Why am I attracted to old war horse Parkers?

[Craig Larter]

I suffer from a love of old SxS shotguns that have lived an active life. Worn finish but no restorations or poor care/storage, just lots of honest wear. They are like an old hunting dog to me, a full life of bird hunting but showing their age and scars gracefully. I love old bird dogs! When I first got into gun collecting it was condition-condition-condition. But as I have gotten into my late innings, I have found room in my collection for a few old war horse guns that exhibit a full life of bird hunting. Does anyone else feel this tug when an old war horse Parker comes to market.

[Chris Travinski]

Absolutely Craig! I love an old workhorse in all its glory. Sometimes repairs have to be made out of necessity, but cosmetically I prefer to let them show their age. I have tried to partially restore a gun or two but have regretted it afterward almost every time. I have come to appreciate thin barrel blue, bruised stacks and ugly recoil pads.

[Frank Srebro]

Well written Craig. I like to say these old war horses have a "spirit" with memories that came from countless hunts in the hands of those long gone. Refinish one of them and it's gone and you're starting from scratch.

[randall rosenthal]

I feel that way about most things...cars, boats etc. I know I'm in the minority but I like the plainness and honest wear of my VH.

[Chris Pope]

I believe that after a long life together an old Parker begins to look like his handler. Or perhaps it's the other way around...

[Russell E. Cleary]

Condition is good, but so is character. And if you can't really have in the same gun high percentages of both.

I do appreciate a faithful restoration, and see the necessity for it if the gun is in a
disreputable condition.

[Stan Hillis]

I agree, Craig. While I've never been one who sought out top condition S x Ss, as such, I always appreciated one that really looked "nice". Now, my idea of "nice" has changed.

I bought a 32" BE 1918 Fox some years ago to use as a shooter. It had been restocked, the trigger guard had been brazed where it had broken, bluing all but gone and replaced with a plum brown in some places. I found that I shot it very well, and began to entertain thoughts of a restoration of sorts. Glad I got involved with other gun projects and let that idea incubate awhile, because as I bonded with the gun I found that much of the beauty of it is in it's survival of 105 years of use. It'll stay just the way it is, and I'll continue to enjoy it for what it is, not for what it could be.

Old guns could be called much worse things than "a shooter".

https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/71332_800x600.jpg (https://www.jpgbox.com/page/71332_800x600/)

https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/71333_800x600.jpg (https://www.jpgbox.com/page/71333_800x600/)

[Garry L Gordon]

I’m well worn, why shouldn’t my guns be the same?

I know what Craig means about the appeal of guns that show honest wear. The guns in my safe all get used, admired, and well cared for.

[Jay Oliver]

I never liked the term "Rainy Day Gun". We should have a category at an event for well worn Parkers. Maybe a display? Call is Best Character or Best Patina

In addition, I have always thought about having a shoot where the Parker you used would only have a market value of around $500 - $1000(in the hammer gun category). But for many reasons it brings much more value to the owner. And still shoot very well...

Most of the ones I have in this category are lower grades, but not all. I have a few lifters that make you wish the gun could talk. In hammer guns, these are usually guns I am happy to shoot black powder shells in.

So let's try to put something together around this. What do you think?

[Bill Murphy]

Some years ago, I planned a "Claiming Shoot" at our gun club. For those unfamiliar with the concept, a decent purse would be awarded to the high scorer, only if he puts his gun up for a $500 "claim". If the high scorer is not willing to sell his gun for $500, the purse goes to the next highest score, and so on. It eliminates the shooters who use a high end competition gun to win a shoot. The lower the "claim", the more interesting the shoot.

[Alfred Greeson]

Reading and learning about doubles years ago, an old collector said he loved old doubles "because they harbor old mens soles", as time goes by I cant pick up a worn parker without thinking of the times and places it may have been. Now each one I own has at least a story, some known, some imagined. Like a little VH 16 found in a fishing store in Cheasapeake, I know an old duck hunter hunted on the bay with it and it remains in well cared for condition but being a 16, kind of an interesting duck gun for its time. Another 28 ga DHE from the same area had barrels in terrible condition, used hard and put up uncleaned over and over but one I wish I had bought. The $12k asking was a lot at the time but I wish I could have bought it, even if I had to sleeve the barrels. I still wonder who got it.

