Parker Bros combination gun

[Jim Durchholz]

I am new to the forum, I hope I am doing this correctly.
QUESTION: Did Parker Bros ever make a combination gun(16ga/rifle)
Thank you for any help!

[edgarspencer]

Yes. Serial number 6999, was a two barrel set. One barrel was 20ga SxS, the other was 20ga x .44 cal. The frame size 00, didn't officially exist at that time, but the firing pin spacing of 6999 was 15/16".

[Jim Durchholz]

The Parker Bros is 16 ga/33wcf
S/N is around 127995
Made in 1904, 1 frame
V Grade, Vulcan steel barrel
Is this a factory gun or custom built ?
A clue: a rear sight is placed over top of the Parker Bros top barrel engraving….
Doesn’t look factory
Thanks in advance for any help!

[Dean Romig]

A PGCA Research letter may give you the information you’re looking for.





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[edgarspencer]

The old adage "Never Say Never" often applies to Parker Brothers. That said, it is unlikely on a gun that late. Is the rifle barrel a solid barrel, or an inserted barrel? The Auxiliary Rifle Barrel Co, located a short distance from Meriden, in New Haven, was one of many in the business, and I've seen one, with the insert, documented as supplied to Parker for a customer. As you said, It's very unlikely Parker would have affixed a rifle sight atop the barrel legend. The more appropriate location, as seen on 2494, shown in The Parker Story (page 673?) is a tang mounted sight. The one shown is a Lyman sight. Also, note that 2494 had an insert in the left, shotgun barrel.

[Brian Dudley]

And it isnt an insert for the rifle barrel?

Photos would really help with this.

[George Davis]

My suggestion is to provide photos of the water table, rib and the bottom of the barrel. i'm sure the members will be of tremendous resource.

[Drew Hause]

Lining one (or both) barrel for a rifle cartridge was popular in the early 1900s; often to 45-70. .33 WCF was introduced in 1902
The seam and extractor modification should be apparent

https://photos.smugmug.com/Damascus/Restoration/i-PV34qZc/0/hfR3q7jf48d4rKfXzTxJpZQXJpd5p2DbHxtdz92j/M/Rifled%20liner%20breech-M.png (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Damascus/Restoration/i-PV34qZc/A)

https://photos.smugmug.com/Damascus/Restoration/i-zLqz4QK/0/hWT88wQbJk2gVdR3QLvGbgsxt8JxWmmxK9XwSdxK/M/Rifled%20liner%20muzzle-M.png (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Damascus/Restoration/i-zLqz4QK/A)

[Bill Murphy]

Dr. Snavely in Maryland had a combo rifle-shotgun that was represented as factory. I don't know who owns that gun today. It has probably been pictured on this forum or in DGJ if you can find it.

[Dave Noreen]

The first time I visited Cody, the summer of 1980, there was a lifter 10-ga/.44 caliber that was identified as belonging to an army officer. That was about a decade before I began recording details of observations. I haven't seen it on subsequent visits. It was in the Buffalo Bill display, not the firearms area.

[John Dallas]

Is it possible that it is in the Cody Museum? Lots of Buffalo Bill stuff, and lots of guns

[William Woods]

I saw the picture of the gun you are referring to. The description states there is a presentation plate on the barrel. My guess is that the barrel was damaged, and the one barrel was sleeved for a rifle cartridge.

[Dave Noreen]

Is it possible that it is in the Cody Museum? Lots of Buffalo Bill stuff, and lots of guns

No, it was definitely the Buffalo Bill Historical Center as it was called then. I was travelling across country the summer of 1980 and made a conscious decision to go there because the Winchester collection had just been installed there in the firearms wing. At that time there were three museums, the Buffalo Bill, the firearms and the Plains Indian. At that time when one entered the rotunda Buffalo Bill was to the left, Plains Indian straight ahead and firearms to the right. The Whitney Western Art Museum and the Draper Natural History Museum were added later. The gun I mentioned was in the main hall of the upper level of Buffalo Bill wing just outside the room with the Wild West Show display. At that time the basement of that wing had a large travelling display from the Colt Museum.

[Robert Delk]

In 1976 or 1977 I had a guy at a sale show me a hammerless high grade Parker with one barrel chambered for a large caliber rifle cartridge.I don't remember much more but it was a very nice gun with a lot of wear with care and was at least a 4 or 5 grade.Heavy gun with very nice wood as I am a wood guy and remember that well.

[Bill Murphy]

That may have been the Doctor Snavely gun. I don't recall who else was involved with that gun after Doctor Snavely's collection was disbursed. It may have been discussed in The Parker Story. It was a C grade gun as I recall.

[Brian Dudley]

I was hoping to see photos of this gun.

[Dean Romig]

The first time I visited Cody, the summer of 1980, there was a lifter 10-ga/.44 caliber that was identified as belonging to an army officer. That was about a decade before I began recording details of observations. I haven't seen it on subsequent visits. It was in the Buffalo Bill display, not the firearms area.


I was there in about 2007 or so Dave and I saw it too. I have a couple of pretty poor pics of it through the glass complete with reflections but I have a much better pic of the brass attribution plaque and the legend on the card in the display describing it…. now all I need to do is to find those pics so I can post them…





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[Dean Romig]

A fellow also brought one by to show us at Hausmann’s a couple of years ago and I took pics of that one too… or maybe I’m thinking of a three-barrel Parker…





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[Bill Murphy]

The gun I suspect is Dr. Snavely's C grade rifled gun is pictured and discussed in an old thread that I just brought to the top in the Parker General Discussions forum. The forum title is "CHE Ingraving". Yes, one word is misspelled. Two different guns are discussed, but the steel barrel gun is Dr. Snavely's gun.

[John Dallas]

I handled a 3 barrel 20 gauge Holland and Holland in the factory about 15 years ago. Gun felt much more lively than I expected

[Dean Romig]

I found the pics and added them to my previous post where I mentioned seeing the gun at the museum in Cody.





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[Bill Murphy]

I mentioned that the steel barrel fully rifled gun that belonged to Dr. Snavely is pictured in the thread I mentioned earlier, "CHE Ingraving" in the general discussions subforum. This is a different gun than being discussed by posters in this subforum. Take a look, "Fully rifled both barrels, two barrel set".

[Bill Murphy]

Probably factory knowing the pull that Dr. Snavely had at Parker. One of my order copies shows Snavely ordering a fancy stock. He was a resident of nearby Hagerstown, MD and a prolific Parker collector when I was starting out.

[Dean Romig]

PGCA Life Member William Wood sent these pjctures (and more) today of Parker 127995.

You guys decide if it is factory work… I don’t know.


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[Bill Murphy]

The suspected Doctor Snavely's gun is 118,144, pictured on thread titled "CHE Ingraving" appears much more factory than Dean's example and has two rifled barrels.