New member with an old Parker
 

Hi Folks:

Finally landed on this great forum. I own a humble 10 ga. Parker underlifter, serial 13024 (matching), that has had the barrel cut down to "coach gun" length a very long time ago (didn't do it, I promise!). It also has a very old wire-wrap repair on the straight stock that may sound nasty but really gives this old gun some character. It has no engraving and the damascus pattern is simple, but the action locks up solid as a rock and the bore is slightly pitted but not too bad. I bought the gun 16 years ago at a gun show for almost nothing; it really spoke to me when I held it.

Needs some firing pins; I understand that a member named Dave Purnell makes them. I don't plan to shoot it, unless I just make some noise and smoke with low-pressure BP loads (have a load of heavy-wall brass from a guy in Colorado).

Thanks to all for the forum; the information here is worth its weight in gold.

-Jeff Mayhew

Thanks Jeff. You're right about Dave Purnell making firing pins but I don't know if he is still doing it... he'll come on and tell you, I'm sure.

I hope the barrels are at least eighteen inches long...

It should make quite the noise maker with those short barrels.

Parker on the wrong side of the tracks
 

Yes, the barrels are 20 inches. The chambers are 2 5/8". And, while I was uncertain as to the strict definition of "on face," I did insert a sheet of typing paper between the breech face and the chambers and closed the action. I could hold the weight of the shotgun up with the sheet of paper, and opening the action was harder with the paper in place. I assume this means it's "qualified" (?). There is absolutely no play between the receiver and barrels when the action is closed.

Here are some pictures. I had forgotten to note that the right hammer is a half-finished replacement. A tool-and-die maker friend of mine helped me measure the original (left) and fabricate a new one on his computer-controlled machinery, although he didn't tackle the knurling at the top. Elsewhere recently I have seen some discussion about whether or not the square that the hammer is mounted on is tapered or not; the consensus I had reached with my machinist friend was that there was indeed a very, very slight taper. We machined a graphite EDM (electrical discharge machining) tool to make the hole in the hammer, and then "depthed" the taper such that the hammer "bottomed out" before the shaft it was mounted on cleared the hole. This ensured that the screw would pull the hammer tightly against the lock. Obviously, any looseness in the hammer would only get worse over time.

If I can get some firing pins, it will incentivize me to finish that hammer!

I want to emphasize that I'm posting these pictures not because I think this shotgun is in the same league as the beautiful, engraved Parkers I've seen posted here, but simply to show how these magnificently well-built shotguns were also put to more prosaic uses, in the hands of security personnel in bygone days who counted on their top-quality construction.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/...e/DSC_4500.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/...e/DSC_4503.jpg

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That gun is in pretty nice condition really. Bores look great. Hope you have fun shooting it. I like your home made hammer. You might get some guys calling you for those. I'll have to do some caliper work and see if my hammer shafts are tapered or not. If they are it must be a very slight taper that bottoms the hammer out at just the right spot. Maybe your machinist friend could duplicate the firing pins if someone sent you one. I think quite a few of the guys would like newly made firing pins. Mine are the straight type vs the dogleg style you have so are easier to make.

Thanks Richard! Yes, I believe there is a tendency for weapons used in security applications to be heavy on "handling wear" but light on "shooting wear." I have a Colt Thompson 1921 that was in the Massachusetts prison system from the 1930s until a few years ago, and it's in a similar state: worn stocks and finish, but barrel and internals virtually unused. The purist collector goes for condition, but I like guns with a bit of character and history to them, particularly if they are shootable.

I have a couple of Parkers that I would be glad to trade for a 1921 Colt Thompson. I have never owned one but I would like to.

Sounds like blasphemy on this forum! But they are a hoot to shoot. We went out yesterday, in fact.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/.../tommygun1.jpg

Jeff, Those are wonderful old guns with a heck of a record, but you have to be up to date for the varments around here.

Woo-Hoo!! Praise the Lord and Pass the ammunition!!!

I knew a doctor here in Swampscott, Massachusetts who had several Thompsons in his collection.

What a wonderful old Parker! While pristine guns are nice, what I call "I been there guns" have a charm all their own. While there is no way to prove it, I'll bet your gun was a stage coach guard's gun. Perfect candidate for a denizen of the Old West. Did Wyatt Earp carry it on the Benson stage? If not he carried a gun similar to yours. (Actually I think he used a Greener.) The fact that the wrist is broken means it was used and possibly dropped, maybe during a hold-up! The wire wrapped stock is classic! Earp recorded that when he shot Curly Bill he put the bead of his shotgun square in the middle of the outlaw's chest and cut loose both barrels each loaded with 9 buckshot. Again according to Earp the shot, "nearly cut him in two".

Did the old lawman use your gun? Probably not; but we can dream can't we? Old Parkers are intriguing not just for their condition and collectibility, but also for the story they tell. Your gun could probably tell volumes.

Congratulations upon your old and classic and probably wild west shotgun!