Collecting focus/interests, how about you?
 

I am always interested in other collectors and collector/shooters with respect to how they focus their collecting activities/acquisitions (if you indeed do).
I am a duck hunter so I have concentrated on 12ga Foxes and Super Foxes, Parker 12's and 10's but only damascus barrels (since Fox never made Damascus guns) and LC Smith 10ga only. I like big duck guns, beautiful Parker damascus guns and Elsie's since they were made in my backyard. My love of duck hunting has carried over into my gun collecting----how about you???

I'm with you CL. While I also hunt upland birds quite frequently, and have appropriate Parkers therefor, duck hunting is my true love. My DH 10 has become my go-to waterfowl gun. I hope my next gun will be a Parker 10 gauge hammergun. Been drooling over a few on Steve Barnett's site.

-Victor

Great topic Craig. I have my fair share of 12's which are used on waterfowl and I'm casually looking for that right 10. But my heart belongs to smallbores, mostly 20 and 28. They comprise the bulk of my modest collection. I'd love to find a graded Fox in 20, but we know how scarce and costly they can be.

i too love the big gauges when i duck hunt i use a longe range lc smith 3 inch gun in 12 ga...when hunting turkeys i use mostly my parker 10 ga a ph hammerless gun...then i use the parker 8 ga to hunt turkeys with some times it is good medicene on them...and i have used the 8 ga and 10 ga parkers on deer....the big gas come into their own in hunting water fowl and turkeys....charlie

I am afraid I have it bad. Anything that goes BANG!

I'm kind of like Wayne.

If you are talking about double barrel shotguns, I would like to get a Trojan and a G as far as Parkers go. That would give me at least one of each grade from Trojan through D. I also want another 10 and a Parker Hammer Gun or two, maybe in 10 and 12.

I would also like to get a nice example, mostly just one of each brand, of American doubles. I have a few nice examples, I think, of a few of those.

Right now, the doubles are my priority.

Now as far as the rest of them go ...

I'm probably lean the other way from Craig. Even though I grew up mostly hunting waterfowl. My true love is following my dogs in the uplands. Being a man of the big western fields. I gravitate toward the more svelte light trim Parkers of any gauge.

My first love is an 0-framed 16ga or a Fox 16 with 3-4 weight barrels. I like them to be 6 1/2Lb's or less. Love Damascus barrels !!! This would be followed by anything 20ga in a Parker or Fox. My current passion is 1-Frame Parker 12's which are dimensioned on the trim side and come in under seven pounds. Then there's my repro 28" DT 28ga that talks to my heart every time I see it.

Now with that said: I can easily see a 3 frame 12 or 10ga Parker residing in the safe someday.

Oh heck. Who am I kidding. I'm hopeless. I love them all!!!!

I prefer small bores but have a couple of 10's, several 12's, a bunch of 16's, a few 20's and two 28's. I like to fill my collection with unusual Parkers and composite barrels are my favorites. Unless a Parker has some kind of unusual redeeming feature it won't find its way into my collection. These days I shoot them all and there is only one in my collection that I haven't shot... yet.






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I personally like items connected to the factory and how the guns were made.

I like classic American doubles. I have more Parkers than anything, though, and have more G grade Parkers than any other grade. I like G grades as they have game engraving and are affordable (a big plus with raising a family)

Collector`s Interest
 

American Single Barrel Trap Guns and memorabilia relating to the history of the sport...

Trap3

I tried to reply to this post, Craig, but my computer went on overload and started smoking. I think Victor has his eye on Steve Barnett's minty Bernard hammer gun, a bargain at not too far north of $20,000.

When I joined my wife's family the only gun I owned was my father's Savage auto in 16ga. I took a degree of ribbing about shooting that "girl's gun". When later on I became interested in acquiring a side by side double shotgun I made sure it was a 16 gauge, just to puzzle my bros-in-law (who like to empty their 12 gauge autos at anything that flies); they couldn't understand why anyone would want a little pea shooter like that with only two shots in it!

I don't call my meager stable of guns a collection; more of an accumulation. There are two twelves (one a trap gun), a couple 20's, and even a little sxs .410. But there are five 16's, and finding a 16ga gun for sale - regardless of make - is what makes my heart flutter.

