GH 20 Damascus Question

[Dennis Yager]

Any idea how many were made? (D2 H O C 20 28)

[Reggie Bishop]

Not sure how many were made but higher grades it is few.

[Brian Dudley]

Well, I would normally say to refer to the tables in TPS. But they only show 3 damascus hammerless 20g guns. 2 in 27” length and 1 in 31” length.

I can safely say that something is messed up with that particular column in the book.

[Dean Romig]

"The Parker Story" in the Grades section under Grade 2 guns, says 439 PSS 20 gauge guns with 28-inch barrels were made. That's about 10% of all PSS barrels in all gauges and barrel lengths made.





.

[Brian Dudley]

The question was about damascus guns though.

Dean, would you agree that the 20g damascus figures seem out of whack?

[Dean Romig]

Dean, would you agree that the 20g damascus figures seem out of whack?


I sure would Brian... three Grade 2 Damascus barreled 20 gauge guns of all possible barrel lengths compared to thirty-eight in 28 gauge seems exceptionally odd. Factor in that TPS also lists 2,316 made in 16 gauge.

But in support of only three 20 gauge Damascus GH guns made, there were only ten 20 gauge G grade hammer guns ever made with Damascus barrels. So I guess twenty gauge guns early enough to sport Damascus barrels were quite unpopular, or simply hadn’t attained popularity yet.





.

[Dave Noreen]

Here we go again. Errata Sheet Version 3, 6/6/01 gives us
"Page 279, Table at lower left -- "GRADE 2 HAMMERLESS GUNS WITH DAMASCUS STEEL BARRELS" -- The column with statistics for the 20 gauge is incorrect. A total of 446 hammerless doubles of 20-gauge were made with barrel lengths as follows: (length/count) - (32/3), (31/1), (30/49), (28/244), (26/145), (24/1). These changes will effect the totals in various summary tables."

[Mills Morrison]

More than 3 have been on the market this year

[Dean Romig]

Thanks Dave. How many times were errata sheets published and where can we get them?

I’m sure a lot of people have “The Parker Story” and are not aware of the existence of errata sheets.

I wonder if we can get them from Daniel Cote...



.

[Brian Dudley]

I checked my set and I do have all 3 of the errata sheets in the front of my Vol.1

When I was looking at that table, I was thinking about seeing if it was on the errata sheet. But I got lazy.

[Dave Noreen]

I have two printed on heavy card stock, the one mentioned above and one that was sent with Volume 1 when they were mailed to subscribers. Also two thinner sheets dated 9/27/01 which are folded as if they were mailed in a No. 10 envelope. Three sides are headed The Parker Story - Errata, 1 of 3, 2 of 3 and 3 of 3; while the fourth side is headed The Parker Story - New Stuff, 1 of 1.

[Dean Romig]

Dave - this gets fascinatinger and fascinatinger.....

Not only do I have the Errata (pgs. 1043 & 1044) of Vol. II of TPS which are bound in as part of the book, I also have the two heavy card stock sheets you mention above but I also have two thin copy sheets of Version 3 dated 6/6/01.

Further, my thin sheets are printed on one side only and are side 1 and 2 of the same publication. Additionally, none of mine are 1 of, 2 of or 3 of...anything.

I wonder if this is all the errata that were produced? I wonder if your 9/27/01 has anything that my 6/6/01 version might not include?

Maybe Bill Mullins could come on and shed some light on this Errata conundrum...






.

[Brian Dudley]

In my Deluxe set, I have :

a white cardstock errata sheet that is undated. - Single Sided

a yellow cardstock that is marked Version 2, 2/14/2001 - Double Sided

a white sheet of lightweight paper. This one is dated July 2006 and specifically addresses the GH 20g. Damascus table. It states that correct totals should be 446 in all barrel lengths.

And the errata page that is bound at the back of Vol 2.

[todd allen]

Okay. Not to be outdone. My Czar Edition, Invincible Set, signed and dated by all the authors, has two errata pages. Both on card stock, one double sided. (Volume 1)

[Mike Franzen]

Dang it! I have a 26” damascus 20 ga with 26” barrels. I liked it being one of the three.

[Dean Romig]

Hey Mike, I have one too and I have a DH with 28” Damascus barrels.





.

[charlie cleveland]

i have a dh with damascus barrels with 28 inch barrels....charlie

[Dean Romig]

Do you have a research letter on that one Charlie?





.

[Mark Ray]

I have a gh 20 damascus with 26” brought ti the Southern

[Michael Moffa]

I wonder how many 20ga Damascus are left. I've got a 30", which I gave to my special snowflake when she turned 18. :)

[charlie cleveland]

i have not got a letter on this one dean but the fellow i bought it from got a letter on it...he posted the letter on here it was bought by or for mr robert wood johnson founder of johnson and johnson products...gun not in real good shape but it still shoots ok... charlie

[Mills Morrison]

Very interesting, Charlie. I remember when you got that gun and hope it is serving you well

[William McClintock]

All,

I have a DH 16 gauge Damascus gun on a 20 gauge frame. Now I wondering if I need a research letter on this gun?

