DHBP on DH
 

Remove the butt plate and examine the inletting. Machine inletting was done at the factory, and is very uniform.
Best, Austin

Guys I also have a DHE (live bird gun) that came lettered with skeletal butplate ,but has a horn checkered that measures exactly to measurement and is factory stock!! The but is serial# to the gun everything matches wich me and Mark have discussed long ago, it is a mystery to me? Anyone ever seen an horn checked butplate period?Dale in Canada

The butt stock is a replacement - no serial number under the tang. There is a crack in the splinter FE and I suspect it is original. Would there be a serial number under the hardware on the FE?

I know none of you possess a crystal ball, advice is cheap and you get what you pay for - and the help here is free - I have a question. At this point, would further modifications, i.e., repairing the FE, changing the chokes (maybe even Briley), denigrate or decrease the value of the gun?

Ans: My opinon: If the forend is cracked, that can be and should be easily fixed. On chokes, I think you said you had F&Cyl? Those are common Parker upland chokes and it would take a lot for me to want to mess with Parker chokes.

Good luck.

The gun was originally choked F/F so it has already been "messed" with, but that change and the restock may have taken place at the factory - who knows. Thanks.

The general understanding among Parker collectors is that factory restocks were SN stamped under the TG tang.

Parker tight chokes are held in high esteem and some claim they are superior to others. Some people would say to ream them out, whatever you want, its your gun. My personal view is that for a game gun, full and IC or Full and Cyl are ideal chokes. Parker often used that choke set up in game guns.

Dean is right. I was thinking this was an extractor gun.

On ejector guns the serial number isn't stamped into the wood at the rear of the forend simply because there is no area big enough to do this, but rather under the forend iron immediately rearward of the hole through the wood in the area of the latch.

I wouldn't think that a modification of the tight barrel choke would do much harm since the other barrel has been changed. However, the screw in chokes would make this gun very hard to sell to a collector. This particular gun in its present condition can be sold to a collector or at least someone serious about originality. Does it have Remington repair codes on the flats of the barrels? I can't remember whether we have asked that question. Remington repair codes can explain many modifications, at least in the mind of a Parker collector.

If you want to have the chokes opened up then IMHO you won't harm the value. I like more open chokes as I hunt over a pointing dog and therefor have closer opportunity.

I'm no purist and have had guns restocked to fit me and chokes opened. you have a very nice Parker and it will stay that way regardless of weather you have the chokes opened or not. This doesn't hold true if you have Briley thin wall chokes installed:eek::nono:

Remington Repair codes
 

I have attached a photo of the barrel flat. You can see the crack in the FE. Don't know how to recognize if there are Remington codes there. Seems like more marks than normal.

w.r.t. chokes - I hunt with all my guns. Just wish I could figure out a way to hunt more often. I believe I will use the DHE for ducks and the Cyl/F chokes should work well. After I miss them over the decoys, I can wait till they are far enough away to miss them with the full choke.

Thanks guys.