All three within a range of less than 200 serial no's.

Looking forward to following this project

So here are some detailed photos.

Issues as I see them:

1. Locks need to be cleaned of dried gunk. Rust on hammer spring needs to be removed. No need to dissemble the locks. There are no mechanical problems.

2. Stock gouges on both sides need to be steamed and raised. Crack in wrist and tiny crack at rear of one lockplate need to be glued. Oil soaking at bottom corners of head need to be pulled out. Dried oil in lockplate recess needs to be sprayed out.

3. Topcoat of finish needs to be applied after cracks, oil soaking and gouges repaired. Scrub off any hand oil and dirt on the grip. The wood will not be sanded or otherwise taken to bare wood.

4. Barrels have been cleaned so many times, probably with metal polish, that the Damascus pattern is not as distinct as it could be and the rib inscription is almost polished out. An Iowa engraver will chase the lettering then Dale will re-brown the barrels. They have no dents, unusual for many old guns.

5. The barrels still lock tight against the standing breach, so no metal work on the hook will be needed.

All in all, an easy job without altering the gun, substantial repairs or costly re-work.

Bruce, judging by how clean the barrels look in your new pictures, do you have an opinion as to whether the barrels may have been previously refinished?

In my opinion, this gun has never been to a gunsmith, for better or for too many times, worse. The barrels just look like they have been hand cleaned and hand polished many times by an owner who used , not abused, his guns, and cleaned them. The bores are shiny, original diameter, with some frosting near the chokes and chambers as one would expect from a well used gun in the days before shot cups.

Bores are
Right: .665, constriction .022
Left: .668, constriction . 041, typical upland game chokes for the day.

Chambers are the old black powder brass shotshell chambers which I measure at 2 5/8" to the step.

I do not think a gunsmith ever tinkered with the bores nor are the chokes reamed out.

Very nice! Lady Luck was smiling on you!

Rich, the gun I bought from you is 48795, with lightening pockets.
Bruce, was the grade 2 gun referred to "G" prior to the introduction of the hammerless frame? TPS isn't clear, but I don't think so.

Parker Bros 1882 Catalog:

When did Parker start implementing the lightening cuts? I have a 16ga lifter that I'm sure has them but I'll need to check.

I just disassembled a 20 ga. lifter with serial no. 10165.

And a 16 ga. lifter with serial no. 23243.

Both have lightening cuts.