Fishtail Top Levers
 

What can you guys tell me about "Fishtail Top Levers" on Parker hammerless guns ?

I've been looking at what "appears" to be a rather nice damascus 10 gauge E grade that dates to 1892 .

There are a good number of examples. What would you like to know?

The subject is pretty thoroughly covered in The Parker Story.

The 'Fishtail' openers were leftover inventory from the hammer gun productions untill they were gone.

If I may...

"One AH grade gun with this hooked lever and several other of higher grade than the lowest PH grade have been reported. Thus, it cannot be said that Parker Brothers was just using up older parts on lower grade guns. The surviving Parker record books have no clues on this lever."

Quoted from page 126 of The Parker Story by Gunther, Mullins, Parker, Price & Cote.

The fishtail top lever was a feature used on the hammer guns for a functional purpose of being able to open the gun when it is cocked, or cock the gun when open. This is in most cases at least. The purpose of putting them on the Hammerless models is pretty much unknown. Apart from using up left over parts, or by customer request/demand. However, I am sure that if customers were requesting them, it would be mentioned in the stock books. But there has not been any talk of this.

I personally like the look of the hooked lever on hammerless guns. It adds an additional touch of aesthetic elegance in my opinion.

Another benefit that I, at least, have noticed in the hooked lever is from a point of irgonomics. The hooked lever puts the end closer to a right hand shooters thumb, thus making it easier to reach and easier to open. Since the thumb does not have to travel as far over the top of the receiver as with a straight lever.

This is one benefit or function that I have not heard mentioned too much, just a thought of mine.

The Parker Story states "hooked top levers were used on hammerguns after about 1885 and were used on hammerless through 1892" I have a hammerless with the hooked top lever in the 68000 range but I have owned a 10 gauge in the 74000 range that was equipped with one and that would put that gun being made in 1892 also.

Does anyone have a gun made later with the hooked top lever?

Would the Parker Pages indicate the latest reported gun with fishtail?

Of course, I don't know anything about this but it would seem to me that, regardless of grade, Parker just used up old stock. Hammer gun production slowed a lot after 1890 or so. No reason to discard them. Grade was dependent on engraving rather then style of lever. Today, companies just throw old parts out because their lawyers (like me) tell them to do so but back then that didn't happen. Since Parker still offered a hammer gun after hammerless came out, they were probably not just used up in all early hammerless production because they still needed them for hammer guns.

What is interesting is that some hammer guns made well before hammerless production began actually have straight levers. I have seen an A grade made in about 1885 with a straight lever that looked original to the gun.

Anyway, Im really not qualified to opine but just share my thoughts.

Ray

I have a P grade with hooked lever. It is a mishmash of parts, but the action is S/N 67266.

SN 73303 is a BH 1 frame with hooked top lever...no mention of lever in letter .George

At this point I have one hammer gun with a fishtail lever. It does NOT allow the action to be opened with the hammer cocked, so I don't believe that was a consideration at all. If it ever did work this way, I think it was just happenstance. I think the fishtail was for aesthetics only, plus being an easier reach for either right or left thumb on opening.

Above all else, Parker Brothers were innovators. They were not afraid of trying a new idea. If it worked and took off in popularity (and sales), then it was continued. If it didn't make a measurable difference in sales or popularity, then old stock was used up, and they moved on. This was just good business sense. It was then and it is now. And Charles Parker, in the day, was an extremely savvy businesman.

IMHO, Dave