Ok, now I need an education on Silver's pads. They come in red or orange as shown in photo. Which would be correct color for this gun? Thx, Ray

I believe the red Silver's pad wasn't available until 1905. Since your gun was restocked and a pad added in 1915, according to your post, the red one would be fine.

There was discussion on this once before so you can search the archives to make sure my dates are accurate.-- but I think I am close.

Plus I think the red one looks nicer.

I agree with Stub, the red is the way to go. The orange ones, till they age up a bit, look just awful.

DLH

Did some brief research on original owner, Hugh Mallet of Bradford, IL. His was born in 1875 in Stark Cty. Became a talented harness maker and eventually became a partner in the Jim Dandy Collar Co, which was very successful through the 1920s. Didn't find anything about his trapshooting career but Bill Murphy says he shoot a few. Having ordered a CHE with 32" damascus barrels, straight stock, ivory sights, Silver's pad, he knew what he wanted and had some resources. What is interesting to me is the damascus barrels ordered (1912) at a time when steel barrels had become the rage.

Happy New Year to all.

Ray

Not to hi-jack the thread but today I was fortunate enough to handle a 1928 VH that letters with Damascus barrels. A really sweet Parker.

Could you tell me the serial on the Damascus VH?

Dean, why do you think some buyers still wanted damascus barrels well after steel became the standard?

Bill, it is 227XXX. I only put the X's there because I don't recall those last three digits.

It letters as having gone back to Meriden to be fitted with the Damascus barrels from a G-grade number of 150XXX or something like that.

Ray, I'm sure a great many shooters 'of the day' were quite comfortable with Damascus barrels and appreciated the intricate pattern of those composite tubes.

Edited 9:06 PM

Seriously, because fluid steel barrels are rather drab compared to the beautiful pattern of Damascus or even Twist tubes, especially when they were new.

In the early 20th century if one had a choice between fluid and damascus on a Parker, for pure asthetics you would have to have been a fool to buy fluid steel.

But shooters were overloaded with hype from manufacturers of both the guns and the ammo companies that fluid steel barrels were safer to shoot with the new smokeless powders, hence the bad rap Damascus and Twist has received ere to this day.