Parker letter question...

[will evans]

I just received a PGCA letter on a 16ga VH. One neat coincidence is that the gun was ordered on my birthday in 1910 (a pairing of fate?). There are additional details regarding special instructions from the buyer. What does it mean "to shoot close with 6 and 8 shot"? I would think that means the buyer was asking for somewhat open chokes as would be used for 'close shooting', but this gun is @ M/F. Not exactly tight quarters choking, though it did the job on some pen raised quail about a week ago without tearing them up.

Also, there is a paragraph at the bottom concerning the fact that repair records are incomplete. Is this a standard inclusion on all letters? This particular gun has a 1948 repair code stamped on the barrel flats. The gun looks to be a total refinish, with what are now fading although decent remaining case colors and a weep hole in the bottom rib under the forearm. If there is a handwritten repair record, would the letter state that such a record exists, even if such a record were illegible? I bought this gun after seeing the repair code and weep hole, and hoped I would be able to validate the current finish as coming from Remington. I life full of wishes and wants, right?

Thank you in advance for the input.

Might be time for a new seal to stamp these letters with, too. It would add a nice touch to the letter for someone to be able to clearly read the seal of authenticity. I almost missed it due to being so faintly stamped on the page.

[will evans]

More info I've found, although useless, it is somewhat amazing what can be found so quickly on the internet.

This gun was ordered by W.G. Dunn of Madison, Wi. I found a directory listing from 1917 which listed W.G. Dunn as living as 321 North Brearly St. Madison, Wi. A quick search of the internet turned up a picture of what is likely the first home of my gun. I wonder how long she lived there with Mr. Dunn? Looks like a nice neighborhood.

http://www.bunburyrealtors.com/PRIV:474140?ADDITIONAL_DETAILS=Y

[Bill Murphy]

Any repair information, with rare exceptions, ends in 1919. The repair records are "order books". The order books only go to 1919, again with rare exceptions. The exception would be order book 101 which goes to 1934 but contains only a few orders for new guns. PGCA has no source of information on Remington repairs.

[Bill Murphy]

W.G. Dunn may have been a dealer, but I am not sure of that. I have another of Mr. Dunn's VH 16s, #136,923, ordered on April 27, 1906. It has 28" barrels, was ordered to shoot a target of 200 unspecified shot size, light trigger pull and regular #1 butt on a figured stock. Stock dimensions were to be 14 1/4" by 3" drop. Can you post the serial number and PGCA letter particulars for your gun?

[will evans]

#153406 - Sounds like a dealer to me - the requested LOP on this one is 14-1/4" with 2-1/2" drop. Special instructions were 2-3/8" frame, 4-3/4" grip. I want to say the gun weighs 7lbs 9oz, but my memory might not be accurate. Probably ordered for a Wisconsin farm boy.

Shoots really soft at that weight, which I will enjoy in a dove field. A little heavy for a southern woods grouse gun, but fine for preserve shooting or sitting in a dove field. I don't think I missed a bird with it when I shot quail the other week. I also had a Fox 16ga with 26" barrels that day and I can't say I enjoyed the same results.

I think it has been restocked because the wood is a tiny bit proud around the receiver and the checkering appears to be slightly larger on the stock than forearm. Not much larger, but just a little bit if you look closely. Was Remington good about retaining the perfect fit to receiver of a Parker when replacing a stock? The gun is in my office safe so I can't check the dimensions right now.

[David Holes]

My remington replacment looks parker proud.

[will evans]

Thank you for the responses. I'm still wondering about the buyer's request "to shoot close with 6 and 8 shot."

[Dave Suponski]

Will, The term "To shoot close" used in the stock and order books was Parker Bros. term for full choke.

[Bill Murphy]

That refers to a tight pattern, most likely full. The 2 3/8 frame he ordered is the #2 frame, very uncommon on the 16 gauge. Oddly, my Dunn 16 is built on the #3 frame and weighs almost nine pounds. The grip size was also specified on my gun. I guess we'll never know why Mr. Dunn liked his 16s so heavy. I assume these two guns were made for the same person, whether Dunn or his customer. Whomever the guns were made for, they knew exactly what they wanted.

[will evans]

Thank you, Dave. I really need to get more serious about tackling my copy of TPS.

Interesting, Bill. I'm sticking with Mr. Dunn as the owner until I discover he was a dealer. I framed a picture of that little blue house above and slid it in the safe alongside the 16. I could tell right away she felt a little more comfortable next to that picture. It was like the tension of being cramped inside my safe alongside a bunch of strangers for the last couple of weeks had been lifted from her breech. I might have even heard a bit of laughter this morning from behind the door, but that might just be the Hoppe's.

[Bill Murphy]

I also copied the picture of Dunn's home in Madison. These are two very unusual guns and with great provenance. My Dunn 16 was on display at the Fall Southern in September and was enjoyed by everyone who tried to pick it up. The order specified 8 pounds, 13 ounces.

[will evans]

Bill, I sent an email to a Bill Dunn I found in Madison Wisconsin. The guy is probably not related, but I figured no harm, no foul. There are probably hundreds of Dunn's in Wisconsin, but given his name is Bill I thought it worth an inquiry regarding his possible relation to W.G. Dunn.

I'll let you know if he responds back. On a side note, the guy I emailed is the editor for one of those heathen groups which fight to remove all references of God from everything. What kind of person sets out on a mission in life to remove God from our daily lives? I'll let you know if he responds back to me.

[will evans]

Mr. Dunn responded this morning. He and his family are new to Wisconsin as of 1983.

[Jerry Harlow]

[QUOTE=will evans;99900
I think it has been restocked because the wood is a tiny bit proud around the receiver and the checkering appears to be slightly larger on the stock than forearm. Not much larger, but just a little bit if you look closely. Was Remington good about retaining the perfect fit to receiver of a Parker when replacing a stock? The gun is in my office safe so I can't check the dimensions right now.[/QUOTE]

Will,

My visual observation and opinion using a checkering gauge/guide is there is an ever so slight difference in the forend checkering and stock checkering on the unaltered VH guns I have observed. But it may just be the size of the surface that is being checkered. Brian D. can probably answer this for us. The presence of the serial number under the trigger guard tang will probably answer your suspicions.