Mixed S/N's on my P grade

[Brian Dudley]

I have mentioned my P grade #1 frame before. It is rebarreled with 26" Vickers barrels. It is basically my shooter. I use it for skeet primarily.

It is a complete mish-mash of Serial numbers. What I was looking to do was list all of the different serial numbers that are on it and see if anyone with "the book" can point out what they are from. Thought it might be interesting.

Frame is S/N 67266. #1 frame P grade. 1pc. hinge pin and fishtail top lever.

Forend is S/N 67507. Has mild engraving, looks like maybe from a G grade.

Barrel lug on the Vickers barrrels has S/N 77303. But has no frame stamp on the lug. Not sure if vickers put this S/N on it, or if they used an original Parker lug.

Trigger guard is S/N 239150. Has V grade style border engraving.

[Dave Purnell]

Hey Brian,

67266 and 67507 are not in the book.

77303 if a Parker number, was a grade 2 damascus hammmerless 28" 12ga with no extras.

239150 was a DHE 12ga with 26" barrels.

Dave

[Bill Murphy]

If the gun is well fitted and on face with nice wood, it should be a great conversation piece for the rest of your shooting life. There are a bunch of such guns out there that are working well. To educate you young guys about those guns, I will volunteer the following information. In the late fifties and early sixties, we could buy average to high condition P grade Twist Steel guns for $85 to $100. We could send them to the people that would rebarrel them with Italian barrels for $125. We could also send them to Lefever to install original Parker barrels on those guns for $250 or so. However, we could also buy perfectly good original VH grade guns with steel barrels for $125 to $150. That's why we don't see many of these rebarrelled guns. Lefever rebarrelled guns are the bargain of the century in our eyes, but in 1961, it was a stretch to spend two hundred bucks to get steel barrels on a gun that could be bought with steel barrels on the used gun market for the same price or less. The amazing fact is that no one seems to be able to do the quality of work that Lefever did except Kirk Merrington. It isn't rocket science. My Lefever sleeve job is beyond wonderful and was probably done by machinists making three bucks an hour.

[Brian Dudley]

The trigger guard number could be 234150. The third didgit looks like it coul dbe a 4 or a 9. It has a squared closed top, but and extension off the middle that makes it also look like a 4. Since it just has the zigzag border engraving, I think it was form a VH.

And I am not surprised that they were steeling barrel lugs from damascus sets at that period in time. Since they were deadly to shoot and all. lol.

It is a great gun for what I paid for it. I plan on putting a very nice piece of wood on it and maybe even having a local engraver do some custom upgrade work on it eventually.

[Dave Purnell]

234150 is listed as a V.

[Brian Dudley]

Well then that might answer that. I have not checked the stamping on the bottom of the guard tang to confirm that 4. Wonder why the top is closed.

[ed good]

brian: i also have a p grade with vickers barrels. they are stamped with italian proofs and are dated coded xx, which is 1964 according to my chart. do your vickers barrels have similar markings?

[Brian Dudley]

I will have to check Ed. I know they are marked Nitro Proofed. But other than that, I don't know off the top of my head right now. Get back to you later on that.