Coin finished receiver?

[mikeschneider]

I held a 28 gauge Repro today that had what appeared to be a coin finished receiver; was this an option? I’ve never seen it…perhaps it was done on a custom basis? I liked it, but it’s the only one I’ve seen. Thanks for any input. A friend of mine is buying the gun, I’m sure I’ll learn more from him.

[edgarspencer]

The fake colors wear off quickly, and what's left looks like a chrome plated receiver. I think a 'grey etched' finish is a way of dealing with that, and is a very simple thing to do. My first choice would be a proper organic case hardening, which obviously is more expensive, when given to someone who knows what he's doing.

[Greg Baehman]

We talked about a similarly described 20ga. Repro a while back. I do not believe Parker Reproductions ever offered that as a finished product (other than "in-the-white" A-1 Specials). Instead I believe the gun was originally Repro-style case colored that someone had removed the coloring leaving it similar to having a dull coined finish. There's a pic in the linked thread below:

https://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=39620&highlight=nickel

[mikeschneider]

The seller is a pretty accomplished gunsmith, and the buyer is a good friend of an active user on this forum, maybe info and pics will surface here…the seller offered up the possibility of the coin finished receiver, but he was speculating. The original box is part of the deal, and we studied that but nothing on the box told us anything about this question. Cool gun, regardless! Just saw that pic, I’d say it looked just like that…thx for the help!

[Andrew Sacco]

I had a 28 Repro that I literally watched case colors fall off. I moved it on. Turns out worn case colors really reduce the value so having it CC then selling it wasn't worth the money. Someone told me, "So don't shoot it and preserve it." WTH. If that's the case buy an original and put in the safe, the upside I would think is higher if it's the right gun.

[mikeschneider]

I have one Repro, a 28, that I hunt with…some CC has been lost…not a huge deal to me, same outcome for all my guns I hunt with…I don’t have, or want, any safe queens..I enjoy the fact that they’re getting use.

[Brian Dudley]

If it is 100% “coin finished” then it was done that way afterwards. The only guns that were finished this way as new were the A1 special custom grades that were finished state-side.

It could be satin nickel plated or could be french grayed.

[Bill Murphy]

However the finish on the pictured gun was accomplished, I like it.

[Andrew Sacco]

I have one Repro, a 28, that I hunt with…some CC has been lost…not a huge deal to me, same outcome for all my guns I hunt with…I don’t have, or want, any safe queens..I enjoy the fact that they’re getting use.

I agree with that and have nothing against hunting with a nice gun, I don't even care if someone falls on THEIR gun. I know what happens when I hunt however :rotf: I will take certain guns dove or pheasant hunting on fields and plains or goose hunting laying in a field. It's not likely to bang up a gun. But grouse in the NE are a totally different animal. I use them to part briars and bust my way through brush. More than once in Maine off the roads I've needed a hand getting up a wall I'm climbing, so unloaded and butt end down make a fine third leg. My Repro looked like hell after one season so I'm just saying for some of the hunting I do I might as well just start with something that already looks like hell and add to it's character:rotf::rotf::rotf: Top one is a 16VH that is as loose as a goose when open, and the bottom is a 16VHE that is pinned. Both 0 frames, both 26". I see you're from Duluth so I'm wondering how your guns look after a few seasons : )

[mikeschneider]

I’m a prairie hunter, not much to ding my guns on. I do a bit of ruffed grouse hunting, different deal for sure, so I take different guns that are more open-choked as well…but I don’t do much bushwhacking, more of a faker that walks non-motorized snowmobile trails here in MN…I spend much of Sept-Jan in the Dakota’s, when I’m home in Duluth I do get out for some afternoon walks on the aforementioned trails, but I didn’t do much of that this fall…’23 and ‘24 were pretty strong years in NE MN for grouse, but I didn’t harm them much…should have!! Friends of mine who hunt a bit were pretty astonished at the #’s!

[Andrew Sacco]

We're finding fewer birds in Maine and more hunters since the numbers just suck elsewhere in the NE. We were finding more birds a half to a mile off the logging roads up high, and that's a mother to hunt. Hard on us but the worry also is if a dog gets injured up there getting them out. So much old logging and blowdowns but the birds aren't stupid. Later in the season they see the pumpkin heads in their trucks road hunting so we try to go after them where they move to.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Andy, my grouse guns look like yours. Lots of hard use , hope I can function as well as them when I'm 100+ years old.

[Andrew Sacco]

Yeah I hear you Harold. I took a good fall two years back and let's just say that if I wasn't wearing my shooting glasses I might be a uniclops hunter :rotf::shock:

[James L. Martin]

Here's my 28ga repro after 2 years of grouse and woodcock hunting. It started with near 100% CC. I actually think it looks better without those repro colors.

[Dean Romig]

The gun in the picture Wild Skies linked was obviously polished. The hinge pin and the hinge recess still have the factory ‘case’ color.





.

[Paul Ehlers]

I forget which one of his books it was in, but Micheal McIntosh talked about the differences between the type of alloys in original Parkers & Parker reproductions. His experience was that on original Parkers when the case colors faded or got worn off the receiver would turn a more subdued mat like appearance, whereas on repro's when the chemical case colors wore off the metal could take on a more silver coin polished look.

I've found this to be the case with my 16/20 repro which I've carried a lot. It has some remaining colors, but the rest of the receiver looks like it has been polished to a silver appearance when it hasn't been, it's just been carried & lovingly cleaned.

Personally, I like the way it looks now over when it was new.