My Grandfather's Parker Trojan

[Scott Clayton]

My grandfather bought a Trojan new. Based on the serial #, it was manufactured in 1913. My father inherited it from him and he gave it to me when I was about 20, 40 years ago.

The metal is in good shape - a small dent in one barrel, but no rust, no pitting, shiny inside, and tight. The wood-to-steel fit is a little loose now, but not terrible.

The grip has the classic Parker crack. When I first got it decades ago, I poked epoxy in the crack. It held for years and I hunted and shot skeet with the gun using low brass shells. Unfortunately, I used an epoxy that's light and very visible.

I took it skeet shooting a few years ago and discovered both barrels simultaneously discharge - even with short brass.

Anyway, I'm giving it to my son. I figured it wasn't doing anyone any good sitting in the cabinet if it can't be shot and doesn't look great anyway. And I know it's worth a lot more to us than as a collector's item.

So I bought an unfinished, milled stock & forearm and gave it to him for Christmas along with a TruOil and a bluing kit. I took it to a gunsmith for the double discharge. I have not tried the fit, but the new stock looks good.

But I have a couple questions and would appreciate your advice.

- the metal looks good, I think cold bluing might be a mistake. Should he leave it as-is?

- I saw a Parker Brothers butt plate, reproduction I assume, and plan to tell him to get that rather than a recoil pad. Make sense?

- The new stock has no checkering. Can checkering be added after it's finished?

Any other advice?


Thanks in advance.

[Brian Dudley]

If left on the road you are heading down, it will not be the best thing for the gun. Cold bluing would not be the proper finish for the gun. The receiver should not be blued at all. The barrels should be rust blued. Semi inletted stocks, though you are 80% there, still need a lot of skilled work to fit and finish properly. A correct buttplate would generally be preferred over a pad, but it is your gun, do what you want. Keep in mind that the trojan ised a different buttplate than other grades of parkers.
And yes, checkering is cut after finish.