New Parker :)
 

I just purchased a Parker 12 gauge, serial 191029. On the flat part of the barrels is PH with a smaller HT over an A. There is also a 3 with a superscript 12. On the center lug is a 12 with a dot above the 12 and a 1 1/2 below the 12. The other side has a 4. The barrel rib says Parker Special Steel. It has the serial number stamped on the water table with a 2 underneath. It has an english stock which appears to have been cut since the LOP to the butt plate is 13 7/8" and the butt plate and screws are not correct. The chokes seem to measure Full/Full. I paid $600. My questions are:

1) What do I have?
2) Is it worth restoring?
3) What should the restoration consist of?
4) Is it worth $600?
5) Would changing the chokes hurt the value?

Mark

It sounds like you have a PH model 12 ga Parker shotgun with Parker Special Steel barrels on a 1 1/2 frame. Pictures might help to make the comment on whether it should be restored.
But I think a good clean up and some selective refinishing may be more practical. A full restoration to factory fit and finish will cost you about 4 times what you've got in it. You do not mention the barrel length but I assume it is 30 inches. If the chokes are very tight you could have them professionally opened a bit but a combination of full and imp cyl would be nice and wouldn't affect the value as bad as Skeet chokes would. If the gun is tight and the stock solid $600 was a fair price.

Post pictures please.

A 2 grade with special steel barrels would be a GH. Not a PH.

I would say that a straight grip GH with fluid steel barrels is worth $600 all day long.

And worth putting a little something into it.

The lop sounds like it can easily be corrected with a pad.

But without seeing pics to know current condition, i cannot advise farther.

What Brian said

Go to home page and you can id you gun easily. Don't do anything until you do the research.

After re-reading your post l think Brian is right about the grade. I had seen that you put PH in your description and went with that. I wondered about the Special Steel barrels also but I was too sleepy to make the connection. This is why you should always post pictures when asking specifics about a gun.

Sounds like a pretty decent gun and it sounds like "Grand Theft Shotgun" at only $600 :shock:






.

Mark,congrats on your new Parker ! When I hear about a $600.00 Parker ,I imagine a gun with many issues ,pinned stock , off face cracked forend etc. ! If your gun is tight unpinned and the Barrels haven't been shortened you did quite well on your purchase would be my first opinion sight unseen ! Just a suggestion for you to consider , before I did any thing with the chokes on the gun ,I would shoot it a bit and if it shot too tight of pattern I would buy a couple of boxes of " Spreader Loads " and this should help your pattern immensely ! Again , Just My Personal Opinion !:)

Yes, I would leave the chokes alone.

Pictures
 

Here are some pictures.

Pictures
 

One more picture of the "Special Steel"

You have a 1920 GHE on a 1 1/2 frame with Parker Special Steel barrels and a straight grip stock worth well more than the 600 you paid. The buttplate and LOP are the only issues I see and a good gunsmith can do a simple and relatively inexpensive fix of that. Spreader loads will take care of the chokes. Or, as BD says, hit them in the head. Pictures of the sideplate and trigger plate engraving would be nice. This gun is not in the serialization book but you may be able to get historical details with a research letter. Nice find.

Sideplate
 

Here is a sideplate view.

Nice G engraving for the period. Almost looks like a pheasant instead of a turnip.

That looks like a great buy for $600. Does look like that forearm pushed down a few too many barbed wire fences!! Getting new ejector forearm wood made would be a bit expensive, but that and a nice Silvers recoil pad would certainly make it a very nice looking package.

I'm primarily an upland hunter and skeet shooter, and I don't share some of the other member's aversion to opening chokes. My guns with open chokes or chokes that have been opened get most all of the use, while those that still have their full chokes spend most all their time in the safe.

No, no, no... the 'turnips' are early renditions of ducks, not upland birds.





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An ejector gun too! A big plus.

The forend wood looks like toast.

[QUOTE=Dean Romig;207153]No, no, no... the 'turnips' are early renditions of ducks, not upland birds.


Take a good look at that receiver again (you may have to hold it upside down) - No duck you know of has a tail that long with a topcrest on its head!! Them are Iowa roosters, pure and simple!!!

I think what Dean was saying is that my metaphor was misplaced, not that the engraving showed ducks. He is quite right.

My advice on thos gun:

Install period correct recoil pad to get stock out to desired LOP.
Replace forend with good used original.
Recut wrist checkering and maybe forend as well if replacement needs it.
Strip and Clean action if needed.

These alone will greatly improve the overall presentation of the gun and will not cost you a terrible amount of money. Not more than you paid for the gun to start with.

I cannot really advise on barrel bluing based on the photo. It looks like it might be good enough to kind of go with the rest of the gun and leave alone.

I would buy that gun.