Suponski's Trap Gun Day One Grand American 1926

[Bill Murphy]

Bart R. Saxbe, day one, 1926 Grand American Handicap, 199X200, first seven rounds straight. Second day, 194X200. Bart Saxbe was high shooter at Springfield, Ohio with 97X100 besting the great C.A. "Sparrow" Young, who broke 94. This is the first neat evidence of great performance of Dave Suponski's great VHE Trap. Bart is the father of Richard Nixon's Attorney General, William Saxbe. I bought the gun from William Saxbe's estate and "gave" it to Dave Suponski, who loves it and shoots it well. Some day, he may sell it back to me.

[Dave Suponski]

Bill, Thank you so much for this added info. I will print this and add it the letter you sent me with the gun. Yes..you did just about give it to me and I appreciate that....:bowdown: I love shooting this big gun and in fact I think I will shoot it tomorrow....:)

As far as selling it back.....ummmm..:whistle:

[Dave Suponski]

Bill, I found these....so now you guy's can visit whenever you want...

[Bill Murphy]

Wow! That is one scary gun. What a history it has. I didn't realize what a shot the senior Saxbe was. 199X200 is not a bad performance, even today.

[Bill Murphy]

I have a great collection of early competition results, but didn't have much on Saxbe until today. A friend gave me a bunch of old trapshooting magazines and in them I found these great results. Bart Saxbe was a great shooter and his son, the politician, also shot, as well as making a career as a great conservative legislator. Congratulations, Dave, on your great Parker find.

[Ed Blake]

Is that a solid raised rib?

[Dean Romig]

Is that a vent rib or a raised solid rib? It is obviously one of the two, judging by the ramp.

Oh, Hi Ed!

[Ed Blake]

Back at you Dean. Your Saturday night is as exciting as mine.

[Chuck Bishop]

Well, if the Pollock from Ct shoots the VHE as well as he shot my SC in South Carolina, he may have better scores than the long departed Mr. Saxbe!:corn:

[Dean Romig]

We'll see.... :whistle:

[Dave Suponski]

Thank You Bill...But I think you did all the finding. Just wonderful news.

Guy's..The gun is a VHE 32" Vent Rib Single Trigger Trap Gun. Built on a 1 1/2 frame. This gun has radar...One of the most sweetest swinging guns I have ever owned. Station 5 hard left to right trap targets are destroyed by this gun. In fact I used it on the 5 stand at the spring Southern. I used home grown spreaders to open the gun to Mod/Mod and shot my best scores ever. She just seems to do anything I ask of her.

[Daryl Corona]

Could'nt see the forearm very well but is it a splinter and not a beavertail? Nice gun and history to go along with it.

[Christopher Lien]

Are those older DelGrego case colors I see on the 32" vent/rib Saxbe, Murphy, Suponski, Trap Gun???...

Best, CSL
_______________________________

[Dave Suponski]

Yes,Chris. Bill had the gun restored by DelGrego awhile back I have the original wood for the gun here.

[Robert Rambler]

Ok Dave, enough teasin! Get out a YELLOW towel and give us some nice closeups, we wana see more! Sweet gun!:bowdown::rotf::rotf:

[Bill Murphy]

The gun had been a competition gun for much of its life and had had the metal restored by William B. Saxbe at Del Grego's probably. The wood was past its prime, poorly finished with a cracked forearm as I recall. A few years ago, Kevin McCormack and I were visiting our friends Babe and Lawrence Del Grego and I spotted a finished stock and splinter forearm on the bench. I asked about it and was told that they had built the stock for a customer's VHE and the customer wanted to exchange it for a fancier piece of wood. Kevin, Babe and I were headed out to lunch when I asked Lawrence whether there was a chance that the stock might fit on the tired old trap gun. He gave me the standard answer that "such things just don't happen". When the three musketeers returned from lunch, you can guess what we found. The new stock and forend were fully installed and fitted on the Attorney General's trap gun. I shot the gun a little, but my favorite trap and pigeon gun is my old PHE crossover two barrel set, and I didn't need two. I picked Dave as the PGCA friend that most needed a big gun. The VHE doubled a bit and I told Dave about it. To complete the story, the gun has never doubled in Dave's hands. To end this story, Dave, tell us when the gun was made so we can put it in the elder Mr. Saxbe's hands at the time of the big scores in 1926 and 1927. For those who asked, the original gun was a full house VHE trap with beavertail. They are rare birds in V Grade. I was in error when I said I bought the gun from WBS's estate. Mr. Saxbe was alive when I purchased the big Parker. He passed away in 2010.