I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm a collector. I shoot what I have but lean more to the small bores with straight stocks for my upland pursuits. I love a nice svelte 20 or 28. I haven't hunted with a 12 in a long time but recently used a 12ga hammer gun on a quail hunt with 2 inch shells and am considering a British Game Gun just for fun. I like the long barreled 12's for sporting clays but at 4 there are two to many. The Fox bug has bitten me and like Daryl I to am looking for that graded (C or better) small bore.

It's been a long road from Belgium Browning A5's and Winchester M12's to get to Parker, Fox and English guns but it's been a fun trip and well worth it.

I won't get into the rifles as they are my other Achilles heel especially Pre64 M70's and custom guns.

New member here...first time posting and thought this would be as good a place to jump in as any. I've been around parkers all my life because my father collected them. I never actually owned my own but hunted with them regularly, sometimes without my father even knowing. About a year ago I became an owner/collector when my father passed away and left two (of his six) GHs to me. Both are 12 ga, 1 frame, 26 inch Damascus barrels.

One is a family heirloom that was originally my grandfather's. His name was Edwin Hicks and he left it (in a round-about way) to my father who was also Edwin Hicks. Now I have it, my name is Edwin Hicks, and I hope to leave it to my son, you guessed it...Edwin Hicks.

Anyway, the other GH is a resurrection project that my father started and I finished. Dad was a dyed in the wool grouse and woodcock hunter and he favored the shorter barrels and open chokes while hunting over his English Setters.

I consider myself an upland bird hunter as well so my interest is in Parkers that are suited for that, and I like the simple elegance of the G grade. To expand my collection, I would love to acquire a 20 ga CH (who wouldn't?) but I may be priced out of that market. I would settle for a DH though.

Lets see I collect what strikes my fancy. At the moment it is 16ga's with odd length barrels that are factory original and grade 4's. Um I forgot 20's with long tubes and factory no safety guns and hammer guns in all grades but I need 5 and 6 to be complete. Almost bought the 5 in Vegas but couldn't come to terms on price. All Parker all the time!

Also forgot the bug to own the competition guns. Now have SBT C 32, Double Trap CHE 32 and Skeet VHE 26. Have to get a Gr 4 in Skeet to finish that sub collection out.

Hmmm seem to have an abundance of 10's all EH or G2 . Plenty 12's all V or G a decent old GH 16 and my little 20 VHE . There was a time not to long ago when I really really wanted an 8 bit that's passed now . I suppose I'd like to add an EH with factory original to the gun barrels that are 28" or less . Also a GH or VH 16 and last but most certainly not least a GH or VH 28 . And bear in mind what I'd like to acquire I also wish to use . I wouldn't mind a DH 10 preferably #2 frame with factory uncut 30" barrels as well but that's not in my priority list shall we say .

Graded skeet guns are hard to come by. I had a DHE vent rib 12 at one time but that's the highest grade I ever got.

It as become kind of a game. A gun must fit me and the the bird to be shot with it. Many Parkers, those with a drop at the heal of 3 inches are more and length of pull less than 14 1/4 will not work. The older we get the more important gun fit is. The gun then must be choked for the birds to be hunted and size frame and weight should fit the job. My dove gun is a 12 DH 2 frame 28 barrels choked cly. and improved. For walked up pheasants It is 12PH 1 1/2 frame 28 barrels choked improved and mod. weights 7. For prairie grouse it is 16 GH 1 frame steel 28 inch barrels choked improved and full weights 6 1/2. It is also used for quail. I have a 12PH 1 frame with 30 inch barrels choked mod. and full weights 7 1/4 for pheasants when needed. While in Montana bird hunting this fall a 10 GH with 32 inch barrels found me. It is to become my turkey gun. I prefer damasus over steel barrels and the gun must look good to my eyes and fit my pocketbook.

I think I could probably talk myself into any Parker. Right now I have 10's and 12's hammer and hammerless.

I agree with Mills that a G Grade(or dollar grade equivalent) offers alot of gun for the money when you have those usual family obligations and small kids(and a wife that gets nervous whenever you take the Parker Serialization Book or Parker Story off the bookshelf).

For me, lately its been all about lifters. There is just something about them. I like the very early ones with the pin and like how they evolved through 1881-1882. I am surprised that the design didn't survive or last longer. It seems ergonomically superior to me, but it's all I have been shooting lately.

I'll keep looking for Lifters with unique configurations or higher grades(all of mine are grade 2 or lower).

