Research letter info.
 

I sent off for a research letter on a 10ga hammer gun that I'm interested in buying. It is in the serial #327xx range. It is a Quality S top action with twist barrels, 13 1/2" LOP, with special instructions of no extended rib and to shoot extra close.
Chokes each patterned at 250 pellets of size 8 shot in a 24" circle at 45 yards.
First off, any idea why one would order a gun without the dolls head?
Has any one else had a gun ordered with this tight of a pattern request?
It was nice to see that it was actually ordered by an individual and not just a general store etc. I assume that was because of the short LOP and no extended rib.
I just thought this was a neat letter that I'd share.
Thank you.

Pre dolls head? I have 22266 no dolls head. This should be in hammer gun heading.

I wasn't sure what year dolls heads became standard. Moderator if you think this thread should be moved to the hammer gun forum, feel free to do so.

If I'm reading this correct in The Parker Story, guns manufactured after 1882 came standard with a dolls head and this gun which was ordered and delivered in 1883 would have come with the dolls head but was ordered without one. That was why I was just curious as to why somebody would order a gun without the dolls head? Just personal preference or was there a specific reasoning behind it? I know I'll never know positively but I wondered if this was fairly common request on research letters that others have ordered.

"No extension" is a scarce request, all the way up into the mid hammerless period. Competition shooters sometimes prefer that the clean breech face facilitates loading. Ejector guns all have a rib extension.

A DH without the rib extension just recently sold on this site, also without a safety, listed as alive bird gun. Ser # in 97000 range.

Judging by the choke/pattern/shot size instructions, I'm guessing a pigeon shooter ordered that gun.
I have heard that the doll's head extension was seen by some as an unnecessary expense.

When I did a quick Google search of the original owners name, all I came up was that he was a member of a poultry association. At least the name, city and time period match up.

Was there a requested weight for the gun? I think the rules called for pigeon guns to be limited in weight to under 8 pounds, so usually the requested specs asked for 7 lb. 14 oz. or something similar.

Not a requested weight but delivered weight was 10lbs 4oz.

Tight chokes, 22266 is a 12 gauge with .775 bores .720 at muzzle.

:shock: Cheerio Choked

Calvin, I would be surprised if those bores came from the factory with .775 bores. .755 bores, yes, that is commonly seen but you are at the 10 gauge dimension.

That is about as "extra close" as could be ordered.:shock:





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Duplicate

Suppose someone was trying to hone out pits? They did both bores the same and at least they left the chokes alone. Old guns works great on pheasant if you want to pack it. I tend to grab the Trojan 16. If only I had a hammer 16 to grab. ch

As to the Dolls head transition, please check "Parker Pages" Parkers Found section. I own both the last and first known around the transition point. They are described in the list.

Michael, 24971 is shown in Parkers Found as being the earliest gun without(?) a doll's head extension. It is also shown as being a Grade 2 10-gauge built on a 1-frame. Is this your gun? Is all that information correct?

And 25977 is shown just below 24971 as being the latest reported hammer gun without a doll's head extension...



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No rib extension
 

A new to me Grade 5, 4 frame with reversed chokes and no extension #26276 10 ga. is a little later than the one listed in the parker pages.

So this gun serial #327XX will be the latest known without a dolls head?

According to the TPS the inflection point for top lever hammer guns without and with the dolls head is 25981 and 25982. I have 25977 and 25998.

Anyone owning, and being able to verify his claim about a Parker being "the first, last, or only known" to have a particular attribute, should contact Josh Loewensteiner, keeper of the "Parkers Found" registry.





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The transition period between lifter action to top action was in the mid 20,000s.

The most common scenario encountered is the check-hook lifter action which is a lifter with the long water table and check hook of the top action guns. I would say that not a ton of top action guns without rib extensions were made at the later side of the transition.

I would think that any top action guns without rib extensions after 30,000 serial number would have been specifically ordered that way. I have seen top action guns with no dolls head in the mid 50,000 and even above 100,000. But they were special orders.

Thanks for the clarification Brian. This was a special order request according to the letter so I guess that would mean that it's not the highest serial numbered gun to not have the dolls head.
I did PM Josh as mentioned above but I'm sure he'll just clarify what you already stated.
Not a big deal to me, just kind of a neat gun.

Simply as a point of interest, a very small number of hammerless Parkers were ordered without the doll's head extension by very serious competition shooters, but is was never a standard (or option offered in a catalog) feature.






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Jeff Kuss posted this picture, just two years ago, of a nice VH 20ga

When did the Trojan drop the rib extension?

Before '21 or '22 I think.





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If I need to add to the stock length to make it more shootable for me, is there a manufacturer of a pad with the widow's peak inlet? I'm sure if need be I could use a slip on pad but would prefer a screw on option.

The CSMC Period pads have a spur that is far too small to work with original dhbp spur inletting.
I normally remove the spur from an old broken dhbp and glue it to a flat pad and then grind the pad to fit.
If the job is done right, the original buttplate can be swapped back onto the gun if needed without much trouble.

That has been my experience too Brian. Nice pad otherwise...






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I believe this gun has the metal butt plate with the widow's peak. Is this inletting different than the plastic DHBP inletting?

No Dolls head
 

This gun is a titanic barreled grade 3 hammer gun ordered with no rib extension ser number range 106000, Brian did the barrel work and some touch up, Gary

Thier "Silvers No. 3" pad grinds and hand sands SO much better than the "period correct" pad. And they offer it in both orange and red.

xxxx

The Griffin and Howe repro Silver pad has a widow's peak. I have been using them since 1986 and like them. No, the peak is not as deep as a Parker dog's head peak. You install it and fill the void with black bedding compound and a release agent or wax. The metal and hard rubber inletting is different, but it is all hand work anyhow. Brian's method is great as long as you have perfectly fitting buttplates in your junk box.

They dont have to be perfectly fitting. Just big enough to be fitted. But you do need a selection of junk.

I can't beleave that we are referring to such prize possessions as junk.

Maybe "junque"?