[charlie cleveland]

now thats a gun with a storey we can all relate too.. i guess if all these old parkers could talk wed be reading for a long while..at least this gun got to tell its storey.... charlie

[Dave Suponski]

Bill, I don't think we have anything on 221256. The Serialization Book dates the gun to 1927. I have always called this gun "The Murderers Row" gun after the 1927 Yankees. But if this date is correct 1927 would be a bit late. I have no doubt that this is a Saxby gun as you bought it from the estate.The gun may have been finished in 1926 and waited on the rack to be sold.

[Bill Murphy]

The 1926 scores at the Grand American could have been shot with another gun. Sparrow Young won the Grand American Handicap that year. The Springfield, Ohio shoot where Saxbe beat Sparrow Young was reported in the July 16, 1927 Sportsman's Review, so he could have been shooting the Parker at that shoot. If you look at the Stock Book records, book 76, which began in April of 1926, ended with serial #219,857. The Saxbe gun could have been in existence in the last part of 1926, possibly by the date of the Grand American, August 23 to 28. Saxbe was a high volume, high average shooter in those times and later reports probably carry his name. Bart's 199 in the preliminary A Class shoot won him third place. I don't know how he placed in the Grand American Handicap, but Bill Moore's report says Bart broke 98X100 in the second hundred of the second day of preliminaries.

[Mike Shepherd]

Dave or Bill would you please post the stock dimensions for that gun? What does the Parker letter give as the stock dimensions were when it left the factory?

Thanks!

Miie

[Dave Suponski]

Never bothered to letter the gun Mike as I didn't think there would be info. I could give you the stock dimensions on the gun as it sit's if that would help.

[Mike Shepherd]

Dave please, when you get a chance.

Thanks,

Mike

[Dean Romig]

....(now this is a great thread! Thanks Bill and Dave!!)....

[Bill Murphy]

The gun is posted in stock book 77, which is missing, so no stock dimensions available. I think the old stock which Dave has, is probably the original stock. PGCA has no information on this gun. It is quite comforting to be able to have some information on some guns that are not in the existing PGCA records.

[Pete Lester]

Evreyone should have a special Parker, either interesting and unusual provenance or how it handles and shoots for us. It's lucky man to have both in the same gun. Congrats Dave.

[Dave Suponski]

Thanks Pete. This gun been up to the Majors Shoot more than once. So you guys have seen the gun.

Mike,The stock on the gun now. The one Bill had fitted measures 14 3/4"LOP 1 5/8"DAC 2 1/2" DAH

The original stock is basically the same DAC and DAH but a 14 1/2" LOP. Interesting thing about the original stock is that there is a 3/4" wood stock extension to a pad. I wonder if elder Mr.Saxby was a man of smaller stature and this gun was given to William his son who required a longer LOP. The stock shield is engraved "William Saxby"

[Mike Shepherd]

Thank you Dave. And the ventilated rib is a factory rib? I promise, that is my last question, dumb or not. I have two two-frame VH12s that I was going to start using for my trap guns. The adjustment (learning curve) has been more difficult than I anticipated. Of course I am 57 and may not learn so fast either. I am curious what they were doing "back in the day".

Thanks again,

Mike

[Bill Murphy]

Factory vent rib, full house trap with all options.

[Jeff Christie]

Thank You Bill...But I think you did all the finding. Just wonderful news.

Guy's..The gun is a VHE 32" Vent Rib Single Trigger Trap Gun. Built on a 1 1/2 frame. This gun has radar...One of the most sweetest swinging guns I have ever owned. Station 5 hard left to right trap targets are destroyed by this gun. In fact I used it on the 5 stand at the spring Southern. I used home grown spreaders to open the gun to Mod/Mod and shot my best scores ever. She just seems to do anything I ask of her.

I have had he same experience with my VH 1 1/2 frame at trap. Altho I am now shooting a SBT SC my best score has been with the VH. It has very modern dimensions and is a joy to shoot. The only issue is the safety and I use it as part of a mental checklist. I am afraid to try the left barrel as it is even tighter than the right- maybe for handicaps.

[Dave Suponski]

Mike, As Bill states.Factory vent rib,single trigger,non automatic safety. One very cool thing though.The gun has a knurled(checkered) trigger.

[Bill Murphy]

I sold a Parker trap gun with a checkered trigger?? I must have been running for a board position.

