Rib Width Question

[Bruce Day]

Here is a photo showing a pair of barrel ends. Note the rib width difference. Both are from DHE 20ga's, the top one being an original 24" from 1910 and the bottom being a 1927 32". However, I have a 28" 16ga with the narrow rib and a 32" 12 ga with the wide.

I have not seen any mention of rib width in the Parker literature, yet there are rib width differences. My research letters on these guns are silent about rib width.

Anyone have any information about this matter?

[John Truitt]

This is any interesting topic.
I have several examples of wide ribs, "normal width", and a very narrow.

My 34" 16 has the most narrow rib I have ever seen.
Some 30 "ers are very wide.

My only conclusion is somehow it relates to overall barrel weight. Just another way of achieving desired weight/ etc.

I will say I have seen more wider ribs on shorter barreled guns and the narrower ribs on the longer barrels just like your example above, Mr. Day.
Give me a day or three (more like till this weekend) and I will get some pictures of 30", 32", and 34" examples posted.

[Robin Lewis]

Yet another good Parker Pages topic! This is the kind of stuff that makes interesting reading. Until this thread, I didn't know that rib width was that much different.

[Eric Eis]

That's a really good question .... It's something I never noticed before, like Robin said that would be a great article for the PP.

[Jeff Bonadurer]

Hi Bruce,
Very interesting indeed. Considering my new to me DH 20 I am curious to these rib dimensions. Please post the two width dimensions in inches. My damascus barrels from 1901 are 28" in length and the rib measures in width .530" at the breech end and .338" in width across at the brass bead.

Kind regards,

Jeff

[Larry Frey]

My only conclusion is somehow it relates to overall barrel weight. Just another way of achieving desired weight/ etc.


I think John may have nailed it with his thoughts on balance and weight. The different width's might also be more visually appealing to the shooter while looking down the barrels at your target. It would be interesting to know if these various width ribs were specially ordered or just the result of Parker Brothers trying to meet the customers request for a certain weight gun?

[Dean Romig]

Two or three years ago we had quite a discussion here on this very topic. There were a good number of pictures posted by discussion participants and a lot of discussion ensued though I don't think we arrived at anything conclusive.

I'm sure someone could dredge up those old threads and link them right here.

[tom leshinsky]

They must have had quite a variety of ribs in stock. Also another one is the flat top rib versus the more common concave.

[Jean Swanson]

Dr. Truitt :

Take a picture of the rib on the VHE 34" with the odd ball forend . I called it the Parker with a railroad track rib . Allan

[Bill Murphy]

Can anyone produce a PGCA letter in which rib width or taper was mentioned? I can't recall one.

[Bruce Day]

Two or three years ago we had quite a discussion here on this very topic. There were a good number of pictures posted by discussion participants and a lot of discussion ensued though I don't think we arrived at anything conclusive.

I'm sure someone could dredge up those old threads and link them right here.


Dean, I searched and did not find a thread on this topic. We did however, have a significant discussion with photos on rib matting terminations. Perhaps that was what you recalled?

I'm not sure others had noticed that there are differences.

Bill, no letter that I know of mentions it and I have letters on guns with the narrow ribs that could. But, I have not asked Mark if he has seen any mention of it. The rib issue is the sort of matter that I believe individual shooters could have a preference, I know that on a longer barrel for long deliberate shots, I prefer the narrow rib. Others prefer the raised ventilated rib for the same targets.

Others have raised that it is a weight and balance issue. I'm not sure that it is, because I can point to substantially equal guns with equal length barrels, and some will have the narrow rib, others the wider.

But there is a lot about Parkers I don't know, and this is another.

[Bill Murphy]

Order #143,202, an Abercrombie and Fitch order that should be framed and displayed, includes several guns specifying "narrow rib". Sure enough, some of those guns are light. A friend owns a 28" 12 gauge AAHE from that order that is one of the "narrow rib" guns and was specified to weigh 6 1/2 pounds. I have owned guns with tapered ribs that are narrow on the front end. I would have to look at my friend's AAHE again to determine whether it is narrow from end to end or tapered to a narrow front end.

[John Truitt]

Yes Sir Mr. Swanson. I had planned to include a picture of that one.

Guys give me until this weekend. I have alot burning at both ends right now. I will include pictures of ribs, their width, barrel length, and unstruck barrel weights.
I can provide this for 30", 32", and 34" guns. Some are lighter weight guns some are heavy.
Any other info that would be helpful?

John

[Bruce Day]

Well this is interesting. It appears that rib width was yet another variable that the purchaser could and sometimes did specify. Thanks for finding the order letters, Bill.

So, standard untapered, narrow tapered, flat, concave, raised, ventilated, matted, unmatted.

[Dave Suponski]

Interesting topic. I had a chance today to pull a few guns out and measure the ribs. I only measured concave matted rib guns.Here are my findings.First dimension is rib at breech and second dimension is rib at muzzle.

1)Trojan 26" 20 gauge Serial range 181xxx .550/.410

2) DH 26" 12 gauge Serial range 84xxx .538/.420

3) VH 16 gauge 28" O frame Serial range 183xxx .570/.410

4) PH 16 gauge 26" Serial range 68xxx .535/.390

5) VHE 16 gauge skeet 26" Serial range 237xxx .514/.308

6)GHE 16 gauge 30" Serial range 163xxx .520/.384

7) VH 20 gauge 30" Serial range 171xxx .542/.398

A couple of obsevations here. These are all pretty much "off the shelf" guns.

1) No two ribs are exactly alike so that tells me these ribs were all fitted one at a time by Parker.2) Barrel length does not play into rib width as there is no direct proportions exhibited here. 3) And this may be because the gun is a late Meriden gun. The rib on the "skeet" gun is noticeably narrower and much more deeply set than the other guns shown.

[Mike Shepherd]

Here is some data. The measurements were rounded to the nearest 64th. The decimal figures are from converting the fractions. The hyphenated numbers before frame size are unstruck barrel weight, current barrel weight, and gun weight:

AHE 20 214XXX, 26", 11/32" or 0.344", 15/32" or 0.469", 2-15, 2-7., 5-13, O frame

DH 12 84XXX, 28", 23/64" or 0.359", 1/2" or 0.500", 3-10, 3-0, 6-13, 1 frame

VHE 16 156XXX, 26", 3/8" or 0.375", 1/2" or 0.500", 2-15, 2-8, 5-11, O frame

VH 16 134XXX, 28", 19/64" or 0.297", 1/2" or 0.500", 3-2, 2-9, 5-14, O frame