AAHE 20 Gauge
 

http://www.gunsinternational.com/gun...n_id=100945304

Is it just me or do those checkered side panels not look very good?.. That cant be original right? For that price..

Who ever did that checkering should be horse whipped.

The checkered side panels do not look right to me, also the fit of the stock ,the gaps and is that glass between the gaps? not what I would expect of a AAHE.

Right? No consistency whatsoever.. Forends are the same way. Nothing matches.

The checkering and rest of the stock work on that thing are horrendous. Fully restored by DelGrego in 2013... huh... well, the proof is in the pudding.

The best part of that gun is the Case Colors. By the way...Turnbull colors their guns for them now.

Thanks to everyone for their input on the AAHE. The gun did not smell good to me so I must be learning..

Looks like restock to me. Bobby

It is a shame that such a beautiful Parker was so poorly "restored". In that condition maybe $50K?
David

I’m surprised DelGrego would let that go out..

Great engraving and nice restored case colors!
Love the duck scenes!

That gun shows no sign of a DelGrego restock.

To me it looks like the checkering has all been recut while attempting to keep to the original checkering pattern and style, However, the "ruptured duck" flying in the cheek panels was most probably originally a fleur de lis but poorly interpreted in recutting. The nose of the comb has also obviously been reshaped from that which would have been on a Parker of that vintage.

The reason that I form my opinion thus is that the sculpted fleur de lis drop points appear to be completely original in shape and form with the correct amount of wear to them.





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Yes, it is pretty ugly, if you ask me

Originals :

I could learn to live with it.

another original
 

It is only an "A" but you get the idea.

I think the gun is an upgrade.There are several of them floating around now.All seem to fall into the serial range that can't be authenticated.Back in the 70s you could buy a VHE 20 for $1000,spend $2500 on engraving,$2000 on wood,and $1500 on metalwork and then sell the gun for $25,000.There were few sources of information on Parkers back then.
A lot of big dealers upgraded guns and sold them as upgrades.After they changed hands a couple of times people thought they were original.

And there is a good reason why they cannot be authenticated...

Yep,If they can make it,they can fake it.

I doubt the wood on that Parker has ever been within 25 miles of Illion, NY.

OK, who is going to be the one who requests the "documentation" and DelGrego correspondence?

Are there any records, or a list of Pachmayr upgrades? I'm not saying that because I think the subject gun is an upgrade, Pachmayr of otherwise. I see some details which I have never seen on Parkers before, but I see other details that in no way indicate alteration.
I think we have all seen some extreme interpretation of engraved wildlife in the birds and dogs on Parkers, and the ducks on this gun certainly fall into that 'WTH' category.

If I was interested in the purchase of this Parker, I would contact the DelGregos rather than the guns purveyor.

DelGrego did some upgraded guns as well as Pachmayr.They may have some record of the gun or at least the restoration work.

As I said in an earlier post, the Fleur De Lis 'drop points' appear to be worn and unaltered originals. The rib inscription ("roll stamp") and matting in my opinion are unaltered original. Enlarge it and look closely at every detail, including the single line overrun of the matting at the breech end of the clear space of the rib just beyond the arrow.

And I believe the engraving is original Meriden engraving as well. Look at the engraving on the forend irons and latches. The forend checkering patterns are of the original style as well.... just very poorly recut.





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Delgrego supposably only keeps records by customer name. Not by serial number. So asking about the work with them would get you nowhere.
It would be better to ask the seller, who states it was “fully restored” in 2013 about their knowledge of it. I would be interested if they say the wood was done at that time. To me a “full” restoration includes wood.

Since I find many of the remarks made by the purveyor of 231570 neither plausible nor accurate, I would be inclined to ask the the DelGregos if they remembered the gun in the last 4 years. Not that many grade 7 walk thru any ones doors and since there reputation is not enhanced by this gun I'll bet they take an interest.

The chain engraving on all the borders is most definitely Meriden era engraving.

It seems odd that the barrel marked "1" has the late reinforced fore end lug, and barrel "2" does not. (picture #22)

Picture #17 shows the grade number (7) was stamped with the same stamp as the '7' in the serial number. Had this been a lower grade gun and then upgraded, it would have been necessary to remove, by grinding, the grade lettering(now AAH), and number ( now7) and weld the excavated area back up, then blend the weld back down to the water table. The colors from re-hardening most definitely would not be uniform across this area, simply because filler material is never exactly the same chemistry as the base metal. I'm only saying this after looking at literally thousands of photo micrographs in the met lab at my company.

Dean previously indicated the comb's nose looks to be altered, and it certainly is more 'Illion-esque', than Meriden styled stock work. This would require the entire checkered portion of the wrist be redone. I just can't get over the hideous treatment inside the cheek panels and on the checkered butt.
I don't think the gun started any lower than a grade seven, but I couldn't even hazard a guess as to the originality of any of the wood.

I know B.C. Kinsey to be an honest and straight forward gentleman.
If you've got questions, why not give him the benefit of the doubt and ask him?

Edgar I recently saw an upgraded BHE 28 by the team of DelGrego & Runge, it certainly did not hurt the Parker reputation for craftsmanship.

Of course the engraving was up to standards - after all, Robert Runge was chief engraver for Remington to the end of Parker production, having started with Parker Bros. in Meriden and was one of the few who moved to Ilion when Remington mover the Parker operation there. His work is coveted and very distinguishable.






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I did just that. And i got a prompt reply.

He said the gun was stocked by Delgrego using the gun’s (then) owner’s wood and the metal also restored. Engraving was taken up by Lee Griffiths. Charge for work in 2013 was close to $13k.

There you go.

"Engraving was "taken up"

Does this mean the worn engraving was 'picked up' or 'freshened up'? These are the terms I most often see used.





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I'm not sure I follow your point, but I don't believe either a great upgrade, or a horrible upgrade has any impact of the Parker reputation.

All back and forth aside ,the negative stock work could be easily remedied ...just my opinion of course

That’s easy for you to say Nephew. You are one of the best stock men I’ve seen in the last forty plus years

13 large for that? I can’t imagine....

Edgar my point was that of the 2 upgraded Parkers I have examined attributed to Delgrego I found both guns to be excellent examples of the grades they were intended to represent. I believe the other upgrade I saw by DelGrego was an AHE 20 but that was decades ago. While I haven't always found a Delgrego refinished gun appealing to me, I also have never seen one that lacks the craftsmanship in the wood inletting and checkering that 231570 does. In addition the stock finish sucks and the stock blank looks like English walnut to me.

Could one of our gunsmiths explain what kind of trigger we're looking at in picture number 14 of 24? It appears that the trigger itself does not go through the usual slot in the trigger plate, but through some rectangular piece, that in turn, goes through the trigger plate.
Looking at photo #2, it appears the front trigger sits lower, almost to the point of touching the guard.
Not one I recall ever seeing.

Craig, I don't doubt they were beautiful upgrades. It only makes sense, since they were engraved by Runge. The only part of your comment I didn't understand was how anyone's upgrade would reflect poorly on the original maker.
The only complaint I have ever had, and everytime I see an example of, renew my feeling, is that Delgrego's outsourced cyanide case hardening colors were, in most case, simply garish.