1904

[Chris Fauser]

Hey new to the group, I recently came across a Parker double barrel shotgun in my house I just bought. It had been disassembled and wrapped in old newspapers. I’ve found three serial numbers that all match and date it to 1904 and on barrel says Vulcan Steel. I believe it to be a 12 gauge. It’s in poor condition and would like to have it restored correctly. Is there any recommendations from this group for restoration services with these guns? I’m in mid Michigan.

Thanks for any information
Chris

[Michael D Hankinson]

You could take it to Batchelders on NE side of Grand Rapids, Great Parker knowledge to advise you.

[Brian Dudley]

A great story of how you came into the gun. I guess those sort of things still do happen.

A restoration of a 12g VH (a field grade gun) would be a labor of love as the cost to properly restore it would be maybe 4-5 times the value of the gun.

That financial stuff being said, I restore many guns for people where the investment far exceeds the value of the gun. It is nothing new.

[Paul Ehlers]

First things First!

My number one rule when considering any type of restoration is to thoroughly inspect the barrels. If the barrels have excessive issues, it quite often becomes a deal killer, especially if the bores are excessively pitted, the ribs are loose anywhere or it has very thin wall thickness.

Looking at the pictures you posted, my first thoughts were this one would be a very expensive one to restore & it would take a very talented smith to do the work. The gun needs some very time intensive metal work which would include some Tig welding work, let alone a complete replacement of the wood.

I'm guessing that because of the man hour labor costs, this one could be well north of $3000.00 to restore. Some times a gun is just beyond the point of no return and it's real value is displaying it as a conversation piece. You have a great story of how you found the gun and then everyone who see's it can speculate on how it might have gotten into the shape it's presently in.