Parker weights
 

I hope someone can tell me if my Parker GH 28 inch damascus 12 ga. is unusual in that it weighs 6 lbs. 10 ozs.It has semi-pistol grip to a dogs head buttplate.It is built on a #1 frame.i have never seen a Parker 12 this light,even thugh i know they were advertised as low as 6 1/2 lbs.Anybody out there have one like this? Thanks, Marcus

Mine is like yours but with the 30” barrels.

There are a fair number of number 1 frame 12's, this was the upland game 12. 6lb10oz is on the light side of normal for 1 frame 12's but not unheard of. Most 1 frame 12's will be a bit heavier, like 6/12 or 6/14. To get to light weight, they had generally plain, straight grain wood, shorter barrels, and extractors. I have seen a 6/8 26" VH 12ga, a very plain gun. Some of the reduction in weight came from the barrel walls, so know your wall thickness.

Sounds to be a great upland carrying gun.

i had a 26 in 1 1/2 frame 12 ga PH twist that came in at 6 lbs. 8 ozs scott

They are out there..A shooting buddy has a 1924 VH 12ga. 30" 1 1/2 frame that tips the scales at 6lbs 13oz. A nice light fast 30" gun.

Newbee questions
What is this information telling me?
This is the gun pictured above with 30” barrel,
and the scale showing the total gun weight.
What is the reason for needing to know the barrel thickness?

Mike,The D on the left is Damascus. The 3 superscript 10 is the unstruck barrel weight.The 1 on the lug is the frame size. Barrel wall thickness comes into play here as a 1 frame 12 gauge gun has fairly thin cross section when new to accomodate the small frame hence barrel wall thickness is even MORE important the usual.

Is this the gun for sale on Gunbroker?

[QUOTE=Dave Suponski;14392]Mike,The D on the left is Damascus. The 3 superscript 10 is the unstruck barrel weight.The 1 on the lug is the frame size. Barrel wall thickness comes into play here as a 1 frame 12 gauge gun has fairly thin cross section when new to accomodate the small frame hence barrel wall thickness is even MORE important the usual.

Is this the gun for sale on Gunbroker?[/QUOTE]

It was.

Newbee question again.
Why do I need to be concerned with the wall thickness?
Is this telling me I need to be extremely careful of what
Ammo. I decide to use?

Marcus,

So sorry for hijacking your thread :-(
This is some good info. :-))

My current favorite bird gun is a DHE one frame 12 gage with 26" Titantic Steel Barrels and PG stock with a 14 3/8" LOP. The gun letters at 6# 4oz. with an unstruck barrel weight is 3# 5oz and the minimum wall thickness is 032.

Parker weights
 

Thanks for the reply,Larry.My GH has 3lb.6oz. barrels,and straight grain wood,and obviously no ejectors.I haven't had the chance to measure bore diameter and wall thickness,however I have noticed that muzzle walls are very thin,and gun hasn't been shot that much,so barrels are probably struck fairly thin. Anyway,thanks for the info.This Parker site is really topnotch.I wish there was one for W.&C. Scott guns,as they are my first love. Best Regards, Marcus

GUN WEIGHT
 

It looks to me like that scale reads 6 pounds 13 ounces. I have a DH 28 inch barrel gun that weighs within an ounce of that , on a 1 1/2 frame. I don't think you will have worries about scrawny barrels at that weight, but a twelve ga gun less than 6 3/4 pounds is not a pleasure to shoot.

Best, Austin

Larry, I love that sweet little twelve of yours.

You are right Austin, a sub seven pound 12 gage would not be my choice for a hundred rounds on the sporting clays course but to bring a few Kansas phesants to bag it works just fine.

Barrel thickness is your leading hand.

We have lots of threads here on barrel thickness. Its generally considered that you need at least .025 9" in and .010 at the chambers. Some of the light frame 12's weren't far from that when new so if they are honed .008, then its below what most people like. The thicker the wall thickness, the less you need to worry about pressure.

My 26" #1-frame GHE12 weighs 6#10oz. I love it... a bit heavy, but I manage. I would love to see pics of Larrys light D grade.... Or maybe he'll just "loan" it to me for a while to inspect... I can't imagine a Parker 12 that light. Must be a sweetheart. Sure seems to have Dean drooling.

Honed .008 ???
Wow!! I am indeed into a whole new world here.
Alright, what do I need to do to be sure this shotgun
is safe to shoot and with what ammo?
Thanks :-)

Probably a 'typo' in there someplace :shock:

Could it be .100 at the chambers?....

I have two #1 frame Parkers and no scale to weigh them. Austin is correct on these light guns and four boxes of shell. Even a 1 oz load at 1150 fps will wear on me. When I shoot sporting clays with these Parkers it is with 7/8 oz @ 1150 fps. Totally enjoyable and effective...

Harry

There is at least one 12 gauge Parker in the order books that was ordered at 6 pounds even. I don't know what the finished weight of the gun is. I'll find the serial number and maybe one of our PGCA researchers will look it up in the stock books and find out how much it weighed when finished. I have not seen the gun so don't know what the barrel weight is.

Gun Weight
 

You hit it on the nose Harry; twenty weight loads for a twenty weight gun.

I watched a reknowned shooter develope a flinch shooting factory skeet loads in a 6 1/2 pound gun.

Best, Austin

Gun Weight
 

I have a lifter gun, 22604 that weighs 6 pounds 10 ounces with a steel butt plate. The barrels are 26 inches, paper thin and weigh 2 pounds 13 ounces. The stock is sparse with 13 3/4 inch pull. The barrel flat stamp is 3 pounds 6 ounces. Removing the steel butt might bring it to 6 pounds 6 ounces.
I don't think I would shoot a blank from that gun for dog training, but it certainly looks well used.

Best, Austin

Trap Gun Weight
 

Ken Waite sent me a table of GAH trap gun makes and weights, which we included in one of the Iron Men articles. There was a 5 1/2 pound gun listed, but I think it was a typo or mis print.
There is a piece of advertising in the most recent PP indicating Parker could deliver lighter guns in higher grades. I remember reading this same material when I first began collecting Parkers. This promise has not materialized in the presence of a set of scales.

Best, Austin