Here are the bbls...

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5388

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5387

I'll post any others that get sent, I'm hoping for flats and H2Otable.

Enjoy,
Dean

I see it has a fishtail toplever which many of us consider a plus. The barrels look great.

I just noticed the fishtail myself. Boy, i'm starting to get excited all over again. D grade or not, this is starting to look like a real gem.

And finally, for the coup de grace...

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5389

I am pretty sure it's a keeper. I'll wait for more feedback though before running to the bank!

Get out your wallet, looks like a keeper.

From what I can see of the barrel dents they dont look to bad. How about some pics. of the wood. Is there any rust in the bores. If it locks up tight and is on face I would keep it.

Ups sorry I missed a hole page with the pics. I would definatly keep it.

I agree with Dean in that I wouldn't worry about a slight wiggle after all she's 100+ years old, I bet all your joints arn't perfect either I know mine arn't (damn Grouse hunting anyway) so IF you don't want to keep her just let me know where to send a check. I'll go $1100.00 to cover shipping:)

Great looking gun in my opinion, though I'm admittedly no expert on all things Parker! Since the barrels check out as originally 30", and are measuring out at cyl & cyl now, should Dean have them measure min barrel wall thickness? Barrels may have been polished or honed to the extent that they easily dent. (as possibly evidenced by the dents). Might be a worthwhile request.
John

Sending payment today. I'll hopefully have my new parker in hand by next week. Thank you guys for all of your input and help in my decision making process. This gun is a beauty, and i'm very excited to give it a new home. I'll post more pics after i've had the oppotunity to ogle it for a day or two.

The wait for a new Parker to arrive is just like when you were 6 yrs old waiting for Santa to come:)

No its worst. You are dealing with UPS. They might loose it or break it.

Ouch, that hurt just to read! :crying:

We all hope the UPS apes will be jentle with your parker and that the theives will leave it alone. I have not had one stolen yet but I have had two broken in half.

Broken in half? Surely they weren't shipped assembled? The only way to ship a shotgun is broken down.

USPS is my preferred shipper. But the gunsmiths and gun dealers don't always do it my way.

Best,

Mike

One seller shipped a 10 gauge hammer gun to me without breaking it down. It made it all right though

Both guns were shipped to me. One was A double and it was broken down and the other was a muzzle loading cape gun and the barrels were seperated from the stock. Both were proke in two at the wrist. These people know better than to ship an assembled gun as do I.

i too had a gun broke in too at the wrist in shipping..it was a d grade 10 ga and it was shipped broke down..i learned one thing from this have plenty of insurance on a shipped gun i had none... charlie

I had the airline saw a fishing rod case (and the fishing rods) in two.

These horror stories, while appropriate for Halloween, are scaring the shit out of me (pardon the French). I suppose a cautionary tale is good here though, and there may be time to catch them before the gun is shipped. I'm guessing here, but I would assume a reputable house like Poulin has much experience in this area, especially after such a large firearms auction. I also stated on my shipping info that I would like the gun insured for $3000. Assumptions being the mother of all tragedies, i'll double check. Thanks for the healthy dose of fear guys, I'll have nightmares till she arrives!

Mills, yours hurt especially... This is why I NEVER check my fly-rods!

I just don't fly at all now. I can't stand the airlines. The last time we went somewhere we could not drive, we took a train and were treated like royalty.

OK, after a long trip home to NC to visit family, I have returned to VA to find a lovely 12 gauge hammergun waiting on me. Boy, this gun is more beautiful that I could have imagined. It looks so incredible on the #1 frame. I can see why the smaller frame guns are so desirable. This scale of the 12 on a 1 frame works so perfectly. The wood has been refinished and checkering has been re-cut by a professional. The wood is so incredible, the figure and black lines in the walnut look like they belong on a much higher grade gun. When you hold this gun it feels, looks, and points better than my 16 on a one frame. You may have noticed that i'm in love. What a beauty! My wife is now convinced that I have a problem. So am I (not enough parkers).

I'll post more potos when I can put the gun down long enough to take some pics.

By the way, I was horrified to see that the gun was shipped in one piece. It had only been wrapped in paper, bubble wrap, and put in a cardboard box. The gun had not been broken down and had not been wrapped to the extent that I would have expected. Fortunately, se arrived without a scratch (best I can tell). Just goes to show that you should specify everything when it comes to how you want your babies shipped. A potentially expensive lesson learned.

I got a 10 gauge Parker hammer gun shipped to me in one piece. It was a little disconcerting when I opened the package in my bedroom to find a potentially loaded gun, but nothing bad happened. The cynic in me finds it amusing that this gun made it right through the postal service, yet they chose to beat prints I mail to a pulp.

It just don't make any sense... :shock:

A quick note on chokes in old Parkers. Hardly any of the old ones had .729 bores. I have one with .752 bores and many with .735 to .736. You might find you have a little choke after all. Mine with .752 bores has .013 constriction in both barrels and is my sporting clays gun. In fact it is my go to gun in 12 gauge.

Harry

OK, so here are some pictures of the hammergun profiled in this thread. It is safe in my hands, and I could not be happier. The pictures do not do this gun justice. Aesthetically, this gun is a gem. In regard to form and fit, I'm not sure you could do much better. I have quite a few more photos in an album you can check out in my profile. Please feel free to chime in with your insights, pro's, con's, or other comments. This is gun-porn at its best! By the way Dean Romig, there's a photo in here just for you. Enjoy!

