Best Hammerless Parker Grade value for your $'s

[Craig Larter]

What Parker hammerless grades and gauge do you feel has the best value or the most gun for your money?? My list:
1. GH 12ga Damascus
2. DH 12ga Damascus
3. PH 12ga Damascus
4. EH 10ga Damascus
5. NH 10ga Damascus
6. VH 12ga
7. VH 16ga.

[Daryl Corona]

Probably a B grade 20ga. Wait, wrong forum.
From your list I'd have to choose either the GH or DH damascus.

[CraigThompson]

Out of that list the EH 10’s without a doubt ! And I missed one I wanted today on Morphys auction ! They had a circa 1889 EH 10 28” that letters as a 28” . Luckily I already had one , I was thinking they were calling me Friday got my days mixed up and was driving to pickup a load of powder for my stash .

[Craig Larter]

Feel free to state your best buy(s) and it doesn't need to be on my list

[Tom Pellegrini]

About 4 years ago a gentleman brought a GH 12ga Damascus 30" to my club. He was asking about having the stock refinished and what it would cost. I informed him it would depend on who you sent it to. It could be reasonable or it could be quite costly. I offered to try to clean it up for him as most of the stock and barrels were black like the gun was in a place where coal dust could accumulate. I took it home and cleaned it and it came out quite good, like it wasn't used much at all. When I returned it to him he asked how long I worked on it and I said about 5 or 6 hours. I said you should enjoy shooting it and he said someone told him the gun was only worth $900 to $1,000. He then asked if I could give him $400.00 I could keep the gun. Needless to say I could not get the money to him fast enough. I have been enjoying the gun ever since. Very good Damascus pattern and only a couple of very small marks on the stock.

[Mills Morrison]

GH's are my favorite.

[Milton C Starr]

Best buy so far is probably My 1882 grade 2 transition 10 gauge, I was oblivious to the fact it didnt have a dolls head and was a transition gun until somewhere here mentioned it to me haha. I got it for substantially less than what I see asking prices for grade 2 TA 10 gauges on GB or GI. Barrels are decent lockups tight and no play in the hammers really the biggest flaw with it is probably the worn checkering but I really enjoy it plus now its my oldest brothers favorite shotgun to shoot.

Your #2 was going to be my pick I see alot of what I assume are reasonably priced DH 12s for sale at least compared to the 10 gauges I like to look at.

[CraigThompson]

Feel free to state your best buy(s) and it doesn't need to be on my list

Without a doubt my best buy to date bar none was my latest , the DH 8 . I got that with buyers premium and shipping for my idea of what a normal DH 12 titanic barreled gun should be going for .

[John Davis]

Parker SC, 12 gauge.

[Stan Hillis]

"Best buy" has nothing to do with what the market says a gun is worth. It has everything to do with how you feel about what you have compared with what you paid for it.

My best buy is my DHE Parker 16/20 two barrel set, with 32" barrels in both gauges.

[CraigThompson]

"Best buy" has nothing to do with what the market says a gun is worth. It has everything to do with how you feel about what you have compared with what you paid for it.


Best Buy has to do with what a person deems it to mean . You have your definition , I have mine and others have theirs . Yours is no more the end all than mine or anyone else’s .

[todd allen]

I think the best bang for the buck is a D Grade 12 gauge. The D is like the entry level of the high grade Parker world, yet, in 12 gauge, is surprisingly inexpensive.

[Reggie Bishop]

A Trojan would be in my opinion the most bang for your buck. If one is looking for a solid performing Parker double for the least amount of $$$ outlay then the Trojan would be my candidate.

[Dean Romig]

I’ve owned Trojans in all three gauges made and they are indeed, as a utilitarian Parker, the very best value through and through. They balance and shoot every bit as well as the highest grades.

[Gary Laudermilch]

I would have to vote for #1 with the caveat that it be a short barreled 12 on a 1 frame built to light specs and modern stock dimensions. At that it will handle like a 20 and cost like a low end 12 - a fraction of the cost of a 20. A bonus is that the G grades have wood quality above the P, V, and Trojans.

[allen newell]

I'm very pleased with the GH 20 ga w/28" barrels that I bought from Josh L. Re Trojan's, as Dean has said, they are a terrific buy and perform as solidly as any other Parker. Can't beat them for the money. I have a 20 Trojan and it's going to one of my grandsons as soon as he's ready and mature enough.

[Paul Ehlers]

Just to add some spice!

My pick would be a Parker Reproduction in 28ga. Yea I know they don't have the Meriden provenance, but their roots are firmly planted there.

The prices for them have gone up recently but when you compare them with an original PB 28ga DHE they are still one heck of a good bang for the buck for what you're getting!

[Daryl Corona]

In retrospect I will have to say that I personally have received more bang for my buck with smallbores (20 and 28 gauges) no matter who made them and regardless of grade. YMMV.

[John Bastiani]

I'm very pleased with the GH 20 ga w/28" barrels that I bought from Josh L. Re Trojan's, as Dean has said, they are a terrific buy and perform as solidly as any other Parker. Can't beat them for the money. I have a 20 Trojan and it's going to one of my grandsons as soon as he's ready and mature enough.

I have to agree. My GHE 20 gauge with 28 inch barrels is almost in new condition and considering the price I paid-it was a better value compared to my 20 gauge Trojan- 28 gauge skeet and my 410 VH.

[Andrew Sacco]

Since I have two, one in a 1 frame and one in an 0 frame, I'd have to say GH 16 Damascus.

[Mills Morrison]

Small bore prices seem to be rising, so I am glad I got mine while I did. I have several GH 16's both 1 and 0 frames, and they are great. I also have three VH 16's. I kind of favor the ones with 26 inch barrels and barrel length makes more of a difference to me than frame size.

