Most of the time you can tell by measuring and just looking at the chokes, not many are polished after being opened ,if you see tool marks most likely they have messed with.

Would you take a vintage car in 100% original condition and install power windows?

Depends.. A 1953 Corvette? No. A 1958 Biscayne? Maybe?

I personally wouldn't alter anything to non original on a DH or higher, but a Trojan or VH?

A "faulty comparison" Rich. A closer analogy would be more like adding accessory springs to the steering linkage of a model T to keep it stable at 45 mph.

Nope not me, but others may and that is their freedom of choice, or at least in this country its suppose to be. Different strokes etc. etc. People just have different views. Ya know what some call fashion others call tacky, who gets to choose that label?

In my podunk little hometown in middle of nowhere redneck Alabama there was a fella that painted this wild impressionistic modern abstract art. To me it was weird, gawdy and tacky that looked the inner workings of someone bordering on insanity and most people I knew would not hang that stuff in a closet. Of course they loved his work in Paris and he became very famous over there and somewhat celebrated back home, after the fact. Besides the only other claim to fame my little hometown had was the actress that played Nurse Ratchet in "One flew over the Coo Coos Nest" uncle lived there and she came to visit, once for a few hours at his country store.

Anyway, I like the comedian Louie Anderson talking about his Dad when going on vacation wearing plaid shorts, black socks with garters and loafers and then seeing hippies walking buy and murmuring under his breath "Would you look at those freaks" and then say "Hey quit looking at us, we're looking at you."

can you open Damascus tubes?

Boy that is a head scratchier. I don't know but I guess you could, but I don't know a gunsmith today that would touch it with the liability concerns. Back at turn of the century they might have and guarantee someone on here will know the answer.

Finding a gun with chokes that were opened adds another variable but, in my opinion, we owe it to those who come after us. For a lot of us, that’s a relatively short period of time. Just scan any of the sales sites and look for guns that have 30” or more barrels and the chokes are stated to be cylinder or improved cylinder. Chances are that the chokes have been messed with. Parker no doubt built 30” or better guns with open chokes but this is not typical. I would hold suspect any 30” or better gun with chokes other than modified or full. It may be original, but the odds are long.

I don’t view it as a monetary or collector issue at all. Rather, it is an appreciation and respect for antiquity and the superb work Parker did boring chokes. That coupled with the fact that the gun is no longer made encourages me to try to preserve intact those that are still unmolested. I don’t want to be responsible for diminishing the pool of intact guns, even with a worn Trojan.

Funny you mention that, I just picked up a Lefever F grade 10ga, a pivot lever rod cocker. It has 30" barrels and the chokes are R Cylinder and L .018. The muzzle shows no evidence of cut barrels. The left barrel has 5" inches of continuous taper to the muzzle. Factory or relieved? It also weighs 8 lbs 2 ounces so given the long continuous taper in the barrel with choke and it's light weight for a 10 bore it may very well have been ordered as an upland gun. The price was right either way and I am looking forward to shooting it.

P.S. When it comes to superb work in choking, Ithaca NID's and Rem 94's will often pattern tighter at 40 yards than any Parker.

Legh... talk to me first please. You know my number.





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