Baby sitting a AAHE

[Craig Larter]

A very good friend let me photograph his recently discovered and purchased AAHE. I get to baby sit it for the day. :):)Enjoy

[David Noble]

What a great find! High grade, high condition, hang tags, case. It doesn't get much better than this, the stuff that dreams are made of.
Thanks for sharing.

[Mark Ouellette]

Hey Craig,

May I hold the baby? :whistle:

Mark

[Ray Masciarella]

The engine turning is cool. What is the purpose? Someone told me it helped hold oil. Is that right? Ot was it just for looks?

[John Dunkle]

That is simply stunning! Do you have a picture of the floor plate handy..???

Simply beautiful AAHE!!!

John D.

[Joe Wood]

Oh my gosh! That is a real treasure! Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Craig Larter]

Floor plate John---
How about that for full coverage!!!

[John Dunkle]

That is perfect! Thank you so much!

John

[Craig Larter]

A few more---

[John Dunkle]

Oh my.... First - excellent photography of a wonderful Parker - thank you!!!

Second... Excellent photography of a wonderful Parker - thank you!!!

I'd mention a third - but, I think you get the gist ;)

John

[John Dunkle]

At the end of the barrels, does it have wedding bands (the end of the barrels have circular engraved rings)?

Sorry for the questions - but I love this AAHE ;)

John

[allen newell]

Oh My God!

[Rich Anderson]

You didn't by chance go for a walk together to enjoy a nice Sunday afternoon say to the Sporting Clays range did you :nono:

I know I would have in a heartbeat. A very nice gun indeed.

[Craig Larter]

Of course wedding bands it's a AAHE!
I spent the afternoon in my living room with a BIG glass of bourbon just looking her over and raising her to my cheek!!
We did shoot sporting clays with her today along with a few others from the Brothers Parker.

[John Dunkle]

"Dayem".... The engraving just reminds me of another AAHE that, well - I'm sort of babysitting as well... What an excellent example... Many many thanks for the share, Craig!!

John

[Robin Lewis]

Would that happen to be it's original case in the background too? Great wood.

I agree John, it does remind me of another AAHE.

[Craig Larter]

Yes it is the original case with all the cleaning tools, a leather forend guard and what appears to be the original felt covers for the stock and barrels. The leather case needs some attention so I plan to bring it to the Southern to have brother McCormick evaluate it.

[Jack Cronkhite]

Not enough adjectives for this one. They seem inadequate. One thing I noticed that I have never seen before is that a Patent stamp is on the wood behind the trigger bow. Assuming this is the norm, but I'm not well versed in such etherial Parkers. Can someone comment on that please.
Cheers,
Jack

[Craig Larter]

That stamp is the patent stamp for the hickory rod---refer to your TPS
Not only is this a nice gun but there is a great story to be told which I am working on----

[John Dunkle]

Craig,

You tell that story in your own time, OK? In the meantime - thank you so much for sharing. What a magnificent AAHE..!

John

[Richard Flanders]

Is that Runge engraving? What say our experts?? I like that it hasn't spent it's life in a safe. Someone clearly shot it a fair bit and didn't abuse it.

[Dave Noreen]

Beautiful piece! Some 108000 later than the one I want, but definately a keeper!!

[Robin Lewis]

I would love to read the story on this gun! I wonder where all it has been and what has it done? If only they could talk.

[Dean Romig]

Craig, your story on that wonderful Parker might be very well received by the entire membership as a feature in Parker Pages. Less than half our membership is "connected" via the Internet.

Thank you so much for sharing your very demanding 'charge' today... you must be exhausted.

[Craig Larter]

Thanks everyone----was she a Pigeon gun?? 14 LOP 1 3/8"x2", targeted per the hang tag 2 5/8" shells 1 1/4oz #7 shot 3 1/8 dram nitro, 280 RH barrel/320 LH barrel. 7lbs 13 oz 30"bbls. The owner was from Lancaster County PA. The gun is circa 1919.

[John Havard]

That is one heck of a beautiful Parker!

[Dave Suponski]

Craig, It sure sounds like it. Some sort of pigeon/target gun I would think. Just breathtaking....

[Dave Noreen]

280/374 = 74.8% 320/374 = 85.6% Those are some might tight patterns.

[Dave Suponski]

Could these chokes be PPP? Pigeon Planting Patterns

[Craig Larter]

Anyone ever see this stamp before?? The gun has Peerless steel barrels.

[greg conomos]

1919 was a pretty good year to be alive in the USA. Big war just ended, the Roaring 20's were kicking off and the Great Depression was not even a glimmer. Most of all, you could order a really righteous Parker.

[Chuck Bishop]

This gun was being sold by a dealer/gunsmith near Reading Pa a few months ago. I believe he either posted pictures here or on Trapshooters.com. The asking price at that time was 50k as I recall. I e-mailed him with a few questions which he responded to and I told him, if he wanted, I would take a drive over and answer any questions about the gun that I could answer. He never contacted me about that. The gun was owned by a Dr. in Adamstown just south of Harrisburg. You just never know where these guns will surface!

