Possible restock on a VH

[Gene Langston]

I found a VH with a pretty nice stock, and was wondering if it has been restocked. According the PGCA, it was ordered in 1906, and there was no mention of an upgrade. It's got 32" barrels, and the weight listed at 7.5 pounds although it now weighs 8.5 pounds, and I wonder if there wasn't some typo error. It's a 2 frame of course.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd498/genelangston/parker.jpg

[Dean Romig]

The checkering pattern on the pictured gun is not the checkering pattern of a VH of the 1906 vintage... or any other vintage for that matter. The buttstock wood is far nicer than that which would normally have been used for a VH. Remington, later in the late 1930's used American Black Walnut with more figure than Parker Bros ever used but still not that nice... IMHO.

The forend however, is likely to be original.

[Mark Ouellette]

Gene,

While perhaps not completely original, that 32" VH is a very nice gun!

I have many 32" Parkers and a #2 frame weighing only 7.5 pounds would need an unstruck barrel weight not much more than 4 pounds. I have a couple 32" DH/DHE's at 8 pounds. I also own a 32" GH on a #1 frame that weighs 7 pounds but the barrels are not thick.

Once again, nice gun!
Mark

[edgarspencer]

I guess it's fairly obvious the stock isn't original, but, as Dean says, it's a pretty nice piece of wood. In fact, too nice to fuss with. If it were me, I'd keep my eye out for a correct stock for a V grade, and save that one for the B grade that comes down the road later. (that's called positive thinking) Then worry about the checkering.

[Brian Dudley]

Yes, surely a restock on that VH. Beautiful though. Full feather crotch is great. Not always the strongest if it gets into the wrist. But it looks like you might have enough straight grain through the wrist and head.

[Bill Murphy]

If I had that stock on a 32" VH, I would not be looking for an original stock. Nice gun. What is the frame size and unstruck barrel weight to end up at 8 1/2 pounds? My 32" VH on a #2 frame is an 8 1/2 pound gun. I don't know the unstruck weight because the gun is away on a vacation.

[Gene Langston]

I think the unstruck weight is 4 pounds, 6 ounces. And it's a size 2 frame.

[Dave Suponski]

I don't know if its just the picture but the stock looks pretty thick at the wrist.

[Mark Ouellette]

Gene,

With that unstruck weight I don't think a well-balanced #2 frame Parker could be much under 8 pounds. Maybe there was an error in the record of the gun's weight and the 7 was actually an 8?

Mark

[Pete Lester]

The original gun most likely did not have a rubber recoil pad. The addition of a rubber pad, even when cutting the stock can increase a gun's overall weight by as several ounces to maybe a 1/2 pound. There is a recoil pad on the restock.

[Brian Dudley]

I don't know if its just the picture but the stock looks pretty thick at the wrist.

Looks like it may be a bit fat. But more notacably, the comb is too high in comparison to the wrist and the grip cap extends too far off the toe line. The drop on that stock looks to be a lot. I would guess 3"+.

[Gene Langston]

The drop is 2.5", which it was originally. The grip feels fine to me, it's a size 2 frame.

The comb also feels fine to me. It's 1 1/2". It's possible the picture distorted it.

[Brian Dudley]

Yeah, those dimensions are great and very modern. It just looked more extreme in the picture.