Help identify my parker sxs

[Michael Smith]

Hi everyone.

I am new to this forum, and am impressed with the wealth of knowledge here.

I just recieved my Dads old guns he had stored in the attic for years.

I was given a british 303 sporterized, coey 22lr, coey 12g shotgun, and this impressive Parker bros sxs.

Can anyone shed some light on what I have here?

the following is all the info i was able to track down

s# 84304 ( 1896)
grade p
size 2 frame
twist barrel
hammerless

It is all complete, all 3 main components have identicle serial #'s.

Action is smooth and working

Appears non modified and complete

I was able to find that Parker built 5122 twist barrels vs 50869 Damascus barrells.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

[Pat Dugan]

Mike, If you can post pictures you will get 10 times more information.

PDD

[Bill Murphy]

Yup, if you are looking for estimated value, pictures are neccesary. Your figures on production numbers are a bit confusing. The grade P is not normally produced with Damascus barrels and your production figures seem a little low for total Parker production. Let us know where you got these figures. By the way, a PGCA letter is available on your serial number if you choose to document your gun further. Interesting information on this grade of gun is not normally expected in a PGCA letter, but you never know.

[Michael Smith]

Here are a bunch of pics
I am new to photobucket, so hope this works.
I have more, can add later.

http://s1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/?action=view&current=IMG_2595.jpg

<a href="http://s1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/?action=view&amp;current=IMG_2576.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2576.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2585.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2576.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2613.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2607.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2598.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2596.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2610.jpg

[Michael Smith]

more pictures

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2606.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2611.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2600.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2615.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2612.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2593.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2578.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/IMG_2587.jpg

[Michael Smith]

Sorry if the pictures are all over the place. First time with this.

Hopefully they work.

[George Lander]

Michael: Your pictures are fine. Your Parker is one of the bottom grades and in need of restoration. If it is a family gun & you intend to keep it you may just want to leave it as-is
It would cost more than it would be worth to totally restore it. You do need to remove what appears to be active rust. IMHO

Best Regards, George

[Jeff Kuss]

0000 steel wool soaked in gun oil will help clean up and stablize the rust. Use this combination gently on the metal.

[Bill Bates]

What I see is a low grade Parker that has been blued at some point. The barrels look to be off face even with the fore end on. The wood has had some type of finish applied. Someone that didn't know to use a proper screwdriver has been inside the gun and messed up many of the screws. The top lever is well left of center. Rust and possible pitting in the bores. All of this pretty well kills any real value but it is your fathers gun which to me would make it priceless.

Pretty much you have a wall hanger and maybe that is just the thing to do. Put it on a wall and enjoy the memories that may go with what was once a fine gun.

Actual worth maybe a $100 or two to someone that wants it as a decoration.

[Michael Smith]

Thanks for the info guys.
So I guess the bluing has covered the twist swirl I see on other Parker guns.
The top lever had the picture taken when the gun was cocked, it actually sits straight.
What do you mean barrels look off face?
I wanted to clean up the rust, but didn't want dive in without knowing the status.
So pretty much it's an old gun that someone reblued and refinished the stock to less than satisfactory condition.
I think I will just steel wool the rust off and put it on the wall in my man cave.
It's still awesome to look at and is the oldest thing I own.
I will do a basic clean up and post pictures down the road.

Thanks for the help guys.

Mike

[Russ Jackson]

Good Morning Michael ,I will tell you my opinion for what it is worth ,I believe you have a nice Family heirloom here for starters and your Parker doesn't look so bad to me ,First ,I would take care of the active rust by just cleaning the bores and with an oiled cleaning brush and then ,I would take a clean cloth with Ballistol or just a gun oil and clean the outside of the barrels , maybe I can't see so good but with the gun closed in the second pic. it really doesn't look off face to me . We have a Gentleman here that restores Damascus barrels and would be glad ,I am sure to take a look at you gun ,I would give " Brad Bachelder " a call , "616 459 3636 " and discuss sending the gun to him for inspection and you may be suprised ,for less than you think ,you may be able to have a very nice looking and functioning gun without getting involved in a full restoration ,which George mentioned in an earlier post ,would be more costly than the end result would be worth ,with that said ,I would believe your PH grade would fetch between $500.00 to around 900.00 ,in its present condition ,IMO ! Many of us on this Forum ,shoot our Damascus and Twist barreled guns once we have them checked out by a professional to be sure they are safe ! This is way too nice of gun to put on a wall and forget about ! Again just my opinion ,for what it is worth ! Best ; Russ

[George Lander]

Mike: Good advice from Russ, You may want to order a letter on your family's Parker. It is well worth the $40 if you are a member of PGCA or $60 if you're not. Go to the main page & see about joining. By "off face" is ment that there is more that a slight gap between the breech ends of the barrels and the standuing breech. This can be easily corrected. Jeff gave you good advice as to cleaning & stabilizing the rust. In any event, your Parker is worth a good deal more than $100 IMHO.

Best Regards, George

[Bill Bates]

Okay I have to ask. Really what is a wall hanger Parker P grade worth? This gun has finish issue, mechanical issues and very likely bore issues. Yes, with money you may be able to overcome them and maybe not. The good of this gun is it appears to be all there and other than the poor refinish of the metal it doesn't appear messed with. If it was a dip in the old hot blue tanks I would be really concerned about the barrels again.

I kind of put this in if the barrels are dead then it isn't worth throwing money at it other than sentimental value. To me family pieces are priceless.

What needs to be done is the gun needs to be inspected by someone that really knows what to look for when grading the condition of the barrels. If the barrels are DOA then a few hundred as a wall hanger is the real value. If not then maybe a few hundred more.