[charlie cleveland]

I would go with a ph 10 ga with 2 barrels a short 26 inch and a set of 32 s....charlie

[Bruce Hering]

I like the GH's and plan to stay with them. Damascus or steel. I have purchased a VH in 20ga because I liked it and the price was not too bad. I would love to have some higher grades but at the moment GH's are for me.

[Stan Hillis]

Best Buy has to do with what a person deems it to mean . You have your definition , I have mine and others have theirs . Yours is no more the end all than mine or anyone else’s .

My, my. It would appear that I unintentionally stepped on your toes. Nowhere did I insinuate that my opinion is the "end all", nor has that ever entered my mind. When you start qualifying every comment you make here with the abbreviation "IMO", it'll be an indication that maybe you understand that it is what most of us mean, when we comment on something like this.

And, just to make it easier for you to cipher through all this hard to understand stuff, if I ever do mean that what I'm stating is the "end all", I'll say so. But, you probably shouldn't hold your breath until that happens.

:whistle:

[Garry L Gordon]

Interesting reading how folks interpreted the question so differently. I thought the original question was about what was the best value for someone currently seeking to by a Parker (not what any of us got the best deal on or liked the best for what we paid for it).

Looking at the market, 12s certainly command lower prices than small bores (and perhaps 10s), and there are more of them. It seems to me that VH 12s are not that much lower in price than GH 12s, and with the added engraving, better wood, etc. I'd have to say that currently the best value in a Parker hammerless would be a GH 12 (with 30 inch Damascus barrels).

[Craig Larter]

Garry you interpreted my question the way I intended. It seems the 12ga GH damascus and 12ga VH are close in asking price condition being equal. The GH has beautiful damascus barrels, better wood and modest engraving. Craig

[Bill Murphy]

I went to a bad gun show a few years ago and a gentleman came past my table with a 30" GHE 20 with a Parker single trigger. He offered it to me but would not mention a price. I told him to go past the 1000 tables and solicit offers and if none of the offers met his criteria, to come back to me and I would make an offer. He came back about two hours later with the gun in tow. We agreed on a price and I went home with the gun. It turned out to be the best shooting sporting clays gun I own and is my go to gun if score is the preferred result of the day. OK, my answer to the "gun value" question is GHE 20.

[Mike Koneski]

I find good condition, solid Trojans and VH guns are the ticket. I have picked up nice guns in 12, 16 and 20 this year for a total of under $2K.

[allen newell]

Mike, that's terrific! Good for you and Merry Christmas.

[Daryl Corona]

I find good condition, solid Trojans and VH guns are the ticket. I have picked up nice guns in 12, 16 and 20 this year for a total of under $2K.


Were there stocks included with those guns?:rolleyes::)

[Craig Larter]

2k for three Parkers, you can be .my personal shopper LOL!

[allen newell]

Lol 😁

[Mike Koneski]

Were there stocks included with those guns?:rolleyes::)

Yes they were. :rotf:

Chuck refers to me as a “bottom feeder”!! BWAHAHAHA!

[allen newell]

That's an unfair characterization Mike. You're just buying smartly and getting the most for your money. Nothing wrong with that. And you're not alone.

[Dave Noreen]

I think the Quality VH is the deal. They were available in all six common bores, could be had with every option, and there are more of them than any others.

[allen newell]

I grew up with my grandfathers 16 ga VH. Shot a lot of woodcock, grouse and pheasant with that 16 in and around the Neponsett Meadows long before housing developments ruined the covers there. I still have that 16 and had Lawrence DelGrego restore it a number of yrs ago. The VH grade Parkers are great guns. My view is they shoot just as well without all the fancy engraving and wood. Imagine that.ol

[David Holes]

Gh's for sure, nice engraving, great wood, and at a reasonable price.

[Breck Gorman]

For me, a GH is hard to beat in bang for the buck. 3 iron Turkish crolle is gorgeous and stands out from a distance. If you are lucky, you might pick up a GH with 4 iron crolle. Most GHs have fluid steel ribs, but some have nice damascus ribs.
American black walnut was used on lower grade 0-2 grade guns. Higher grade guns got English thin shell imported walnut. That means the best black walnut were put on a few GHs. Some got highly figured crotch wood that is gorgeous.
There is a lot of variation in GHs, but Finding a small bore GH with good Damascus barrels and ribs and well figured American black walnut is what I look for.

[Craig Larter]

20ga GH damascus (446 made) and PH 20ga twist (210 made) two uncommon but obtainable Parkers. Good value for your dollar if you can locate a nice example of either.

[Garry L Gordon]

20ga GH damascus (446 made) and PH 20ga twist (210 made) two uncommon but obtainable Parkers. Good value for your dollar if you can locate a nice example of either.

Craig, I am fortunate to have an example of each, both with good shooting dimensions. They are both excellent bird guns...and easy on the eye.

[allen newell]

Harry, for the money and function you can't beat the Trojans. Especially the small gague Trojans. They also make great youth sxs's to start out with.

[Joel Hackett]

Out of that list the EH 10’s without a doubt ! And I missed one I wanted today on Morphys auction ! They had a circa 1889 EH 10 28” that letters as a 28” . Luckily I already had one , I was thinking they were calling me Friday got my days mixed up and was driving to pickup a load of powder for my stash .

I ended up wining it for 600.00 + fees & S/H. I'm still actually waiting for it to ship. They had it listed as an 1889 but going off of the Serial #, I think it's actually a 1890.

I'm looking forward to hopefully getting it one of these day.