Custom Fluid Steel barreled 20g. Hammer gun project
 

I figured this long term project would be a great one to document here so that the progress of this little gun can be seen.

This project all started with a large Parker parts purchase I made maybe 6 months ago. When everything came in the mail I was going through it all figuring out what all I had gotten. I came across a complete hammer gun action with lock plates and hammers and just thought to myself, "lot of good parts there" and set it aside.
A few days later I picked it back up and got to looking at it closer and realized it was awfully small. I measured the firing pin spacing and sure enough, it was an 0 frame! I checked the serial number in the book and it was listed as originally being a 28" twist barreled 16g.
I couldnt part this action out. I decided it would be a good base for a custom build. If I was going to do this, I wanted it to be a 20g. since factory originals are rare to begin with and it would make a great little shooter.
I set out in search of a set of barrels and it didnt take long for me to find a set of NOS Remington made hammerless 20g. fluid steel barrels. They were fully finished with chambers cut to 2-3/4" and all solder joints dressed down. But the rib was not matted. Interestingly enough they were marked on the side of the lug as being for a D grade and there was a serial number even stamped on the barrel flat. 242396. Could be that these barrels were actually slated for installation onto a particular gun and that gun was never built.

First thing to do was fit the barrels to the frame. The barrels came about
1/4" from closing so some work was needed to get them to close up completely and tight. The rib extension sat a touch high and had to be worked down.
I could have taken the easy route and removed the check hook pin from the frame and made the hammerless barrels operate similar to that of lifter barrels with no positive stop point, but I wanted to do things as right as I could. The hammerless barrel lug was first altered in order to clean the check hook pin, and then a check hook removed from a junk set of barrels was attached to the hammerless lug to yield a fully functioning and finished check hook system on the new barrels. Old barrel markings were removed and the matching Serial number to the frame was stamped in.

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Then the outside of the barrels at the breech end could be dressed down to meet the frames breech balls. New firing pin retaining screws were made and dressed down.

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This frame was an 0 grade with just plain line border engraving. The frame was annealed so that all of that border engraving can be polished out for a clean slate. This frame has many dents and marks in it to be worked out. Especially on the bottom side. The upper tang was dressed down and rear of the breech balls defined and a new upper tang screw fitted.

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The original top lever was straight. And I personally like the look and feel of fishtail top levers, so the original lever was bent into the proper fishtail shape.

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Below is a few photos of the upper area of the frame with the barrels fitted and altered top lever in place and rough polishing done.

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My intentions for this project is to have all metal parts engraved in a grade 2 type motif so that it is dressed up enough, but not over the top. The top rib will be left un-matted, just like the early hammer guns were and the Parker Markers Mark will be hand engraved on the rib. Also just like the early hammer guns. No barrel steel will be listed in the makers mark.

I do plan on putting lightening cuts in the water table as well as milling out the underside of the forend iron as to build as light of a gun as possible.

I will update this thread with progress as things chug along.

Wow! That will turn into a wonderful little grouse gun, Brian. I am in awe! :bowdown:

your talents continue to impress

Very good job, Brian. I am always impressed with the skill of accomplished gunmakers. You do very impressive work.

Dennis

Brian thats quite a project and a very worthwhile one as well. At the risk of being stupid (a risk I'm never afraid to take:) ) you make several references to NOS what does this mean?

new old stock

Thanks Rick,its good to learn something new. If it's old stock how is it new???Makes me go Hummm:rotf::rotf:

The next thing I had to do was fitting of the barrels water table bead to the frame. Hammerless frames are wider and taper towards the front. Hammer guns do not taper.

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So this bead had to be significantly worked down to make evertyhing look right. A NOS factory oversized forend iron is being used for this project.

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NOS Being New Old Stock parts from the Parker Factory.
At the current time I do have a source for NOS forend irons. Trojan and Graded.
The graded irons are oversized all around so they can be fitted to 0, 1 or 2 frame guns.

Side Plate is also polished out along with the side of the frame.

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yeah talk to a car guy - that is their holy grail. show them a 50-60 year old part found in a dealers back room, still in the original packaging never used, and watch them go catatonic

The NOS term comes from my car background.
Unfourtunately a lot of NOS car parts are not as nice as one might hope. rusted chrome and such.

Really nice work, looking forward to seeing it done.

Yeah...at least by this day and age many NOS car parts are the defective items that were 'put back on the shelf' 50 years ago. Plus they have 50 years of shelf wear and mishandling. But....I'm still glad to get them!

Very impressive project. I'm looking forward to seeing photos at completion.
I wasn't aware that any early hammer guns didn't have the bbl steel marked on the top rib. Perhaps they exist but I didn't note the absence if I have looked at one. I have both a 600 and 1200 SN range lifter and they are both marked as to bbl material. I do have a black hole in that I own both lifters and hammerless PBs but haven't yet bought a TL gun.
Project is a very worthy custom endeavor.
Best Wishes,
Erick

Oh no. All barrels were marked with the steel type.
This one will
Not be only because I do not know what it is. I figure keep it clean with just putting the makers mark on it.