[Alfred Greeson]

On active duty, called back after 9/11 and two sons in college took priority but looking back and maybe today for some, borrowing to buy a special piece should or could have been a choice and would have been well worth it.

[Daniel Carter]

in the early 70's i was cash poor but wanted a Parker in the worst way. Local auction house brochure had 6 VH 12's for sale. First went for 1200 and the last was painted with duck boat paint and probably used sea duck hunting in the salt. No bid's so i offered 100 and it was taken. Paint stripper and a stock refinish, checkering recut and i had my Parker. It has taken ducks, geese, crows, grouse ,woodcock and a fox. Great long range target gun and my go to gun to this day. It has marks on the barrels that I imagine are from leaning against a steel sink box and nothing will change my mind. I imagine it in the hands of a market hunter.

[Dean Romig]

When I first hunted with a Parker in 1961 it was a borrowed and well used but not used up 12 gauge Trojan with 28" barrels that had been used for ducks in the Saco, Maine area and pheasants. I learned a lot from that old war horse Trojan and it will soon be coming back to me. But a couple of years ago I bought a 20 gauge Trojan (battle worn) war horse with a painted stock and a lot of "patina" on the metal. I cleaned it up andit fits me very well and looks like a well used and well cared for Parker farm gun... and I Love it!
I can't really think of any other Parkers in my collection that fit in the 'war horse' category but more may come as time goes on.




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[MARK KIRCHER]

1919 GHE 20/32"
Checkering worn near smooth. Original pad with lifetime of milage. Scars up and down from the pad to the bead. Gun is perfect as is.
Scratched a bunch of ducks and geese this past weekend and will hunt her on our home opener Saturday. I love this gun!

[Mike Koneski]

Honest wear in a gun is classy. As many have posted they too resemble their guns with honest wear. If I can get new hips and knees, I think I can allow a shooter a new recoil pad or a fresh stock finish once in a while too! 🤣😂 I just don’t know if the causes for arthritis are considered honest wear or just abuse? :rotf::rotf:

[allen newell]

yes

[Francis Marshall]

Here is a story about an old workhorse Parker.

https://youtu.be/3bTUtpTlfKw?si=lUMsdrH_8Lge9GXb

[Joe Kallo]

My first Parker, a 12ga VH, is such a war horse. I wish it could talk. It has the stock from a much earlier Parker, almost no checkering left, the obvious signs of where the original owner(s) rested their hands when carrying it etc. It's also the quintessential grouse gun, with C/M chokes, a light barrel set, and 26" original barrels. It doesn't look abused- it looks like what a tool that's used for 100 years should look like.

This past week, I was honored to hunt with it on my first grouse hunt (ever) in the northern LP of MI. I didn't manage to hit any of the 6 grouse my dog and I raised, but I did shoot my first woodcock with it.

Today I scouted some fields closer to home checking if any of the fly bird woodcocks have moved into my area. Pic attached.

[Dave Noreen]

I would rate my Grandfather's old 1890 vintage, heavy, Quality PH, 12-gauge as an old war horse. So the family legend goes he gave one of those new-fangled Winchester pump guns a try and was not enthralled, so in 1901 he took it to Kennedy Bros. in the Twin Cities and trade it for the 11-year-old Parker Bros. It then spent the next fifty plus years on a Minnesota farm where six boys were raised. It spent many years with Selous plates on the sides of the grip and finally was restocked by Grandpa's youngest sister's husband's brother who was a local gunsmith west of Minneapolis.

Uncle Art, the gunsmith, as many of the family did, moved to Seattle and he made my first .22, a Winchester Model 67 he restocked like a Model 70 Super-Grade and fitted with a Mossberg scope.

[Jeff Christie]

This is one of the most interesting and entertaining threads (?) that has recently appeared!! Old war horses are fun to saddle up and return to the field! I do it almost exclusively.