New to me Parker Question

[Gerry Addison]

I just recently acquired a very nice original Parker 20 gauge DHE with 30 inch barrels, straight stock, double triggers, checkered butt, splinter forend, with no safety. Chokes are .027 in both barrels. It matches the Parker letter exactly except for LOP which may or may not be a misprint as it has the called for checkered butt. My question to all of you is would the no safety make the gun more or less valuable? The gun is in very nice all original condition with very pretty wood. I don't believe I've ever seen a 20 gauge with no safety before so I'm assuming it is a rather rare option.

[Daryl Corona]

I have a 30" VH 20 with no safety so I can't say how valuable or rare a no safety 20 is but I bet it's not very common. I can't hunt with it but it's perfect to shoot clays with. Sounds like a sweet gun. Enjoy.

[Jeff Kuss]

I have a 20 ga vhe with no dolls head or safety. It has 28" barrels. They are not common.

[Greg Baehman]

A safety-less Parker might be more appealing to a narrow corner of the collecting market, but a Parker with its safety would hold significantly more value to me personally.

[Dan Steingraber]

Sounds like a great sporting clays gun. I have a 32" 20 gauge with no safety that i really enjoy shooting clays with.

[Brian Dudley]

The gun would have been purpose ordered as a target gun. And would appeal more to someone today looking for that sort of gun.

[Reggie Bishop]

I have a lonnnnnnnng barrel 20 with no safety as well.

[Alfred Houde]

My guess would be with 30" barrels, no safety, and both chokes basically XF, it was ordered as a target gun.

When was it originally manufactured/ordered?

[Gerry Addison]

Gun was built in 1911. Thanks for all the comments. Always interesting to hear everyone's different opinion and I appreciate your thoughts.

[Randy G Roberts]

Gerry, does it have a regular or trap style comb ?

[Larry Stauch]

I do have a no safety 30" 20 gauge AHE and I'm going to have a safety installed in it so I can hunt with it. And of course, these days, there is some liability using a gun with no safety in the event of an accidental discharge.

[Gerry Addison]

Regular, 1-1/2 x 2-1/2

[Bill Murphy]

I will buy Larry's gun and sell him a gun with a safety, so he can "hunt with it". Pigeon guns are a serious niche collecting interest, my interest included.

[Larry Stauch]

Well Bill I guess you and the restorer are on the same page because he told me yesterday he really didn't want to put a safety on it. So, I guess it will be a targets only gun....

[John Allen]

Not all of the no safety guns were intended as target guns. A lot of the old timers felt that a safety gave shooters a false sense of security and made them careless. Many of them also were used to hammer guns that did not have a safety. That is why people like Nash Buckingham hunted with no safety guns. It made you be more careful. I don't know that I agree with that,but he wrote about it in several magazine articles and in his books.

[Mike Koneski]

No problem hunting with a no-safety gun. Just carry it with the action broken open, close it when you walked up on the bird and are ready to shoot. That's how I carry my hammer guns in the field, cocked with the action open.

[Bob Brown]

Didn't I read somewhere that small bore no safety guns were sometimes ordered by quail hunters that followed the dogs in wagons or on horses? In those cases they weren't carrying or loading their guns until they were moving up to the dogs on point. Wouldn't really need a safety in that case.

[Bruce Hering]

I can remember a couple of my Dad's friends carrying doubles unloaded and broke open until the dogs pointed. This was pretty much woodcock and grouse. They were gentleman and the dogs were solid broke.....

This was back in the late 50's or so

[Gerry Addison]

I shot the little 20 bore yesterday in a round of skeet and it functioned perfectly. When I did my part the birds were smoke with those .027 constriction barrels. I have to say this gun has the best triggers I have felt in any Parker and the ejectors were perfect as well. Neat little gun.

[Randy G Roberts]

Is this an 0 frame gun Gerry ?

[Gerry Addison]

Yes Randy it is a 0 frame gun with stock dimensions of 1 1/2 X 2 1/2 X 14 1/8

[Gerry Addison]

https://i.imgur.com/uiZlCmB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/OVNj5P7.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NQuklkU.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Q12QEyj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FBO7K2c.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/m6PEbtI.jpg

[Dan Steingraber]

That's a beauty Gerry.

[Chris Travinski]

That is a beautiful gun Gerry. I had GHE in the same configuration that was my go-to gun. As everyone has suggested, I used to walk with it open and close it when I was ready for actin. Some people are turned off by a safety delete gun, I really enjoy them. I think it's a neat feature.

I also love that era of engraving. Every thing is cut a little deeper similar to a typical C grade.

[Randy G Roberts]

Nice letter in that it spells out the butt treatment, long chambers, and the safety delete. I have seen the long chambers on 0 frame guns previously and it always makes me wonder why, or why not a 1 frame or heavier gun.

Back to your original question about value and this is just my opinion. I do not feel that the factory safety delete on its own adds value to this gun. It would IMO if it were in mint collector condition. Considering the fact that this one also has factory 2 7/8 chambers the 2 options combined would add value for me. Now if it also had a trap comb/flute to complete the entire ensemble of a live bird/target purpose built gun that would be the epitome and add the most value. Just my proverbial 2 cents. Nice gun any way you slice it. Congrats !