I once retrieved a very nice bait casting rod and reel in 35 feet of water dropped from a boat way out in the lake with a strong magnet borrowed from a friend. I was able to mark where I was by lining up with objects on shore. It took a while, but I got it the next day. Good luck.

How deep was the water where you dropped the forend?

More importantly in my opinion is the strength of the current. With the big chunk of wood, it will have a tendency to move downstream

Good points. I personally have never tested the floatability of a Parker splinter forend. But it would be advisable before you hired a crew of divers. I once dropped a Ruger Model 77 wood stocked gun into a bottomless Ontario lake. It showed no sign of floating or being affected by water flow. Fortunately, the bow of the sling allowed me to snag it before it was lost forever. The only harm was a one inch difference in point of impact the next time I sighted it. This change in POI was caused by water in the stock, a situation that was cured by a year drying out in my gun safe. Good luck with your search. Keep us informed.

Unfortunately the magnet mission was not succesful the creek in question is called Brice creek it’s a branch off the Trent river which flows from the famous neuse river. The specific area of the creek the forend fell into was an outcropping of the creek with a depth at high tide of at least 10ft this creek is tidal not a ripping current but slow and constant movement.

I’m grieved to say, the forend is lost for good. This Parker 12ga repro was my first Parker I traded some other guns of less value than this gun in a trade with my father (he bought it for me but wanted some other guns for trading fodder in exchange) I learned to shoot a side by side well with this gun. my close friend and fellow marine and I took it to the southern this year for our first time ever in a registered shoot. I fell in love with the classic reliable American made Parker because of this 12ga and it’s the only reason I’m on the forum today.

The question is now whether I should put what’s left of the Parker up for sale on the forum or just hold on to it and if I did what would be a fair asking price? I cannot afford to buy a separate repro and make a two barrel set. Is there any hope for some sort of forend replacement still?

For reference the gun is a DHE 12ga 28” barrels choked IC/MOD without splinter forend and pistol grip, I find the walnut on the gun to be desirable above some other reproductions I’ve seen but I’m a little biased. I have the gun case no snap caps oiler bottle or cleaning rod inside though.

I appreciate the responses and care of the forum members for the situation.

James,

Is your gun a Steel Shot Special? The serial number on the water table (and forend....) would be marked SS12-XXXX, the serial number on the trigger guard would just be 12-XXXX. 28" IC/Mod barrels are nice and unfortunately probably the least common configuration.

Yeah, what is the serial number and how long are the barrels? What are the chokes? This information will help to sell the gun. Keep looking for an original Parker DHE or GHE forend, 1 1/2 frame.

I'm still wondering how it just fell off. Was is loose to begin with? I'd go to a local dive shop and if they would help. A similar incidence happened years ago to a hunting partner while we were sea duck hunting over an old oyster bar on the Chesapeak Bay. His 1100 slipped out of his cold hands and disappeared beneath the waves. Without even thinking he stripped down to his drawers, made a couple dives and eventually came up with the gun. Not something I would do but he loved that gun.

James, I still think you have a reasonable chance of having a diver recover it. You marines are very resourceful and there are lots of assets at Camp Lejeune. I'd offer one of your frogmen a case of beer to find it. Good luck!

If/when you recover the fore end, next step is to figure out why it came off in the first place.
That's not supposed to happen.