Need used barrel advice

[Tom Jay]

I've come across an affordable 1884 top lever with 30" twist IC/Mod barrels. My interest is to use the barrels on my current 1887 D3 top lever which has original Damascus 28" Cyl/Cyl barrels. Both are size 1 frame but of different grades. The forend seems to be in good condition and will mount barrel/forend on my gun to check fit. Which, if purchased will have qualified gunsmith check out. The only tools I look at the gun will be choke and chamber gauges and probably won't be able to go to gunsmith to check wall thickness. To visually check the condition of the barrel what should I be looking for? What is "barrel ring", which I've heard used on this forum? How do you judge the amount of pitting in/out of barrel considered "normal" for a gun this age? All insight to what I should be looking for in a usable barrel would be appreciated. Thank you

[Robin Lewis]

May I suggest that you go to our FAQ section on parkerguns.org and read the section on Parker Collecting, in particular #13. The others are worth a look too.

[Dean Romig]

Presume you know that Twist barrels are not appropriate for a Grade 3 Parker.
If it is strictly intended for an extra set of barrels for a shooter with no intent to recuperate your investment then, why not - go ahead.
If the donor barrels have some choke and show minimal pitting or 'frosting' I would say they haven't been honed and should be 'good to go.' There are barrels out there that have "mirror bores" that really need to be measured. By your description the donor barrels may be okay but should still be looked at, if not measured, by someone who knows what to look for. "Normal" or even 'acceptable' are very subjective. It is pretty 'normal' to see pitting in barrels of this age but the subjective part is 'How much pitting' and 'How deep are the pits.' Another thing to look for is evidence of repaired dents and if they were honed smooth on the inside.
Regarding the "ring", good composite barrels should yield a nice 'gong' but not so much a ring. In my experience, fluid steel barrels will yield a nice 'ring.'
What you don't want to hear when you tap the barrels (when they are suspended by the hook) is a "thunk" or a "gong" accompanied by a noticeable 'buzz.'





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[Robin Lewis]

Duplicate entry, sorry