I was about 9 when I had my first exposer to a Parker. I was allowed to use it because as good as the Winchester 37 .410 did on rabbits I wasn't able to knock down a pheasant cock. So Grandpa let me use "the Parker". My uncle once told me it "wasn't a good one".
I didn't understand then, and still don't feel that way now. To me it was the greatest thing ever. It was a VH 20 with 28" barrels and it was too long for me and I didn't shoot it very well on pheasants. Shortly Grandpa figured out the problem and I was issued a Mdl. 12 16ga. with the butt plate removed. Tail feathers started to accumulate and that helped, but I loved that VH 20, and wanted to shoot a side by side like my Dad. Time passed and that VH went to another very worthy young man. 40 years latter I still hadn't forgot "the Parker", and the best bird dog of my life came to be. I knew I wanted something special for time spent with this dog, and like before it has taken a little trial and error to find the right gun. We are still looking there are several getting tryouts but they are all Parkers.

My uncle did make sure I got to see "a good Parker" and it was all the way across the street and up one house. The high school art teacher owned it. That Parker was a DHE 0 frame 16ga. with ivory mid and front on the 28" barrels.

I'm very late to the game and only got my 1st Parker 4 years ago. I've been fighting the fever since I first handled a Parker at Goose Hummock on the cape when I was 16 and that was a long time ago! But better late than never and this 16ga VH is one of my prized possessions. I know a lot of you guys are going to look at those tiger stripes and say WOOF! I agree the Delgrego colors are still pretty intense but I like em and they'll eventually fade. I'm never getting rid of this gun.

The $60 dollar grade 10 gauge, 32" twist barrels, hammer # 41730 always sat atop of my fathers gun rack. It was dark, intimidating, and was not very likable, much like my father. Once or twice a year he would show it to one of his friends with a prideful smile. His father bought it around 1915 for $12, his uncle soldered deer sights on it and tales of deer hunts dripped off its barrels like syrup. The gun aged with my father and both slowly lost any recognition of their youth. This year marks 3 years as caretaker, as the gun was past down to me, but not before seeing my father shoulder it one last time and let " boat a dem go". Being able to thank Mr. Bachelder in person for his repair to the gun was very important, only to have him thank me for bringing it in. Dad past this July...

Your Dad sounds like an interesting guy.

Nice that you sent the Parker to Brad to be 'reborn'.






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In Fredericton, New Brunswick, there was a highway builder who hated reporters and tracked me down whenever I was in the city. He'd invite me to his club or elegant home on the golf course with shotguns behind glass on two walls. What passed between us was barely civil at times. I liked him for his honest spirit. When he died, his wife asked me to visit and took me to his gun room. "Charlie wanted you to have first pick of his guns." I chose an 1899 Parker fishtail 16 hammer 0 grade. All the others were just money.

I don't believe I ever heard my father described as interesting, lots of other adjectives. Have contemplated a PP story bout our family Parker, someday...

Deano, write the story, and let us decide. I love reading about these "back in the day" Parker back-stories.

Deano, also, please let us know if you got your buck this year.
Happy Thanksgiving!

The VH 2 frame 12 ga. has been in the family three generations. It hung on the wall of my bedroom from the time I was about 8, in very sad shape. Bad restock that had failed, safety worked backwards, left barrel wouldn't cock, off face, and loose, with pitted barrels and a small crack at a dent on the left barrel. I worked with a local smith about 15 years ago to return it to solid use. I restocked it, corrected the safety, cleaned up the bores, had the crack tig welded, blued the barrels and re-cased the action after polishing. When I showed it to my then 86 yr. old uncle he was quite touched, and spent the better part of two hours telling me and his two sons how many rabbits it had killed, grouse my dad had taken, and an occassional duck, and at least one deer.. It kept grandmas cook pot full! My son has already laid claim to it, on to the forth generation!

First Parker
 

When I was about 22 or so I had the idea I wanted to shoot and hunt with a traditional side by side. My brother worked at Creekside while going through college and ordered an Ithaca SKB 20 with 26" barrels and beaver tail....well it was a fine little gun but I wanted a "historical" piece to hunt with and I looked over briefly the big 5. The Parkers just stood out to me and it wasn't close. I found a VH 16 at a gun show with a $1000 price tag which you all will remember was a lot of money in those days especially for someone my age. But I had to have it and in those days at least for me Parkers were hard to find...anyway an older dealer I trusted walked over to look it over for me. I was shaking...he took his time, looked it all over, and pronounced it an honest gun...SOLD! For the next few years I hunted grouse, pheasants and woodcock with that gun but never was as accurate with it as I was with a single barrel pump....But I practiced and improved and used it till I got some snow in the right barrel and caused a bubble...Sent it to Lefever and they were able to fix it but they refinished the stock and left it blond which I just couldn't stand ..so it was sold...But I wish I still had it.....I do have a few more now:)