I have a problem - HELP PLEASE

[Tom Will]

I saw a nice G grade at a local auction on Fri. I thought it would make a great shooter. I was pressed for time and only had a chance to look at it quickly and couldn't stay at the auction and never read the desciption of it(bad,very bad) although it was said to be a VH which I new was wrong. Well I put a absentee bid on it for $500 and won.
Picked it up today SN112880- good news-very nice wood,Parker Brothers dogs head but plate,capped pistol grip,14 or 141/4 to front trigger, 30" barrels, not much pattern outside but bores are beautiful.On the reciever is G and 2. OK this is why I bid absentee. Bad news and stupid for not seeing it. The safety does not work and there are no firing pins in the gun that I can tell. All the srew heads are in pretty nice shape, only the 2 at the bottom have the slightest marks. Who would be a good person to look at it and repair it for me. Anyone else get a gun with no firing pins?
When I found that I had won the auction I thought I really had a deal, now I'm not so sure. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks

[Dean Romig]

Where are you Tom? Maybe we can recommend someone near you who can examine and likely fix you GH.

[Tom Will]

I'm in the Cleveland OH area. I do go to PA quite often, Smerset County area(flight 93 crash site). I also have 2 weddings that I will be driving to in Sept. One in Myrle Beach SC and one in Chicago. I can make a detour if needed. Thanks

[Dave Suponski]

Tom, The firing pins on hammerless Parkers are integral with the hammers themselves. If there are no firing pins protruding from the breech face it is possible that the hammers have been removed or the pin portion of the hammer has been removed rendering the gun unable to fire. That might explain the turned screws on the floor plate. You may want to send the gun to DelGrego as he most likley has the parts to repair it.

[Mark Ouellette]

Hi Tom,

"Very Nice Wood" and good uncut barrels (which are at .729" ID or close to that) are worth more than $500!

If your GH is missing hammers and other internal action parts it may cost more to return it to operable (shooting) condition than you may want to spend. Do a quick assessment:

1. Join the PGCA for $40 annually. Our magazine the Parker Pages is worth that alone!
2. Once you are a member (we take PayPal) you will be able to see the "members only" For Sale sub-forum of this site.
3. Look at the recent threads. PGCA member Kensel Rise has sold at least (2) nice GH's recently for a little over $1000. Study his photos and those of other recent sales. Condition, condition, condition, and collectability. 12 gauge GH's are pretty common so condition makes one being more collectable than another. I think that Kensel's guns were very good buys based on their condition and that his sales lasted but a couple hours each. Use those guns and prices as a market baseline for what a GH will sell for quickly.
4. Cost it out as to your $500 plus shipping, tax and so on; plus the fee to return your gun to operable condition. What will you total investment be? Trust me that is is easy, make that very easy to find yourself "upside down" in trying to salvage a Parker!
5. Is the cost near the $1000-$1200 baseline for a GH in pretty good condition? If so it is a decision you will have to make if you want to invest in something that you will later break even at.
6. If you want to get your money from the gun and perhaps a little more ("Very Nice Wood!!!") as a PGCA member you may post what you have in the for sale sub-forum.
7. You may also try to "trade-into" a Parker that doesn't need any work.

What frame size is your gun? That is the number stamped into the bottom of the barrel lug. Many PGCA members such as me have parts, parts guns, and project guns. I have a DH project that needs either a a good stock or I need to pass on to another member. Notice I stated "member". I can easily sell Parker parts at a gunshow or on Gun Broker or EBay. I'd rather help a fellow PGCA member.

I hope this helps! Please consider joining the PGCA.

Mark

[Chuck Bishop]

Tom, you say the safety does not work. Do you mean you can't move the safety at all to get the gun to fire, or do you mean that the gun will fire without moving the safety?

If you can pull the triggers I would make sure the gun is cocked, remove the forend and barrels. With those removed take a piece of soft wood and place it over the breach face holding it securely against the breach face. Pull both triggers and see if there are firing pin dents in the wood. If there are, then the hammer/firing pin assembly is working.

Drive another 2hrs east from Somerset to Harrisburg and I'd be happy to look at it.

