change a choke

[Edmund McIlhenny]

Is it possible to make a barrel a full choke if it has been cut off?

[Bruce Day]

Briley's in Houston can insert a fixed or removable choke tube, provided there is sufficient wall thickness. There is also something called a jug choke in which the bore before the end is increased then narrowed at the end, also depending on wall thickness, but I doubt there would be enough to get you to .020 to .030" constriction. It may be just me, but I've never liked the idea of reducing wall thickness, and I have seen screw in choke tubes blow out.

[Edmund McIlhenny]

Thank you.

[Ray Masciarella]

There is a gunsmith in Canada who can sleeve the choke. He doesn't need a lot of barrel thickness to do it. I've had it done where chokes on my gun where taken out too much. Worked good and can barely tell work was done. Google words like "choke", "sleeve", etc. I don't have my file with me and can't remember name. If you can't find it let me know and I'll get the name. Ray

[Edmund McIlhenny]

I will give it a try.

[William Stevenson]

Briley's in Houston installed thin wall chokes on my 12 ga steel shot special and furnished full, modified and improved cylinder choke tubes. You cannot tell tubes are installed unless you look into the muzzle.The gun has No barrel swell or other external indications of tubes. I don't see why they couldn't install any tube you wanted in a shortened barrel. Bill

[John Campbell]

EMc:
It's just my opinion, but a cut barrel Parker has one strike against it. A cut barrel Parker with choke tubes has three. I'd send your barrels to Kirk Merrington and see if he can get some choke back for you. It won't be "Full" however. Then again, nobody really needs Full choke. I've broken every target on my sporting course with true cylinder (just not in the same round).

Best, Kensal

[Edmund McIlhenny]

Thank you.

[Edmund McIlhenny]

I was thinking,not very hard,of buying a shooter.Your numerous comments have help me decide not to buy.

[Francis Morin]

I was thinking,not very hard,of buying a shooter.Your numerous comments have help me decide not to buy. Are you, by any chance, related to the famous Tabasco sauce folks down there? I put it on everything except Wheaties and ice cream- I would, in this open market, avoid ANY fine double with cut off barrels, no matter how much was cut- when there are numerous Parkers, etc on Guns International, Gun broker- etc-and a soft price market for the lower to middle grades.

It is not just the choke- it is the radius and taper originally bored into those barrels- and no "Briley tubes" can restore that- and Jess Briley is a master machinist and metal worker, as is Kirk Merrington.

I go back to the now late Ed Muderlak's sage words re: Parkers and other fine guns- also echoed by Larry Baer, Thomas Kidd and others- better to own a few unaltered and close to factory specs. guns than a rack full of "??"- hard to resell, if that scenario should ever come up.

IMO- anyone who takes a hacksaw to the barrels of ANY good grade double gun (The cowboy action redneck ilk non-withstanding) should be horse whipped in the public square and then dipped in Tabasco sauce and then sun-dried--:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::bigbye::b igbye:

[Bruce Day]

Ed, Francis is trying to say that cut barrels substantially destroy the collector market aspects of Parkers unless there are significantly extenuating circumstances. And that there are lots of uncut barrel alternatives in the present market at reasonable prices. There are plenty of cut barrel Parkers that are well used and well appreciated by their owners for open choke shooting; quail, grouse, woodcock, close in ducks, that sort of thing.

So if that is what you are looking for, a cut barrel Parker is not a bad idea, and you may have guests that need a borrowed gun, and why not?

If you need a long range fowler, there are plenty of full choke guns available, also at reasonable prices, and they won't be a "but" gun. Your area and island down there has a rich tradition of fine Parkers and fine fowling. Love to see some photos.

[Edmund McIlhenny]

I am.I live here at Avery Island.Our factory is here and has been since 1868.We are still family owned and run.My great grandfather,also named Edmund,was the inventor.Please use more of the sauce.I want to buy some more Parkers.I killed my first duck with a DHE 20.Shot at the lead Ring neck and hit the 5th in line .

