New to Parker Collecting

[Daniel Gates]

Good morning everyone I'm new to this group and excited to learn more about the history of Parker shotguns and collecting these fine firearms. I'm in Alberta Canada and have started to acquired the odd gun here and there and have come across a small collection that's for sale. Just wondering on some information on what to look for, what is more of a desirable piece and approximate price point. I know that's the tough part and all dependent on condition, I'd just like a rough guideline so I can add a couple more to the man cave and keep the history alive for another generation. Thanks everyone!

[Andrew Sacco]

Go to our home page parkerguns.org and read all the references there then buy a copy of The Parker Story and get a serialization book. That $300-400 you spend on those references could potentially save you many thousands of dollars in mistakes. But first join PGCA as a paying member which gets you discounts on research letters and you can post and buy from members here who are selling/buying. After you're a member just keep reading these forums and ask questions. I have a hunting gun collection and while I've made some good buys, I've certainly made some poor decisions which are very easy to do. Welcome to the addiction.

[Mills Morrison]

Welcome Daniel! You will enjoy your time here.

[Dean Romig]

That's a perfect reply Andy !

Welcome Daniel !!





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[Andrew Sacco]

That's a perfect reply Andy !

Welcome Daniel !! .

Thank you Dean. You were one of the first to welcome me to the PGCA after I bought my first and you said "Let me know when you get to ten.." I thought you were crazy. Seems I was crazy because I surpassed that in short order. :rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf:

[Alan Terry]

Is The Parker Story and the serialization book still available for purchase?

[Dean Romig]

Go to ABEbooks.com and search for The Parker Story and for The Parker Gun Identification and Serialization book.







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[Bill Murphy]

With prices on those books going through the roof on the internet, you are better to make your wishes known on this site. Use our "want to buy" subforum.

[Alan Terry]

The Parker Story is almost $2000 and for The Parker Gun Identification and Serialization book doesn’t seem to be available. Where do I find this “want to buy” sub form?

[Dave Noreen]

Gauge, condition, grade, condition, originality, condition, barrel length, condition, stock style, condition, options, condition.

[Phil Yearout]

The Parker Story is almost $2000 and for The Parker Gun Identification and Serialization book doesn’t seem to be available. Where do I find this “want to buy” sub form?

Members only, right after the memorabilia forum.

[Matt Buckley]

Check out EBay as well for The Parker Story. There is a set for $475 at the moment.

[Daniel Gates]

Would any of you guys be able to help me out on a 28gauge VH? I noticed it in a gun shop while home visiting for the holidays and snapped a couple pictures. Its been refinished case hardened and blued and looks the have a new wood on the but stock, definitely not a collector piece but definitely a nice gun from 1903 to hunt with. What would be a good way to get a base line value so I can maybe make an offer they have a pretty what I think highly price on it right no.

[Daniel Gates]

134055 28gauge VH 28” barrels English grip refinished non original condition also questioning things as the barrel lug is marked with a frame size 2 not a 0
If I can figure out how to put some pictures on I will

[Dean Romig]

We need lots of hi def pictures at the very least.





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[edgarspencer]

If it was refinished well, and the chokes aren't opened up, it will still be a $7500 gun.
I have a straight stocked 28" 28ga and it may be my favorite gun to shoot.

[Bill Murphy]

Edgar, did you hear the man say the barrel lug was marked "2" and not "0"? We need to know a lot more about this gun before we can appraise it at $7500. As Art Carney would say "Sheesh!" To let you off the hook, that serial number seems to be a 28" 28 gauge straight grip gun.

[edgarspencer]

Edgar, did you hear the man say the barrel lug was marked "2" and not "0"? We need to know a lot more about this gun before we can appraise it at $7500. As Art Carney would say "Sheesh!" To let you off the hook, that serial number seems to be a 28" 28 gauge straight grip gun.

Yes, I did, Bill. I'm making an assumption the 2 is part of 28, and the 8 was light stamped, but since the book confirms it is a 28" 28ga with a straight grip, I am confident the 2 isn't a frame size. Even Art Carney would know that.

[Daniel Gates]

These are the pictures I took everything else looked normal to me as for fit and finish. Everything Locked up tight the barrels had some minimal pitting just past the forcing cone and none of the screws were messed up on the bottom and all pointed north south. I’m just curious on some things since it’s the first one iv seen up here. I find quite a few VH PH and GH 12s but my first time coming across a 28 especially with an straight grip

[edgarspencer]

Far from the worst refinishing job. Case hardening colors are not representative of Meriden's work, but done by someone who at least knows the temperatures the process requires. at least they're not cyanide. Little bit of pitting left on the bbls, but at least they are cold rust blued. Some may say that's high, I'm not one of them. 28ga is the flavor of the month, has been for a while, and shows no signs of letting off. I've seen plenty way above that. Put on your best bargaining pants and give it a shot, you will be smiling soon.

[Dave Noreen]

What is up with the 2 on the barrel lug? I that serial number range I'd expect a W.K. in oval on the left barrel flat.

[Dean Romig]

The Parker Story is almost $2000 and for The Parker Gun Identification and Serialization book doesn’t seem to be available. Where do I find this “want to buy” sub form?


Those are asking prices, not 'sold for' prices.

Nobody in their right mind would spend $2k on even the limited edition of TPS.
Keep looking. I think $650-$850 for the limited edition would be what they should sell for.





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[Dean Romig]

Edgar, did you hear the man say the barrel lug was marked "2" and not "0"? We need to know a lot more about this gun before we can appraise it at $7500. As Art Carney would say "Sheesh!" To let you off the hook, that serial number seems to be a 28" 28 gauge straight grip gun.