[Mark Ouellette]

Hi Tom,

We have a great SxS shoot in Lapeer Michigan on May 12th. If you attend this shoot one of the many Parker guys will be able to access your gun. Just look for the PGCA display table and my smiling face!

Mark

[Brian Dudley]

Yeah, some of the things you mention may not be really serious matters. Even though you took a serious chance, $500 does not sound too out of line for it. As long as it is all there, with good lockup. Not bad at all.

[John Liles]

Hello Tom,
Assuming that your gun has Damascus barrels because you indicated that their pattern was faint, I wouldn't be surprised, since you say the rest of the gun is in great condition, if some do-gooder back in the day when Damascus barrels were deemed to be death traps, pulled the pins so that no one would ever fire it again. Could be that all you need are pins. Certainly hope so!
Good luck,
John

[Richard Flanders]

I wouldn't be surprised if someone took it apart and didn't properly index the safety rod or whatever it's called when they reassembled it.... we ALL know that's easy to do. Maybe it's just stuck on safe. You should be able to look through the firing pin holes with a bright flashlight and see the tips of the firing pins if they are there. Could be this thing just needs to be taken apart and reassembled properly. Sure sounds like a good buy to me at $500.

[ed good]

the parts are worth more than the whole....

[Tom Will]

I was wondering about all the things mentioned. What it would cost to make it functional again. I have 8 sxs already that are in fully functioning shape. Winchesters,Fox,LCSmiths,SempertKreighoff,Colt and a Trojan. I really didn't want or need a project gun. I did want an older shootable engraved Parker though. I hate to think of parting it out.
Mark, it is on a #2 frame and the lock up is as tight as can be. I will be heading to Chambersburg for the Lions club trout fishing derby the first weekend in May.I think that's only about 1/2 hour from you? The barrels have a nice bell ring to them. I'm pretty positive there is at least no firing pins, I don't know what else could be missing. I put a needle through the holes and could not feel a thing and you can see nothing in there. I may just try and get my money out of it and keep looking for another shooter. I will call DelGrego and talk to them and hopefully get some kind of ballpark price on repairing.
The safety will not move at all and triggers will not pull. This is teaching me to look more closely at a gun before I bring my wallet out. From looking at other Gh stocks, this stock has extra checkering just behind the reciever,above the triggers which makes it look like a little fancier stock, factory done for sure. I think I will join, this seems like a nice group of guys for sure, and thanks for all the helpful ideas.
Tom

[Chuck Bishop]

Tom,

If you mean Chambersburg Pa, yes it's about 45 minutes away. I'd be more than happy to meet you and see what's going on with your Parker.

I put a nail through the firing pin holes and it went to a depth of about 1" before hitting something, they are not free floating like some shotguns. As Autumn Daze said, there are no separate firing pins on a Parker. They are integral to the hammers and when the hammers are cocked, they are a good distance back from the breach face. Please see the Home Page, then Technical Info for pictures of what the hammer/firing pin looks like.

As far as the safety not working, as Richard Flanders stated, it's very easy when reassembling the stock to get the linkage not properly configured with the safety. It's a pain in the neck but that could be all that's wrong with it. Have it taken apart (wouldn't recommend it unless you've done it before) and properly reassembled.

Let me know if I can help.

Chuck Bishop

[edgarspencer]

Safeties are known to 'freeze" up when old oil dries. If they are stuck 'ON', you won't be able to pull the triggers/fire, and it it won't fire, the hammers are too far back to see the pin end. Start with the safety; squirts some PB blaster under it, and with a soft piece of wood against it, tap it forward, then see if it fire. You're working yourself up too quickly.
And, Oh yes, $500 is not bad at all, even if it needs a tad bit of work. There are plenty of people out there with parts IF it comes down to that.

[Bill Murphy]

Don't try to force the safety forward unless the gun is closed and the lever at center. Otherwise you will bend or break the automatic safety link. As recommended, put some thin lube under the safety slide and use a plastic or wood tool to push the safety forward. Tap, tap, tap. Same with the triggers if they are still stuck when the safety is working freely. I've never heard of a Parker with the hammers removed. Your gun is likely "all there".