[Francis Morin]

I will admit, I have been tempted by Frank's RH sauce- but as I go by Francis here, and not Frances or Frank, I will stick with the Best--your product. I am a M12 man at heart, but do own and shoot 12 gauge Parkers and LC Smiths as well. I am also a blues (Mississippi Delta) and Cajun music man- I play guitar and also dobro- played for a Cajun dance with a new group last Saturday- after a great potluck- rice paliff, beans and rice, okra, turnip greens, three styles of jambalya, and in honor of the late Hank Williams, even crawfish pie. So the word about the great good things from the Pelican State has spread up Nawth--

I see quite a few "using Parkers" mainly 12 bores in my travels, so if you are looking for something, send me a PM here and if I can help you, I will be most pleased to do so.

I was 12 when I shot my first duck- My dad and grandfather gave me a 20 gauge Model 12 field gun- 28" mod for my 11th birthday (I still have it) Dad and I were in our canoe on the arm of a point jutting into Grass Lake, opening day morning in October- no decoys, I had a 3 shot plug in my 20- Dad had his 12 gauge Model 12 Tournament Grade 30" full solid rib and was sitting in the back seat.

Dawn came in on a pinkish blush in the East, the cloud cover was low, and I heard a "swissssh-" behind me- I brought up the M12- 5 bluewing teal were flying in line- like barnyard geese following their leader- I swung the muzzle a "mile to Mexico" ahead of the lead bird and hit the trigger, and the fourth bird in the "string" collapsed onto the choppy water- the other four were probably in Topeka when I recovered- Dad said to me: "Nice shooting, Son"- He never asked me which bird I had picked out either!:bigbye:

[John Dallas]

My first duck was also a ringneck Drake - Remmie 11-48 20 gauge with a pickle on the front end It's one of the few ducks I can still remember clearly. Taking my grandson out this Sunday for his second hunt. (Didn't shoot the first time.) Hopefully, his memories will be as vivid.

[Steve McCarty]

EMc:
It's just my opinion, but a cut barrel Parker has one strike against it. A cut barrel Parker with choke tubes has three. I'd send your barrels to Kirk Merrington and see if he can get some choke back for you. It won't be "Full" however. Then again, nobody really needs Full choke. I've broken every target on my sporting course with true cylinder (just not in the same round).

Best, Kensal

I agree. When Churchill made his 25" guns, they became, for a while, all the rage. We see lots of Win 21's with those stubby tubes. I have an SKB SXS with 26"ers and it's not my favorite shotgun.

With these new "spreader" shells I'm thinking that we can get a lot of variety with tightly choked guns. Put the spreader shells in one pocket and regular non-spreaders in the other. No need to change chokes, just change shells. Do any of you guys do this?

[Dave Suponski]

Yup...I do

[Steve McCarty]

I am.I live here at Avery Island.Our factory is here and has been since 1868.We are still family owned and run.My great grandfather,also named Edmund,was the inventor.Please use more of the sauce.I want to buy some more Parkers.I killed my first duck with a DHE 20.Shot at the lead Ring neck and hit the 5th in line .

Are you the Marine McIlhenny?

I visited your Avery Island plant a few years ago. What a wonderful place! I finally could buy a bottle of Tobasco sauce that was large enough to last me for a few months. You see I gob that stuff on nearly everything that I eat.

I was astounded by the beauty and birds on Avery Island. Just wonderful. Keep making your wonderful sauce. Without it I'd starve.

[Francis Morin]

Are you the Marine McIlhenny?

I visited your Avery Island plant a few years ago. What a wonderful place! I finally could buy a bottle of Tobasco sauce that was large enough to last me for a few months. You see I gob that stuff on nearly everything that I eat.

I was astounded by the beauty and birds on Avery Island. Just wonderful. Keep making your wonderful sauce. Without it I'd starve.-- We tried to get Tabasco sauce for the k-rats "In country"- because, if you sprinkled it on anything in a can- then spread it on your "John Wayne" crackers- you knew it was OK to eat- as the heat "burned off" any bad microbes, etc. However, the Gooks had an item called "Nuke-Mon'-- canned fish gust and birds eyes I guess- you would have to cover that crap with an ocean of Tabasco to make it edible- maybe??:bigbye:

[Steve McCarty]

