First 20ga. Parker - Damascus GH

[Jay Oliver]

Here is my first parker 20 gauge. I rushed the pictures a bit, but wanted to share. I had been looking for a 20 gauge off and on and I am excited to add this to my collection. I really wanted a 20 with Damascus or Twist barrels. This GH is a 0 frame with 28” Damascus barrels. The stock was cut at some point, probably for a younger shooter. The LOP is 12 ¾” I will have someone add a recoil pad to increase to LOP.

Hopefully, I can get the LOP close to 14” or at least to 13 3/4” without having too much pad on the end of the gun. Whoever shortened the stock tried to do a nice job and rounded the edges along with carving the butt. I believe that will have to be cut back some before a recoil pad is added. The original LOP from the research letter was 14 ¼” and with that the gun weighed 6lbs. 6oz.

I like everything else about the gun and I am smiling a bit too much. Looking forward to shooting it tomorrow. A slip on Orvis pad does get the LOP to 13 ¾” which I can live with until I get it fixed correctly.

[Jay Oliver]

A few more pictures...

[David Noble]

That gun makes me smile a bit too much too!
Great find. I hope it shoots well for you.

[Ken Hill]

Congrats on your nice find!

Ken

[edgarspencer]

That's a very beautiful gun. Why do I think I've seen it before?

[calvin humburg]

Great gun! I really like Damascus G's. I don't have a clue Edgar.

[edgarspencer]

Great gun! I really like Damascus G's. I don't have a clue Edgar.

My wife has been telling me I'm clueless for years now, and since I have no idea what she means, she must be right.

I just think I remember seeing the gun on an auction site, and it really got my attention. Maybe it was Julia'a (?)

[Mills Morrison]

Great gun! Congratulations

[Russ Jackson]

Very nice indeed , I love the feel and appearance of the 20 Ga. , O Framed Parkers ! As David said Great Find !

[edgarspencer]

The butt stock alteration was done to a very high standard. It's almost a shame to cover it with a pad.

[Jay Oliver]

I bought this at the latest Amoskeag auction. I think if it had an unaltered stock and the original DHBP I probably would not have been able to afford it. Everything else was so nice I decided to go for it. I looked at the gun before the auction during the preview period and left an absentee bid.

[Russ Jackson]

The butt stock alteration was done to a very high standard. It's almost a shame to cover it with a pad.

May be an idea , keep the original Butt Stock the way it is and have the gun restocked exactly to Jays specific dimensions !

[edgarspencer]

I bought this at the latest Amoskeag auction. I think if it had an unaltered stock and the original DHBP I probably would not have been able to afford it. Everything else was so nice I decided to go for it. I looked at the gun before the auction during the preview period and left an absentee bid.

Now it all comes back to me. I agree with everything you said, and I actually thought of running up for the preview. Another member and I actually had a discussion about this gun.
This is only a thought and not intended to be a recommendation, but if the slip on pad works for you, it might be nice to not disturb this stock, but look for a suitable replacement, and keep this one as-is. I have a thing about pads on 20s.

[Chuck Bishop]

I'd save up my money and have Mark Larson or Dennis Earl Smith put a wood extension on it, they can blend in the extension and make it look like one piece. Put on a DHBP and it will look super. Nice gun!

[Jay Oliver]

Russ and Edgar, When I was checking this gun at the preview the though of re-stocking cam to mind(though I have never gone through that process before). The original stock dimensions from the letter were 14 1/4 LOP and 2 3/8 DAH. That would have been very nice.

This is the first gun I have bought that I would consider re-stocking. I do like the idea of selecting the wood and having it made to my dimensions. I wouldn't be installing the recoil pad myself so I would sending it out anyway. Granted I would have a longer wait, but I would have something very nice when I got the gun back.

I am off to Addeiville, I am hopping they have a size "small" slip on pad at Robin Hollow, as my medium is a bit too loose. Of course I'll shoot a round as long as I am there :)

I also should mention that the gun lettered with F/F chokes but it measured M/M with my muzzle gauge. I have plenty of RST shells, I'll report back how it shoots.

[Jay Oliver]

Chuck that is an option I hand't thought about. I have seen pictures where the wood extension was blended so well you couldn't see/perceive that it had been done.

[Dean Romig]

If you plan to use a "slip-on" pad, keep in mind they only give you about 1/2" in length, but you can cut foam spacers to fit inside the slip -on.

If it were mine, I would go with an invisible extension of wood or a leather covered pad as we discussed.



.

[Drew Hause]

Neat Jay! Damascus GHs were usually D3; yours is clearly marked D4

DH D4

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1373/6511424/19025099/267326176.jpg

[Reggie Bishop]

Parker 20s are my favorite. This is a nice one!

[John Campbell]

Mr. Oliver:
You've made a fine acquisition. And in my view, this gun should NOT be restocked. The LOP could be extended via a wood Larson-blended extension, as suggested. OR a professionally-installed 1-inch Silvers style pad in combination with a 1/4-inch black spacer. That should get you to 14" LOP as well. And it will generally look "right."