[Bill Murphy]

Craig, I had a very nice correspondence with the dealer also, and he sent me some great pictures. Your boy didn't shoot any ATA trap in the years after he bought the gun and he did not attend the Hegins shoot as far as I can tell. Hegins is a very popular annual pigeon shoot and social event in the area where the Doctor lived. He probably shot pheasants with the great gun, but apparently did not shoot for money.

[Chuck Bishop]

Craig, I think that stamp on the barrel flat is the symbol for Peerless steel

[Carl Brandt]

Craig,

If you are still babysitting, can you take a picture or two of the socks (felt sleeves) for this gun. Are there any markings on them?

Thanks,
Carl.

[Craig Larter]

Thanks everyone for all the help, Carl the pictures you requested are below. The sleeves appear to be a fine green billiard felt. The gun goes back to my friend tomorrow, it was wonderful to have it in hand for a few days.
I did find some newspaper references to Dr. Ziemer traveling to Canada to duck hunt in 1926 with a group of docs from the Lancaster area. I am in touch with the Lancaster County library. Dr. Ziemer was the county Medical Director for many years. I did locate Dr. Ziemer's granddaughter so I am hoping she can add some color to the history of this fine gun.

[Bruce Day]

Craig thank you for the pictures of the gun sleeves. Green felt is an odd material, as TPS describes the sleeve material for high grade guns as "chamois", which I take to be a fawn colored high quality cotton flannel. For lower grade guns, a coarse weave olive brown green cotton material was used. They had fold over tops with string ties ( not drawstrings). I have seen one high grade with the original chamois sleeves .

The green felt may be replacement sleeves rather than originals. Does anybody have any insight on this or have green felt sleeves been seen before?

[Frank Srebro]

Craig, as many others have said, what a wonderful gun. As one interested in technical stuff this brings up a good question, I think. Hang tag states "use shells 2-5/8" long". If Parker practice was to cut 12 ga chambers 1/8-inch short, does the gun have 2-1/2" chambers? I wonder how they compare against other Parkers with 2-5/8" chambers made for 2-3/4" shells?

[Larry Frey]

Carl,
Attached is a pic of the only gun I ever had that came with what I believe to be original gun socks. They are the fold over fawn colored cotton flannel that Bruce mentioned.

[Craig Larter]

The chambers measure 2 5/8". According to Researcher none of the shell manufacturers made a 3 1/8 dram 1 1/4oz shell for 2 5/8" chambered gun in or around 1920. All the shell catalogs show "for 2 3/4 chambers only" for the load listed on the hang tag. Just another question to unravel.
The green sleeves do not have draw strings they fold over.

[Dave Noreen]

In my 1918-1919 Remington Arms - Union Metallic Cartridge Co. catalogue, the Nitro Club load with 3 1/8 drams bulk smokeless powder and 1 1/4 ounce of shot is load X8A and in the Arrow shell that load is 8A. Both have the * that says that load comes only in a 2 3/4 inch shell, yet this hang tag says use 2 5/8 inch shells?!? Also, while most loads come in all shot sizes BB & 1-10, these 3 1/8 Dram loads only come in 6, 7, 7 1/2, and 8. On the hang tag for 189368 there is something, perhaps the powder type, stamped in green just below the dotted line from Drams over to Powder, but I can't make it out. Similarly the X8A and 8A load with 25 grains of Ballistite, 25 grains of Infallible or 31 grains of Walsrode all have the * for "2 3/4 in. only." In my 1923 Remington Arms Co., Inc. catalogue the loads 8A and X8A are only offered with 7 1/2 shot and again have the * for "2 3/4 inch shell only." Earlier on in my 1903, UMC catalogue one could get up to 3 1/4 drams with 1 1/4 ounces of shot in a 2 5/8 inch 12-gauge shell, but by my 1905 catalogue they had added those 3 1/8 dram loads in 2 3/4 inch shells and backed off in the 2 5/8 inch shell to the heaviest thing offered as 3 drams 1 1/4 ounce. By the 1910 UMC catalogue they had eased up even more, and the heaviest shot loads offered in the 2 5/8 inch 12-gauge case were 1 1/8 ounce.

I've got an undated Western Cartridge Co. catalogue from before the 1922 introduction of the Super-X loads, maybe 1920 or 21, and it is the same way, those 3 1/8 dram, 1 1/4 ounce loads are only offered in shot sizes 6 - 8 and this catalogue says any 12-gauge load over 1 1/8 ounce comes in a 2 3/4 inch, or longer, case.

It certainly appears those 3 1/8 dram, 1 1/4 ounce loads were considered a trap or Pigeon load from the limited shot size offerings. I've always considered the 3 1/4 drams (equiv.) 1 1/4 ounce load to be the "classic" Pigeon load, though nowadays Morris offers his Pigeon loads in 3 1/4, 3 1/2 and 3 3/4 drams equiv.

[charlie cleveland]

i love to hear about these old loadings. thanks charlie

[Craig Larter]

Thanks everyone---I am glad I could share this gun with everyone on this great forum. I have made contact with the daughter and granddaughter of the original owner which is very exciting for me ---stay tuned. It went back to it's owner today.