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5412

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5413

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5415

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5419

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5421

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5423

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5425

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5428

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5435

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5427

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5437

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5438

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5440

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5442

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5443

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5444

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5445

This one's for Dean Romig
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5447

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5448

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5449

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5450

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5451

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5453

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=5452

All in all I'd say a good case for refinishing stocks! She's a beauty, and the checkering is fantastic; feels pretty damn good too. Wonder if the finish on the bbls is original?I can't wait to shoot her. Special thank's to a particular member for his offer to help me get to know my parkers a little better. I love the community that this group offers, and can't wait to get involved. Note what I assume is fouling due to black powder residue; there's a little in the bores too, but they still shine like crazy. I sincerely hope you ladies and gent's enjoy these photos and my journey to obtain this piece of history as much as I did. Wonder if she has a history? I can't wait to start digging.

Dean, that's a great Parker and the wood is spectacular!

I'm guessing the picture of the fishtail lever opening short of the cocked right hammer is meant for me.... or is it the picture of the 'nose of the comb', knowing how much emphasis I put on the variations of Parker stocker's rendition of this feature. Thanks Dean, I appreciate those pics!
It would not surprise me to learn that the barrels display their original finish.
Congratulations on a wonderful Grade 2. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Yes Dean, you nailed it. The nose of the comb is the pic I took just for you. Coincidentally, that detail was the first thing I noticed about my first Parker. It remains one of my favorite details unique to Parker guns.

Best,
Dean

Harry Collins is right. You don't know the chokes of your gun until you measure the bores and chokes with a micrometer.

Dean,

This was a great buy. Many of these older Parker's had very shoot able dimensions. Those from the 1890's that I've owned had about 3" of drop at the heel where those I've owned before and after were in the 2 1/2 to 2 3/4". I shoot any modest velocity shell off the shelf (1150 to 1180 fps) through an 1881 with Twist Steel barrels and again this is my go to 12 gauge. It has taken 20 plus years of trepidation to screw up the nerve to do this. As a confidence builder in Parker barrels I would recommend shooting RST shells. 2 1/2" or 2 3/4" shells will work well and the pressures and velocities are correct for killing clay or fowel.

Kindest,
Harry

Thanks Harry,

I'm currently shooting RST shells and like their products though I am seriously thinking about reloading in order to customize my own loads. It would certainly be nice to be able to use cheap Wal-Mart target loads for fun, but i'm a little too nervous to do this without the assistance of a qualified pro. It's a tad more expensive to run through flats of RST ammo, but until I have a comparable alternative, I'll stick with them. I've often wondered how to calculate PRESSURES based on the info given on shotshell boxes. Do lower velocities translate into lower pressures? I'm guessing no, but would like to know more.

By the way, In case you're looking for gun porn, there's a huge spread on page 7;)

Dean,

The quick answer is no. SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturing Institute) allows working pressures in shotgun shells to be about 11,500 psi. Though a shotgun shell may have a modest velocity and payload it could have a higher pressure. I believe it was John Brindle that wrote some articles in Double Gun Journal early on about smokeless powder for black powder. What he deduced was that pressures at 8,000 psi and below would be safe for Damascus guns in good order. Sherman Bell also wrote a number of articles in DGJ titled Finding Out For Myself and produced pressure curves from certain smokeless loads that were the same as black powder loads. He also blew up two Parkers, one Damascus and the other Vulcan steel, of the same frame size same year of production and about the same grade. THey both blew at the same place and at the same pressure which was about 31,400 psi. My thought is if the barrels have not been messed with they are safe to shoot. I still have all my fingers, but i'm not finished shooting. I do have to give credit to Ross Seyfried for getting me started shooting my Damascus Parkers. He did an article in Guns and Ammo in the 1980's about low pressure loads for Damascus guns. My father was not happy about it. We would shoot sporting clays and about half way around the course he would ask to shoot my Parker (I have the Parker he found under the Christmas Tree as a child). He would break both targets and I would offer him two more shells. He would shake his head no and give the gun back.

Harry

You'd probably understand all too well when I say that practically everyone i've discussed shooting my parkers with has gasped in horror at my mention of shooting guns with damascus barrels. I've always been the stubborn type of ass that has to "find out for myself". This is why I simply did some research to see if it was safe to shoot these old guns on my own and did not depend on rumor or popular myth. If only folks could apply that same approach to politics we'd have fewer politicians and more public servants (but I digress). I'm so glad i'm able to enjoy my guns safely. I'm too much a novice to "experiment", but I have learned enough about my guns and their barrels so as not to be scared. RST gives me quite a bit of confidence and their lighter pressures have the added benefit of lower recoil (a feature that has allowed my tiny wife to finally enjoy shooting with me. Perhaps I'll turn her into a Parker collector too. On second thought, we can hardly afford one collector let alone two!

If you decide to roll your own I'm sure you can get a starting point from members here. I load 12,16 & 20 all 2.5 inch low pressure and I shoot a lot of damascuss guns, in fact every shotgun I bought this year was damascuss:)