Last hammer

[jefferyconnor]

When was the last Parker hammer gun made? When was the last American hammer gun of quality make made? Reading some of the posts, here, I realized they were probably made longer than I thought.

[Dean Romig]

I’ve read of one made in 1927 I believe but I don’t remember the grade.





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[Dave Noreen]

Not high end, but J. Stevens Arms Co. was still offering their Springfield No. 215 in their January 15, 1931, price list. Gone from 1932.

Ithaca hammer guns disappeared from their catalogs after 1915, but the hammer or hammerless line was still on the order form in the July 1919 catalog. The line was gone from the order form in the December 1, 1919, Ithaca Gun Co. catalog.

[jefferyconnor]

Is the 215 the last of them, to your knowledge, Researcher?
Dean, was that 1927 a unique one? Do you happen to know when Parker hammer guns weren't cataloged anymore?

[Dean Romig]

If I knew the serial number I could speak with more authority on it but I will say that it had to be a unique gun in that hammer guns were considered a thing of the past, archaic so to speak.

I’ll try to find information on it.





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[Dave Noreen]

In John Houchin's L.C. Smith book he states they offered hammer guns to 1932. I've got no truck with L.C. Smiths, but being an information junkie I do have the books.

[Dean Romig]

Reading through the Hammer Doubles chapter in The Parker Story I find the last recorded hammer gun, a Top Action PT 10- gauge with 32” Plain Twist barrels was started in November of 1917. I thought I remembered a 1927 made hammer gun reported in this forum quite a while back but maybe I’m confusing it with the last Damascus barreled gun....





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[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Dean, My 20 gauge hammer gun is 171718, 1915 or 1916 do not have the letter in front of me but I think you are right, about a very late hammer gun made by Parker I seem to remember such, would be nice to find that gun and see its specs! Gary

[jefferyconnor]

Dean, My 20 gauge hammer gun is 171718, 1915 or 1916 do not have the letter in front of me but I think you are right, about a very late hammer gun made by Parker I seem to remember such, would be nice to find that gun and see its specs! Gary

At your convenience would you be up to post some pictures of your gun? I wonder if the last ones were made of older parts or had some of the changes that the hammerless had? Like the plate on the lump that the locking bolt engages or the toplever spring.

[Bill Murphy]

My 16 gauge hammer gun #172,xxx has the 1910 combination bolt plate, but it is impossible to tell whether it was there when the gun was made.

[Dean Romig]

Bill, that's a 1915 or 1916 gun. "All" Parkers produced after 1910 had the modified bolt and bolt plate. Even guns sent back to Parker for repairs and service had it replaced as a N/C upgrade but I would suspect yours had the modified bolt and plate from the start.





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[jefferyconnor]

So, is it fair to say 1917 would be the last of the Parkers and 1932 the last of Stevens and LC Smiths?

[Dean Romig]

According to the information/records we have on Parkers I would say yes regarding the latest Parker hammer guns.





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[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Jeffrey, go to page 2 in hammer guns and you will see photos and the letter on the gun, Gary

[Brian Dudley]

At your convenience would you be up to post some pictures of your gun? I wonder if the last ones were made of older parts or had some of the changes that the hammerless had? Like the plate on the lump that the locking bolt engages or the toplever spring.


The top lever and spring setup of the hammer gun would remain unchanged.

[jefferyconnor]

I found this link a closed listing of a late LC Smith:
https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/shotguns/l-c--smith-shotguns/l-c--smith---hunter-arms-12-gauge-hammer-shotgun-mfg--in-1919-----spectacular------.cfm?gun_id=101066716
I think it's actually 1929 based on the serial number and barrel stampings.

[Brian Dudley]

LC Smith did build hammer guns pretty late. And So did Ithaca. They offered hammer guns well into the Flues era.

Recently I did some work on a friends Ithaca Flues hammer gun in 10g. that was made in 1914.

[jefferyconnor]

It was kind of a surprise to me hammer guns were made so late, I always pictured them being done by 1900 or so. For one reason or another, I like guns made late in production and have few last year hammerless guns on hand. I think late Parker, LC Smith or Ithaca hammer guns will be harder to find.

[Dean Romig]

Yes Jeffrey, they will be much harder to find. Since the hammerless guns were first produced they were coming more and more into demand. There were the old hold-outs who “would never own one of them things” for various reasons but we all know how sportsmen just have to have the newest and latest, e.g. plastic stocked camo from one end to the other capable of digesting 3 1/2” magnum loads with screw-in choke tubes. So the hammer guns were doomed to extinction from about 1890 and as the years went on fewer and fewer hammer guns were produced. A fluid steel barreled Parker hammer gun is a rarity for certain. You can look in the Grades charts in “The Parker Story” for totals but there weren’t many.

Beginning on page 20 of the current issue of “Parker Pages” we read about Wayne Owens’ remarkeble Grade 4 twenty-gauge hammer gun. Talk about a rarity... :eek:





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[Terry Smith]

I think one candidate for the last Parker hammer gun might be 208332.
It is a 12ga., Grade 3, fluid steel barreled hammer gun, probably made in 1924.

[Dean Romig]

If it’s yours may we see pictures?

Does it have Titanic Steel barrels?





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[Terry Smith]

It has 32" Titanic Steel barrels