The Perfect Gun
 

If you could order any Parker Bros shotgun in any configuration what would your perfect grouse gun be?

That's easy.

28 ga., straight grip, splinter forearm, 26 or 28" barrels, choked IC/M

As high of a grade as this dream will allow!

Tough question (Perfect) carries a large load .
Can't wait for others to reply.
Rufus

I already have several of them...

A Grade 1 16 ga. t/a pistol grip hammer gun on the 0-frame with lightening cuts and a fishtail top lever and 28" Laminated Steel barrels choked IC/MOD.

Same gun with 26" barrels. Everything else is about identical to the one above but this one has less wear.

A Grade 0 16 ga. Lifter with ball grip hammer gun on the 0-frame with lightening cuts with 28" Twist Steel barrels cut back to 24".

A 28 ga. VHE on the 00-frame with 26" barrels with skeet in and IC chokes.

A DH 20 ga. with PG and 28" Damascus barrels choked IC/MOD and a leather covered pad.

A GH 16 ga. on the 0-frame with PG and 26" Damascus barrels choked about CYL & I-CYL.
I have a set of 28" 20 ga. Damascus barrels for this gun that are choked M/F.

A GHE 16 ga. on the 0-frame with 26" Damascus barrels cut back from 28" choked skeet out and skeet in.
I also have a set of 28" Titanic 20 ga. barrels choked about CYL/MOD for this gun.


Lemme see... there may be more around here someplace.... :coffee:

Grouse? I already have it, like Dean. My 18" ten gauge BH should do the job. I would prefer other guns for a classic gunning experience, but I would prefer the "little gun" if I wanted to actually kill grouse.

I was going to post 28 ga GHE skeet gun 26" skeet in skeet out, straight grip, checkered but, beavertail forend, or 16 ga DH 28" 0 frame IC/mod straight grip, splinter forend, double trigger.
But now I want to be Dean's favorite nephew....:rotf:

I would like to have alight o frame 16ga, 6lbs. To 6 1/4 lbs max. Will have 28 inch .003/ .012 pg-dt-sf. 14 1/4 1 3/8. 2 3/8 made to order she....(-: sxs ohio

OMG .… Dean has all the good guns. Bill is just plain scary. I can see him in his laboritory with Igor hacking that BH to 18". I'm thinking 16 gauge as light as possible.

GHE 16 gauge on a "0" frame 26" IC in the right and light mod in the left . Straight grip stock , with a skeleton steel buttplate LOP at 13 7/8" . Hopefully to weigh 6 pounds or a red hair under .

If it were a woodcock only thing I would say pretty much the same thing in 28 gauge on a "00" frame but weighing closer to 5 1/4 pounds . Come to think of it the 28 would be about perfecto for southern mule wagon quail hunts except with 28" pipes .

Not my idea of a grouse gun but I bet I could get it shooting handloaded buckshot well enough for driven deer !

Great question.
I'm lucky enough to just that item, my VHE 20 with a BTFE, 28", cyl/cyl, straight grip........................no wait, I mean the 28 VHE with splinter fore end, 26", mod/cyl straight grip.
Oh God! I'm so confused. Looks like I'll have to hunt twice as much next season to see which one is the favorite. Why do I feel picking a "favorite" is going to be impossible?

PopPop

I think if Dean has so many that he cant remember all of them then he should put some of them up for sale in the for sale section and reduce some of the clutter around the house. It would be so much easier to dust the house.

and he likely has not listed Kathy's :corn:

Kathy hasn't tried shooting the 'new' Ithaca 20 ga. yet so we're not sure just now which one she'll keep.

Incidentally, one of the guns I listed was for sale but it seems nobody wanted it.

Grouse Gun
 

Mine is a VH 16 14 1/4" Pull 2 1/2" Drop, 1 frame, 6 pounds 4 ounces, 28" barrels IC and Full........ Love the balance and feel of the stock in my hands..

Little Dream ...same but with a G or D Damascus
Big Dream...same in a C grade Bernard

Humm... I have a 16 ga VH 0-frame, with a straight stock (14-3/4 LOP) and 28" barrels choked IC/Mod, weighting 6-lb, 2-oz that is close to perfect.

Then there is my 6-lb, 4-oz, HJ Hussey "Imperial" 12-bore SLE, with 28" barrels choked open and light mod that is pretty sweet,

But I dream of a 28 ga VH, 00-frame (lightning cuts), straight stock and 28" barrels chokes IC/Mod.

Already in the safe........AH 16 ga. 0 frame Damascus 26" PG RH Cyl, LH 1/2 choke.

What, Kevin... No Pictures?

I've hefted that one before but a lot of folks have never seen it.

I already own it.... A VH28, straight grip, 26" tubes with a Miller ST, choked IC/Mod. For grouse, it's a gun that is carried a lot and shot a little.

There are scores of ultra discerning folks here that have the wherewithal to order any Parker they wanted for their grouse hunting needs. These individuals choose to hunt the king of all game birds with their Holy Grail -- a 28-ga. Parker Reproduction DHE with 26" bbls., choked Q1/Q2 and/or IC/M. The preferred configuration, of course, is a straight grip, splinter forend and double triggers. These esteemed Parkerites usually relegate their high grade smallbore Parkers to the safe and hunt their Repros, for they are the chosen, they are the gods of the woods.

Well, lets see, order a new Parker just for grouse. For me it would likely be a G grade 20 ga., 26 in. barrels, prince of whales grip and double triggers with upgraded wood. I might jump up to a D grade if the current engravers know what a setter on point and a grouse look like and can duplicate it on steel. It should weigh between 6-10 and 6-12. I would specify, not where it balances in relation to the pin but, rather, that 60% of its weight is between the hands. I would have it choked at .004 and .012. Also, because I am not sure where future regulations are going, I would specify that the barrels tolerate steel shot just in case the government takes full control of everything before I fire my last shot. Perhaps the barrels should be brazed together instead of soldered since I intend to practice alot at clays with it in the off season. Yes, I know it will probably cost in excess of $12,000.