We've seen a number of Parkers in all gauges, frame sizes and grades where there is no frame size on the lug but other stamps are sometimes there.
I don't believe that 2 represents the frame size or even the 2 from 28 gauge with na light, invisible strike of the 8.





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[Daniel Gates]

The 2 had me thrown off when I was looking at it,that’s why I reached out to the professionals I’m merely a beginner when it comes most of these old girls!

[Russ Jackson]

I don't know why the barrel lug is stamped with a #2 but I do notice the Unstruck barrel weight at 3LB. 8 Oz. and that seems to me to be pretty heavy for an O Framed 28 Gauge , that's getting into 16 Gauge 1 Frame range ! Most 20 Gauge guns are just below 3Lb. or just an ounce or so over !

[Bill Murphy]

First "2" I've seen on a rear lug in 65 years of messing with 28 gauge Parkers. I've never seen a 3-8 weight stamp on one either. I would buy that gun, looks like a nice one. I would get rid of those blued screws and be a happy camper. How about a picture of the rib legend.

[James L. Martin]

My question , what does the gun weigh . I would think 6 to 6 1/2 range. If over maybe something else is going on.

[Rick Roemer]

I’m no expert, but I would verify this truly is a 28 gauge. The book may show this to be the case, but I would put a shell in to be sure. Just my opinion

[edgarspencer]

I don't know why the barrel lug is stamped with a #2 but I do notice the Unstruck barrel weight at 3LB. 8 Oz. and that seems to me to be pretty heavy for an O Framed 28 Gauge , that's getting into 16 Gauge 1 Frame range ! Most 20 Gauge guns are just below 3Lb. or just an ounce or so over !

My 28" is marked 2lbs 14oz, and my 30" is marked 3lbs 4oz.
My experience is that the finished weight is between 2 and 5 ounces less, but I have seen at least one that I actually had to weigh because I thought the stamping was incorrect. They removed 10 ounces of solder and steel. Also, I believe the unstruck weight is pre final boring, so one could make the assumption a very open choked gun may have more than a few ounces of material removed.

[Daniel Gates]

So I know this is a loaded question but if I were to make an offer what would be a reasonable one from what you guys have come up with? My collection is all 12s Trojans to GHs so this one is definitely out of my knowledge as for price point

[Dean Romig]

You sure said it Daniel - That is most definitely a loaded question and I would venture to say that anybody can make a WAG as to it’s value but nobody would fully commit to an offer without actually having it in hand.





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[Mike Koneski]

Is The Parker Story and the serialization book still available for purchase?

Alan, page 35 of the Winter 2024 issue of Parker Pages has the ad from Louis Parker, III for the deluxe edition of TPS, volumes 1 & 2 with slip covers. $685/set includes shipping.

[Arthur Shaffer]

My 28" is marked 2lbs 14oz, and my 30" is marked 3lbs 4oz.
My experience is that the finished weight is between 2 and 5 ounces less, but I have seen at least one that I actually had to weigh because I thought the stamping was incorrect. They removed 10 ounces of solder and steel. Also, I believe the unstruck weight is pre final boring, so one could make the assumption a very open choked gun may have more than a few ounces of material removed.

I compared several 10 and 12 gauge guns and found them surprisingly consistent as to weight removal. The outliers were the light weight guns but there was very little variance in barrel ID. They seemed to be very consistent as to final boring. I believe the difference was mostly striking the outside.

I actually considered the chokes at the time. I just checked again and a 12 gauge barrel having a 0.040 choke 3" long reamed out (assuming a straight taper) would only amount to around 0.5 oz or so a tube, depending on the tube alloy. It looks like going from a F/F to C/C would only drop a 12 gauge barrel set by 1 oz; quite a bit less on a 20.

[Dean Romig]

I compared several 10 and 12 gauge guns and found them surprisingly consistent as to weight removal. The outliers were the light weight guns but there was very little variance in barrel ID. They seemed to be very consistent as to final boring. I believe the difference was mostly striking the outside.


Art, that should come as no surprise. Why would Parker alter their bores from the industry standard?
I would suspect the difference in weight between the pre-struck weights and the final weights should virtually always be from final striking. (Excluding some early over-bored hammer guns.)





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[Arthur Shaffer]

That was the point I was making. The barrels were always being bored to the same size and there was almost always the same differential between the struck weight and the final weight, which would indicate to me that they were receiving the raw tubes at about the same inner and outer diameter and the same degree of roughness on the outside. I suspect the only time there was a lot of striking was when someone ordered an especially light weight.

[edgarspencer]

Neither of you have said anything about the bore and chamber. Neither the rough boring, chambering, and finish boring were done prior to the rough barrel weight being stamped.

[Dean Romig]

I was just going to make that same statement Edgar. A lot of people haven't seen the rough tubes or even the rough barrels joined together. There are no chambers or bores beyond the mandrel hole that the Composite barrels were wound around and with steel barrels they weren't finished inside or out either but they were a damn sight better than the composite barrels.

The PGCA Collection used to have such an unfinished barrel set but they were sold some 7 or 8 years ago when we agreed to do a sell-down of stuff we really didn't need anymore. I may be wrong but I think Brian Dudley may have placed the winning bid on them.
In any case, I have pics of them.





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[edgarspencer]

Both Dave Suponski, and I had a set. They were 2 frame 12 ga. as I recall (it's been 10-12 years) and the bore was roughly 5/8" ID. Tony has a set of 28ga. 28", and that barrel set was about 1/2", and no chamber either. Tony's set is struck down with top rib installed.

[Bill Murphy]

1/2 inch bore? Where did Tony advertise them?