Frank Cronin
12-12-2010, 01:45 PM
I’m posting in the form of a question to the group in the other extreme. I have been reading on some of the old postings original Damascus replaced by fluid steel barrels. Below is a quote where Don is helping explain to the original poster why his GH manufactured in 1900 has Parker Special Steel. The whole thread can be found here http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=526&highlight=supplied
As I stated, Parker Bros introduced Parker Special Steel barrels for the GH in 1908, a full 8 years after your gun was made. It doesn't take much "out of the box" thinking to realize that the gun most likely went back to Parker Bros and the original (likely damaged or severely pitted) 1900 Damascus barrels were replaced by the then current fluid steel barrels some time after 1908. I own (or have owned) no less than 6 Parkers that this happened to (original Damascus replaced by new fluid steel barrels) and the factory records bore these conversions out. Send for a Research Letter on your gun and if this happened before 1919 there will likely be a record of it. I will also show your gun left the factory in Meriden, Conn. as a Quality D2 or GH with Damascus barrels. Anyway, those are the facts.
So based on what I have read thus far is that the factory in Meriden would supply new fluid steel barrels for the customer for an older gun that was originally ordered with Damascus. I have no idea but based on Don’s comment of owning or have owned Parkers with this conversion; it may have been a common practice to do this.
Now to my original question with a couple of scenarios. We are in the mid 1920’s and a customer wants to buy a new GH Parker but wants it ordered with Damascus barrels instead of the Parker Special Steel. Customer supplies the barrels. Second, a customer in the mid 1920’s has a fluid steel gun, say a VH or a Trojan whose barrels got severely damaged. Money is tight and can not afford “new” fluid steel barrels for replacement so the customer supplied the factory with his own Parker Damascus barrels to repair.
I may be off on how to hypothesize different scenarios but I think everyone gets the idea – I hope. Anyhow, how often do we see Parkers that are supposed to have been ordered only with fluid steel barrels and have Damascus barrels instead?
Frank
As I stated, Parker Bros introduced Parker Special Steel barrels for the GH in 1908, a full 8 years after your gun was made. It doesn't take much "out of the box" thinking to realize that the gun most likely went back to Parker Bros and the original (likely damaged or severely pitted) 1900 Damascus barrels were replaced by the then current fluid steel barrels some time after 1908. I own (or have owned) no less than 6 Parkers that this happened to (original Damascus replaced by new fluid steel barrels) and the factory records bore these conversions out. Send for a Research Letter on your gun and if this happened before 1919 there will likely be a record of it. I will also show your gun left the factory in Meriden, Conn. as a Quality D2 or GH with Damascus barrels. Anyway, those are the facts.
So based on what I have read thus far is that the factory in Meriden would supply new fluid steel barrels for the customer for an older gun that was originally ordered with Damascus. I have no idea but based on Don’s comment of owning or have owned Parkers with this conversion; it may have been a common practice to do this.
Now to my original question with a couple of scenarios. We are in the mid 1920’s and a customer wants to buy a new GH Parker but wants it ordered with Damascus barrels instead of the Parker Special Steel. Customer supplies the barrels. Second, a customer in the mid 1920’s has a fluid steel gun, say a VH or a Trojan whose barrels got severely damaged. Money is tight and can not afford “new” fluid steel barrels for replacement so the customer supplied the factory with his own Parker Damascus barrels to repair.
I may be off on how to hypothesize different scenarios but I think everyone gets the idea – I hope. Anyhow, how often do we see Parkers that are supposed to have been ordered only with fluid steel barrels and have Damascus barrels instead?
Frank