I was just curious and trying to continue/improve my Parker education. Everyone's take on these two 410s makes sense to me. You just don't see these that often and this thread started by Steve gave me an opportunity to ask some Parker 410 questions I had been thinking about.

It is likely that any Parker .410 made before 1933, with 3" chambers, was probably drilled out to 3" at Parker Brothers. I say this because anyone would want the "new" 3" shell to play with and the makers would be the only source of a 3" .410 reamer at that time. I would not hesitate to regard an early Parker with 3" chambers as original or factory modified. An early 2 1/2" chamber Parker .410 is probably a rare bird.

Bill I hadn't thought of it like that. It makes sense that Parker would lengthen the chambers for customers' gun. There might not have been any other way to do it at the time. Very good point.

If one found a 2 1/2" gun would you keep that way?

IF I ever got a Parker 410 I wouldn't ream it out . But I've got an IJ 410 Hercules with 3" chambers . Really anything I'd use a 410 for 2 1/2" has always been adequate for me be it dove , quail , skeet and what little bit of sporting I shoot with 410 .

I wouldn't trust any of these barrel butchers to work on any Parker. Choke and chamber butchers who specialize in this work are well documented as people we shouldn't trust with our guns. They are not full service gunsmiths.

I've had Mike Orlen in Amherst, MA do choke work for me and they were done perfectly.





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When both of those guns were made, the 2 1/2-inch .410-bore shells carried a load of 3/8-ounce of shot.

Attachment 106686

A few years after the 3-inch .410-bore shell was introduced our North American ammunition manufacturers upped the 2 1/2-inch .410-bore shell to the 1/2-ounce load we all know.

I probably should come clean...I found out about a 410 for sale privately a week or so ago. I saw it today and I could not pass it up. Not in the book, but made in 1927 still has 2 1/2" chambers(actually more like 2 7/16" as Edgar mentioned). 26" barrels M/F on a 000 frame 5 1/2 lbs. 14 1/4 LOP ball grip with splinter forend. Looks like it was tastefully refinished several years ago. I don't know what else to say other than I saw it and I just fell in love...

Dave I have seen on 410 Parker hang tags that they were tested/patterned with 3/8oz. of shot. Does it say on those boxes the powder charge in drams or the velocity?

There is a company called Sterling that makes 3/8oz 2 1/2" 410s @ 1329fps. That seemed a little fast to me

Congratulations, Jay.