[Dave Suponski]

:rolleyes: :rotf:

[Fred Preston]

Dave, Eventhough the Saxbe gun was made in CT, don't you think it belongs in Ohio?

[Bill Murphy]

As I understand it, there is already a trap gun in Ohio.

[Dave Suponski]

Sorry Fred, I think she's pretty happy here at home....:)

[Mike Shepherd]

Thank you Dave and Bill.

[Bill Murphy]

I didn't care what the stock dimensions were, if Lawrence could somehow fit it to the gun. The original stock was a throwaway as was the forend. The new stock and splinter forend were of field, not trap dimensions. My trap Parker's are too high in the comb for me. I think Dave must have refinished the wood because it doesn't look like Del Grego finish any more. This is a great gun

[Dave Suponski]

Bill, The wood on the gun is as you sent it to me. All I have done is repaired a broken ejector. In fact last year I broke 3 ejectors on different Parkers....:banghead: This past season none...:)

[Bill Murphy]

Where did you find three ejectors?

[Dave Suponski]

Bill, Trust me it wasn't easy and two of them were 16 ga....:eek:

[Dean Romig]

Dave's kinda rough on the equipment... :whistle:

[Dave Suponski]

I beg your pardon.....

[Dean Romig]

Three ejectors in a year?..... need I say more?

[Daryl Corona]

In Dave's defense, not that he needs one, Parker Bros. made the greatest guns of the era but their ejectors were the weakest link in the chain.:eek: I'll take an ejector gun anyday even though ejectors bring more money on resale.

[Dave Suponski]

Got that right Daryl....:)

[Bill Murphy]

Recently, Dave has sold the VHE trap. He offered it to me, but I passed because it seems to have started occasionally doubling again, the reason I originally sold it to him. I can't remember who he sold it to.

[Dean Romig]

Bill, Dave had that repaired and it worked flawlessly from then on. The first guy he sent it to in CT tried to repair it but wasn't successful but the next guy cured it.





.

[J. Scott Hanes]

He sold it to me! That was about 10-11 months ago. It still has a trigger issue in that it will only fire the first shot if the selector is R-L but it will fire both shots if the selector is set L-R. The safety is also a bit loose so I will at some time get it looked at.

I do have some refined history of this great Parker Trap 221256. In March I took the gun to Ohio for the Old Pat's Society Spring outing. The Hunt Club we used one day is owned by the grandson of Bart Rockwell Saxbe (1882-1972) and son of William Bart (Bill) Saxbe (1916-2010). His name is Charles Rockwell Saxbe but goes by "Rocky". I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Rocky one evening at dinner and he was elated to see his father's gun again. Yes, the Parker was his father's. Rocky's grandfather, Bart, always shot an LC Smith at trap so the accomplishments noted about Bart at the Grand American were shot with that LC, not the Parker.

Rocky fondly remembered the Parker and related some of the stories of him traveling around the midwest with Bill and the glory days in the 1960's. He did not remember shooting the Parker much but used his Mother's Model 12 Winchester most of the time.

The history is now up to date prior to Mr. Murphy's purchase and we have a complete history on the gun since he bought it and passed it on to Mr. Suponski. I have the original Trap wood with William Saxbe's name on the shield and the ejector parts if ever needed. I am afraid the old wood is too damaged to repair but will keep it for now and one day inquire of one of the wood geniuses whether there is any hope for it. The current wood, as noted earlier, is more field dimensioned so that will have to be addressed if I were to use it for Trap doubles.

At any rate, that is the current history on the "Saxbe" Parker. Thanks to Mr. Murphy for resurrecting the thread.

[J. Scott Hanes]

Bart Saxbe with his LC Smith

https://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1106&pictureid=14926
https://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1106&pictureid=14927

Bill Saxbe with 'a' double - not 221256

https://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1106&pictureid=14928
https://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1106&pictureid=14929

Rocky Saxbe in March, 2024 with 221256

https://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1106&pictureid=14931
https://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1106&pictureid=14930

[Kevin McCormack]

Hopefully all those involved have wide-angle rear view mirrors!

[Bill Murphy]

Congratulations on your new gun, no congratulations on the single trigger that can't be fixed, apparently. I would recommend that the Del Grego wood stay on the gun. A field dimension trap gun is a rarity and the comb can be raised for serious trap shooting with a Beretta comb riser. I miss the old VHE, but have my share of Parker trap guns, don't need another.