At the same time, I would love to add a hammerless 20 gauge with damascus or twist barrels to my collection and a 16 gauge hammer gun at some point.

I got to go along with Jay, I too like the lifters, just seems it is the right way to open a double. I mainly just collect and display, but a large display is getting harder to do by yourself, my wife helps and I appreciate that, but will just do smaller displays of harder to find Parkers, enclosed my display a couple years ago in N.C.

double click for enlargement

You have some awfully nice Parkers Gary. I, no make that We, always like to see them whenever you post pictures here or in Parker Pages.






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Collecting Interest
 

Some of the early Trapshooting memorabilia...

Trap3

Wow - nice collection! That's the most glass target balls I've ever seen in one place!





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Thanks Dean! I`ve added to the collection since the photo was taken...

Randy, I got to tell ya. You have a amazing collection of vintage trap goodies. I always enjoy your pictures Keep it up!

Thank you Dave! Will Do... I really enjoy the sport and history.

Collecting Interest
 

At a NRA display show, I exhibited a display on Captain Bogardus and the Glass Target Ball...

Trap3

Randy, That is one fine collection you have there, I would imagine it is hard to find those glass balls, I know it makes you proud to show that fine collection, hope I will get to see it some day, gary

While is used to duck hunt quite heavily, (I had scull boats and sneak boat for years and hunted Plymouth and Kingston Bay as well as the Eastham Marsh on scoters and eiders) I grew up hunting upland birds throughout New England with my dad and cousins. The family shot only Parkers and that's the tradition that has stayed with me all these years. So my Parker preferences has been on 12, 16 and 20 gauge Parkers configured more for upland hunting than waterfowl. Brad Bachelder recently restored a very nice 12 ga VHE that came from the estate of a close friend. This VHE was restocked to my dimensions and will thus become my go to gun for upland hunting. I plan to post pictures and the story behind this VHE soon as a testament to Brad's workmanship.

Collecting Interest
 

Trapshooting Trophies from the early 1900`s to 1950`s...

Trap3

My passion would be single barrel trap guns and Browning Superposes. I have tried to collect as many sbt as I can and I have a complete set of superposes, even one that was owned my Matthew Browning when he ran Browning. I am working on the first sbt that Purdey ever made, they were a pair from Purdey. They are very nice. I just want to make them the way they left the factory. The two were split up for about 40 years and it took me five years of constant searching to finally find the second one. Now they are back together and soon back to their former glory.

Craig
My passion has always been Remington Parkers probably because that is what I first bought with my own money (237194) and what my father gave me after college (242022).
However, my love of waterfowling and frustration with the availability of non-tox loads led me to purchase a PR Steel Shot Special and that has led me down the path to purchasing other PRs which are damn good guns and strikingly similar to my Remington Parkers.
So now I am a junior grade PR collector. Sometimes, I wish I was Kenny Graft(who has been very helpful with my current addiction).

Well I started collecting by accident Parker Skeet guns, bought a 16 and then a 20 and 28 ga so I thought I round out the set with a 12 and 410 (didn't have an idea of the cost of a 410 at that point and neither did my wife... :eek:). So I finished that collection and then started to collect high condition Fluid steel DHE's and did that and then DH Damascus guns. Well the fluid steel guns were great and I displayed them a few times but I couldn't shoot them due to their condition (90% + ) so they went down the road and I picked up a few English guns (pair of 28 and a 16) that I am really enjoying shooting so I'm glad (an sorry) for selling the fluid steel DH collection. Now at my age I am thinking what guns I would enjoy shooting and letting someone else have the satisfaction of collecting some of my guns. I'll probably let go some of the large bore DH Damascus guns if I find something I like. The small bores I'll keep as I do shoot those.

Eric we will all be standing in line if you decide to lighten the load of large bore DH Damascus guns. As a fellow collector I understand we never stand still!!

Unfortunately Eric won't be attending the Southern this year as his daughter graduates from college. Maybe he needs a broker:whistle:

If I ever decide to liquidated my collection I am using the esteemed firm of Anderson and Purtill :rotf:. As most know I gravitate towards duck guns here is a group photo of some of my Super Foxes.

Double shotguns, lever action rifles, Colt SAA's, certain other firearms,decoys and calls, custom and antique archery bows and stuff, pocket watches, knives sporting art, model trains, old tractors and misc other stuff. Way to many interests unfortunately now is the time in my life to start letting go and downsizing. But how does one choose???