i could read about these long range guns till the cows came home...i passed on a gun which i wished several times ishould have bought...it was a 3 frame 10 ga that had been turned into a 3 1/2 inch 12 ga..i have shot several turkey with my 3 frame 10 ga useing gauge mates in 3 1/2 inch 12 ga...also used a 3 frame 12 ga parker on geese and ducks with chambers lenghed to 3 1/2 gun weighs 9 1/2 lbs it handled those big 3 1/2 inch duck loads with ease....charlie

I am surprised that the ones mentioned are 1 1/2 frames. I would think they would be at least 2. 3 frame 12 gauges are great.

The 12-gauge 3-inch progressive burning smokeless powder load came out in the late 1924/early 1925 time frame with the 1 3/8 ounce load.

Attachment 78675

Attachment 78677

Attachment 78679

By 1927, Peters were offering such loads.

Attachment 78676

The 12-gauge, 3-inch, Magnum, load with a 1 5/8 ounce payload made the scene in 1935 along with Winchester's Model 12 Heavy Duck Gun.

Attachment 78678

Attachment 78680

Some may be surprised to hear this but the 12 gauge is my favorite big bore gauge. Plenty of killing power and easy to handle compared to 10 and 8

Not to my knowledge.

Jeff, is the gun you bought in Baltimore marked 3" or did you determine the 3" chambers by a PGCA letter? Is it a late Remington gun?

Bill,
The gun is a 1925 gun. There are no records available for it. The chambers measure 2 7/8".
I bought it out of a collection belonging to a decoy carver in Havre de Grace.

i really like those record brand shells..i like the high brass and the figurtive rings around the brass also the writing on the shells....thanks for giving us info and pictures....charlie

Not a Parker but I found a rare sporting book which I have been looking for for more than 25 years. The History of the Santee Gun Club

Painters have always sparred with sculptors, and in my career I always pointed out (with tongue firmly embedded in cheek) to my sculptor colleagues that a a good, rare book is the ultimate sculpture. It has weight, takes up space well, takes you places far away...and usually smells like the past. Great find! (Guns are pretty darned good sculpture, too.)