New Member from Charleston, SC
 

Thank you for adding me to the forum.

I received my Parker from my Grandfather recently and sorry to say, iris in rough shape.

I have done quite a bit of research and now feel comfortable with the subject but I am always looking for expertise.

It was manufactured in 1895 as it is serial number 815xx. It has a Damascus steel barrel and has a 2 and an "E" on the lower half of the receiver, which leads me to believe that it is a 12 gauge with an ejector.

For the bad, the stock is completely broken and will have to be replaced, requiring an expert's touch and the factory finish on the metal is gone.

For. The features that are good, in my opinion, is there is no rust in the chambers or barrels and I think that it will be very capable to still be used.

I ask for assistance in the following:any insight from the details in the pictures, any insight to who can replace the stock(relatively close to my area, what is the overall condition, what should I do in terms of preserving this weapon?

I am not looking to restore it for resale but I would like to keep, utilize it, pass it down and enjoy.

Thank you in advance.

Cheers, Arthur

Picture 2

Number3

No. 4

Barrels

Arthur,

Welcome to the PGCA forum. Congratulations on having a fine Parker shotgun as a family heirloom. To my eyes your gun doesn't look that rough compared to some I have seen. While your stock looks pretty beaten up and broken it is possible it can be refinished and repaired to like new shooting condition. The metal also can be brought back to shooting condition as well provided there aren't deep pits in the barrels that would make the gun unsafe to shoot. There are a number of specialized gunsmiths in the country who could evaluate your gun and give you an estimate as to whether it would be safe to shoot or not. From there they can tell you how much it would cost to redo the barrels, repair the stock and even recase color the receiver. It can be pricey and you may choose to do only some of it. Personally I might have the barrels redone and the stock repaired. Some gunsmiths who can do the work and are highly thought of by forum members are Brad Batchelder, Kirk Merrington, Keith Kearcher and Darlington Gun Works. These are in no specific order and all do fine work. I would advise against taking it to the closest gun store who advertises gunsmithing work. Some of those gunsmiths do wonderful work but some are butchers who would ruin the gun in short order. It pays to check out the work of those people who will work on any gun.

I know other members will offer their expertise and I advise you to pay close attention to them. We have some real experts on the forum and they know what they are talking about.

Dennis

Arthur: Your granddad's Parker is an EH grade -- that means grade 2 hammerless 10 gauge with a pistol grip. From the picture of the broken stock, which is not too clear on my computer, I believe it might be glued back together and made to look OK and possibly OK to shoot. There are gunsmiths with good wood skills that can probably tell you for sure. If it were mine, I would just try to patch the stock and clean it up good. Of course, if you wish, it could be professionally refinished to look near new but that would be costly. Years ago, I had an EH and shot it some with 12 gauge chamber inserts. Be proud of your Parker and keep it in the family. Charlie Price

as Charlie mentions- that serial number shows as a 10 gauge, it left the factory with 30 inch barrels. The record says no extras, so not sure about the ejectors Vs extractors.

There are people who can fix that break in the stock, although repair or replace, it will cost you a bit. but if it were my grandfathers gun and I planned to pass it on- i would look into fixing the stock and recoloring the barrels, and then enjoying the heck out of it.

Judgeing from what I have been charged in the recent past you will probable be looking at about 750.00 to 800.00 to get the stock repaired and the barrels redone. Well worth the money if done properly.

Thank you all for the great feedback!

I am glad that we can re-breathe life into this classic.

I will update as the repairs are completed.

Arthur
Welcome and congratulations. I would suggest you contact Brian Dudley , a PGCA member, on the stock repair. I live in Georgetown and collect and shoot Parkers. Jim Kelley in Darlington is a great Parker gunsmith, but has some health problems and the weight has become very long, sometimes years. If I can help you please feel free to contact me. The previous advise is good and the other smiths mentioned are excellent.
David

I have recently seen two separate guns, with broken stocks, repaired by Chris Dawe (PGCA member) and they were done beautifully.

Wait a minute... What is going on with that upper tang? Is it extended??? Please post a pic of the top of the wrist and also the bottom of the wrist while you are at it.

Brian is correct. It looks like somebody has welded an extension on to the tang. I would like to see better pic,s also. Looks like backyard engineing to do a previous repair to the stock. If it is you will be looking at a lot more work and a hole lot more money to repair it.

I have a back action with a lengthened tang. And an incorrect stock. Long term plan is to make the tang correct and replace stock. Sometime...

As requested

Lower half

As for the finish on the receiver, would cleaning suffice if the barrels are to be refinished?

Another picture of the lower half

Another

Comparison of finish

Forend

Yeah, you have about an inch long piece added to be upper tang.
To make the gun proper, that would have to be removed and dressed back down properly.
You deffinately have a fixer upper there.

Brian,
Thank you for the response. I have sent you a private message.

To everyone else, thank you for the responses and I look forward to being a member of this site.

Cheers,
Arthur

Worth fixing in my book, but won't be cheap. I like the scallops in the bottom of the receiver.

A stock repair and good cleaning would go a long way with this one.

It appears that someone attempted to strengthen the receiver's fit to the stock because of problems with it. The fix made things worse. Not a good gun smith! Still it made the gun shootable for some more years. I would have the stock repaired if possible. That gun has some shooting history! Do you know any of it? David

Sorry for reviving such an old thread, I am boxing it up and sending to Brian right after the holidays!

Extremely excited to see his work. It only took two years to get it to him, so what's a little longer for getting a shooter back!

Congratulations ahead of time. I am sure it will turn out awesome. I am sure everyone here will be looking forward to the results.

I second David.