Parker Straight Grip Production

[Joel Hackett]

I was wondering if there was a conscious / ballpark on how many Parker’s were manufactured with a straight grip? I’ve read in other posts 10% ?

Secondly, I was wondering if there is a ballpark how many GH grades were built with straight grips.

Thanks!

[Dean Romig]

The PGCA has no table of how many straight grip guns were built, let alone by grade.
In the hammer gun era there were a lot more guns produced with straight grips, as a ratio, than were built in the hammerless era.
10% seems kind of low to me. I’m of the opinion it would be closer to 15% - 20% but I could very easily be mistaken.





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[Garry L Gordon]

Joel, I've also seen the same 10% figure estimated, but as Dean posts, I've never seen any concrete figures based on the existing records. Having said this, if you look at the hammerless grades section of TPS, the authors mention stock configuration estimates for some of the grades. I was struck by the number/percentage of straight stocked guns in the higher grades, and following recent sales of higher grades guns bears this out.

My own observations suggest that the percentage of straight stocked GH guns is less than that of higher grade hammerless guns, and that the lower grades (VH, PH, GH) were less likely to have been made with straight stocks. When you consider that many lower grades were made for stock (not to order), and that the capped pistol grip, splinter configuration was most popular during high production eras, it's logical that you'll encounter fewer straight stocked lower grade guns.

[CraigThompson]

I’ve had a lifter or two and a top lever or two that were straight , none of them higher than Grade 2 . And at the moment I have four all hammerless two DHE and two VHE . But it’s also worth noting the VHE guns are both skeet guns and from what looking I’ve done in the serialization book , it appears (to me atleast) that a high percentage of actual skeet guns were in fact straight grip . I’m most likely incorrect but it seemed that way to me .

[Garry L Gordon]

I’ve had a lifter or two and a top lever or two that were straight , none of them higher than Grade 2 . And at the moment I have four all hammerless two DHE and two VHE . But it’s also worth noting the VHE guns are both skeet guns and from what looking I’ve done in the serialization book , it appears (to me atleast) that a high percentage of actual skeet guns were in fact straight grip . I’m most likely incorrect but it seemed that way to me .

Craig, I think you are correct on the skeet guns, as that is/was a pretty standard configuration -- case in point, the later Fox skeet guns.

[Gary Cripps]

Two straight grips here. An AHE 26” bbl. With .20 chokes and a CH 32” bbl. With .44 R and .40 L. Is the AH then a skeet gun?

[Dean Romig]

Gary, it depends on the serial number and what the records show.






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[Dave Noreen]

In the hammer gun era, the straight grip was $5 cheaper in the lower grades.

[Bruce Day]

10-15 percent of total production . Concentrated in high grades and rising to as high as 50 percent in A grades. Then, as now, straight grip guns have not been as popular in the US as pistol grips.