1881 12ga lifter

[Parker Walz]

Hi y’all, I’m currently redoing a Parker lifter model. I have bought the back bore reamers but I need sizes Brownells doesn’t sell. PTG is going to take forever to make one. Does anyone know someone that would let me rent one from them? I will eventually have all the tools gathered but it’s real easy to take a project from a few hundred dollars to thousands in a heartbeat. Any help would be appreciated. I’m happy to finally be a part of the Parker club.

[Dean Romig]

Why would you want to do that to a Parker Lifter?

What barrels does it have - Damascus, Twist or Laminated?





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[Mills Morrison]

I would try to avoid altering the bores unless absolutely necessary. Unless you have expertise in that field, I would leave that task to an expert too.

[Parker Walz]

They’re twist steel. I am maintaining safe wall thickness. I will also proof test them once completed. I mostly got the gun for the experience of refurbishing SxS. The pitting is fairly deep and needs to be taken out before shooting it. I will be reloading light black powder loads for hunting dove. I’m not worried about taking too much material out of the bores. I just really want to get them smoother. Honestly it’s a OCD thing of mine. I’m sure it’ll be just fine to shoot once it’s back on face.

[Steve Huffman]

So what will be the completed minimum wall thickness and where please

[Parker Walz]

The first 1/3 (breech to 10”) will be over .100 it’s measuring approximately .113 now. The chambers are over .150. The muzzle will be over .065 which is .015 less than what it’s measuring now. I know twist steel is not comparable to modern CM or SS barrels. The minimum wall thickness for modern steels is .090 for the first 1/3 and .025 for the last 2/3. I won’t know the exact dimensions of my barrels until the pits are gone.

[Mike Poindexter]

Sound piece of advice I've read on this forum many times. Dont remember who the original author is: "Nobody ever made a barrel stronger by removing metal." FWIW.

[Mike Franzen]

Hey Parker welcome to the PGCA! Probably every member that reads your post is cringing at the thought of what you want to do. As a group one of our tenants is to preserve the guns that are still in existence. So don’t take offense if you don’t get much support for your project. There are plenty of Parkers out there that you can shoot doves with and need no work. If you want to work on a side by side maybe you could find an old Stevens or equivalent. As far as borrowing the tools to work with they reside in the hands of qualified craftsmen and I doubt they are for rent or loan. Maybe you could post some pictures of your Parker and let us see what your dealing with.

[Phillip Carr]

Parker where in AZdo you live?

[Dean Romig]

Another tenet we often use is “First, do no harm.”





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[Brian Dudley]

If you seriously want to backbore and lap the bores. Please send them to a professional. Dean Harris at Skeets in OK would be a great choice. He will tell you what can and cant be done, do it right, and likely cost a couple hundred per tube.

If the wall thickness is there to be able to backbore, then the pitting is just a cosmetic issue. You could save a lot of money and just leave it be.

[Phillip Carr]

Dudleys advise is spot on and the same advise I was going to give you.
The barrels are the heart of the gun. A guy with 40+ years of experience doing barrels and with all of the right equipment is the way to go.

[Parker Walz]

Thanks for the advise gentlemen.

[Mills Morrison]

Good luck with your project!

[Bruce Day]

If you need them shiny, just polish them with abrasive paper. We have seen many guns ruined by people who could not leave them well enough alone.