Need advice and info on 28ga Repro mods
 

I have a 28ga repro two barrel set (SG/DT/BTFE) and I'm seriously considering opening up the chokes. I have been reluctant to do so for fear of affecting the gun's value, but find I have no use for a 28" M/F barrel (IM/XXF in reality).

I have no intention of ever selling the gun, so opening the 26" barrels to Q1/Q2 and the 28" to IC/M seems like a good alternative that would allow me to fully utilize both barrels of the set. I hunt infrequently, but shoot a lot of clay targets (skeet, sporting clays, and five stand).

Am I on track here, or should I continue to ignore this impulse and stick to shooting the 26" barrel only?

If I do decide to go for it, any recommendations on who could best do the work? I live in the Atlanta, GA area.

Any and all comments and suggestions are welcomed!

It's your gun Marvin. If the future value of the gun is inconsequential to you then go for it. I do quite well with my 26" imp/mod barrels at both skeet and hunting and have never wished for a set of mod/full barrels. Sounds like a winning combination to me.
The best man for chokes is Mike Orlen and he lives in Amherst Ma. I don't have his contact info with me at the moment but someone will post it here for certain.

Here's another possibilty Marvin...how about just ordering an additional new 28" bbl. set from CSMC and have that set choked to suit you. Then you'd never have to be concerned about altering the originality of your gun. Who knows---maybe we still worry after we're dead.:eek:

Mike Orlen
79 Salem Street
Amherst, MA. 01002
(413) 253-5665

Greg,

I like that idea, except for the $$$ part. :) The CSMC website, however, indicates 28 ga barrels are available only for "0" frame sizes. Only .410 barrels are available for the "00" frame. Let me know if this is incorrect, or if I'm missing something.

Marvin, do it! That gun should have been available in a 26" Q1/Q2, 28" IC/Mod combination originally. If it were me, I'd pay as much (or more) for one that was rechoked to that configuration, as an original one with the too-tight chokes.
Joe

I agree with Joe, By the time you are interested in selling it the gun will be in well used condition [ not collector condition] and some one will jump on finding a Twenty Eight ga. with those choke selections. That said I really don't care what my skeet gun is choked after shooting a friends 410 over and under choked full and full with a 1/2 oz. of shot and shooting one of the best rounds of my life.

It appears you're right Marvin, my mistake; IMHO I believe CSMC is missing the boat by not offering a 00-frame set of 28" or 30" bbls. Have you shot your M/F set of bbls. at 5-stand? I shoot our club's 5-stand set up with the 28" M/F pair of bbls. of my 28-ga. Parker Repro 2-bbl. set and seem to score as well with them as I do with any other gun.

You know how anal most Parker owners are with their Parkers and what they'll probably say should you have the chokes altered--"some yahoo went and opened the chokes and destroyed its originality and therefore its value!"

That's a scarce configured gun you have, I'd recommend you leave them original as is, or better yet...sell or trade that gun to me!

My 28ga has 28 inch bbls choked skeet in/skeet out and I wouldn't want it any other way.

If you really don't care about the resale value and want the most utility from your 28" set, put some Briley choke tubes in it and be done with it. You'll be able to have any choke from cylinder to full.

There! I've said it! ....He did say he had no intention of ever selling it.

Me? I'd leave them as is and learn to puff those targets with it. I have a BSS 20g with F/M that I have shot great skeet with, won a buckle for small gauge sporting clays, and hunted pen raised chukar and pheasant as well as wild SoDak pheasant with successfully. I've never wanted to open the chokes since that first round of skeet I shot with it when I ran the field...and trust me, I'm no competitive clay shooter.

Joe,

Couldn't agree with you more! That is the only thing that could make this set more perfect. I love the configuration, and it has the longer 14 5/8'' LOP which is ideal. Thanks for the encouragement!

Marvin

Chuck,

A very practical suggestion but I just hate choke tubes, especially on a SxS.

I like your suggestion to "learn to puff those those targets" though, and that is exactly what happens when I do connect with the left barrel (actually the barrels measure IM/XXF). Maybe I'll try a two step process since Mike Orlen's prices seem very reasonable. Just have the 28" barrels open up to their actual markings of M/F (the left barrel is just ridiculously tight). Then see what happens. Hmmmmm .... :vconfused:

Patern your gun....first
 

I have talked about this not long ago...I have not had time to patern my X-full repro's as yet. Long as the paterns are not being compromised by the tight choking and they hit point of aim I will not have them altered. Use/test the standard 3/4 oz load in the tight choked 28gauge. Unless you have a minty gun properly changing the chokes will not degrade its value. Used gun price will not be harmed in my opinion. thanks all Kenny Graft SXS ohio....(-:

If I bored out every full choked gun that I enjoy shooting skeet with, Mike Orlen would own my house. Personally, I quit shooting skeet for a living at least six months ago. My 19X25s with my duck guns are much more satisfying than the 25 straights with skeet guns. To be realistic, though, most people buy 28 gauge Repros to shoot, not to resell. If I had a two barrel set to shoot, I would put Brileys in the 28" barrels. I don't believe that would affect the value of a field used gun except to make it more valuable.

Choke thoughts
 

Hi Marvin,
I also have a 28 ga Parker Reproduction two barrel set. One is 28" M/F and the other 26" is stamped IC/M, however the IC/M barrels have been opened up to about SKT/SKT.
Had the shorter set not have been opened for me, I would also have done so.
The open set is perfect for ruffed grouse and skeet, while the other is just fine for pheasants, waterfowl with bismuth, and a long sporting clays course.
Like you I bought the gun to shoot and the combination is fine, and I have not regretted the changes at all.
Just my 2 cents from a non expert Parker Reproduction enthusiast.
Good Luck.
Steve Kleist Ely, MN

Comment and then a question:

Comment: I have the same gun/configuration and I don't remember the last time I used the 28" barrels, primarily because I never need them. That being said, I may just have them opened because.... My suggestion would be to open them to IC/IM. Personally I want a little extra choke in the left barrel (but not XXF). Besides, It's always easier to take a little more choke out than to put it in.

