What do i have? (PIC HEAVY)
 

I went through the whole what Parker do i have and i am having a hard time here are all he pictures. It was my Grandfather in law's.
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...s25446/059.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...s25446/061.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...s25446/062.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...s25446/063.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...s25446/065.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...s25446/069.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l.../Gunpix001.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l.../Gunpix002.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l.../Gunpix003.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...flowers016.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...flowers017.jpg

Drew: You have what appears to be an early graded Parker Bros. hammer gun with what appears to be Crolle Damascus barrels. Probably a D Grade IMO. A serial number would help a lot.

Best regards, George

Serial number is in second to last pictures it shows it as an 1878 SN:11922

That SN is not in the book.......information would be in missing stock book #39. It looks to me to be a grade 2 with a late key forearm iron. The latch was started to be used in 1877. If it has any dogs or birds engraved on the sideplates or trigger guard it could be a grade 3. Looks like a nice solid gun.

Kurt

The Damascus barrels rather than Twist or Stub twist makes me think it is a grade 2.
The checkering on the forend, or what's left of it, doesn't look like grade 3. And there is no scalloping on the fences as a grade 3 would be more likely to have.

Any idea what this gun is worth?????????

Dean: Continuing education for me. Fences??
thanks,
Jack

Drew: SN 11908 is in the book as a D3 or Grade 3 w/ Damascus barrels, the next one is SN 12057 which is a D5 (or B Grade) w/ Damascus barrels. So the fact that your gun has Damascus rather than Twist or Stub Twist makes me believe that it is a higher grade than Grade 2 as does the treatment of the fences. Order a letter from PGCA and find out for sure. There is quite a bit of difference between a Grade 2 and 3 or 4 IMO. Condition too will determine value.

Best Regards, George

We need better pictures of the locks. If the locks are 4 pin I would say the gun is a D but until then I agree with Dean that the gun is a Grade 2 gun.Also the engraving on the fences look to be Grade 2 also

It's a 2. There is no scalloping on the side of the breech balls.

okay, couldn't wait, so had a chat with Google. For others who may be terminology challenged

FENCES

Cheers,
Jack

Sorry I didn't see your question earlier Jack. That's a great link for fences. I use the term 'breech balls' a lot too.

Hallowell has a good glossary of gun terms:

http://www.hallowellco.com/abbrevia.htm

John: Thanks for that. Spent a lifetime using guns but only a short time as a student of same.

Cheers,
Jack

Breech balls I understood and now fences. The origin of the term fences is well described by this picture, also used on the Hallowell site.

http://www.hallowellco.com/Fences_percussion2.jpg

Grade of Drew's Gun
 

The picture of the fore end is not sharp enough to show a small "bow tie" diamond in the center which corresponds to Grade two; but the checking pattern is not the multi diamond pattern on the dam 3. A fore end swap during the last 120 years is not out of the question.
I have a two barrel set about two years older with similar filing and engraving. It has two matched weight barrels; one a twist and one damascus.
There was condiderable flux in engraving and decoration prior to about s/n 22000. Two things seem to be consistent and definitive; the two grade had three distinct diamonds in the fore end checking pattern; the higher grades had a different pin layout for the rebounding hammer.
My bet would be that this is one of the few dam 1 guns that we occassionally find.

Best, Austin

T grade gun 4361
 

The two barrel set gun 4361 has appeared in several Parker Pages since 1999. It isn't much for condition but is very interesting in several aspects. I acquired it before the archive became available and don't have a letter on it, but it does show as a Grade T 10 ga single barrel set in the serialization.
The barrel sets are numbered 1 and 2. Barrel set 1 is the damascus set and has a multi diamond fore end. Chamber is .856 and bore is .808. Left choke.767. right .777. It has inserts brazed in the hinge and locking lug, which were shown in an early PP. It is 30 1/16 inch and weighs 4 pounds 1.4 ounces.
The barrel set numbered 2 is .790 bore and an even 30 inches. It weighs 4 pounds 0.4 ounces, and has a two diamond fore end checking pattern.
The gun appearred in another issue with a picture of the stock. It was stretched to a 14 3/4 inch pull by inletting a "widow's peak" into the extension.
The gun is currently in storage; I have some letters with Oscar, relative to the laminated appearance of the lock plates. I should check the locks for the type of rebound.

Best, Austin

Thank you i will get more pictures up of the forend. Is there any other pictures that would help? Thanks again

Drew