Do you hunt with your Parker/Parkers?
 

Just curious how many hunt with their Parker guns?
I'm looking to buy my first and it will probably be a
low to mid grade with a D being the top end for me.
Definitely plan on birding with it and possibly a little
bunny hunting.

Where do you draw the line on not hunting
a Parker?

Bobby

That is all i hunt with for 99% of my hunting ( this year i shot an 1100 20 ga. on a 100 crows or so) and 100 % of my clay shooting. :)

I haven't found a line yet. This past grouse season I hunted my 1/2 frame G grade about 80 hrs. It was out in the pouring rain and blowing snow. At the end of the day it was always dried and cleaned.
Spending allot of time on this and other gun forums I've come to realize that just about anything I do to it can be fixed or refinished.
Dave

I hunt all my guns

A D grade is a great choice - gives something nice to look at when the birds aren't flying

I am not comfortable if I am not carrying one of my Parkers while hunting or shooting. Of course, I occasionally use another gun, but not often. I am not concerned with loss of value from field use.

Bobby,
I generally wait until the seasons open to hunt with mine. Both identical Parker Reproductions. I use 12 ga for ducks and geese, and a 28 ga for grouse and woodcock. I stop when the seasons close....then off to the skeet field and sporting clays courses.
Some folks enjoy collecting and admiring them, others use them for what they were intended. To each his/her own.
Best Fishes,
Steve Kleist Ely, MN

Second Steve on that. If it is rough conditions, I just use one of the rougher condition guns.

There is nothing that I may do to one of my Parkers from grades PG to AH that Brad Bachelder cannot repair. Additionally, I have insurance against loss or accidental damage.

If one is afraid of damaging their Parker while afield then they should hunt with an 870 Remington or a Mossburg. Both makers build adequate hunting guns.

I do admit that along with Parkers I often hunt with AH Fox, Lefever Arms, W&C Scott and Son, and on occasion an LC Smith. All deserve an occasional trip to the field.

I don't have a gun that I can't /won't shoot. Regardless of a guns condition or value it will see time in the field.

Pretty much anything that fly's game and clays alike I shoot with a parker. Previously I would not take out one of my "better" ones in rough weather or tuff conditions, but now I sweat it less for two reasons because I found this site.
1. As mentioned earlier there is almost nothing that can't be fixed by people On this site
2. My "better" ones aren't nearly as nice as I thought now that I've seen some of the beautiful guns on here.

Shooting Parkers
 

I have been lucky to pick up several the last few years. I shoot them all. Have a very pretty GHE 20 ga. that can't find the targets. An older Damascus G H 16ga. only has to be pointed down range to do its job. There is a CH 12ga. that broke a lot of trap for a previous owner that wont do my bidding. There is an old PH 12ga. with open bores in frosted condition that does a very good job with the junk you are forced to throw at waterfowl. The fun is in the doing. The Parkers will all last much longer than I will.

I have a CHE 20 Gauge that I find myself worrying about when afield so it only sees one day a year any more but other than that I hunt them all regularly ! It doesn't matter which of my Parker's are in hand ,I am always careful with it but I am always careful with my Browning BSS 20 and my Model 70's in Deer Season ! Buy the best you can afford ,take care of her and enjoy using it ,that's the best suggestion I could give !

I shoot them all. But, if concern of over use is a possibility, get two!

I hunt with all of my guns. I was carrying a Fox 20ga this week in the mountains when I slipped and slid down the hill. I could have easily injured myself trying to protect the gun. When I came to a stop I sort of thought to myself, "Dummy, don't worry about the gun." Then a thought flashed about not carrying certain guns in the mountains, at which point I immediately discounted that by reminding myself that the gun wasn't the reason I fell, and that the very last thing I would want is to be found dead in the mountains next to an ugly gun.

I'm with Mark and Rich on this. I hunt with all my guns, some more than others. I must admit I waited a long time to buy a Parker DH 28 gauge and the first 20 minutes I carried it I was overly cautious. Once the dogs started pointing I became more comfortable carrying it. About 3 years ago I did what Mark has done, insure them and use them.

i hunt with all my parkers espcially the 8 ga s and 10 s...i use them in the rain cold or what ever but i look after them best as i can after hunting...all my guns are shooter grade guns ....charlie

Yup, I hunt with them all. Some a lot more than others, and some only under fair weather conditions. I try to carry each gun hunting and take game with each one every year. I might shoot better if I stuck with just one or two guns, but what the heck kind of fun would that be.

