You know what... I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this is a V grade gun that was upgraded or customized into a P grade. One begs to differ, why? But who knows. Or maybe it was a Parker Lunch Box Gun.
- The engraving that is of P grade pattern but poorly done and not Parker quality or exactly the correct style.
- The water table has been restamped. Not once, but twice. The font is not correct or matching of the S/N and the "PH" stamping is not correct.
- The gun books as a different Grade with a different grip and a different guage.
- Other things such as the barrel fit are also suspect. The barrel fit may be due to 16g. barrels being fitted to a 12g. frame? Also the barrel lug stampings look not quite right or should I say too fresh. I would be curious to see what the barrel S/N stamp looks like.

On a side note, the book specs are interesting... 27" length. Thats different. And the serial number after it has the same exact specs as this gun.

In my opinion there is so much misinformation being posted on this thread and some disparaging remarks about Mr. Hamm's Parker, I think it best that we all wait until a research letter is procured and if there are members who continue to 'disbelieve' then an in hand inspection of the gun may yield more accurate information than a few pictures can provide.

In the meantime, thank you Mr. Hamm for providing us all with some thought-provoking information and pictures.

I think I'll take a cue from Mr Romig and order up a research letter. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts. I will most certainly post whatever I learn once the letter is in hand.

Actually, one more question...really basic. How do you measure the barrels?...from the breach to the end of the barrel or with a round in the chamber and then from the froward end of the round to the end of the barrel? I did the former.

Right from one end to the other.