What happened to this DH?

[Chuck Bishop]

I'm posting pictures for a new PGCA member. The pictures show a DHE with fluid steel barrels. The records show it as just a DH 12ga. with Damascus barrels. The forend iron and ejectors look like Parker work but there are no records of this gun having ejectors. They were probably added but in a missing Order Book. The S/N's on the forend iron, and barrel lug show evidence of re-stamping with 61845. The barrel flats just show Kf and 3/14 for the weight but no letter for the type of steel. The rib inscription has been re-stamped without the barrel steel.

Any ideas as to what happened to this gun and who might have modified it?

[Rick Losey]

No repair code on the other side of the flats ?

[edgarspencer]

One would have a very difficult time convincing me those ejectors, and ejector fore end iron are not the work of Parker. Your missing book theory is the only explanation.

[Dean Romig]

But the rib marking......... How do we explain that NON-Parker rib legend modification.

DelGrego...? the case color kinda points that way, plus the quality Parker-like work. They also have the jig and tools to do this work.

But I would never suspect DelGrego of obscuring the word Damascus from the rib.





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[Dave Noreen]

Do we ever see that Kf marking on anything but early Vulcan Steel barrels? It is hard to see in the pictures posted, but if Parker Bros. did the conversion wouldn't they have fitted a post-1910 bolt and bolt-plate?

[Dean Romig]

Yes Dave, Parker Bros. would normally have upgraded guns sent for repair or service with the 1910 bolt and wear plate.





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[Mills Morrison]

From the pictures, it looks like reasonable quality work, which pretty much rules out a novice. Besides Del Grego, who else was doing this kind of work?

[Dave Purnell]

It all looks Parker, and ribs without barrel steel names happened.

[Craig Budgeon]

From the pictures I think there appears to be a lot of undercut around the serial no., I fail to detect a wear plate, the breech end arrow looks different and less precise than the muzzle end arrow, the area under the address appears to be channeled/undercut, the matting seems to be deepened and less precise at the Conn. end of the address. I think the work was done in Lee Center and Illion and refinished later. The pedigree of this gun is too questionable for my taste.,

[Brian Dudley]

Lefever arms was also doing ejector conversions on Parkers.

By the look of that makers mark, the steel type was wiped out for sure. Those barrels may be blued over damascus.

[Mills Morrison]

It could be that the ejectors were installed by Parker and someone at some point obscured the barrel steel legend and blued the barrels. The work on the barrels seems cruder than the ejector work.

[Dean Romig]

Lefever arms was also doing ejector conversions on Parkers.

By the look of that makers mark, the steel type was wiped out for sure. Those barrels may be blued over damascus.

With that serial number you can bet the barrels are either Damascus or have been sleeved.





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[Mills Morrison]

Or they are barrels from a later serial number

[Dean Romig]

The installation of the stop plate isn't quality work and I would think Parker Bros. would have filled and filed the extractor rod limiting screw.





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[Chuck Bishop]

Regardless of the barrel steel, shouldn't there be a "D" or some other stamp indicating the barrel steel on the flats? Would there be any other full S/N stamped on the forend iron like on the underside of the metal? We might find a partial S/N on the ejectors or other small parts, not that it would help much. Maybe a good magnifying glass could determine the original S/N on the forend.

[Dean Romig]

Good points Chuck.

The forend wood, if original, would have the serial number stamped in the recess for the iron.




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[Brian Dudley]

I was thinking sleeved barrels as well. It is hard to tell from the photos, but i do not see any clear signs of it. Maybe just a little bit of lightness in the bluing in front of the barrel flats.

[Craig Budgeon]

Sleeving barrels prior to the early 80's was done by soldering the replacement tubes in place thus producing a visible seam and thereafter tig welding was introduced in the process where the seam could be hidden when rust blued. However,if the breech is Damascus, rust bluing will not hide the cast iron wire. Damascus barrels were popular until post WWI so if Parker did the work you would think they would add a wear plate when they replaced the forend iron for the ejectors. I think the serial # on the barrels was filled in and restamped and # on the forend iron matches the serial # on the barrels, anotherwords the identical set of stamps were used.

[Brian Dudley]

A very good executed solder joint can be just as undetectable as a welded joint. And, rust blue does hide damasuc pattern pretty wellupon initial inspection. Generallly it takes looking at it at certain angles in certain light to see the pattern. The amount of bite in the rust blue solution used also has a part in it too.

The serial number stamping on these barrels has been redone by the look of it. And the bolt bite has been welded on.

[Gary Bodrato]

The left barrel enhanced appears to say PAT ? APRI and the disappears from the photo

[Bill Murphy]

We need to see more of the rib where the steel type would have been stamped. Parker may have normally installed a 1910 bolt plate, but Del Grego only did it if you paid the price. Larry Senior installed a 1910 bolt plate in my 28 gauge VH in 1971 and it was on his list of charges. What's with the bolt slot? Was it done with a hatchet or is the picture not clear?

[Dave Noreen]

The left barrel enhanced appears to say PAT ? APRI and the disappears from the photo

The line says "PAT'D APR. 11, 1876" Charles King's Patent No. 175862 for gun barrel manufacturing.