Oh, I just awoke from my daydream and realized I already have just such a beast, or nearly so. A Parker repro at a fraction of the cost and as good a grouse gun as I have ever handled. Now where to spend the money I saved. Perhaps I'll take my setters down south for an old fashioned quail hunt - just to expand my horizons. My grouse gun should work just fine on southern gentleman bob!

I have often entertained the thought of the perfect grouse gun. I love the 16 ga( have 9 of them), but lately have been shooting 20 ga alot. I have never been bitten by the 28 gauge bug, but have a nice little Ugartechea (LCS) Grade 1, straight grip 28 ga, but dont shoot it much.
I have a lovely DHE 16 ga, O frame, straight grip, 26" cyl/mod, 6 lbs even, that on paper would be the perfect grouse gun, but doesnt fit me well without a slip on pad. I carry it only a couple of times per year. My GH 16 O frame damascus , I shoot better. I am thinking about opening up the right barrel to cyl, as it had its barrels cut to 27" before I bought it.
I bought an old VHE 20 last year with cut barrels cyl/cyl(26 1/2), loved it for grouse hunting, not afraid to beat it around the rugged, rocky hillsides of the Appalachians--would be even better if it had a st. grip. Newest addition, a little DS Lefever 20 shows great promise for the upcoming season. So for me, a 16 or 20, straight grip, 6 lb, and cyl bored is the perfect grouse gun.
The DHE 16 and VHE 20.

First off there is no such thing as the perfect Grouse gun. I have found the perfect gun is the one you don't own...yet. I have tried the following
Gunner's gun about as perfect as I'll ever get:)
VHE 28 28 inch bbls choked skt/skt straight grip DT
AAHE 28 (up grade) 26 inch IC/M and 28's M/F for the late season
DHE 20 26 inch straight stock IC/IC
VHE 20 26 inch straight stock SSt choked skt/skt
CHE 20 26 inch Damascus PG IC/M
CHE 20 28 inch IC/M straight stock
DH 16 O frame 26 inch Damascus IC/F
GH 16 O frame 28 inch Damascus IC/M
GHE 20 26 inch Damascus IC/M
H&H 20ga 26 inch IC/M

BUT IF I could order one from Parker it would be an AHE 28 straight stock, splinter, DT 28 inch bbls choked .004 and .010 on a OO frame. But after one season I'd be looking for something else...it's just the way thing are:whistle:

Rich, finding the perfect gun would sure take all the fun out of it wouldnt it. Actually, I probably have the perfect gun(s), but I am an imperfect shooter.

If I could order a new Parker and not worry about cost it would be a 20ga AHE ,straight grip, splinter forend and double triggers 30 inch tubes ,I/c and mod and weight about 6lb 4oz. 14 3/8-1 1/2-2 1/2 with 3/8 castoff, Ivory bead, skeleton butt plate and English walnut. Where do I order it ?

In retrospect, my perfect gun has changed over my 6.5 decades. In my midteens through my 20's it would have been a 12ga. AHE straight grip, SSBP, semi-bt, double triggers in 26-28", choked .010/.020. In my 30's it would have been the same gun as above only in a 20ga. When the big 40 hit, the smallbore bug really bit. This gun would be the same as the previous 2 were described only in a 28ga. with 29" barrels.
It's funny because Rich described my gun in his post but I think he left off the SSBP on his order.:eek:

The SSBP is a given..... I though everyone knew that:rotf:

OK, Rich, let's hear about the AAHE upgrade.

Bill you know about this gun, in fact you thought you knew who originally did it as he was from the east coast possibly Maryland.

Here are some pics Bill. Remember now???

i ve never hunted grouse but have hunted quail and the perfect gun for quail is a 12 ga double barrel with 26 inch barrels and improved cly in both barrels..weighing in at 6 1/2 lbs....hard to miss with a gun like this...i think it would do great on grouse...if it were not for the weight a short barreled 8 ga would be the perfect grouse gun...charlie

Except for the checkering, it looks like an AHE from here. Most AAHE's I've seen had deep relief engraving.

It is a beautiful gun none-the-less and the engraving is superbly executed.

Charlie I like that 12 gauge 26" bbl gun. The lighter the better.
Rich your upgrade is a work of art. Have you ever taken it afield?
Harold you have an awesome collection.

The gun that William H. Foster used

Sure, but which one?

He had DHE 20's, 28's and larger gauges for waterfowl too and he is rumored to have had a high grade (AHE or AAHE) .410 which he sold to help finance college educations of his children.

I'd like to have his 28 gauge DHE.

I would imagine that his favorite grouse and woodcock gun was a 16 as was my grandfather's in the coverts of southern New Hampshire. If I'm incorrect, I would still go with a sixteen.

Deep relief engraving like this? Not the best pic but it's one I have.
Mike I hunt with it every fall. I took it to GA in January for Quail.

That's great Rich. I admire people who shoot their high grade guns.

IMHO just because it's a high grade gun doesn't mean it can't be used as Parker (or any other mfg) intended if you exercise care.
Whats the point of having a 69 Camero Z28 or a Boss Mustang if you can't take it out for a spin.

If i ever see a grouse, I will be shooting my 12 ga DH 28 in. Damascus barreled 1 frame ,choked .005 in left barrel and .011 right barrel at 6 lbs 8 oz's. It's hell on phez ! A 12 ga. is a small bore to me