Serialization Check

[Joe Graziano]

Gents,

Would someone mind do a check of the serialization book on SN153964? I purchased recently at auction.

Much thanks!

Joe
PGCA Member

[James Rhodenizer]

It is not listed in the book.

[Dean Romig]

But there are surviving records for 153964 upon which to base a research letter.





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[Joe Graziano]

Thank you for your replies. I bid on this on a lark and won. The receiver is prominently engraved on both sides with a gentleman’s name. Dean, I will order the research letter. I did a little initial digging myself and found information about the gent in the 1940s and beyond. It appears he and his wife were competitive shooters and raised setters for competition, and he obviously valued the gun quite a bit. I will order the letter and post pics when I have 153964 in hand. The auction site listed her as a VH with 30 in barrels with C and IC chokes, which seems odd. More to follow! :)

[Joe Graziano]

I now have the VH in hand. I honestly wasn’t sure if I had made a great purchase when I bid and won, or if I was buying what would be a wall hanger. Boy was I happy to pickup the Parker from my FFL today! I will post pics below. It is a 12 ga and the first thing I noticed as I shouldered her, it’s quite heavy. Disassembly revealed it’s built on a #2 frame. It has 30 in Vulcan Steel barrels which are uncut with a brass mid bead and ivory or plastic end bead. Serial numbers match on barrels, frame and end iron. From what I can see, everything works as it should. From the reference tables, it seems to have been made in 1910. I assume it has been restocked and sports a fairly nice piece of wood in excellent condition with sharp checkering and very nice modern shooting dimensions. The fore end wood is a gawdawful beavertail, certainly not original. The barrels will need to be polished and reblued as it appears someone put the gun in a case wet, likely long ago, and left it for a very long time. Chokes are C/IC, which I assume was a later modification, though I don’t know why anyone would make a skeet gun of a #2 frame gun 12 ga with 30 in barrels. Case colors have long since disappeared on the frame. It has gone silver with minor freckling. Both sides of the receiver are prominently engraved “D.J. Hasinger”. The only restoration I plan to do is reblue the barrels and replace the rotten rubber recoil pad. What would be the most “correct pad”? I will also replace the beavertail with a splinter fore end, when I can find one. I will also order the research letter to find out more. More to follow:)

[Joe Graziano]

https://imgur.com/a/8ik9ttF

[Joe Graziano]

https://imgur.com/a/8ik9ttF

[Brian Dudley]

Yes. Restocked. Butt and forend also.

[Dean Romig]

Oddly the comb on that gun looks almost exactly like an original Parker Bros. 'trap comb'.

Makes me wonder if it hasn't simply been recheckered and a pad replacement in the 30's 40's or 50's.

But then it has the wrong escucheon and the cheeks aren't contoured correctly.


And I will add that the checkering on the grip looks very much like Remington era checkering but there is no Remington code on the barrel flats.








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[Joe Graziano]

I compared to photos and the checkering is exactly as on an original Parker and nearly perfect. In fact, the entire finish on the stock is near perfect. Good eye on the comb. I compared to photos and it looks identical. In researching Mr. Hasinger, he was already a senior manufacturing executive during WWII in Pittsburgh. It makes sense he would have purchased and updated the gun in the 1930s or 1940s. He obviously was quite fond of it, having his name engraved on both sides of the receiver. Ouch. Obviously, it affects collector value but takes away nothing from the gun as a shooter. In fact, all of his modifications make it a darn nice shooter today. I’m thinking a red Silvers pad on the stock. Mr. Dudley, thank you for the information. I will contact you regarding barrel reblue and pad replacement.

[Joe Graziano]

I noticed “J.G.” in a circle on the barrel flats. What did that indicate?

[Daryl Corona]

JG= Jim Gary, barrel guy.

IMHO,

If it were my gun I'd shoot the hell out of it and find out if you really like the gun and can shoot it well enough to dump more money into it. Unless the pad is rock hard and crumbly I'd leave that also. It looks to be a period correct pad and I have them on a Lefever and a Fox. I like them better than the Silvers. Overall a nice gun, enjoy it.

[Dean Romig]

I added to my previous post.





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[Brian Dudley]

The wrist checkering, although slightly similar in appearance, is nothing like factory checkering.
The angle of the diamonds is way off, and the location of the rear spur extension is incorrect.

[Drew Hause]

The pad is a Jostam Anti-Flinch, available about 1914 and into the 40s.

Courtesy of David Noreen

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1373/6511424/22972603/404017716.jpg

[charlie cleveland]

i need one of those for the flincking thing....charlie

[Joe Graziano]

I finally took the VH out for sporting clays. Whatever the gun lost in collectible value due to Mr. Hasinger’s modifications, he made up for in shoot-ability. The gun functions perfectly after 108 years and crushes clays just fine. It’s a big, heavy soft shooting gun, perfect for clays and skeet. I may even take it hunting along side my 12 ga lifter. I decided to leave the Jostam pad. It’s hard as a rock but sliding my Galco leather pad over it gives me a perfect LOP and makes the gun very comfortable to shoot. It looks just fine. I hate the look of the beaver tail but admit, it’s great for shooting. I will likely only have the barrels sanded and reblued for now. I would like to have a proper splinter forend fitted to it. Overall, it was an fantastic find for me and I’m the happy owner of another great old Parker.

[Bill Holcombe]

Congrats on a parker you like. Shootability is great! I think I looked at that ine on GB but couldn't get past the forend, but the price looked good. Congrats!

[Joe Graziano]

I ordered and received the research letter today for my VH, previously owned by a man holding a very unique place among 20th century sportsmen, David Hasinger. Thank you for the very quick turnaround. David was born and raised in the small town of Indiana, PA in 1915. This Parker was manufactured in 1910, and ordered by a gentleman in that same small town in 1911. The original owner died in 1940 and I would guess David purchased his gun. It certainly didn’t travel far between owners. David, however, was a world traveler who had his name engraved on both side of the gun, so who knows where the gun went over the next 40-50 years. How much a Parker shotgun and letter can tell us! I very much look forward to sharing the story in an upcoming Parker Pages.