[Mills Morrison]

I get a Research letter on every Parker I buy that has information available. Make sure you check to see if information is available before sending the request. I often get interesting information

[William McClintock]

Recently I inherited a 16 gauge DH on the fabled O frame with 28 inch Damascus barrels. The old girl looks at least close to her age but works fine.
Yesterday at the local SC range I went 3 stations before missing a bird the first time I took the gun for a drive. I’m no George Digweed so the gun impressed me.

Now these discussions about how many GH grade Damascus guns lead to my obvious question: how many DH grade Damascus guns?

Many thanks for any answers.

[Reggie Bishop]

Sounds like a nice one. Got any pics?

[William McClintock]

Sounds like a nice one. Got any pics?

An 1899 gun and she does look a mite used. But still a good one!

https://flic.kr/p/2hqtkMh

[Craig Larter]

Damascus small bore grade 3, about as nice as it gets. I so much prefer the damascus guns to fluid steel. Thanks for the picture.

[John Knobelsdorf II]

William:

That is VERY nice looking. She looks to have been cherished and carried in the field, with the honest wear that I respect. The crisp small scroll work of that era is marvelous.

One thing that happens for me when I look in on this forum is: I see things I did not even know I wanted, and now wish I had and now I am on the lookout for. This my friend, is an example of that phenomenon.

Congratulations on having a family gun. Any backstory to share about it or who carried it before you inherited (that you feel you can share)?

[Dave Noreen]

obvious question: how many DH grade Damascus guns?


According to the tables in The Parker Story there were 129 20-gauge Damascus barrel DH-/DHE-Grade guns produced, 69 with 28-inch barrels. Other lengths were 1 24", 1 25", 44 26", 2 27", 3 29", 6 30", 3 31" and 3 32".

[William McClintock]

William:

That is VERY nice looking. She looks to have been cherished and carried in the field, with the honest wear that I respect. The crisp small scroll work of that era is marvelous.

One thing that happens for me when I look in on this forum is: I see things I did not even know I wanted, and now wish I had and now I am on the lookout for. This my friend, is an example of that phenomenon.

Congratulations on having a family gun. Any backstory to share about it or who carried it before you inherited (that you feel you can share)?

My wife’s uncle wanted me to have the gun. He carried it for years. I have no idea where he got the gun. He wasn’t really much of a bird hunter, but he likes nice guns.

[William McClintock]

According to the tables in The Parker Story there were 129 20-gauge Damascus barrel DH-/DHE-Grade guns produced, 69 with 28-inch barrels. Other lengths were 1 24", 1 25", 44 26", 2 27", 3 29", 6 30", 3 31" and 3 32".

Wow! Many thanks for that.

[Ed Blake]

This is the barrel flat of my 32” Damascus 20 on a#2 frame. Gun was delivered in 1919 as a 12 gauge according to the letter. Sometime after 1920 the Damascus barrels were put on, but whether this was done at the factory cannot be documented. Great dove gun

[charlie cleveland]

what i see the barrel weight looks to be 5lb 5 ounceis this correct...if it is thats heavy for a 20 ga....charlie

[Ed Blake]

Yes, that’s correct Charlie. The gun weighs about 9 lbs. The flat, as I see it, is stamped D4. Barrels were apparently meant for a C-Grade.

[Mills Morrison]

I really like the engraving on William's DH

[Dave Noreen]

This is the barrel flat of my 32” Damascus 20 on a#2 frame. Gun was delivered in 1919 as a 12 gauge according to the letter. Sometime after 1920 the Damascus barrels were put on, but whether this was done at the factory cannot be documented. Great dove gun

Wow!! A full pound heavier than the 32-inch, Vulcan Steel, 3-inch 20-gauge barrels added to my 2-frame 12-gauge GH-Grade of 1889 vintage.

76745

In that my barrels are marked CT, U.S.A. but don't have the Overload Proved marking, I date them to the 1919 to 1926 time frame.

[JasonPeck]

I wonder how many 20ga Damascus are left. I've got a 30", which I gave to my special snowflake when she turned 18. :)

I just found one up here in Canada. Grade 2 Damascus 20 gauge with 30" barrels on an 0 frame. Looking forward to the research letter.

[Dean Romig]

I just found one up here in Canada. Grade 2 Damascus 20 gauge with 30" barrels on an 0 frame. Looking forward to the research letter.


I know of two others that were shipped toCanada - a GH 20/30 and a CHE 20/30.





.

[CraigThompson]

This is the barrel flat of my 32” Damascus 20 on a#2 frame. Gun was delivered in 1919 as a 12 gauge according to the letter. Sometime after 1920 the Damascus barrels were put on, but whether this was done at the factory cannot be documented. Great dove gun

That gun would look very nice back beside a certain DH 3 frame 12 with 28” barrels I happen to know of :whistle:

[Rich Anderson]

I have a GHE Damascus 20 (also sold one a few years ago:banghead:), CHE 20 which according to TPS is one of 8 with 26 inch Damascus barrels and a GH 20 with 30 inch Damascus barrels.

