Parker Museum

[Eldon Goddard]

I was looking at the L.C. Smith Collectors Association and one of their goals is to create a museum. Are we working towards a musuem in Meriden? Maybe we could one day get those invincibles from the NRA musuem.

[Brian Dudley]

The collection of Parkers at the Meriden Historical Society is pretty nice. A lot of guns on display.

[Dave Suponski]

Hey Brian, Post up some of the pictures you took last weekend.

[Brian Dudley]

As requested. The Meriden Historical Society has a large selection of Guns on display from Hammerless Parkers to Hammer Parkers. Parker & Snow Muskets, Tripplet & Scott rifles and also a few other guns that were made in Meriden. 13 guns in all that were made in the Parker plant.
The highest Grade Parker was a DH grade. The Hammer Guns included one of the first Miller T-Latch guns, a very interesting buttplate safety gun, a transition gun that had top lever but no rib extension and a few others.

17217

17218

17219

17220

17221

17222

17223

17224

17225

[Dave Suponski]

Very nice photography Brian. Thanks for posting them. I don't know if the Meriden Historical Society collection has ever been shown here.

[charlie cleveland]

can somebody tell us a little about the rifles...thanks brian for the pictures they were all good.... charlie

[Dave Suponski]

Here ya go Charlie. The short version.
Tripplet and Scott Carbines and Rifles

Late in the summer of 1864 Lewis Tripplet applied for a patent for an improvement to the magazine for a breech loading rifle. One of the witnesses on the patent was William T Scott who would become his financial backer and promotor. Parkers,Snow and Co. was called on to produce some of these guns for submission to the United States government Gun Trials in the fall of 1864. Tripplet was awarded a contract by the State of Kentucky and on January 2nd,1865 a subcontract was awarded to Meriden Mfg.Co. to produce 3,000 rifles and 2,000 carbines. All these guns were chambered for the 56-50 Spencer cartridge. These guns never made a big impression on the military or the sporting market primarily because of the timing of its introduction at wars end

[Brian Dudley]

Dave,

This brings up an interesting thing. I knew that I had read somewhere that the Parker built repeaters were put into service and that they did make an impact. I dug through the books that I have and found that it was in Peter Johnsons book that he mentions this. He goes on to say that Parker made two different designs of repeating rifles. One in 1860 and the other in 1864. He said that the repeater in 1860 was issued to the North Kentucky Malitia and that their use actually drove the confederates to petition Lincoln for their removal from service. His description of this gun was that it was .50 cal and the operation sounds like the Tripplet & Scott, but it never mentions the name. He only descibes the second design in 1864 as being a simply a .55 cal breech loading rifle that was produced for the US government.

No doubt, Johnson's book is somewhat inaccurate on some points throughout. But I thought I would just mention it. I knew I had heard that about some sort of outcry concerning the use of Parker build repeaters at some time by the Kentucky malitia.

[Dave Suponski]

Brian, Thanks for that additional info. These are indeed the guns Johnson was talking about. Don't forget though that there were a few repeating rifles making their way on the scene by 1864. Most notably was the Spencer Repeating rifle. Interestingly enough the Tripplet and Scotts were chambered for the 56-50 Spencer cartridge.

[Dean Romig]

A different angle of the 'only known' "butt plate safety" fitted exposed hammer Parker.
This gun was featured in a recent issue of Parker Pages authored by dave Suponski.

One might wonder why a gun with exposed hammers might need a safety device....?



.

[Craig Parker]

Boy Dean that would bring back the debate while hunting, hammer cocked, breech open-hammer cocked or mount and cock, a whole new world of thought.
Craig

[Dean Romig]

:rotf:

Such a device introduces yet another school of thought regarding safe carry methods while hunting with an exposed hammer gun...

But I, for one, will not venture down that path :dh:

[Brian Dudley]

Whatever the reason the buttplate safety gun was made, it sure is a creative piece of engineering.

[Craig Parker]

Well I tried to jump start the old safety issue :rotf:
Craig