16 g VH with cheek piece

[Tom Christman]

Hi guys. I came across a 16g VH this week during my travels thru MN that looked pretty nice but what surprised me about this gun was the cheek piece it had on the stock. I have never seen a cheek piece on a Parker before. It did match the forend and the fit was very good. If it was restocked it is a good job and it was done quite a long time ago. Did Parker provide stocks with this feature or has this gun been restocked? This gun had a vent rib.

Also how do I determine frame size on this gun? What frame sizes were available in a 16g VH?

This gun seemed in pretty good shape. It was tight on face with some case coloring remaining and good barrels. As I mentioned, it had a vent rib and the wood was in good shape. Can you give me a rough ballpark figure on a value for this gun?

[Bruce Day]

Post photos. The cheek piece is suspect but never say never.

Check the stock for serial number.

Get a PGCA letter.

Check the vent rib to make sure its a Parker and not an aftermarket.

16's were 0 and 1, rarely 2 fame. Frame number is on the barrel lug bottom.

[Tom Christman]

Will the serial number on the stock be under the trigger guard tang? Is there one on the forend under the metal also?

[Bruce Day]

yes and yes

[Brian Dudley]

The Monte Carlo comb was a rare, but available option on Parkers. Have not heard or read antyhing about cheek pieces on parkers factory, but you never know. Post pics if you can.

[Bill Murphy]

It is unlikely that a vent rib cheekpiece 16 gauge is factory original, but I would like to own it if it is not original. It is my kind of gun.

[Dave Noreen]

In Shotguns by Keith, Elmer shows his BHE 12-gauge with all the options including Monte Carlo and cheekpiece on page 48.

[Bill Murphy]

Keith's big gun probably didn't come from the factory with the cheekpiece either. Nice gun though. Iver Hendrickson and David Trevallion were two people who built stocks for Keith. There were probably several others.

[Eric Eis]

Never say never, remember that 12 with the huge paddle cheek piece that the club bought and was shown at reception at Chantilly meeting. Now that was one strange gun and factory....

[David Lien]

[QUOTE=Bill Murphy;80961]Keith's big gun probably didn't come from the factory with the cheekpiece either.

The 12 Ga. B grade trap gun did come from the factory just like Dave said. The gun is on display in the Cabela's store in Boise Idaho. :)

[Bill Murphy]

Thanks, David. Let's get a serial number on that gun so Chuck can check it out and see who it was originally made for. Probably post 1919 though.

[Tom Christman]

I will see what I can do about getting photos and a serial number on that gun the next time I am in Minnesota. May be a couple weeks.

[John Farrell]

Where in Minnesota?

[Tom Christman]

OK guys - here you go. I can not take the forend iron off or the trigger guard until next week when I get back there again with the owner but here are a couple photos I took. The vent rib is from Simmons Gun Specialties. I could see that punched on the side of the rib so that did not come from the factory. The big question is, is this a restock or an original stock with a cheek pad. The metal to wood fit is excellent. The checkering is excellent and both the forend and stock match. If it was restocked it was done a long time ago. The butt pad is a replacement but very old. There is one small dent in the left barrel, otherwise they look excellent and are tight on face. Some case coloring in the action near the trigger gaurd. Screws have been turned but are in good condition.

Tell me about this gun if you can and approx. value. Thanks.
18114

18115

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18118

[Bill Murphy]

That's a nice looking stock and forend. I would buy that gun even with the aftermarket rib. Of course, it would be nice to see pictures and specifications.

[Dean Romig]

Somebody did a very nice job on the restock. The pad looks like a NoShok.

I've never seen a Parker with a raised cheek piece.

[Robert Delk]

Somewhere I have a picture of a SBT with an original cheek piece stock. I think Jim Austin owned it.

[Brian Dudley]

very nice looking gun from what you have shown, but my wager is that it is not the original stock or forend. There are a lot of things about both that are not Parker correct. Aside form the cheek piece. But it is deffinately old work and nice at that. Reminds me of older custom rifle work.

[Tom Christman]

I did get a peak under the trigger guard and found no serial number. So as suggested it is probably not original. I think I will pass. Although the restock is very good it doesn't fit me well and the aftermarket vent rib is hideous.

[Bill Murphy]

I don't imagine that you got a PGCA letter on this gun. It's a neat gun and would be of interest to many Parker shooters.

[Tom Christman]

I did not. Is there a cost to me for this letter? Would it tell me for sure if it left the factory with this stock?

[Bill Murphy]

If you are not interested in purchasing this gun, the PGCA letter would not be a good investment at $40 for PGCA members. The stock and rib are certainly not original to the gun and the only reason for a new owner to order a letter would be to identify the original purchaser, the usual reason for ordering the letter. I still like the gun and would like to know where to go to purchase it.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

For what it's worth my son also has a V grade with the cheek piece, I do not know if he has a letter or not, but it also was made from one solid blank, I will call him tonite and get serial number of the gun and see if he has a letter, I have seen three or four V's with a cheek piece! gary

[Bill Murphy]

Gary, apparently I don't get out enough. Four V grades with cheekpieces? Yup, I have to get out more.

[Kevin McCormack]

There are numerous Parker stocks with factory original cheekpieces; not many to be sure but they are out there. Some of the most interesting are made of a cork-composite-like material that is nearly as hard as wood, added at the factory as after-market alterations. The gun in question definitely hallmarks the touch of a rifle stockmaker; observe the rise to the cheekpiece and the double-border scribing of the base of the cheekpiece; very strongly reminiscent of a high-powered rifle stock designed for careful shouldering, as opposed to a true shotgun cheekpiece that can be quick-mounted in the field for birds as well as game. Also observe the grip cap 'double radius' treatment, with the bottom of the cap slightly smaller than the base against the grip. Similarly, the forend exhibits the after-market characteristics of the thicker tip as opposed to the Parker standard taper (wider in the Remington Ilion Parkers as opposed to the Meriden manufacture under either Parker Bros. or Remington post-1934. The style of restocking strongly suggests European craftsmanship (German or Austrian) typical of a drilling or other similar multi-barreled guns. Observe early photographs of Lefever, Hollenbeck, Sauer, and pre-WW II Krieghoff drillings and double rifles for comparison and contrast.

[Tom Christman]

So, did Parker always stamp the serial number in the stock under the trigger gaurd? Did they always stamp it under the forend iron?

When I first saw the gun I noticed the cheek piece and thought Sauer immediately.

I'm still considering this gun but if I pass on it for sure I will let those that are interested know where it is:)

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Here is another V grade with a cheek Piece, It is a 12 gauge. Gary

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

This was the gun that I referenced in my earlier post. Do not know when the pad got put on, He has not sent for a letter. Gary

[Dean Romig]

Gary, that is a beautiful gun.

[Tom Christman]

For those of you interested, the gun is at Midwest Shooters Supply in Lomira, WI. Sorry for the late post. I hope it is still there for those interested. Good Luck!

[Ed Blake]

Whoever crafted that stock really knew what he was doing. A monte carlo would have been much easier to do. It almost looks like it was made separately and then put on.