Questions about an 1894 Parker Brothers with Damascus steel

[Alan Searcy]

Greetings!

I believe I have an 1894 hammerless 12 gauge Parker side by side with Damascus barrels. Serial number 80636. The barrels are like mirrors, they look like brand new. No pitting whatsoever. I have the original tag from the shop when it was bought and it says it can fire bulk smokeless powder. In faint red diagonal lettering it also says that it was fired with Nitro powder. Does this mean I can shoot modern low brass field loads for birds? I'm leery because it has the Damascus steel. Shoots two and three quarter black powder shells just fine!. Any thoughts from you wise individuals would be welcome! Thanks!
Alan

[edgarspencer]

I can't even imagine owning such a gun and not shooting mild, low pressure ammo. There are countless recipes for the hand-loader, and commercial ammo from people like RST.
A good educational read is Sherman Bell's tests on Damascus steel barrels. One of the greatest hoodwinks ever perpetrated on the shooting sportsman. Some say it was the gun manufacturer's idea to get every 'dangerous damascus gun' relegated to the closet and sell the new, steel barreled guns.

[Alan Searcy]

Thank you Edgar! I really love this shotgun! Never had anything quite so fancy and quite so deadly. Black powder is kind of a pain to acquire and to clean up after. I'd like to shoot some low brass three dram modern smokeless ammo through it with seven and a half lead shot. Sounds like I'll probably be okay?

[Drew Hause]

Very nice Alan
It would be worth looking at this resource, with links to more
https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/is-my-gun-safe-what-load-was-my-gun-designed-to-shoot.366087/

c. 1894 1 1/8 oz. 3 Drams BULK Smokeless pressures were 6000 - 8000 psi; Dense Smokeless very similar to today's loads.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F2sQuPm05IE4VWYYnCkvuXmYEzQoWd_SQgaAfUOZEFU/edit
It would be reasonable to restrict your shells to 1 oz. at 1200 fps target loads.

[Alan Searcy]

Thanks Drew!

The chamber pressure of the modern ammo is likely my biggest concern moving forward. I plan on making this new (to me) SxS my go to field gun. It hunts like a dream!

Alan

[John Davis]

Great gun. You should also consider joining the PGCA. Best $40.00 you’ll spend this year.

[Dave Noreen]

Wood smokeless powder was invented in 1876. For years our ammunition companies offered all brass and paper NPEs and shooters loaded their own shotgun shells or small local firms, sporting goods and hardware stores, hand loaded shells for them. Chamberlin Cartridge Co. was one of the first offering machine loaded shells in the mid-1880s. In their 1886-7 catalog they offered smokeless powder loads, highlighted in red --

120534

In 1890, Capt. A.W. Money and his family moved to the U.S. from England and opened the American E.C. & Schultze Powder Company in Oakland Park, Bergen County, New Jersey with offices in NYC, making smokeless powders.

120535

The big companies began offering factory loaded shells by the early 1890s. Union Metallic Cartridge Co. was offering smokeless powder shells in 1891. Winchester offered smokeless powder shotgun shells to selected shooters in 1893 and to the general public in 1894. When Remington Arms Co. introduced their Remington Hammerless Double in 1894, their catalogs state their shotguns were adapted to all nitro powders.

120536

[Drew Hause]

As did Parker. 1902 Sears catalog listing
"ALL ARE BORED FOR NITRO OR BLACK POWDER"

https://photos.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-DqHsxjs/0/4f21d387/L/Sears%20catalog%20112%201902%20Parker-L.png (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-DqHsxjs/A)

[Dave Noreen]

Drew, do you have info on what shells the shooters were using at the early GAHs in 1893 & 1894? Smokeless? Black? A mix?

[Drew Hause]

Sporting Life did not document the guns, powder and shells for the GAH until 1896
https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/47169

March 2, 1894 Riverton vs. Carteret
Fred Hoey - Purdey, 7# 8 oz., 48 gr. “Schultz”
Charles Macalester - Purdey, 7# 5 oz., 50 gr. “Schultz”
Capt. A.W. Money - Greener, 7# 8 oz., 45 gr. “E.C.”
George Work - Purdey, 7# 8 oz., 48 gr.
Edgar Murphy - Parker, 7# 6 oz., 42 gr.
T.S. Dando - Parker, 7# 6 oz., 3 1/2 Drams
H.Y. Dolan - Scott, 7# 8 oz., 48 gr.
R.A. Welsh - Churchill, 7# 9 oz., 49 gr.

February 23, 1895 Sporting Life Keystone Crow Shoot
https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/55021/rec/8
1 1/4 oz. loads and no black powder
Mott shot a Greener gun with 48 grs. E.C. powder.
Bergner shot a LeFever gun with 48 grs. E.C. powder.
Jones used a Clabrough gun with 48 grs. E.C. powder.
Leonard shot a Wesley Richards gun with 45 grs. E.C. powder.
W. H. Wolstencroft shot a Francotte gun and 48 grs. American Wood Powder.
Budd used a Parker gun and 52 grs. E.C. powder.
Landis shot an L.C. Smith gun with 48 grs. E.C. powder.
Thurman used an L.C. Smith gun with 50 grs. American Wood Powder.
Leaming shot an L.C. Smith gun with 48 grs. E.C. powder.
Isaac Wolstencroft shot a Greener gun with 52 grs. Schultz powder.
Davids used an L.C. Smith gun and 47 grs. E.C. powder.
Edwards shot a Cla*brough gun and 48 grs. E.C. powder.
James Wolstencroft shot a Greener gun and 50 grs. E.C. powder.
Ed Hill used an L.C. Smith gun, 10 bore, and 52 grs. E.C. powder.
Zweilin used an L.C. Smith gun and 48 grs. E.C. powder.
Morfey shot a Greener gun with 49 grs. E.C. powder.
Rothacker used a Colt's gun with 56 grs. (4 Dr. Eq.) Schultz powder.
Hothersoll shot an L.C. Smith gun with 50 grs. American Wood Powder.
W. M. Pack shot a Greener gun with 52 grs. Schultz powder.
(Capt. A.W.) Money shot a Greener gun with 49 grs. E.C. powder.
W. H. Pack shot a Francotte gun with 50 grs. Schultz.
Treadway used a Greener gun with 48 grs. E.C. powder.

NOT light loads

Grains = Dram Equivalence c. 1895
(by 1900 “E.C.” and “Schultze” were equivalent at 14 grains/dram)

…………..“E.C.”…..”Schultze”
3 Dr. Eq……44………..42
3 1/4……….45.5………45
3 1/2……….49…….…..48
3 3/4……….53…….…..51

First Grand Smokeless Championship Handicap Live-bird Tournament given by the E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co. Oct., 1895
https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/53099/rec/2