Gun Weight

[Wayne Owens]

Just curious if anyone has compared their gun's actual weight with the weight of the gun stated in the Parker letter. All of my original guns weigh between 1 to 2 ounces lighter than the weight listed in the letter.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Are you feeding them "light" ammo? Seriously, 2 of my guns that letter at 6 lbs weigh just that.

[Matt Buckley]

I always compare the weights between actual and the letter and they have pretty much all been right one or within an ounce.

[Craig Budgeon]

Wood shrinks over 100 years or more, which means the wood has lost moisture and thus weight. The calibration of Parkers scales may not have been exact or current.

[Wayne Owens]

Craig, evidently your guns too weigh less than the letter states. Back to the question that I asked, what is the difference between your gun's actual weight and the weight stated in the Parker letter?

[Craig Budgeon]

Wayne I have weighed 1 Parker in nearly 50 years involved in this hobby. I see no value in the time spent doing it. So many alterations have changed guns weights. I have 2 rebarreled by Parker, 1 restocked, 3 or 4 with wood removed and recoil pads added, and another 3 or 4 that have complete restorations. Other members have guns with the single triggers and ejectors added. I hope you receive feedback from a person who has your same interest, however I am not that person.

[Wayne Owens]

Sometimes it's not fun being the anal person that I am but other times it does pays off.

[edgarspencer]

I'm more inclined to attribute any significant weight differences to scale accuracy, rather than moisture content. A piece of stable, dry wood can go from 3% moisture to over 6% seasonally. (Before you say it, yes, it changes regardless of finish and coats of Timberlux)
If you really wanted to get anal about it, weigh your guns cold, then hot. Go another step, and measure the LOP, because wood shrinkage ( and swelling is greater in the linear dimension than the radial, or tangential direction).

I like Russ Jackson's egg scale more than my fancyassed digital postal scale.

[Randy G Roberts]

Here's some info for you Wayne:

Gun Letter Actual
BHE 12-32" VR 8-6 8-2.4
BHE 12-34" VR 8-5 8-5.6
CHE 12-34" 7-13 7-11.2
VHE 20-32" 6-12 6-11.0
DHE 16-32 7-5 7-4.0

4 are original, the 34" BHE has original wood but was refurbed by DTM back in 2003 if my memory is correct and this is the one that has gained weight. I shoot it a fair amount so maybe I just need to clean the lead out of the bores and the numbers would align. Take care....

[Craig Larter]

Here is some more info:
7 the same weight, 2 heavier, 2 lighter. All these guns appear to be in original configuration to me. The heavier and lighter deviate by 2oz or less.
I also have wondered about the guns that deviate from the records, I guess it is quite common but why???

[Wayne Owens]

Craig, That is exactly what I was asking for. I am interested in the purchase of a 10 gauge lifter made in 1876 in original condition except for the barrels which have been rebrowned ( no honing) at some point. It now weighs 4 ounces less than what the letter states and thus the reason for this thread. I have found that in general, the larger the gun the larger the difference. My 8 gauge hammer weighs 2 ounces less than the letter and has the most difference of all my original guns. The gun in question did also go back to the factory to upgrade it to the deely forend latch so that could contribute to some of the difference. Like I said in a previous post, being anal is sometimes frustrating.

[edgarspencer]

This whole thread got me thinking, so I just read a whole bunch of letters. It was making my head spin, so I stopped. Some say "Requested weight", one says "weight "6 1/4 to 6 1/2 pounds", and two 28ga guns letter with the same 5 3/4 pound weight, but one has 28" barrels, and a 14 1/4" Straight stock, and the other, my 2020 purchase, left the factory with 24" barrels and a 13" PG stock. Brian has that one at the moment, so I weighed the other, on a scale I imagine Parker used, and darned if it didn't weigh 5 3/4 pounds.

[Craig Budgeon]

Wayne, asking questions is not anal in this hobby but rather a means to contribute and learn. The responses you have received since your original thread seem to confirm your concerns.

[Dean Romig]

Asking questions in this ‘hobby’ is an absolute necessity.





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[Buddy Harrison]

Okay, I've got a question I've been meaning to ask and this seems like as good a time as any. How much weight would you expect t to be lost (if any) in the rebluing process and if your gun is on the edge of safe barrel thickness, should it be reblued (I'm thinking the rusting and carding process may remove metal from the exterior of the barrel.

[Dean Romig]

Buddy, I wouldn't give it a second thought. I think any metal loss in the bluing processes would be insignificant.






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[Buddy Harrison]

Thanks Dean. That's exactly what I was hoping the answer would be. The minimum wall thickness on the 16 gauge VH in question is .021 and I was a little concerned. t

[Dean Romig]

If that .021" is in the forward third of your barrels you have nothing to worry about IMO.





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[Buddy Harrison]

Thankfully it is, Merry Christmas.

[Dean Romig]

Merry Christmas to you too Buddy!





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[edgarspencer]

If that .021" is in the forward third of your barrels you have nothing to worry about IMO.





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I wouldn’t worry if it was forward of midway on a 26” gun

[Chuck Bishop]

Just some clarification on what the research letter says concerning weight. If the stock book is available and the weight can be read, that's the weight I put on the letter. The stock book lists the weight in pounds and ounces. If the stock book is missing but the weight is there in the order book, I put that in the letter. Sometimes the requested weight is not there so I don't include the weight in the letter. If it's listed in the order book sometimes it will say, for instance 7 1/2 pounds. They don't show ounces so it could be 7 1/2 pounds + or -. Sometimes the order book might say 7 to 7 1/2 pounds so that's what I put in the letter. If the weight comes from the order book without the stock book, I say "requested weight" because you never know what the finished weight will be.

Clear?

[Craig Budgeon]

Obviously the barrels aren't mint since reblueing is required. With that in mind if the barrels have deep pits or severe dents you can easily remove 001-.002" or more when you prep the barrels by sanding to begin the bluing process.

[William Davis]

I have a moisture meter and check wood in my basement shop before turning on the lathe. Shop is fan vented summer, no AC small gas heater winter. Take off Walnut Stock from 1903 Springfield something I check to confirm the meter Is working properly. . Moisture content varies as you would expect. Dryer winter when heated more moisture humid summers.

Never weighted the 03 stock but many turners use weight of a bowl blank & changes as it dries instead of meters. Meters much cheaper today & many turners have them. I can feel wood & tell fairly well how it’s goIng turn . No doubt stock makers & restorers can do the same. Guessing only variance 5 % by weight not unusual.

William