'M' on Lifter Twist Barrels

[Drew Hause]

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=665300

Have never seen an 'M'. I don't believe it is a Belgian tube maker's mark; usually further forward and different font.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-bqGvmbb/0/LPD5DMWn8NbFWJGrdPhCSF84vhf8GLrgGTqvsNFBb/M/Plain%20Twist%20M-M.jpg (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-bqGvmbb/A)

The gun dates to the period when Parker Bros. was fabricating Twist and Laminated Steel tubes in house.

A Lifter with Twist barrels; ‘PB’ in a shield, ‘T’ for Twist, J.L. and an unknown mark

https://photos.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-TQg79p9/0/Lkbxf2RWL8hJSRLbTgp5rf5PGp5RMKHM9GXR69tzC/S/Twist%20P%20%26%20JD-S.jpg (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-TQg79p9/A)

[Dean Romig]

That we know of, according to King, PB was fabricating Laminated Steel barrels in 1877, ‘78 and ‘79 but I wasn’t aware they were making their own Twist barrels…

I’ve seen an explanation for that M stamp Drew but I just can’t remember where or what the M indicates.

I thought it might have been for Decarbonized Steel but those tubes certainly aren’t Decarbonized Steel, or are they? Decarbonized barrels were used on some 10, 11 and 12 gauge guns during the years 1869-1875.

On page 581 of The Parker Story, in the table for barrel steel letter codes there is no “Decarbonized” but there is no “M” either… can we deduce the somewhat obvious?

So, it’s an 1879 gun and the rib is marked Twist.
We have, on the very rare occasion, seen that the the rib is marked one thing but the barrel tubes are something else. It’s a head-scratcher for sure.

.

[Drew Hause]

This is Gary Carmichael's Plain Steel (after conflict with Remington over the 'Decarbonized' label) Lifter with a S

https://photos.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-pkLwq2W/0/KvSrTnvq4ZMmQppMbZwHKpV2SJcrdv6xwZZdDDsmd/M/GaryCarmichael%20Plain%20Steel-M.jpg (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-pkLwq2W/A)

'Decarbonized' on the rib

https://photos.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-dNNNm9L/0/MVNCnxxvcS28Rh3LtZsrv8pPSZPVc4ZxG27LcfrSX/M/DecarbonizedSteel5-M.jpg (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-dNNNm9L/A)

Low resolution pic of Decarbonized Steel flats with 0 on the R and a symbol I can't ID on L - maybe the P inside a diamond?
Courtesy of Brad Bachelder 9-2010
“The diamond P remains to be an elusive mystery. What we have learned so far is a few commonalities. This mark appears on lifter and top lever guns, made around 1880. We have identified it on laminated, twist, and damascus barrels.
It generally is stamped on the right tube next to the extractor rod cut. In a few cases we have seen it on the forend hanger."


https://photos.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-9gmbhHK/0/Kz33BkxNSgCpZcq4S3NG8Kd94W8Ng5dHcP5FR5r2t/M/Decarbonized%20Steel%202-M.png (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Damascus/Parker/i-9gmbhHK/A)

Previous Decarbonized Steel thread with some pics
https://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15215

More here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12y9006Ur7mMCqdeeye89c7L4DQrc2iXR8p4S6OIN1bA/edit?tab=t.0