#4 was built as a grade PT, meaning grade P (referring to the level of engraving) with Twist steel barrels, 30" long from the factory according to the serialization book. So if they are shorter, they have been cut, as is likely the case with the Skeet/Skeet designation. OR, if that is a Remington repair code, they could be factory added. It has been restocked and re case hardened with the barrels blued (browned originally) and the SST added, aftermarket. All would appear to be well done. As a frame of reference, an unaltered similiar gun in good condition would likely fall in the $700 to $1000 range. (a 30" PT grade gun)

An actual original Skeet Parker is a much rarer item, and would command significantly more.

The damascus/twist guns can be shot, recommended using low pressure loads (such as RST). Again an in-hand inspection by a competent gunsmith would be a good idea to check things like barrel wall thickness, chamber length. A good looking gun certainly worth having it checked out and with the finishes, and upgrades it really creates it's own draw as a unique shooter. There are surviving factory records for your gun, so it would be worth requesting a letter per the link on the home page.

Ok, well if they are "ruined" value wise because they have been reworked or "altered" to much for original then Just say that, I can handle it.... I do realize that when old guns are substantially altered from what they would have been originally it can substantially lower there "collector" value. I don't really care what there value is. I just want the honest skinny about them and what they are...

My very last post there I typed and posted before I read your post Kevin, FYI. Just sayin so we are on the same page. I am going a pay the 40 dollars here and become a full fledged member of the forums. I guess I'm going to have to do some studying about these old shotguns and get "schooled up" on them..

There is another old Damascus barreled External hammer shotgun down stairs too. When I said Damascus when referring to the last "skeet gun" and I was speaking of the fancy coloring af the receiver and so forth. Obviously Damascus is something else.. Dad also had Japanese made Charles Daly's and Winchester 101's that I have and old winchesters rifles of my grandfathers and Just all kinds of stuff. LOL I got my work cut out for me!

I guess the last thing is can anyone recommend a person or gun shop around central Pennsylvania to take these to the have them looked over? Maybe some one who specializes in these. I don't want to take them just anywhere. And I would really like to shot maybe one or all of them, at least a little, just to say I did it. But I want to know that they are good to go. I would hate to destroy one of them. Potentially those sleeved ones could maybe be iffy?!

Thomas:

The sleeved ones may be the soundest, but find out from a qualified professional. And, after having them examined and shooting them, as you say, “at least a little, just to say I did it”, you may find that breaking clay targets and seeking wild birds while carrying a gun is more fun than rifle and revolver shooting.

The $40 fee is for Membership in the Parker Gun Collectors Association, which organization is about appreciation of the guns, the people who made them; researching them and preserving pertinent records. The Forum is one component of the package, and there surely are very knowledgeable people in the Association frequenting it who are fully-qualified to provide insights.

A few years back, like you, I knew very little about the four Parker guns that were my father’s. I revered the guns, as they were daily material reminders as to the kind of person my father was, but at that time I exclusively shot Remington 1100s. Those semi-autos I had bought to “learn” on, intending some day to “graduate” to the Parkers. (Today I usually shoot the vintage guns, but remain an undergraduate.)

In fact, when I joined by sending in my $40, I had no expectation of participating in much of anything. I had contacted a couple of people who happened to be members so as to learn some basics of manipulating the old guns. And, without the gratuitous advice from such members as Dean Romig and John Dunkel, I probably would have done some damage to those Parkers just trying to figure them out on my own. So, my principle reason for sending in the $40 was to support in some small way the Association because of the help I had received. Since then the benefits to me have exceeded anything I could have anticipated.

And, do tell us about your dog. He looks eager.

Thomas - Should you decide to get research letters on your guns, the head historian who writes those letters lives in Central PA. You may be neighbors

The Dag is Emma. 85 lb. 2 year old German Sheppard. Well she may be 90 lbs. now. She's Big, Muscular & FAST. I never expected her to get quite as big as she has. I know she has startled a few of the neighbors from time to time. Barks at anything and everything that comes near the property. Patrols the perimeter of the property every few hours. Likes play frizbee and beat up on Franklin the fat little chocolate lab from down the street... Bull in a china closet probably describes her best.

Thank you for sharing photos of your Parkers.

Each and every one of the guns have been heavily altered from their original conditions. All of the beavertail forends are non-original. The guns would have originally been splinter guns. One looks like it could have the original buttstock. The others are aftermarket replacements and are not Parker correct.
3 of the guns have had all their metalwork incorrectly blued and the other has had cyanide case coloring done which is one step closer, but still not correct.
The vent ribs on the couple guns are aftermarket and one of the barrel sets is sleeved, and not done all that cleanly.

Essentially the guns have more value as family heirlooms for you, but unfortunately carry very little value on the open market to anyone else.

Got my parkers back from the gun smith. He gave all a clean bill of health. He Spoke with a Parker collector about the guns and thinks the guns that where re-barreled where done at the Parker factory.

Rebarreled maybe but the ones that were sleeved were not done by Parker or Remington. Sleeving was an aftermarket proposition.

Regarding shootability.... your Dad shot them all and probably didn’t pay a lot of attention to the loads he was shooting and if he loaded his own, just loaded to the standard trap and skeet loads of the day. I’m sure they haven’t sustained any ‘damage’ from sitting unused all these years since your Dad stopped shooting them.

What a nice legacy he left you.





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