[George Lander]

Tom: If you still have your Parker when you come to Myrtle Beach, SC and you are coming down I-95 you may want to make a short side trip over to Darlington Gun Works, Darlington, SC and let Jim Kelly look over your gun & give you an estimate on the cost of repairs. Jim's phone number is (843) 393-3931. And, yes, it does sound like you got a good buy regardless.

Best Regards, George

[Tom Will]

Well, my membership dues is on the way. Edger/Bill I put some blaster and taptaptap, I now have a workable gun with firing pins. I put some scotch tape on snap caps (gun very hard to close) and fired, pins breaking the tape, safety going on when opening. I'm sure that it needs a good cleaning inside before using it, but THANKS to you guys for all the help.
George, if I don't find someone sooner to clean the gun, I will definately give Jim a call.
Chuck I may just take you up on your offer.
Thanks again
as you all can tell, I'm very excited

[John Dallas]

Doncha love it when a plan comes together? Congrats to all involved!

[Mark Ouellette]

Tom,

Welcome to the PGCA!!!

Mark

[John Campbell]

Tom:
I live not far from you near Canton. If you have any other concerns, I can take a look at your Parker for you gratis. I've fixed so many of them I'm starting to look like a Parker.

Best, Kensal

[Richard Flanders]

What a great end to the story, eh? If it took that treatment to get the safety to move it's likely a bit messy inside and should be dismantled for inspection and cleaning.

[LarryAngus]

Tom,

Please post pictures so we can all see your find.:)

[Larry Mason]

Welcome Tom.

This is an outstanding group of folks and a wealth of honest, helpful knowledge and wisdom.

[Tom Will]

I just received my member package today. Very nice package and Thank you. Larry, I just got a new Mac up and running a few days ago so I was just loading some pictures on it. I can email them to someone if they would post for me as I have never posted pics yet. This new computer is quite mind boggling. I was wondering if the checkering on this gun is factory nor if a research letter would tell of extra checkering on the (cheek)? area of the stock. Thanks again for all the help and the material.
Tom

[Chuck Bishop]

Tom,

Your welcome to send your pictures to me.

bishop474(at_sign)comcast.net

[Chuck Bishop]

Pictures from Tom Will.

Stock looks like it's original but the cheek checkering is not. Tom, quite often the cheeks are checkered because the stock has split where it mounts to the receiver. Look closely at the checkering for evidence of a wooden plug.

[Chris Travinski]

Great wood!

[Tom Will]

Chuck, thanks for posting the pictures for me.I only have a hand held magnifying glass but I can't see where there is any kind of repair. There are no cracks that I can see in the stock anywhere. So I guess that someone that owned the gun at some point must have checkered it. Although the coloring of the stock and checkering seem completely uniform throughout the stock. Hopefully I can get over your way or somewhere that some of the Parker guys are shooting for an in hand inspection. Thanks again

[Dean Romig]

Pictures from Tom Will.

Stock looks like it's original but the cheek checkering is not. Tom, quite often the cheeks are checkered because the stock has split where it mounts to the receiver. Look closely at the checkering for evidence of a wooden plug.

We have also seen the entire cheek as a laminate and checkered over - again, to hide a stock head repair. Look closely for differences in the grain of the wood. stock head as compared to cheek piece. Those cheeks do look a bit exaggerated around the aft edges.

I agree with Chuck, the rest of the stock is original and very nice.

[Bill Murphy]

I'm glad my suggestion got your safety moving and allowed you to test fire your gun. Continue to follow good advice and take your gun to Darlington or Larry DelGrego and Son for further cleaning and checking. If there is a factory part broken or missing, you may be better off at Del Grego's. The cheek checkering on your gun is more attractive than factory cheek checkering (in some viewers' eyes). Great gun, get it fixed.

[Tom Will]

Kensal, I just wanted to thank you again for inviting me to your home and taking time out of your day to look over my gun and teach me some things. I really appreciate it.
Thanks Again
Tom Will

[John Campbell]

Tom:
The pleasure was mine. Your Parker is quite special. And I know you will enjoy caring for it and shooting it for years to come.

As I said, my club is open to you anytime.

Please send me your personal email via PM so I can keep in touch... and keep you updated on that potential new event we talked about!

Best, Kensal