Help Identifying Parker External Hammer Side by Side

[ScottSlack]

SN: 38233 indicates 1884 build.
12 Gauge.
32" Side by Side.
External hammers.
Double trigger.

I believe the frame size is 2, barrel weight is 4. Not sure of grade.

What exactly is this model? What grade? Several pictures posted.

Thanks,

Scott

[Dean Romig]

Looks like a Grade-0 with Twist barrels as indicated by the T with a crescent above and below. Looks like it has a Remington or some such aftermarket hammer.
JS is believed to be the stamp of John Stokes.
Barrel weight was 4 lbs., 6 oz. before striking.
We don’t know what the E represents and the patent dates can be looked up but they don’t specifically refer to your gun only.



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[Dave Noreen]

With Twist barrels it is either a Grade 0 or 1. If the frame and lock plates are plain a Grade 0 or with a few flourishes of engraving Grade 1. Being a 12-gauge with a straight grip it is a Quality U or Quality Q.

At that time a straight grip 12-gauge was the base price for the grade. A pistol grip made it the next Quality and was $5 more. A straight grip 10-gauge was $5 more than a 12-gauge and then a pistol grip an additional $5. The 8-, 16- and 20-gauges were a lot extra --

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[ScottSlack]

Thank you Dean and Dave for your feedback. Much appreciated. Scott

[Lloyd McKissick]

How does one distinguish between a Quality O and a Quality Q above?

[Dean Romig]

I don’t know what a Quality Q is…





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[Dean Romig]

Often within certain ranges the Grade-1 or Quality-1 were made with imported Laminated Steel barrels.

I’ve had several Grade-1 hammer guns with Laminated Steel barrels… sixteens and twelves.





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[Mike Koneski]

How does one distinguish between a Quality O and a Quality Q above?

Pull up the old catalogs from Parker Bros. As you look at the various guns, there are grade/quality differences that may be subtle or obvious. Sometimes it’s barrel composition, sometimes stock configuration, sometimes engraving…

[Lloyd McKissick]

Now I'm mildly confused. I am fairly certain that my latest acquisition a #1 frame, Grade O hammer gun, but...is it Quality O as well? If it had Laminated Steel tubes would that make it a Quality Q?

Shot the gun today at a local 5-stand with Winchester AA Featherlights. Worked just fine.

[Dave Noreen]

From the July 1882 Parker Bros. catalog.

Quality U is a Grade 0 Twist Barrels 12-gauge with a straight grip. List Price $50
Quality T is a Grade 0 Twist Barrels 12-gauge with a pistol grip. List Price $55
Quality S is a Grade 0 Twist Barrels 10-gauge with a straight grip. List Price $55
Quality R is a Grade 0 Twist Barrels 10-gauge with a pistol grip. List Price $60

Quality Q is a Grade 1 English Twist Barrels 12-gauge with a straight grip. List Price $60
Quality P is a Grade 1 English Twist Barrels 12-gauge with a pistol grip. List Price $65
Quality O is a Grade 1 English Twist Barrels 10-gauge with a straight grip. List Price $65
Quality N is a Grade 1 English Twist Barrels 10-gauge with a pistol grip. List Price $70

Quality M is a Grade 1 Laminated Barrels 12-gauge with a straight grip. List Price $65
Quality L is a Grade 1 Laminated Barrels 12-gauge with a pistol grip. List Price $70
Quality K is a Grade 1 Laminated Barrels 10-gauge with a straight grip. List Price $70
Quality I is a Grade 1 Laminated Barrels 10-gauge with a pistol grip. List Price $75

In that I've never seen a Parker Bros. rib marked "English Twist" but have seen barrels marked "Twist" --

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and "Stub Twist" --

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How does this equate to Grade 0 and Grade 1?

[Dean Romig]

Now I'm mildly confused. I am fairly certain that my latest acquisition a #1 frame, Grade O hammer gun, but...is it Quality O as well? If it had Laminated Steel tubes would that make it a Quality Q?

Shot the gun today at a local 5-stand with Winchester AA Featherlights. Worked just fine.


The Grade 0 (zero) and the Quality O (alphabetical) are two different nomenclatures that apparently can overlap...?




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[Lloyd McKissick]

Not confused anymore Researcher, thank you so much!

Quality U is it.

[Dave Noreen]

Looking at the Quality PH and NH hammerless guns, the catalogs state "Fine English Twist" --

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but the ribs are marked "TWIST" --

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[Lloyd McKissick]

As are mine. So...a $50 gun in 1882 would be what in 1887...$55? A comperable Elsie would be something like $35-40 then?

[Dave Noreen]

The List Prices stayed pretty steady through the heydays of the Parker Gun. The Quality U still had a List Price of $50 in the 1900 Blue Ink catalog. A few years later they dropped the List Price of those old obsolete hammer guns. Prices really started going up with the inflation leading into and through WW-I.