So if a person can't afford high condition guns he's not a collector.

B.Dudley,

I Have had this gun in my safe for about 20 years, and would love to shoot it. I'm not as concerned about value, as my father was

Geeze... i cant seem to win with you, can I?

I am not speaking of people who collect, i speak of items that are in a condition or of a rarity that makes them collectors pieces as investments.

While I agree condition and rarity make things "more collectible" you still need to take into consideration regardless of condition there will be no more made that are "original" . So I tend to think they're all collectible to a degree .

If it wasn't collectable we would not be having this discussion and this forum would not exist. Parker Bros shotguns represent the best in American craftsmanship historically. Therfore, there is high interest in any and everything Parker Bros. Without knowing the condition of your Parker it is hard to render judgement on value or shoot ability. The NRA website has two grading systems for firearms. One for antique firearms and one for modern. The definition of both are specific for grades from excellent, good, fair and poor. Antiques are usually those made before 1899. So it is best to look at those guideline and try to objectively see where yours is. As far as shoot ability a gunsmith needs to make that evaluation.

I'm not a collector, I'm a saver. I have a gun with history that means more to me than any monetary value. I will continue to pass it down from oldest son, to oldest son. As has been done. That's how I got it. At this point, my son is already designated receiver. and his son, my grandson, is next. Grandpa will teach him the value of tradition. I really don't care about the value of the gun. It has more value to me for the history. I was only curious about what it was actually worth. When my father handed it over to me, 30 years ago, he claimed it would sell for 2900.00. I always doubted that, But, you know he may have not been far off. I don't care what it is worth.
I am just happy to be in possession of it.

I would be proud as well to have my Grandpa's Parker. Enjoy:):):)

Harry,
Thank you for your response. I appreciate your candid opinion. Because this gun has Damascus barrels, and having the desire to actually shoot this , I was trying to determine should I or should I not invest in having the barrels sleeved to be able to fire modern shells in it. I have no problem leaving it as a wall hanger, but every time I take it out of the safe, and shoulder it, I have the desire to put it to it's intended use. It just feels good. I was only wondering about a ballpark figure before I invest $2000 into a set of sleeves for a $500 gun.

Yes Harry, I am proud to own my "Grandfather's Parker", but my dilemma is, I have 13 grandchildren of my own. So, who gets it?
Tradition says, oldest son, to oldest son.

Kurt - don't sleeve it. Why destroy a set of beautiful Damascus barrels that may be perfectly safe and shootable?

I and many other PGCA members shoot most all of our Damascus, Twist, Laminated, Bernard, Stub Twist... barreled guns. We simply shoot appropriate loads in them. Most 'off the shelf' shotgun ammo is made to operate semi-auto shotgun actions and is a bit too stout to please our old guns.
There are ammo companies that cater to the guys who shoot these "dangerous" old guns, such as Rio and RST. They produce low pressure loads that still have the velocity we need and kill game just like the 'off the shelf' ammo.

Where do you live? If you're nearby I would be glad to have a look at your 'Family Parker.'






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