-- We tried to get Tabasco sauce for the k-rats "In country"- because, if you sprinkled it on anything in a can- then spread it on your "John Wayne" crackers- you knew it was OK to eat- as the heat "burned off" any bad microbes, etc. However, the Gooks had an item called "Nuke-Mon'-- canned fish gust and birds eyes I guess- you would have to cover that crap with an ocean of Tabasco to make it edible- maybe??:bigbye:

Today, or at least when they first came out, these new MRE's (Meals rejected by Ethopians) had a little bottle of Tobasco sauce in there. I used to put the hot stuff on C-Rats. They needed a kick. I can't recall if I ever ate a K-Rat or not. For those of us who survived in C's we recall that wonderful fruit salad. Came in a can. When they came out with MRE's they made the stuff freeze dried, so it was a cake that you had to add water in, in your canteen cup. Trouble was, the water often tasted like heck and had little things wiggling in it.

Yeah, nuk mon. It was made of fermented fish guts I think. Didn't they bury the stuff until it got "good". The Ancient Romans ate a similar sauce, they called it galloum. I was made of fermented fish guts. Historians think it was similar to the god awful goo they ate in Vietnam. Ever experience that Korean kempshe? Just terrible.

Now lets talk how to cook a duck! I do it very hot and put a sweet sauce on it. Still not my favorite meal however. In Kansas where the ducks were grain fed they were a lot better than here, where theyhave a diet of slugs and seaweed.

[Francis Morin]

Whether you pick or skin your ducks- try this- Marinade in Vernor's ginger ale for 48 hours- the ginger in it works wonders- then stuff the cavities with good wet sauerkraut and lace up to seal that in-- cover the breasts with cheap cut bacon peppered and then sprinkled with brown sugar- you can even add apple slices to the sauerkraut if you wish- I do--cook in a covered Pyrex dish- I use Reynolds wrap to seal the birds and keep in moisture- about 45 minutes to 1 hour at preheated 500 degree over- high heat over a shorter time span (rather than 325 degrees for hours as per the Thanksgiving Day Turkey) is the secret- I like cold Ginger schnapps as a "table wine" with this recipe- wild rice with mushrooms, Caesar salad, and raisin laced rum pudding lit up with Cognac for dessert with Cajun chicory coffee- Yasss indeeedy!!

[David Holes]

Just shot some spreaders today. Right barrel IC and left Full. Only used spreaders on stations 1-2 6-7 doubles. I had patterned the gun with spreaders in both barrels. The IC barrel never impressed me but the full did. Regular shells in the IC and spreaders in the full.

[Steve McCarty]

Whether you pick or skin your ducks- try this- Marinade in Vernor's ginger ale for 48 hours- the ginger in it works wonders- then stuff the cavities with good wet sauerkraut and lace up to seal that in-- cover the breasts with cheap cut bacon peppered and then sprinkled with brown sugar- you can even add apple slices to the sauerkraut if you wish- I do--cook in a covered Pyrex dish- I use Reynolds wrap to seal the birds and keep in moisture- about 45 minutes to 1 hour at preheated 500 degree over- high heat over a shorter time span (rather than 325 degrees for hours as per the Thanksgiving Day Turkey) is the secret- I like cold Ginger schnapps as a "table wine" with this recipe- wild rice with mushrooms, Caesar salad, and raisin laced rum pudding lit up with Cognac for dessert with Cajun chicory coffee- Yasss indeeedy!!

I'll tell my wife. She's the cook round these parts. Thanks, sounds good to me.

[charlie cleveland]

boy a duck dinner never sounded better... charlie

[Edmund McIlhenny]

The Marine you are thinking of was Walter McIlhenny.He killed 9 Japs in a row using a shotgun.Witnessed by Gen.Gorden Gayle.We still have TABASCO in MRE's.Also A MRE cook book printed on waterproof paper.Did a cook book for C-rat.We have a recipe for rare duck.Salt and pepper both inside and out.Put on silver tray.Give to a slow butler and have him walk through a hot kitchen.Serve immediately.I would say more,but I do not type well.

