VHE 20 SG 30"

[Bob Brown]

I just picked up this VHE 20 with a straight grip, 30" barrels, ivory bead, and a Pachmeyr white line recoil pad. The stock doesn't have an inlet for a peaked butt plate or pad, but the serial number is the wood below the trigger guard and the inletting look correct. There is a filled hole under the trigger guard that I've never seen before. It is just back of the rear TG screw and goes back at an angle towards the butt. A bit of greyish white powder came out of it. I think it is lead, and the rest of the hole is full of it. Looks like molten lead was poured into it. Put there to balance the long barrels? Is this a known factory modification? It does balance well with it. The barrels have an unstruck weight of 3(2) and it is a 0 frame.
I know the recoil pad isn't original, but how does the rest look? The DAH is 3 3/8" and feels like more to me probably because of the straight grip. There is no cast off, maybe even a touch of cast on. The DAH and cast will take some getting used to.
#167787 isn't in the serialization book. There are a lot of 30" and 32" 20 gauge around 1914 when this one was made. I recall reading that there was a trend to the long barrelled 20 due to a California duck hunting club early the last century. Would that have been around this time?
The shotgun came with a very rough LOM case. It has a patent date of Dec. 17, 1907. It wouldn't surprise me if it was original. It is a very tight but perfect fit for this VHE. I doubt you'd get a 0 frame 16 into it. Does anyone recognize the A logo on the end cap? The other markings are an S600 and 30 on the cap locking strap. There is a name and address scratched into the end cap but it is hard to make out. I do know that the address has the neighborhood Norwood at the bottom. This is the area of Winnipeg, Manitoba that I bought it from. It will be interesting to see if it matches up with the letter.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l276/Northof58/ParkerVHE20caseandcleaningrod.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l276/Northof58/ParkerVHE20bottom.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l276/Northof58/ParkerVHE20caseendcap.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l276/Northof58/ParkerVHE20frontsight.jpg

[Dave Noreen]

Nice find!! Looks like a great honest gun.

The talk is always of the famous Widgeon Duck Club long barrel, 3-inch chambered, 20-gauges, mostly DHEs but one BHE, of the 1912 and 13 time frame. Six of those are in the 1590xx serial number range and the other two 163961 and 2.

Edwin Hedderly, the editor of Western Field magazine wrote extensively about long barrel smallbores for California duck hunting and got several 32-inch barrel and long stocked Parker Bros. doubles in exchange for advertising in the magazine. On February 10, 1911, he ordered a 32-inch 20-gauge DHE with a pistol grip and no safety chambered for 2 1/2 inch shells, 155620. Then on March 29 he ordered a similar 28-gauge, 156717. In 1912, he ordered 32-inch A1-Specials in 20 and 16-gauge. In keeping with the practice of holding the chambers 1/8 inch shorter than the intended shell, he specified 2 3/8 inch chambers on the 20-gauge and 2 7/16 inch chambers on the 16-gauge.

[scott kittredge]

i like it,:) scott

[Bill Murphy]

Let us know what the letter says.

[edgarspencer]

As I recall, the Widgeon Club guns were 32". My dad had one of them.
fwiw, an 0 frame is the same, 16 or 20.

[John Truitt]

Nice gun. Enjoy.

[Jay Gardner]

Very nice find. I have my eye on a straight grip 20 ga VHE with 32" barrels shipped originally to California about that time. Unfortunately we are several thousand dollars apart in agreeing on a price. A long barreled straight grip V in 20 is about as good as it gets for the money.

[Daryl Corona]

I have a straight grip DHE, 32" 20 on a 1 frame with a flat rib. By far one of if not my favorite Parker.

[Mills Morrison]

Very nice find :cheers:

[Jay Gardner]

I have a straight grip DHE, 32" 20 on a 1 frame with a flat rib. By far one of if not my favorite Parker.

Now that's a gun that I would love to see pictures of.

[Chris Travinski]

Me too!

[todd allen]

Nothing handles quite like a long barreled small bore. I looked at, and almost bought a 32" 28 ga. DHE at a pigeon shoot years ago in Calif. I played with it a little, maybe 5 birds or so. I should have given the gentleman the 3500 bucks, and been done with it.

[Larry Frey]

Nothing handles quite like a long barreled small bore. I looked at, and almost bought a 32" 28 ga. DHE at a pigeon shoot years ago in Calif. I played with it a little, maybe 5 birds or so. I should have given the gentleman the 3500 bucks, and been done with it.

Put that one in "the one that got away" column.

[Chris Travinski]

Todd, I'm assuming that way back when $3200 was a ton of money!

[Bob Jurewicz]

20g DHE 32" St Stk

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j106/Bobguns/P4260022.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j106/Bobguns/P4260025.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j106/Bobguns/P4260017.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j106/Bobguns/P4260021.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j106/Bobguns/P4260026.jpg

[Dave Suponski]

Fantastic gun Bob. Thanks for the pictures. I have a 30" 20 gauge VH that I am very fond of. She will be one of the last to go.

[Bob Jurewicz]

Admin. may be upset I took up so much room!
Bob Jurewicz

[Mills Morrison]

No complaints here

[Todd Schrock]

Beautiful gun Bob!:)

[charlie cleveland]

now ya ll got every body and his brother wanting one of the long barreld 20 s including me...thats a mighty nice gun you got there... charlie

[Bob Jurewicz]

I don't have the PGCA Letter handy right now but it letters exactly and has factory 23/4" chambers (stated in letter). It was ordered by a Sport Store in the area of CA as the Widgeon Duck Club.
Bob Jurewicz

[todd allen]

Todd, I'm assuming that way back when $3200 was a ton of money!

About 15 years ago. Probably my biggest gun mistake ever!

[Richard Flanders]

So, no one knows who made the LOM case??

[Dave Noreen]

That Patent date on the case, Dec. 17, 1907, equates to Patent No. 873,786 granted to Herman C. Reutar of Chicago, Illinois, assignor to E.C. Cook & Bro. of Chicago, Illinois, a Corporation of Illinois. By 1915 E.C. Cook & Bro. had gone out of business and was reorganized as Alward-Anderson-Southard Co., probably the source of the A logo on the case.

[Bob Brown]

Thanks Richard and Dave. That's interesting on the date the company was reorganized. The shotgun was built in 1914 so I suppose the case wasn't with it when new. I measured the chambers on the VHE and they are 2 3/4" and look factory. Thanks again.

[Larry Stauch]

What great guns and really great information from other members to go along with it.

Thanks to all of you folks for such interesting input.

[Bill Murphy]

I want to see Bob J's PGCA letter.

[Bob Jurewicz]

Bill,
Will post ASAP. Trying to kill a Texas whitetail at the moment.

[Rick Losey]

Bill,
Will post ASAP. Trying to kill a Texas whitetail at the moment.

i've seen them do that on TV lots of times- nothing to it :rotf:

[Mike Shepherd]

Bob J. did you see any Bobwhites at all when you were after the Whitetails?

[Bob Jurewicz]

Mike,
Just got back from the evening hunt. The "Mr. Big" I've been after visited tonite but I wasn't comfortable taking the shot. Legal shooting time but just not enough light
Quail are almost none existant on my place near Colorado City. I'm hearing OK reports for other areas.
Bill--I am sending you a PM.
Bob Jurewicz