Question: Regarding Mike Orlen, Mike has done a number of sets of barrels for me and I have always been extremely happy with his price and his turn-around time. However, recently there have been some comments about Mike on one of the other boards that have raised a flag. Specifically, he has become unresponsive to calls and letters and that barrels have languished for months. Anyone have any contact with Mike in the past few weeks?

Thanks,

DG

I never did hear how Ken Hurst made out with his barrels at Mike's. Anyone?

He got his barrels back

Jay,

A very good suggestion regarding IC/IM. I shoot that combination frequently in my Beretta O/U. Don't know why I didn't think of that! :)


Everyone,

Anyone had any experience using Bill Schwarz for barrel/choke work? He is close by in Ellijay, GA.

I do regular bisness with mike...no problems as yet! Fast and exl. work....He opened my 20ga 28" repro shooter to tight IC and light full, .010 and .024 from .018/.038 have not paterned it as yet but it works clays good...(-: Its a wonderful gun, PG-DT-SF, the engraving stands out now that most of the color case has worn off. The wood is top shelf and its a real looker in the rack at my club standing next to all them over-unders and auto's. Everyone fusses over it...the LORD has blesses me...(-: Thanks all kenny Graft SXS ohio...(-:

I am not sure of this, buy I think my friend Ken got his barrels back from Mr. Orlen untouched by a gunsmith's hand.

Marvin,

I have used Bill Schwarz since 1988 and he has rechoked steel and damascus Parkers for me. I am well satisfied with his work.

Asa Kelley

Asa...how does he re-choke barrels with no or little choke? Kenny

Kenny,

I used the wrong term. Bill has only opened chokes for me. Most all of the barrels I sent him were very tightly choked.

Asa

Thanks everyone for the input and suggestions. I decided to go for it because if I could have a "dream" two barrel set it would be 26" Q1 & Q2 and 28" IC & M. I dropped them off with Bill Schwarz last week.

One more question though: If all Repro's have chromed lined barrels, does that pose a problem when the chokes are opened up?

Marvin,Industrial chrome plating takes about an hour in the tank to coat to a depth of .001. So I would think that whatever you do to the chokes would remove all traces of chrome in the reworked area.

Two questions;

what is it about flush screwin chokes that everyone loves to hate? They are all but invisible and provide a flexibility.

What's this about chrome lined bores in the Repro?

On a fine SXS screw-in chokes are considered by many to be detractors of originality and value.

Original advertising literature says that all Repros have chrome lined tubes.

As Dean said all Parker Reproductions had chrome lined bores, and all were recommended for steel shot in chokes of modified or looser. However, they did not chrome line the choke area, in order to make it easier to open the chokes if desired. And by the way Chuck, thin wall choke tubes are great. I have a set in a Lebeau Courally. However, the Parker Repro barrels are not real thick, so it might not be possible to have them installed. The SCC model with internal screw chokes has thicker barrel walls at the muzzle.
Joe

Just dropped off my 28 ga Repro at Brad Bachelder's to have the receiver re-case colored. I also took with me both sets of barrels. The 28" barrels, marked M/F were choked .034/.012 and the 26" barrels marked Q1/Q2 were choked .014/.014. Me thinkst the 28" set had already been opened.

By the way: Brad showed me a 20 ga Repro frame they just finished refinishing. It looked very nice - similar to the $49k 28 ga Parkers Tony is/was making. Note: this is not an excuse to start critiquing re-case color jobs and who does/does not do a good job. I am just saying the job he did on that 20 ga was very pleasant to the eye and much better than the sprayed on crap the gun came with.

Jay
My 28" 28g has those exact choke dims. I've heard inconsistent information on whether these dims are as delevered.

Jay
My 28" 28g has those exact choke dims. I've heard inconsistent information on whether these dims are as delevered.

That's interesting. Sounds like someone needs to start a survey of chokes by marking (F,M, IC, Q1,Q2) and constriction.

Gosh Jay, those Q1/Q2 chokes at .014/.014 are odd balls--you ought to have Bachelder's mike them again to verify. My 28-ga. 26" Q1/Q2 set measures .004/.008, the 28" M/F set measures .014/.034...these are known to be the original unaltered chokings as they came from the factory.

Ugh! I brought the 26" barrels home with me.

All this talk made me go measure my 28ga. 26" Repro Q1/Q2. The chokes measure .004/.006 Hope this is of some help boys...:)

Any idea what an original Parker IC would measure?

My goal is to make the 28" barrels a little more versatile for clays AND grouse and I was thinking .010/.022. Thoughts?

Jay,I think I would go a little looser. Say .008/.016

With the plastic shotcups it has been my experience on the 28's they tend to pattern a little tight.

I'm in the west and grouse are not the popular game out west that they are here (I'm on the eastcoast on biz this week). But I thought a short barreled gun was more desireable for the woodsey grouse hunting?

There's no short answer to that question Chuck. In the world of grouse shooting most of the flushes are in relatively thick cover and the "poke" shot is often all that a hunter can do. In such situations long barrels are a hinderance. Some say that the longer barrels may be blocked by saplings or branches but I think longer barrels are just that much more cumbersome to get moving. Certainly on such shots a good swing is out of the question. These days with longer barrels being the 'rage' at SC and Skeet, 28" barrels, to my mind, fall within the realm of 'grouse gun' length. I prefer a gun with 26" barrels but would find a light upland gun with 28" barrels easy to use.

Chokes for grouse on the other hand is another story....