Skeet Guns

[Reggie Bishop]

Skeet guns seem to always be an interesting discussion. According to the The Parker Story no skeet configured guns were noted prior to #232262 in 1929. Has anyone seen a Parker with configurations on an earlier gun? I know some skeet guns have been “fabricated” and one has to exercise caution. What is your opinion on the attached images.

[John Davis]

Is that two sets of Remington date codes? Great gun.

[Dean Romig]

A true Parker Skeet gun should have had reverse chokes to the best of my knowledge. This one does not.





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[Bill Murphy]

Pretty early for a factory skeet gun. The skeet markings were probably applied when the Remington Repair Codes were stamped. None of this reduces the value of a great gun.

[Phillip Carr]

Were the skeet chokes always reversed even on a single selective trigger?

[John Davis]

Were the skeet chokes always reversed even on a single selective trigger?

That was my question as well.

[John Davis]

FWIW, I once had a Remington/Parker 16 gauge skeet gun (noted as such on the IBM card) that was not reversed choked. It had a single selective trigger.

[CraigThompson]

A true Parker Skeet gun should have had reverse chokes to the best of my knowledge. This one does not.





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I should think with a single selective trigger that’s a moot point . Besides what they claimed as skeet in and skeet out are a heck of a lot tighter than what would fill that bill today .

[Eric Eis]

Were the skeet chokes always reversed even on a single selective trigger?



Yes I have seen that before. Wish I could answerr better but I am having a hell of a time with the eyes. John D you need to upgrade this to voice to text!:rotf:

[Bill Murphy]

All but a very few Parker skeet guns have selective single triggers. A very few have double triggers, but those may have been "not" skeet guns when they were made. I have never heard of a Parker skeet gun with a non-selective single trigger from the factory.

[CraigThompson]

To be totally honest I’d never given the choke arrangement on these things much thought . I pulled my 16 out today to put in my using cabinet for the Saturday opener and to finger it a bit before then . Anyway I took it apart to see how my barrels are marked and the supposed tighter choke is on the right . But again I’d never much concerned myself with which was which . That being said I usually leave the selector set for right barrel first :whistle:

[CraigThompson]

I had a very nice 20 gauge VHE skeet with letter in my hands a couple weeks ago at Prospect Hall wish I’d paid more attention to choke arrangement on that one ! Wish I’d gone on and bought it as well :banghead:

[Dean Romig]

My 28 gauge Skeet gun, 236912 has a BTFE, SST, checkered butt, twin ivories, SG, no VR but a true Skeet gun in every other respect except the flats are not stamped with the Skeet chokes. It letters both in my PGCA research letter and in the A&F records at G&H as a “Skeet Gun” and….. the chokes are reversed, Rt. .015” and Lt. .007” so yes reverse chokes are found on SST Skeet guns.





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[CraigThompson]

This entire skeet gun thread brings me to the realization the first time I shot clay targets on an honest to goodness skeet field will be fifty years ago in about a year and a half .

[CraigThompson]

My 28 gauge Skeet gun, 236912 has a BTFE, SST, checkered butt, twin ivories, SG, no VR but a true Skeet gun in every other respect except the flats are not stamped with the Skeet chokes. It letters both in my PGCA research letter and in the A&F records at G&H as a “Skeet Gun” and….. the chokes are reversed, Rt. .015” and Lt. .007” so yes reverse chokes are found on SST Skeet guns.
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You wouldn’t by any chance be bringing that one along to the Vintage Cup would you ? I’d very much enjoy seeing it if the notion struck you !

[Dean Romig]

You wouldn’t by any chance be bringing that one along to the Vintage Cup would you ? I’d very much enjoy seeing it if the notion struck you !



Sure, I'll bring it - don't know if I'll be shooting at all though.





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[Pete Lester]

A true Parker Skeet gun should have had reverse chokes to the best of my knowledge. This one does not

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In addition a true Parker Skeet Gun should also have a non automatic safety.

[CraigThompson]

Sure, I'll bring it - don't know if I'll be shooting at all though.

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Well now if you’d like that one excercised a bit I’d be willing to help you out :whistle:

[Pete Lester]

Skeet guns seem to always be an interesting discussion. According to the The Parker Story no skeet configured guns were noted prior to #232262 in 1929. Has anyone seen a Parker with configurations on an earlier gun? I know some skeet guns have been “fabricated” and one has to exercise caution. What is your opinion on the attached images.

Does it have a reinforced barrel lug for the large forend? No mention of the forend in the letter or serialization book.

[Brian Dudley]

Didnt skeet not even become a thing until the early 1930’s? So it makes sense that they would not be many configured that way much before that timeframe.

[David Noble]

https://parkerguns.org/forums/album.php?albumid=1024&pictureid=13616
https://parkerguns.org/forums/album.php?albumid=709&pictureid=8297

My two skeet guns have reversed chokes. VHE 20ga and GHE 16ga.

[Pete Lester]

Didnt skeet not even become a thing until the early 1930’s? So it makes sense that they would not be many configured that way much before that timeframe.

