleeved. Or they could be completely aftermarket as there has been some firms that made replacement barrels for Parkers.

[Brandon Mcdougald]

Here are some pictures

[Brandon Mcdougald]

Pics

[Brandon Mcdougald]

Pictures

[Brandon Mcdougald]

If the barrels are not original will the serial numbers be the same?

[Brian Dudley]

It looks like your gun has been re-case colored by the look of the forend iron.

Most of the markings on the barrel are factory. Some are not. Namely the Full and MOD choke markings and the "made in USA". These are not factory markings. There looks to be maybe remington repair codes stamped on the flats as well.

Another curiosity is the blank circle. This is usually stamped with the barrel steel type inside of it.

My guess is that these were original barrels that were fitted to the gun later on by some other source. Maybe Remington. Maybe not.

Is the rib matted? Roll stamped?

[Brandon Mcdougald]

I'm not sure about the rib. How will the barrel affect the value of the gun?

[Dean Romig]

Looks like Remington work to me.
The barrels may have come from Meriden stock and fitted and stamped by Remington as replacement barrels.






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[Dave Noreen]

We have seen a few late Remington barrels with choke markings before. The repair code looks like it is DW3 which would seem odd as W for a year code was 1928, 1972 or 2002, all out of the time period Remington would have been doing repair work on Parkers. Could what appears to be W be YY which would have been 1950?

[David Noble]

The MADE IN USA marking has been seen on several Parker barrels from the era around 1937. Perhaps Remington only used that mark on replacement barrels in that era.
The choke markings are also noted on many Remington era guns.

[Robin Lewis]

If Remington put the barrels on the gun, wouldn't the repair code end with a 2 rather than a 3?

[Dave Noreen]

If Remington put the barrels on the gun, wouldn't the repair code end with a 2 rather than a 3?

No.

[Dean Romig]

And many barrel sets were stamped with the circle but not the type of steel inside it until the grade of the gun they were to be fitted to was determined... plus the fact that Remington didn't stamp the steel type after the move to Ilion.





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[Bill Murphy]

Better pictures of the Remington repair codes are neccesary. Many pictures of the entire gun are neccesary. The forend pictures suggest a really bad refinish and bad wood to metal fit. The choke markings, and the circle are completely legitimate for barrels installed by Remington at whatever date is stamped on the flats. Where are the rib pictures?

[Dean Romig]

It would surprise me to see a legend on the rib.





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[Erick Dorr]

Looks to me that the serial number may be stamped on the flats in the shadow under the "FULL" stamp. It also appears that there may be a second repair code "WD3" below and to the right of the "DW3" repair code. This would mean August 1935.
Brandon could slow down a little on asking about effect on value and be a bit clearer on all the markings. This would give answers to his question greater validity based on complete info.
No photo or info on what is stamped on the side of the barrel lug but I would expect it to further verify Remington re-barrel. Barrel steel is marked on side of lug if I remember correctly.
Erick

[Dean Romig]

The barrel steel, for as long as barrels were identified with a stamp, was stamped on the foreword half of the right barrel flat, and if the barrels were fluid steel the stamped letter was within the circle.





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[Erick Dorr]

Dean if your post is in response to my previous statement, I was referring to Remington Parkers that bear the grade designation and gauge markings on the left side of the barrel lug. Fig. A-13 pg 19 of the Parker Identification and Serialization illustrates my statement. In the absence of a stamp in the circle the grade might be found there.
Erick

[Dean Romig]

Yes Eric, my post was in response to yours.
I see the "V GRADE" stamp on the side of the lug in that picture but it refers to the grade of the gun this set of barrels was fitted to. It does not however, identify the barrel steel. After the Parker operation was moved to Ilion, Remington Arms no longer stamped a legend on the top rib and no longer used the same barrel steel that Parker Bros. had used and continued to use while under Remington ownership in Meriden CT. Remington used their own formula for chromium/molybdenum steel, so the barrel steel designation stamps we are used to seeing on Meriden Parkers was dropped accordingly.
I have never seen a stamp like the one in that picture which identified the barrel steel rather than the grade of the gun.

I may be wrong but these are my observations.

But I am dead right when I say we had a great time shooting at Scarborough on Sunday and I enjoyed shooting with you!





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[Bill Murphy]

Point one; we haven't been shown a picture of the vent rib on the gun in question. Point two; the grade of the gun stamped on the side of the lug on Remington replacement barrels is not always the grade of the gun the barrels are installed on.

[Erick Dorr]

Dean,
First you are so right about the great time shooting at Scarborough. I thoroughly enjoyed your and the other fellows company. :)

You are correct the V Grade refers to the grade of the gun or at least to the barrel grade and not the steel itself. My statement was incorrect. However, I don't subscribe to the notion that PB used a unique vulcan grade of steel throughout its production era. Vulcan Steel on the top rib was a marketing identifier just as V grade was on the side of the lug of late Remington guns. It was a different approach but served the same purpose.

I agree with you Bill that the barrel grade won't necessarily match the G grade frame. The first time I saw a Remington rebarrel it was marked V GRADE and skeet in skeet out on a 1892 DH. The barrels were serial numbered to the gun.
This gun is listed as having zero options but the rebarrel has ejectors. You can't tell if the frame was converted to ejectors or not from the photo. Deliberately I suspect.

Bill how to you know the barrels have a vent rib? What did I miss.

Erick

[Dean Romig]

You are correct the V Grade refers to the grade of the gun or at least to the barrel grade and not the steel itself. My statement was incorrect. However, I don't subscribe to the notion that PB used a unique vulcan grade of steel throughout its production era. Vulcan Steel on the top rib was a marketing identifier just as V grade was on the side of the lug of late Remington guns. It was a different approach but served the same purpose.
Erick

To the point I made on my second post on page 2 of this thread - that being that the circle was stamped on the flat in advance of determining what grade gun (and barrel steel, Vulcan, Parker Steel, Parker Special Steel, Titanic...) they would be fitted to. We have seen rough Parker Bros. barrels that have no ribs yet, and have not had the chambers bored to any gauge or shell whatever, and the bores have not been finished either.... they are quite simply 'rough barrels' put in stock until they were needed - yet they had that circle stamped on the barrel flat awaiting the letter stamp for the type of steel they would be identified as according to the grade of gun they would be fitted to.
Yes, various steel compositions were used over the years on Parker Bros. fluid steel barrels - that is a known fact, and quite often dependent on where the tubes were sourced.





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