To tell what year the barrels were made, just look up the serial number that is on the side of the locking lug. If by chance you have a serial number that predates the advent of Vulcan steel, then you are looking at some different scenario, like a barrel that has had components replaced. Such as the lug or rib. IE: replacing the top rib on a set of twist barrels with a Vulcan rib. Or if the barrels have been mono blocked, who knows what might have been done.

You said you have the shipping log. I take it you sent for a letter from the PGCA?

Brian, what you're saying assumes the barrels are original, but if a gun, made in in 1890, is sent back in 1920 for a new set of barrels, the barrels will be serial numbered to the gun, so what you're saying would lead someone to believe those 1920 barrels were made in 1890.

It would appear that Brian and Edgar have identified the most likely scenario, that is, this 1902 gun which originally came w twist steel barrels, ws refitted w a vulcan steel barrel and a lug from a 1891 gun.

Thanks to you all

My brain hurts. :confused:

Very true. I was just exploring other possibilities. I would like to see good phots of the gun.

If the original, now missing, gun was rebarreled by Parker, I sincerely doubt they would have used the original lug section. It was far easier to fit a new set of barrels to the gun, than completely disassemble the old set. They had unfinished barrel sets on hand and it was a simple matter to install them.
Since there were almost 80,000 VH grade guns made, predominantly in 2 frame 12 bore, there were plenty of barrel sets out there. I can see reusing the locking lugs if you were going from Top lever to Hammerless, Lifter to Top Lever, or whatever, but not hammerless to hammerless.

I was thinking more in the case that a set of barrels was assembled aftermarket using a factory lug and rib. But that is likely not the case.

I had a set like this that was aftearket and an original lug. With s/n not matching the gun was used.

Brian, I have a disassembled set of barrels with the original lugs, rib, but with ruined tubes. It couldn't be that easy to build those lugs into a new barrel set because Kirk Merrington did not think it was an easy project and estimated thousands of dollars for the end cost. Do you know someone who can retube my lugs into a working barrel set for a rare Parker?