Silver's Pad: Orange or red?

[Ray Masciarella]

I have been trying to figure what color Silver's Pad Parker used on guns between 1890-1920. I have not been able to locate enough photos of original guns to really figure this out.

I see a lot of orange which I understand was the color used on most high grade guns of the era. But I also see red from time to time, which I personally like better.

Did Parker use a specific color during this time? If so, what color? For those of you out there with origianl pads on your gun, can you tell me the color?

Thx, Ray

[Brian Dudley]

I think that the silvers were all the same color, but they darkened with use and age.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Orange is the vintage color, I don't believe the red came out till quite a bit later. But those orange pads look horrible when they're new, at least in my opinion. I've always used the red ones and been very happy.

DLH

[Greg Baehman]

Silver's Recoil Pads are available in three different colors--black, red and orange. The orange colored pads are period-appropriate to your gun. I have friends that felt the red colored pads look best on their Parkers, but they look dusty pink to my eyes. The 2nd pic is an orange Silver's pad on my 1911 DH.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

My 2nd Parker Pages article was about my search for a red Silvers pad actually. It was very tongue in cheek but also true. I'd kind of forgotten about it till this question came up.

DLH

[Bill Murphy]

You will eliminate all questions about "which color is right" if you use the Griffin and Howe Silvers repro. It doesn't look bad when it is new and it looks great when it ages or is artificially aged. I have been using them since 1986 and wouldn't use anything else.

[Frank Cronin]

As stated above, putting an orange Silvers pad on any Parker would be period correct. Like Destry said the red pad did not come out later and I believe the date on that was 1905. So, if you want to put on a red Silvers pad just make sure it is for a Parker serial numbered on or later than 1905.

[Will Gurton]

Even though the company states that they are exactly as the original pads.

My measurements of all original period Silvers pads show a base plate measurement of .250" not the 3/16" that is currently produced.

Also, the rubber sections measure shorter than the current production, but this may be due to crushing.

Will

[Steve McCarty]

My SBT SC came with the original Silver's pad which at pretty much flaked away and squashed to near nothing. It was orange. I kept it, when I had a new Silver's pad put on. All Silver's pads in good shape are orange, and maybe I've noticed a slight reddening with age, but not much.

I've shot my SC a lot and the pad works well, but then again the gun fits me so I mount it to my shoulder and not my upper arm, as non-fitting guns sometimes do.

Just finished searching through my reloading area and can't for the life of me find that old Silver's pad. When I wasn't looking for it, I ran across it all of the time.

[Don Kaas]

"The Orange, The Orange, The Orange"... to paraphrase Gen. McArthur on West Point...or an Ulsterman...