Bob, I'm surprised you still have that gun. That is one of the nicest original high-condition Grade 2 Parkers I've ever seen.

Thanks Dean, I haven't seriously tried to market it, it has been mentioned in another thread about guns that you own and don't shoot... do to high condition... maybe this winter.

Thanks to those who further Parker shotgun collecting and use by posting photos of their guns. We've seen some wonderful G's in both fluid steel and damascus. For the new person, Parker made hammerless damascus guns from 1888 to 1927, and the later ones are stamped Overload Proved, although Parker proofed damascus and fluid steel guns the same throughout production. Drops ranged from 4" to the more standard 2 1/2 to 2 3/4", so its easy to look for another that suits you. If you find one that has been butchered by a chopped stock, cut barrels, torch job "case colors" or other abuse and that doesn't suit you, you can find another.

I can't add these to my earlier thread so am making a new one. This is a 1918-vintage 6#10oz 26" #1-frame GHE-12 that is a deadly quick grouse n' woodcock gun. I love this thing! Wood is nice. Bbl matting not blanked at the end but it letters with the 26" bbls. Locks up tight with lever to the right. Great little gun that Dave Miles couldn't wait to get rid of for a very affordable price..... When I grouse hunt it's a tossup whether I take this or my 28ga Repro.

Nice one Rich! A 6 1/2 lb 26" 12 ga. is a really neat upland gun for sure. I understand your dilemma.

Aw that's easy....Rich just send that 12 gauge to Connecticut.....:rolleyes:

be better to send it south get it aquainted with quail...im presuming chokes are open... charlie

Nice try guys! You all sound like Dave... It's loaded into the truck with the 4-wheeler to get acquainted with ruffed grouse tomorrow... chokes are open; can't remember measurements.

Todd:
If you want to improve the shooting dimensions of the gun and realize it may carry risk to value and the wood..... You may evaluate having a gun fit and a stock bend.

I worked with Dale Tate in Nor Cal. He bent the stock from 3 1/4" DAH to 2 1/2" and added 3/8" cast on. Looks a little funny but shoots well for me. It doesn't solve all the shortcomings of a left handed, right eye dominant shooter.......

Affordable G grade Parkers.

I just paid $999 for what is to me, a very nice gun, a GH. I won't get the gun into my hands for another week and a half. The bores are fine, but I can see where it's been shot. The engraving is sharp, and it has some case colors. The wood, what I can see, looks very nice with honey and walnut hues that look like smoke. Forearm has seen pretty heavy use, dings. Latch looks fine as does the little metal tip. I don't know the chokes. It has a mechanical problem, it doesn't cock when it's dropped open, but there is a great old gun, gunsmith here (Kearcher) who said he'd fix it for a C note. Opening lever needs some work as it lines up left of center.

The gun sat on the gun rack for almost a year. The seller said that someone who appreciated Parkers would have to come along and buy it. Welp......that's me.

I will enjoy this gun as long as I live. Just under a K. Money well spent.

I went to my hunting club/clay range the other day and met a fellow who is a pretty well known hunter/writer. He was hunting alone with his dog. Used an AYA 28 on penned pheasant. He was left eye dominate and right handed. He was wearing a set of shooting glasses with about a one inch square of clear scotch tap applied to the left lens right in front of his pupil. He said he could still shoot with both eyes open, and his depth perception worked, but his right had to function as the dominate eye, since his left was blurred due to the tape.

"Does it work?" I asked.

"Yep", he said; smiling, "works fine".

I suggest that you try it.

If it works for you, it could be a break through! Lots of shooters have your problem.

You are exactly right Steve. My wife is right handed but her left eye takes over especially on targets going left to right. Clear tape works great and I have also heard of people putting a dab of Vaseline on their left lens to distract that eye to allow the right eye to dominate.

What kinds of shells are you folks shooting in your GHs? I just got one. Want to shoot it. It's the season! Barrels on my gun look mirror bright inside. I don't see any rust, so it's as shootable as any GH out there. It also locks up like a safe.

My usual target load store bought is a Fed 1oz 2 3/4dram. If I load my own, its the same. My usual pheasant load is a Fed 1 1/8oz 3 dram or equivalent hand loaded. This is through a 7 1/2lb 1911 GHE with original thickness damascus barrels on a 2 frame. Everyone has their own loads.

A 7 1/2 lb 30" 12ga was usually patterned by Parker using 1 1/8 of no. 7 shot driven by 3 drams of "wood" ( a nitro brand) powder , unless yours was built originally for black powder. In that case, maybe somebody else can tell you how the usual hang tag for that period would read.

Unusually shiny bores on an old gun can be an indicator that the barrels were recently honed to fluff up for selling. You might want to know your barrel wall thickness.

Some use only RST's, others hand load only and everybody is convinced in the correctness of their choice.

Bruce Day, Parker know-nothing

I shoot lighter 1oz or sometimes 24gram hand loads in my GHE-12 because it's a 26" damascus #1 frame at 6#10oz. No need to blaze away at woodcock and ruffies with heavy loads. My pressures are either 4200psi or 5100psi and 1100-1150 fps. I use PB or SR7625 powder.