Thoughts on a GR 1 Hammer?

[Brian Arthur]

Gentlemen,

I came across what appears to be a Grade 1 hammer gun made in 1885 and took a few pictures to share. It is a 12 ga, 30" stub twist barrels, full metal butt plate, good bores (visual inspection only) and matches the description in the serialization guide. I was not in a position to make any measurements of it beyond using a tape measure.

It is priced higher than a shooter, but less than a collectible....so I'd appreciate hearing your comments on it.

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[Brian Dudley]

That is a very honest gun with a lot of conditon left on it. The finishes are original. It was used a bit, but not abused. It would be a good one to pick up.

[Wayne Owens]

A very nice untouched hammer gun. It appears that a good cleaning is all that is necessary. I would be very happy to have that one in my collection.

[CraigThompson]

For some unexplicable reason I've come to really really like top lever hammers on a 1 frame in 12 gauge regardless of the grade . :whistle:

Sadly I only have one in a Grade 2 with a major wrist repair .

[Garry L Gordon]

If it's priced so that you can afford it, buy it(!) Regret is hard to live with. A gun is a lot easier to live with.

[Brian Arthur]

Well, the owner and I are going back and forth....if anyone has an opinion on what this is worth, please PM me!

[Bill Murphy]

Does the bit of engraving on the gun lead to the conclusion that it is a Grade 1 rather than a 0 Grade as listed in the serialization book? Or maybe it is marked 1 somewhere on the gun?

[Brian Arthur]

I will get the gun later this week and post better pictures which could help sort it out, but I agree that it seems to be a Grade 0.5 :)

[Dean Romig]

The double line border engraving along with the Twist barrels would seem to indicate a Grade-0. It’s those little scroll flourishes on the lock plates that tend to confuse things a bit.





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[Richard Flanders]

There can't be that many of these around that are any cleaner than this one. I have a 32" 1883 0-grade with twist bbls that doesn't have any engraving on the side plates so this one does seem about like a 0.5-grade. It sure has been well cared for. Great gun. You won't regret buying it.

[Dean Romig]

The engraving between Grade-0 and Grade-1 guns tend to cross over a bit depending on the year-period they were made. We have seen some T/A Grade-1 guns that except for the lack of engraved birds, are practically indistinguishable (engraving-wise) from the Grade-2 guns.
Barrel steel, engraving styles, checkering patterns... are usually the best ways to determine the grade of a Parker, but sometimes they are a bit more puzzling.





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[Bill Murphy]

Dean mentions the Grade 1 guns that "look like" Grade 2 guns except for the birds. My favorite Grade 1 gun is identical to a Grade 2 except that the circle on the floorplate is empty of engraving. It even has Damascus barrels like just a handful of similar Grade 1 guns in the forty some thousand serial number range.