Overall, this gun is too nice and in such good condition, that the original stock should be retained.

[edgarspencer]

I agree with everything John said, Except the 1" Silvers pad with spacer. I first remember when Paul Roberts brought over a sample stock he had a young girl working for him do. One side was original, with a clear and visible piece of walnut glued on. The other side was her handywork; a perfectly blended extension of the original grain. I think this may have been before Larson began doing it.

I wish everyone would stop boosting Jay's pride. I'll never be able to talk him out of it now.

[Jay Oliver]

So there is always something to keep me grounded. First off, I shot 5 boxes of shells through the gun and it shot amazing. I was making long shots and shorts shots, I didn't even open my box of spreader shells.

It shot the RST 2 1/2 Ultra-Lites with 3/4oz. at 1100fps a little too well. Hardly any recoil and breaking targets near and far. It shot the 7/8oz. RST Lites well too, I just didn't need them. Without a doubt one of the nicest guns I have ever shot. I love it!

From a collector point a view I knew what I was getting into with the stock and was okay with that. I do think I missed that the barrels were also slightly trimmed. They measure 27 13/16". When I looked at the gun initially, I noticed that the barrels just touched at the muzzle and I didn't even measure the overall length(even though I had a tape measure in my pocket...).

I also saw what looked like a transition or rectangle at the end of the rib and thought the barrels were original. However...look at the pictures, it looks like someone did a good job either with a repair or wanted to open the chokes. I don't think someone would cut 3/16" off to open chokes, but you never know.

I do have several Parkers with barrels fractionally shorter than the stated length, but this doesn't look like that situation. Do the barrels look like they were cut?

The gun did shoot far too well to complain. And while I know there would be a significant impact on collector value, this will be a go to gun for me.

Please let me know what you think...Thank you,

Jay

[Jay Oliver]

Thinking out loud. I have a late grade 2 lifter with grade 3 Damascus barrels that measure just a touch under 29 7/8" for a lettered 30" barrel gun. I think one of the reasons was to use up the old style barrels before the top action guns came out(thanks Dean for explaining that to me!).

Could this be a similar situation? Using up some old stock? Though I think Parker's last damascus gun was 1926. Drew had mentioned these were higher grade barrels for GH. Just thinking and reaching a bit...

[edgarspencer]

The old 'rule of thumb' about barrels touching isn't a 'final rule', as I have seen many guns that have been cut 2", and the barrels are still touching.
I have seen barrels which are clearly uncut by the physical appearance of the termination line, and yet they do not measure "exactly" what either the letter, or serialization book says they are. I guess I'd have to say that 1/8" is perhaps the most I've seen, but generally, a sixteenth or even 3/32" is not at all out of the ordinary.
Your barrels do, indeed, look trimmed. That said, I doubt it will have additional negative impact on value than the fact the chokes are opened. Likewise, a very good faux painting of a lengthened stock will have less of an impact than a pad added to a cut stock.
This all, of course, is just my opinion and may only be worth what it cost you.

[Dean Romig]

Well, the Serialization book says it left Meriden with 28" barrels so they were obviously 'trimmed' most likely because of damage the muzzles had sustained and it doesn't look like the muzzles were finished like that at the factory, though it was done with some care in 'softening' the edges of the cut metal - it certainly wasn't done to reduce choke constriction as that would require at least a half-inch to be removed.

I like the gun a lot and I'm truly sorry I didn't get to Amoskeag for a preview.




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[edgarspencer]

I like the gun a lot and I'm truly sorry I didn't get to Amoskeag for a preview.

ditto

[Jay Oliver]

Thanks Dean and Edgar,

I have bought enough Parkers by now to have measured those barrels when I saw the gun at the auction preview. That was a big oversight on my part. If I did and noticed they were short, I doubt I would have placed a bid at all. I am glad I have the gun. I did receive a handful of compliments about how nice the gun is walking around the clays course today.

I do want to fix the stock LOP in a tasteful way. It really shoots well. I will definitely bring it to the Parker shoot at Addeiville in April.

I didn't find a small slip on pad, but it shot well enough with the medium sized pad. I really didn't even notice it was there. So no immediate rush on getting it fixed. I might shoot it all winter and send it off in the spring when my mind goes back to fishing and boats.

Thanks again for all the support!

Jay

[Mark Ray]

I’ve used Mark Larson for an extension, outstanding. I’ll send a pic of my Lindner 20 Daly here in a bit he did for me early this year.

[Mark Ray]

Here are,a couple photos of Marks work on my Daly,20 Diamond grade...he took off the gross pad and added 3.7”. For some reason the pics look like the new finish is orange peel. He did a nice checked butt, but i would use a correct dhbp.

He is great to work with also.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/161040185@N07/shares/x70xe3

[Jay Oliver]

Thanks for the recommendation and pictures. That may be the way to go. Those are nice before and after pics. I like the idea of getting the gun back to it's original LOP(which I like) with a DHBP.