That's going to make a really nice gun.

well done Brian.

That is very cool. Was the "check hook" modification difficult?

Please keep up posted to the guns status. Very well done sir.

PS: I like the fishtails also. Great choice.

Check hook modification/installation was not all that bad. The hook is welded on to the lug. Planning and making sure all was in its correct location was important. Other than that, careful file work for cleanup took care of it.

brian this sure is a interesting project you have going...i m watching with great interest will be waiting for up dates..charlie

The barrels are all worked down and fitted to the frame where they need to be. Both water table beads are shaped down and the rib extention worked down. The breech end of the barrels and back section of the rib are polished out and are being sent off to Gournet for engraving of the makers mark, breech border and dolls head.

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Moving on to the bottom of the frame. It had several dents and areas that were distorted. Especially along the sides on the sculpted beads. The photos below show a pretty good before and after with one side being worked over and the other side not.

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High marks for making it a Grade 2 and not the usual over-the-top A-1/Invicible copy.

Well, as that I am currently also putting together a VH to CH upgrade, I had to look at how much money I had to go around for all the engraving work. Also, I was not quite wanting to do all the bolster sculpting required to make it a grade 3 and up style gun.

Since this gun is clearly a custom shooter and not intended to be a faithfull grade 2 replica. I do intend on giving the engraver a little free reign as to what to put down as long as it is similar in style to the a grade 2 gun. Which leaves things open a little for interpretation since grade 2 guns varied a bit in complexity over the years.

My first thought was to just do very simple border engraving and keep it VERY simple. But I know I would regret that later on.

A very exciting project. Thank you for sharing the journey!

I then put the milled lightening cuts into the water table. I used a 3/8" ball end mill. The cuts are. .10" deep. Then the serial number was re stamped in the left rear cut. I did not stamp a grade number since I am not really "cloning" a particular grade.

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Brian Why don't you make up your own grade for the gun. then in 100 or 150 years you will leave all the experts stumped.

I got my barrels back from Geoffroy Gournet today. He did a great job on putting down the engraving on the barrels. The intention was to emulate the look of the earlier hammer guns with un-matted ribs.

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And below is a photo of the bottom of the frame all polished out with side sculpting fully cleaned up. The trigger plate and triggers are also polished out.

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knew I should have stopped :corn:

drove right by this afternoon, I would like to see that one in progress.

it is looking really nice.

Sorry Rick, I was out getting in one last Grouse Hunt for the season with a friend this afternoon. So, I wasn't home.
But, you are welcome to stop in anytime.

Really nice Brian. Too bad you could'nt finish the barrels in a faux damascus pattern, but i'm sure it will be stunning after it is blued.

Will Parker Brothers be engraved anywhere on the side plates? I didn't see it in the photos.

Yeah. Parker Bros will be on the side plates. The remnant of the original name is still on the plates now. I still have a little more polishing to do.

Very cool project.

Brian, I must say a great project, your expertise with these old guns is unbelievable, are you a reincarnate of an old Parker employee? Gary

xxxxx

There was a rather nasty chunk of metal missing from the lower left corner of the frame. This had to be built up with some weld and dressed back down.

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And the "New Old Stock" forend is dressed down all around to fit the frame. Also, the forend iron clearance sculpting on the bottom of the frame was cleaned up. The first old photo shows the amount of metal that had to be removed from the iron.
These NOS irons are oversized enough to where they can be fitted to 0, 1 or 2 frames.

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Brian, will you be at the Syracuse show in April? If so, I would like to meet you. Thanks, Bill

Bill,
Oh yeah, you are close. I absolutely will. I am usually in the back room. Straight in from the main entrance on the back wall. I have a table runner with my name and information printed on it.
Look forward to meeting you!
I will also be at Rochester the weekend before. There I will be up in the main hall by the entrance, by John and Alan Batzold.

Brian, I will see you in Syracuse. John and Alan Batzold are two of the finest old time gun dealers. Only quality guns on their tables and usually, only a few. I purchased my PH 36" 8 gauge from John at the Albany show 15 or 20 years ago. It was the only gun on his table.

Yes, John is a good friend and of mine. He has owned a lot of nice guns over the years.
Look forward to meeting you. I do plan on having this 20g hammer gun with me for show.

Brian, gun #242,396 was a 20 gauge DHE, in stock at Remington on December 9, 1942, to be reconditioned or parts added to make it sellable. I assume the work needed on the gun was to finish the barrels. Apparently, they decided to part it out rather than restoring it to new condition.

Thanks for the info Bill. I figured that was the situation.