[Steve McCarty]

The Marine you are thinking of was Walter McIlhenny.He killed 9 Japs in a row using a shotgun.Witnessed by Gen.Gorden Gayle.We still have TABASCO in MRE's.Also A MRE cook book printed on waterproof paper.Did a cook book for C-rat.We have a recipe for rare duck.Salt and pepper both inside and out.Put on silver tray.Give to a slow butler and have him walk through a hot kitchen.Serve immediately.I would say more,but I do not type well.

Hmmmm; sounds like one of those "throw away the bird, and eat the board" kind of recipes.

[Francis Morin]

Hmmmm; sounds like one of those "throw away the bird, and eat the board" kind of recipes. get a big pot of water to a rolling boil, add some salt, the field stripped loon, and a rock about the size of a muskmelon- cover and cook for 10-12 hours- to test for "table fare" use tongs, remove rock- if you can slice the rock with your Buck knife, then the loon is ready" Bon Appetit!!:whistle::whistle::whistle:

[Edmund McIlhenny]

Hmmmm; sounds like one of those "throw away the bird, and eat the board" kind of recipes.. We like our waterfowl rare,real rare

[Francis Morin]

. We like our waterfowl rare,real rare- all the better reason to then sprinkle the bird with a generous amount of Tabasco-- self-basting and then self-cooking. I can just picture -- Jeevesie- Old Boy- on roller skates with platter in hand, upright and awaiting the "fish and goose soire'!!:rotf::rotf::rotf::rolleyes::rolleyes::rol leyes:

[Steve McCarty]

Just shot some spreaders today. Right barrel IC and left Full. Only used spreaders on stations 1-2 6-7 doubles. I had patterned the gun with spreaders in both barrels. The IC barrel never impressed me but the full did. Regular shells in the IC and spreaders in the full.

Did you roll your own spreaders, or buy them?

[Frank Cronin]

Probably more economical if you do it yourself Steve. For sporting clays I put spreaders in a different colored shotgun hull so you know the difference right away in your shotshell bag or in the pocket of your jacket .

[charlie cleveland]

now thats a good idea....thanks charlie

[Francis Morin]

boy a duck dinner never sounded better... charlie I don't shoot many wood ducks, but we did a river "float trip" recently- I used 1 oz. No 7 steel Winchester loads in a M12- and shot two-- woodies and teal are about the best eating ducks (IMO) they never eat fish, snails, mullocks- etc- and mainly eat acorns-- so like squirrels and turkeys, mighty tasty if fixed right--

I pick and clean the smaller ducks like this (big mallards and geese I usually fillet out the breasts)- soak overnight in cold water with white vinegar and a little salt in a plastic or non-metallic bowl in the ice box- drain, clean off any remaining feathers, blood, debris and wipe dry- then marinade for 24 hours in a covered dish in Balsamic vinegar-- when you are ready to cook- stuff the cavity with sliced apples (I like spies of McIntosh) and take the reserve Balsamic vinegar and mix in slowly brown sugar until it is just runny- NOT too thick- and close the neck cavity with the same thread you use for roasting a turkey-, then pour the sugared vinegar mixture into the cavity stuffed with the apple slices- then stitch up the "trapdoor" to keep everything inside, pepper the outer skin including the legs, place some thicj slices sweet onions on the breast and then criss-cross with bacon strips- double wrap tightly in Reynolds Wrap and cook for about 40 minutes on your grill- 20 minutes per side- let stand in foil for a few minutes before you unwrap to maintain the juices, slice and serve- I like redskin potatoes with these birds, buttered carrots, rolls and a nice Leibfraumilch slightly chilled- and of course, Parker house rolls!!:bigbye::bigbye:

[Steve McCarty]

Probably more economical if you do it yourself Steve. For sporting clays I put spreaders in a different colored shotgun hull so you know the difference right away in your shotshell bag or in the pocket of your jacket .

Good idea. I have yet to start reloading shot shells. I'm still paying for the gun.

[John Dallas]

Because I use only AA's for reloading, I differentiate loads by using adhesive stickers (the types used at garage sales) on the base of the shell, writing the shot size and powder on the label. You can also use diffferent colored labels for different loads

[David Holes]

I reload all my spreaders, takes a little extra time, but well worth it. I have to use remington wads to get everything to fit right in the 16.