Really !!
 

I went to a small town gun show a couple weeks ago. There was one Parker - a VH. It had a replacement straight stock (original long tang). Someone decided such a heavy gun deserves a set of sling swivels, so the stock and the bottom rib got drilled. I was hoping that the butt plate would be original to the Serial Number, so I wanted to have a look. This is the plate

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=8825

I did remove the screws and have a pair of slotted screws that I was going to use but....

The plate is glued to the wood and the screw holes are not centered to the plate holes. Since I can't remove the plate, I won't be able to see the faint pencil marks of the last three digits of the SN. I sometimes wonder why I can't just leave a lonely Parker at a small town show but it is happier now amonga few friendly members of my little Parker club.

What to do next? Maybe just shoot it as is and enjoy a nice pheasant dish. Cheers, Jack

Your mileage may vary... You might try leaving the buttstock in the window (preferably in a vehicle) in the sun for a few days and nights. Depending on the adhesive used, the expansion of the plate from the heat/light just could break it loose. It worked for me once, on a plate that I believe was epoxied on.
Gotta love those forward-thinking screws! :cool:

Whatever works, right?
Looks like a repro plate to me.

Can we see pictures of the sling swivels? Thanks.

Those screws have to go

At least the screws won't rust!

Deck screws .... what a nice touch Jack😏

well jack you have got another good parker to add to the family...i too seem to want every parker i see...charlie

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=8827
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=8826

Brian, you are probably correct that it is a replacement but it is quite worn compared to the new butt stock so I just have to look behind somehow.
Cheers, Jack

You might try 50# fishing line to get that glued on DHBP off. Use it as saw and go between the wood and the butt plate. It just may work depending on what type and how much glue was used.

The swivels, while not too pretty, might be useful for some situations

Definitely not Parker swivels.

Agreed about the swivels. I have never carried a shotgun with a strap and a rifle only occasionally on a tough climb or just totally pooped at the end of a day. I would rather not have original barrels tampered with but every custodian along the way has their own preferences. I like originality when I can find it.

Should I ever again go for blue grouse in the pictured world below, I might just put a strap on this VH. Cheers, Jack

My little brother back in the '60's
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/cpg1..._Grouse001.jpg

Not too far from that location
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/cpg1...MG_6746sgw.JPG

These guys hang out with the blue grouse
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/cpg1...s/sgw_copy.JPG

Thanks for the swivel pictures. And the blue grouse pictures are pretty impressive.

Now that certainly is classy. they went all out and inlaid the rear sling swivel.

"Hi folks, my name is Jack and I'm an addict".....! Aren't we all, eh? Pretty much regardless of what the plate is glued on with, heat will soften the glue and the plate will come off. Wood glue(yellow or white), Super glue, gorilla glue(I think), epoxy - they're all heat sensitive. I'd use a heat gun NOT set on high and gently heat and try to move the plate.

That blue grouse looks the size of a juvenile turkey! I didn't know they were that big. I've heard them a lot in SE Alaska but they're generally so high up in very tall trees that you can't see them.

For what it's worth, that sling swivel on the stock could be from a Deluxe Winchester model 71. A great rifle but I'm not sure it helps the value of your Parker. But, unfortunately we all have seen some crazy stuff. I spent about two years trying to find an old man in Memphis who I heard had a 12 ga. Purdey. Finally found him working on a garbage truck. He did have the Purdey but it shot so close he couldn't hit rabbits with it so you guessed it--he cut about 12 inches off those barrels with a hack saw and it worked just fine! There just weren't words so I just thanked him for showing it to me and walked away.

They should have used the green ones.