When asked if I was really going to hunt with that gun I replied , " I paid for it and I darn sure ain't saving it for the next guy." Yes, I hunt with them all except the trap guns.

Last fall while Grouse hunting I took a bad fall. My glasses flew off, my hearing aids popped out and I saw stars. I was carrying a CHE Damascus 20 one of only 8 built with 26 inch barrels. I ended up with a lump on my head and forearm but the gun made it without a scratch.

Sharptails along the Canadian border and at the beginning of the Dakota prairies.

We have a whole forum on hunting with Parkers, see below.

DH-12ga-dam-26 inch . made in 1900 . I use them all

The line between shooting/hunting and collecting is different for each person. One needs to be comfortable with what they are carrying afield because it will suffer some wear and tear from use.

Some characteristics are not very well suited for hunting, like a checkered or skeletal butt when hunting from a blind where guns will be standing in a blind with the butt in the dirt sucking up moisture.

The risk of a fall or dropping a gun is ever present for all us so one needs to keep that in mind. Nobody is happy about damaging a Parker, even a Trojan, but a low grade shooter will hurt less if something happens.

I hunt with most of mine.

I shoot all my trap with a SC. If it's doubles, I use a tighter than tight VH. Hunting- it's either a family (great grand father) Parker or great shooting GH. Geese require ugly Italian plastic and steel. I haven't built up the courage to shoot steel in a Parker yet but I'll use a V,P, or G with Nice or bismuth on geese this fall as I want to get a double pin.

Thank you all for the great responses!
I'm glad to see that most indeed hunt their Parkers.
I definitely intend to take mine afield...when I find it
that is.

Bobby

Rich, that explains things.

hunting with my Parker
 

I will be 70 yrs old when bird season opens next year! I am not saving the good stuff for later! I enjoy it now , that includes hunting with the best guns I have. Jesse

I find that I buy a Parker (or Fox or Elsie) to hunt with, take birds with it for a few years and then I tend to retire it as my go to gun. I then repeat the process over and over. I find it very difficult to part with a gun that is associated with great memories, I guess that's why I have a safe full of old hunting companions.

Just shoot them....

DLH

Hunting is an adventure
 

I hunt with a Parker
I hunt wild Chukar with my Parker's and yes we have taken some bad falls you understand Chukar hunting in my mind is equal to sheep hunting in BC or Alaska and the bumps and bruise are all part of the adventure take your Parker and enjoy it or hang it on the wall and look at it I think I know what Mr. Parker would say to do
I love it when I hear of someone hunting wild birds with just two shots enjoy
Alton

A fine shotgun is the perfect combination of art and function.They are pleasant to look at, but are built to use.The real joy of owning a Parker is to make a great shot,accept the bird from your dog,look at the gun,and say to yourself "ain't life good!"Shoot them,clean them, and pass them on when you leave.

boy s them parker brothers shore new what they was doing when they built these guns i wonder if they knew they were creating a master piece in ever gun they built not just them high grade guns...i truly enjoy looking at these guns...i know i can just get one of these old parkers out in my kitchen set down and bring to my shoulder and im some where hunting...lost in the field.....charlie

Yep,they sure did.Don't ya love it when a plan comes together?

I hunt with my GH every so often but the dimensions make it a bit unpleasant and difficult. I do think I'll take it during this years Spring turkey hunt.

http://m8.i.pbase.com/o6/10/209910/1...od10_10_10.jpg

http://m5.i.pbase.com/o6/10/209910/1...nt10_10_10.jpg

Bill

What so off that it is unpleasant?

Dimensions run 13 3/8 in. LOP to the front trigger, 2 in. DAC and 3 1/4 DAH to the original widows peak dogs head plate. The short length of pull puts my thumb in contact with my nose. The one good thing is that short and with that much drop my face contacts the comb well forward and I do pretty much look right down the rib.

Have you tried one of the Velcro extension pads?

http://www.csmcspecials.com/Gamekeep...Pad_p/slip.htm

Many of us use them to add length

And there are comb risers as well