I like hammer guns fine, but it's hard to ignore what's posted above - by 1900 very few people wanted hammer guns at all.

Today, even the richest buyers seldom choose hammer guns.

So what do we know that hundreds of thousands of buyers over the past 116+ years didn't?

Hammer guns all the way. Now that being said I favor hammer guns for targets but for hunting, especially upland birds, the hammerless has the slight edge in safety for me. I lucked into a grade 3 underlifter 12, 30" tubes, in pristine condition which I acquired from one of our esteemed members. A prettier gun was never made.

My desire for a 20ga. hammergun was satiated when I ran across a 30" Wm. Ford Birmingham gun. It's not a Parker but it's really sexy and handles like a dream.

They all have hammers. Its just a matter of where they put them. I prefer mine on the outside of the gun.

the hammerless would be my choice...the lifter hammer is next in line...charlie

I own about an equal number of both and they both have their own charm. For me the jury's still out... and may always be.






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Hammer guns for sporting clays, but hammerless for hunting, like my friend Daryl. Shot sporting clays this morning with my little Manton 20 ga hammer gun w/ 30" barrels, and really enjoy it. Everyone else was shooting high dollar sporting clays guns with ported barrels, extended choke tubes, adjustable combs and butts--hell you cant miss with those guns. They cant understand why I" handicap" myself with these old guns, but everyone sure wanted to shoot it.

hammer guns
 

Of course I am going to go with the hammer gun, here is a photo of a grade 3 lifter with Laminated steel barrels, 28" in 20 gauge, Gary

I have a soft spot for hammer guns especially for target shooting. Last year I found a W.R. Pape 28ga hammer gun. I have a Parker 16ga lifter that's fun to shoot and the comments on the clays course make me smile.

If the gun was to be used mostly as a hunting gun then I would go hammerless. I have hunted with a hammer gun on a preserve by myself and it was uncomfortable to me from a safety stand point. I have fallen in the grouse woods a couple of times and if that were to happen with a cocked hammer gun it could be disastrous.

Same with a hammerless Rich... you never know what's going to happen when you fall with a loaded gun in your hands. The existence of a safety switch doesn't necessarily make the gun safe.... Anything can happen when you fall with a loaded gun.

An open gun is always a safe gun.






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safety is always a concern - which is why I voted hammerless if i could only have one

hunting over a pointing dog with external hammers - in carefully chosen covers is fun, where I have good footing and can cock them as I pass the dogs

and I open the gun if i do not shoot and need to relax the hammers

I do want to try a hammer gun in a duck blind, a much safer set up than most upland environments IMHO, I am cleaning up a 3 frame 32" 10 ga grade 2 top lever for the up coming season

a nice light Henri Pieper
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=7419