the longest barrel
 

i was just setting here wondering what was the longest barrel on a shotgun did parker brothers ever make...charlie

Charlie, in a quick scan of the tables in the back of Vol. II of TPS I see eleven 40" eight-gauge guns listed. I thought I remembered a 42" gun being made but I may be wrong. Parker Bros catalogs I have read list barrels as long as 40" could be made by special order.

Dean

I've seen a 40" 8 gauge at the Southern. What a hoss. Isn't there a 36" 12 out there somewhere?

I believe Walter P. Chrysler had a 16 ga with 40" barrels.

Here is some information I collected for a Parker Pages article that never came together. I suspect that 40 is the answer and the two larger are type-o's that could easily be 40 too.

Robin, can you comment on the 46" and 50" guns shown in your list?

Okay, I see where you comment on "the two larger" possibly being typos

What would the practical advantage be of using barrels that long? What would their effective range be? Just pondering.....

If you're out of ammo you can smack the ducks and geese out of the sky with it. :whistle:

Their use was the focus of the Parker Pages article I collected the information for, but I couldn't come up with a reasonable answer. Maybe someone will have some knowledge on the thinking back in the day on the use of "long tom" barrels.

Maybe more power/velocity due to a more fully burned powder charge... This, I think would be more necessry in the bigger gauges like the 10 and especially the 8.

That's what I'm talking about - I'd use the stock if I could hold it up and waive it at the same time......:rotf:

in the old days of black powder, there rate of burn was controlled by the size of the granules. the grain size was 1-4 the long barrel could take advantage of the slowest burning powder, thus achieving higher velocity. this only worked to a point. smokeless powders work different and at much higher pressures, allowing high velocity in much shorter barrels.

Do we really have to wonder why a man might want to pull out the gun with the longest barrel.....?

It's America, bigger is always better.

Our moderator Mark weilds a 36 inch barreled 10ga on the sporting clays range with great effect:bowdown:

I have two long barreled 8 gauge Parkers. One with 40 1/2" barrels. The other measures 40 1/8 ". I also have a 10 gauge C grade with 36" steel barrels.----My research indicates that Dean is correct. The old timers thought that long barrels promoted higher velocity using black powder.-----------Also have a 38" 16 gauge 0 grade hammer.----Daryl

Wow Daryl, a 38" 16 gauge... whew!!

Daryl, did that come from a Julia auction. I was there with Austin when one sold, just wondering if that is the same one. I often wondered where that gun went.

If you are asking about the 16ga, it did not come from Julia's. Although I have purchased guns from them in years past.-----Daryl

Daryl,

Sorry I wasn't clear, yes I was thinking of the 16 ga. The one Austin and I handled at that auction was very interesting. It would sure be something to try to swat some clays out of the sky using it. Looking down those 16ga barrels was like look down a narrow runway. It was a memorable gun that sold to an unknown phone bidder.

Don't tell Angel about that 16. I would be able to feel the ground shake from his knees banging together from here.:whistle:

I had a Parker 10 ga hammerless with 38 inch bbls and it overwhelmed me.

Aha!! So it's Daryl that got that 38" 16ga!!! I was lucky to get the 32" 16 ga.