From Wiki: The game was introduced in the February 1926 issues of National Sportsman and Hunting and Fishing magazines, and a prize of 100 dollars was offered to anyone who could come up with a name for the new sport. The winning entry was "skeet", chosen by Gertrude Hurlbutt.[4] The word allegedly derived from the Norwegian word for "shoot" (skyte). The first National Skeet Championship took place in 1926.[2] Shortly thereafter, the National Skeet Shooting Association formed.

[Dean Romig]

The first National Skeet Championship took place in 1926.[2] Shortly thereafter, the National Skeet Shooting Association formed.


And William Harnden Foster took first place with a perfect 25/25.





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[Reggie Bishop]

It does have a reinforced barrel lug.

[Reggie Bishop]

Few more photos of the 16 CHE.

[Dan Steingraber]

Wow, Reggie. That is a beautiful gun.

[Daryl Corona]

That's normally how they are configured. Skeet out, the tighter choke, on the right barrel for your outgoing target then skeet in for the incomer.

[Bill Murphy]

1. Some skeet guns were not choked Skeet In and Skeet Out, at least when they were originally made. Such guns, like Dean's 28 gauge and my 28 gauge, are legitimate skeet guns but choked differently than Skeet In and Skeet Out. Examples are my gun which is bored cylinder and cylinder, and Dean's, which may have been made with field chokes and bored with skeet chokes before it was shipped. 2. Twenties and thirties skeet was shot differently than it is today. In the early days, the outgoers were shot slowly, past the stake, consequently a long bird. The Skeet Out barrel, almost modified, was used for that long bird. Also consequently, the right barrel had the tighter choke, (reversed choke). I can't believe those guys changed their selectors when they got to station five. My opinion is that they "Learned how to shoot" and shot either bird with either barrel. The slow, long, outgoer ended with talented shooters like Robert Stack and other high average shooters. Modern skeet is shot with open bores in both barrels, with both birds being shot on the shooter's side of the field, whether incomer or outgoer. The famous AHE .410 skeet gun, sold in PA a few years ago, was bored Skeet In and Skeet In, the way a modern skeet gun should be bored. My 28 VHE Skeet gun was bored cylinder and cylinder, another example of an intelligent boring for skeet.

[Bill Murphy]

To simplify my longwinded previous post, "Parker skeet guns are only stamped Skeet In and Skeet Out when they are actually bored that way." Guns bored differently, either when originally made or rebored to Skeet In and Skeet Out before shipping, will not have Skeet markings, but are legitimate skeet guns.

[Dean Romig]

To simplify my longwinded previous post, "Parker skeet guns are only stamped Skeet In and Skeet Out when they are actually bored that way." Guns bored differently, either when originally made or rebored to Skeet In and Skeet Out before shipping, will not have Skeet markings, but are legitimate skeet guns.


And to the best of my knowledge were only stamped that way under Remington ownership.
Earlier Parkers made by Parker Brothers intended for Skeet use and with Skeet chokes were not stamoed with choke stamps... in fact, no guns made by Parker Brothers were ever stamped with choke markings.





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[Reggie Bishop]

So the gun that I have pictured was either stamped by Remington or it’s counterfeit. Since you have firmly concluded that Parker Brothers never stamped a single gun this way?

[Dean Romig]

What’s the serial number Reggie?

I just went back and looked up your pics. It’s a 1929 Meriden gun but it has Remington service codes stamped twice on the flats so, who knows?





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[Reggie Bishop]

1927. I had a key punch error in initial post. Thanks for all the responses!

[Pete Lester]

1. Some skeet guns were not choked Skeet In and Skeet Out, at least when they were originally made. Such guns, like Dean's 28 gauge and my 28 gauge, are legitimate skeet guns but choked differently than Skeet In and Skeet Out. Examples are my gun which is bored cylinder and cylinder, and Dean's, which may have been made with field chokes and bored with skeet chokes before it was shipped. 2. Twenties and thirties skeet was shot differently than it is today. In the early days, the outgoers were shot slowly, past the stake, consequently a long bird. The Skeet Out barrel, almost modified, was used for that long bird. Also consequently, the right barrel had the tighter choke, (reversed choke). I can't believe those guys changed their selectors when they got to station five. My opinion is that they "Learned how to shoot" and shot either bird with either barrel. The slow, long, outgoer ended with talented shooters like Robert Stack and other high average shooters. Modern skeet is shot with open bores in both barrels, with both birds being shot on the shooter's side of the field, whether incomer or outgoer. The famous AHE .410 skeet gun, sold in PA a few years ago, was bored Skeet In and Skeet In, the way a modern skeet gun should be bored. My 28 VHE Skeet gun was bored cylinder and cylinder, another example of an intelligent boring for skeet.

FWIW My GHE 12ga Skeet is reversed choked, stamped accordingly, .007 in right barrel, .004 in left barrel. The middle stake on a Skeet field is around 21 yards from each house. So if a shooter takes the bird half way past the stake it roughly a 32 yard shot. About the same distance a quick shooter takes a bird in Trap Singles.