[Jay Gardner]

I know where there is a beautiful 20ga GH with 28” dam barrels but unfortunately there is a fair amount of pitting that appears to be very deep, too deep to polish/hone out without compromising the barrels. Too bad.

Not many Parker’s on my wish list but a 20 ga DH with 28” dam barrels is at the top of the list. Someday...

[Mark Ray]

Imhave a correction....my GH is 28”, cyl,improved

[Bill Murphy]

The 32" #2 frame 20 gauge barrels on my VH are marked 4-15. The barrels on my #3 frame 16 are marked 4-13, but then they are only 28" long.

[Dean Romig]

I know where there is a beautiful 20ga GH with 28” dam barrels but unfortunately there is a fair amount of pitting that appears to be very deep, too deep to polish/hone out without compromising the barrels. Too bad. .


Is that one being used regularly or is it just sitting looking pretty in somebody’s collection?





.

[Chuck Bishop]

Ed, the 3 in the bottom right flat is for grade 3 (DH) guns. The D4 stands for 4 blade Damascus. Teriffic gun!

[Jay Gardner]

Is that one being used regularly or is it just sitting looking pretty in somebody’s collection?.

It's not being used, that I know. The current owner (who knows quite a bit about Parkers and damascus barrels) is afraid to shoot it (and is afraid of selling it due to perceived liability issues). I have held the gun (gazed longingly at it), and I have seen the pitting - there is quite a bit of it and some of the pits made me go "ugh." There is no way they would polish out and I doubt they could even be honed out. I even tried to figure out just how much metal could be removed before the barrels became too thin (<.18) but I haven't been able to determine the current minimum thickness.

[JasonPeck]

Does anyone have the serial number for the 24" GH 20 Damascus? pm if you prefer.

[Paul Ehlers]

It's not being used, that I know. The current owner (who knows quite a bit about Parkers and damascus barrels) is afraid to shoot it (and is afraid of selling it due to perceived liability issues). I have held the gun (gazed longingly at it), and I have seen the pitting - there is quite a bit of it and some of the pits made me go "ugh." There is no way they would polish out and I doubt they could even be honed out. I even tried to figure out just how much metal could be removed before the barrels became too thin (<.18) but I haven't been able to determine the current minimum thickness.

Could you get the owner to let you send the barrels to Kirk Merrington? That way you can have the one of the best barrel men in the business give an evaluation for what can or can't be done with the pitting & bores.

[Mills Morrison]

Does anyone have the serial number for the 24" GH 20 Damascus? pm if you prefer.

Oh boy! :shock:

Did you find it, Jason?

[JasonPeck]

Oh boy! :shock:

Did you find it, Jason?

I saw #15798 sell at online auction last week. It was listed as 24" but I could not verify if the barrels had been cut. And was not listed in the serialization book.

[Mills Morrison]

Very interesting

[CraigThompson]

I saw #15798 sell at online auction last week. It was listed as 24" but I could not verify if the barrels had been cut. And was not listed in the serialization book.

I think you might have left a digit out of the serial number .

[JasonPeck]

Correction. #154798.

[Mills Morrison]

Order a research letter and see what it says. The website says records are available. That would be a real find

[JasonPeck]

I would if it was my gun. But decided not to take the risk.

[Dean Romig]

What risk? A letter is only $40 to know the truth.





.

[JasonPeck]

The risk was overpaying for a gun with cut barrels. And I couldn't wait for the letter before the auction. But be my guest and order the letter. ;)

[Dean Romig]

Yeah, I think I will. Thanks.





.

[Bruce Day]

TPS.

I own 157,389.

[Bill Murphy]

Dean, fill us in when you get the letter. The next move would be to figure out who bought the gun. Good luck.

[Don Strelioff]

I just purchased a 1919 20 ga GH grade 26” bbl 2.5 “ Cham 0 frame Damascus gun . I started a thread looking for info . Thanks don

[Dean Romig]

Probably the best information you’ll find is from a PGCA research letter and from information in the tabs on the left column on the PGCA Home page.

Show pictures and you’ll get plenty of info and comments.





.

[Don Strelioff]

I just found one up here in Canada. Grade 2 Damascus 20 gauge with 30" barrels on an 0 frame. Looking forward to the research letter.

I just bought a grade 2 20 ga Damascus gun 26” bbl’s
Alberta Canada

[Dean Romig]

Pictures please Don?





.

[Rich Anderson]

I have two damascuss barreled 20's a 26 inch GHE and a 30 inch GH.

[Reggie Bishop]

I have two damascuss barreled 20's a 26 inch GHE and a 30 inch GH.

What about the CHE???

[Rich Anderson]

I forgot about that one. :eek: I'll blame it on the medication:whistle:

[charlie cleveland]

i have a d grade hammerless gun with 28 inch damscus barrels...charlie