I appreciate all the insight shared. I can only speculate why the barrels were replaced. The man was reportedly an avid waterfowler , we all know the types of mishaps that can take place over a few dozen seasons. Regardless of the guns peculiarities I am very happy with it. The unique engraving work and other special features coupled with the original owners background makes it quite the prize.

It is a very nice - and unique - Parker. I would be happy with it too.





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134037 is mentioned in the Parker Story as the last BH made with Titanic steel barrels. It might be a candidate for the "Parkers Found" list?I see you're from Nova Scotia. Not too far from one of the best Parker wood men around, Chris Dawe. He could fix up the stock for you.

As is true with many graded Parkers, the replacement of barrels and forend are often downgraded to save money for the owner. The full B Grade replacement would include Acme Steel barrels and a B Grade checkering and engraving pattern. This downgrading is apparently the case with this gun. This should not affect the value of this wonderful gun. Contact Mr. Dawe for repair work, both wood and metal.

James, congratulations on that stunning BHE. You're a very lucky man!

Your floorplate screws were individually fitted to their respective holes. If the screws are snug its likely they were put back in the wrong holes at some point when the gun was disassembled. Switching the screws so the slots are aligned with the bores is an easy fix - just be very careful and be sure to use the correct screwdriver head that completely fills the screw slots so as not to mar the screws.

Here's a tip Brian Dudley posted a while back,

The rear screw should be slightly longer or have an x filed on the tip. Looking at the bottom of the gun the left screw tip should be unmarked. The right screw tip should have a hash mark.

Good luck with your stock repair. We look forward to seeing pictures when its finished.

I will be proceeding with appropriate repairs by qualified craftsman. Mr. Dawe is well regarded and also close. I am not in a rush as I want a certain result. I don't know if I want to strip away all the life this gun has lived. What I want is to bring it up to date with the care and maintenance befitting a gun of this quality and vintage. The barrel blue is faded, the bores are excellent with no dents, and the action is tight with well timed ejectors. In my mind the gun needs careful attention by a skilled hand with mind to her accomplishments and life lived. I want it “right” again, as opposed to “new”again.

I am not sure about anything having been changed but the barrels alone. Are there examples of the serial stampings on these parts from known replacements? The font size of the latch, iron and tip match the frame exactly. The barrels show the later style number size of the 1920’s.
Being the last BH made originally with titanic steel barrels, I like that it was re-fitted with a pair of titanic steel even though at time of replacement, B grade barrels would have been acme.

James sent me pm asking about where in the Parker Story that said 134037 was the last BH made with Titanic barrels. I thought I'd post part of my reply here in case anyone else was wondering.

Volume 1 of the Parker Story has a series of chapters called the grades. At the end of each chapter, such as the Grade 5(B and BH). At the end of each chapter there are tables with the number of guns made with the different barrel steels and barrel lengths. There were 120 12 gauge BH's made with Titanic steel, and only 30 with 32" barrels. At the bottom of the tables there is some fine print with a few info lines to clarify the tables. Only two Titanic BH's are mentioned, the first made was 87712 in 1897, and the last was 134037 made in 1905. Bottom right hand side of page number 308.

Also, I agree with you about the liking that the barrels were replaced with Titanic rather than Acme steel. It wouldn't be a down grade to replace Titanic with Titanic, but it would have been nice if the forend checkering and engraving patterns were in a BH pattern.

Thank you Bob. I appreciate it.

Hi Glenn,

I live in Halifax and recently had Chris Dawe complete work on a 1919 GH. I am happy to discuss the process and results with you. Chris is a gentleman who provides great value for money. You can reach me at 902-830-5051.

Chris