12 gauge Parker shotguns
 

Or any 12 gauge, for that matter. They have become really unpopular.

Why?

Is the recoil that punishing? (I don’t find it to be a problem.)

They are common.

At present I have more intrest in 8 and 10 gauge Parker’s vs 12 gauge . About the only time 12’s intrest me is at a Colombaire , boxbird or zz bird match .

Possibly that people have found that smaller, lighter, gauges work just as well for for their intended purpose.

In my younge years, I thought that I had to have a 12 gauge in order to effectively hunt. I am strictly an upland guy, and the other smaller gauges work fine for my type hunting. That and that is what my father hunted with, same mindset I am sure.

I still have my 12 gauges, save one, and am having another one worked on currently. Anything I dispose of now will be my 12 gauges.

Supply of shooter quality vintage 12-gauge doubles far exceeds the dwindling pool of us Boomers with an interest in such things. Us Boomers are leaving the marketplace faster than any Millennials, Gen Xers, etc. are entering it.

I suspect other guages have become more popular as opposed to people not liking the 12. The old guys I grew up hunting with told me to stick with the 12 because you can almost always find a box of 12's at a hardware store. Now most sporting goods store and on-line services offer most all guages. And yes many gauges are expensive.
Because I knew better than the old guys, I bought a BPS 10 gauge when I was young. Sure enough I forgot to pack my ammo on the way to a goose/duck trip in upstate NY. Had to drive 45 mins to a mom and pop hardware store in Greenwich (I think) to find a box of 10's. Had to shell out almost $40 for the box.

The slow down in 12 gauge sales is really the result of two things in my opinion. One is as Brian said,there are just a lot more 12s out there than small gauge guns. High supply means lower price. The 2nd cause is the improvement in small bore ammo. Within reason, a 20 can do almost anything a 12 can do in most hunting situations. That said,there are some great buys out there in 12 gauge guns right now.

Small gauges have become cool over the past couple of decades.
Most don’t realize the value in light, well-made English 12 bores, which shoot marvelously and feel wonderful between the hands.
In many upland fields, it seems a badge of honor to be shooting a 28 gauge or a .410, but those are toys (albeit beautiful ones) which, in my mind, are not worth the trade-off.
I want a gun that I can shoot! And for me, in the field I want something between 28 and 30 inches and between 6 and 7 pounds that points and balances well enough that you don’t even know it becomes a part of you.
There a plenty of 12s that fit that bill.
I prefer 16s as the most versatile gauge of them all, but I still love a good 12.

You recently had a DH 12 gauge 2 frame 32” safety delete gun I bought off a dealer in the Pacific NW I think 4 or 5 years ago . I sold it to someone in PA two years ago I believe who later sold it to someone else who saw fit to open the chokes . When I had it the gun 38 or 39 points in both barrels . I think when you sold it they’d been opened IC/IM . Someone before you got it in their infinite wisdom messed up a damn good sporting/box bird/Colombaire gun :banghead: oh yeah the price you finally let that gun go for was just a skoosh over 2/3rds what I had in it and sold it for .

So buy a 12 now, and enjoy the value, and its versatility. If you want to sell, know you likely won’t make money on the deal.