New acquisition help needed

[bob lyons]

I just picked up this VHE, my questions are;
- is this a skeet gun
- should I have the large chip in the fore end repaired ? What would you do.
- there are 2 beads look like ivory. The front one is missing how hard are they to find and replace
- what is going on with the checkered butt? Adding weight ?
- serial number 239460 will be sending out for research letter tonight.

Opinions would be welcome

Bob

[Reggie Bishop]

Here is a comparison for you.

[Dean Romig]

Too bad somebody thought it would be "smart" to tap those plugs deeper into the buttstock.

Yes, those are for the addition or reduction of weight to balance the gun.

The checkering pattern of the checkered butt is one of the two popular designs in use by Remington on the checkered butt Parkers they were making.





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[Reggie Bishop]

I would have the fore-end repaired if it were mine and find a replacement bead. The checkered butt pattern is correct.

[bob lyons]

Looks the same , some better pictures. Also some other letters as well, not sure what they mean.
Per the serial number I think this is a Remington made gun?

[Dean Romig]

BF is the Remington code for January, 1937 the date the gun was made.

LG3 is a date code for a service February 1938 but the reason it was returned for service is unknown.





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[Jeff Peck]

Per the serial number book, 239460 did not carry the same options as other known skeet guns
The book lists it with a 5 for extras which is electors and single trigger.

Hope that helps.

[bob lyons]

Dean
It has a single trigger not sure if that was standard or repair
I tried some snap caps in it to make sure the firing pins, ejectors where working and the safety did not go back on.
Would they have sent in back to make the non auto?
The safety seems to have 3 settings is that common?

[bob lyons]

I was incorrect on the safety it is on or off but it non automatic.......is that standard for skeet gun

[Phillip Carr]

I have a Remington era 20 gauge in the 24xxxx range (do not recall the SN) I will take a picture of when I get home. Dean you are correct. Mine has two plugs that were accessed for lighting the buttstock. Both plugs were pushed in also. I wonder if this is a result of dissimilar woods being exposed to the elements and shock from firing. They can be corrected if desired.

[Reggie Bishop]

I was incorrect on the safety it is on or off but it non automatic.......is that standard for skeet gun

Yes it is standard for a skeet gun to have a non-auto safety.

[Dean Romig]

Dean
It has a single trigger not sure if that was standard or repair
I tried some snap caps in it to make sure the firing pins, ejectors where working and the safety did not go back on.
Would they have sent in back to make the non auto?
The safety seems to have 3 settings is that common?

The Parker Single Selective Trigger was standard on a Skeet gun of that era.





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[bob lyons]

This gun has a pistol grip but some of the skeet guns I just looked at seem to all have straight grips
What was the standard.

Any recommendations on some one to repair the fire end and replace the front bead ?

[Kevin McCormack]

Absent a PGCA letter, attempting to validate or authenticate special features of an after-purchase Parker are frustrating and speculative. A much better approach would be to state up front how the gun was marketed or advertised (e.g., Parker Skeet Gun), substantiation of special features (checkered butt, non-auto safety, etc.), which would give those asked much more of a basis for proclaiming it "righteous" relative to your questions. Dean, Reggie and Jeff have given you important signposts along the roadmap to deciding what this gun is or is not; a PGCA letter before the fact would have answered most if not all of your questions.

[bob lyons]

Nice

[Phillip Carr]

Kevin I agree. I thought my 20 gauge S/N 241475 was a Skeet gun but not all features add up. The SN book is Showing option 11 which is Ejectors and large Forend. Chokes are .010 RT and .015 Left. Double triggers, capped pistol grip, checkered butt. Lots of Skeet options but no Skeet markings. I have attached some pictures. I remembered that I wrote about this gun when I bought it, so I searched and found the post. Actually after taking it hunting that season I had put it away and forgot about researching it for the most part. I’m not sure if I even ordered the letter. A quick search did not find it in my file. So I guess I have something to research next week. Dang I just don’t remember things like I used to.

[Dean Romig]

Neither does my 28 gauge Skeet gun have the Skeet Out/Skeet In stamps but both my PGCA letter on the gun as well as the G&H Letter on it both clearly identify Parker 236912 as a bona fide “Skeet Gun.” It has all of the standard features we attribute to true Parker Skeet guns, including original chokes of .015” rt. and .008” lt., except it doesn’t have the Skeet choke stamps.






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[todd allen]

Too bad somebody thought it would be "smart" to tap those plugs deeper into the buttstock.

Yes, those are for the addition or reduction of weight to balance the gun.

The checkering pattern of the checkered butt is one of the two popular designs in use by Remington on the checkered butt Parkers they were making.





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I doubt that those plugs were tapped in. I've seen that on fairly well documented original guns before.
I can only guess why. Maybe recoil over the years?

[Dean Romig]

I'm sorry Todd - I'll have to disagree with you. Just like the ill-advised folks who bugger only the hinge pin screw head, leaving all other screws on the gun in near perfect condition who do their deed with the mindset of "I wonder what will happen if I...."

I know - I was one of those fools. I decided when I was 12 or 13 to take the screws out of the side of the frame of a borrowed Trojan. Something inside went "klink" and I couldn't get the screw back in and we had to bring it to a qualified gunsmith to rectify the foolhardy damage I had done.






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[Dave Noreen]

Phil, hard to call it a Skeet Gun without the SKEET IN/SKEET OUT markings on the barrel flats, a PGCA letter or perhaps something from G & H. By the Remington date codes on the barrel flats it was made June (P) 1939 (H) and was in March (A), 1945 (PP) for repair (3).

While the Parker Skeet Gun was usually shown in the Remington era literature with a straight grip, there was the choice of a capped full pistol grip, half pistol grip or straight.

93958

93959

[Phillip Carr]

Thanks Dave for the information and clarification on the Remington code dates.I will be putting some additional information and start a new post.
Bob I have a VHE SN 238xxx. I will post some pictures tomorrow It has Skeet markings on barrels.

[bob lyons]

I wanted to thank all of you for the info !!!!