1st Year Production 10 gauge
 

I have a 10 gauge with pat. date Nov.13,1866 without a serial number. The numbers on water table and barrel lug are 4 6. Has a beautiful English stock but metal is alittle rough. I would like to know what it would cost to restore the gun. I may restore it depending on the cost or sell it depending on the price.

What is the inscription on the barrel rib? Can you post a picture?

Sounds like a very interesting gun, please post pictures when you have a chance.

PARKER BROS MAKERS MERIDEN CONN LAMINATED STEEL

PARKER BROS MAKERS MERIDEN CONN LAMINATED STEEL

No serial number?

Without a serial number how do you conclude it is first year production?

If you post the serial number and some pictures, we will be able to give you more useful information

I'm assuming he's thinking the patent date indicates the year it was made.

Send me the gun. There is a serial number on there somewhere. I will find it and send it back to you.

and Bill will post the pictures :clap:

:coffee:

And Parker Bros. produced guns with Laminated Steel barrels right into the mid-1890's and maybe a scant few even after that.





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Well, I'm told the first 1000 guns have no serial number. I assumed they made at least 1000 guns the first year. I was also advised that production didn't start until 1867.

[QUOTE=Richard Flanders;230570]I'm assuming he's thinking the patent date indicates the year it was made.[/QUOTEN/////No, I was told that production didn't start until 1867 and the first 1000 didn't have a serial number.

////The only numbers on this gun are 4 6 located on water table and on barrel lug.

no number on the trigger guard or the underside of the forend or the flat of the action?

on the barrels - is there a number on the side of the lug?

Without pictures of the water table and barrel flats and sides of the barrel lug we really can't advise you about the your gun.

And the first 1,000 Parker shotguns did, in fact, have serial numbers stamped on the water table and on the side of the barrel lug, among other locations.






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///yes, 4 6 on barrel lug and 4 6 on water table.

[QUOTE=Dean Romig;230630]Without pictures of the water table and barrel flats and sides of the barrel lug we really can't advise you about the your gun.

And the first 1,000 Parker shotguns did, in fact, have serial numbers stamped on the water table and on the side of the barrel lug, among other locations.//// nothing on barrel flats, nothing on trigger guard, 4 6 on water table,, 4 6 on barrel lug.///I guess this is serial number 4 or 6 or 46 or this gun has no serial number.

Ok thanks! My 10 gauge is identical To the one Charlie Cleveland posted pictures of on 03/24/2016, except his is a 11 gauge with a 63 serial number. Mine is a 10 gauge with a 46 serial number.......Lonnie

////Thanks everyone! I was right about my gun being 1st year production, but was wrong about it not having a serial number. It is one of the earlier back-action lifter models with a serial number of 46. My gun is identical to the 11 gauge lifter,serial number 63, posted by Charlie Cleveland on 03/24/2016.....Lonnie.

///You are right! It is an early back-action lifter model with a serial number of 46....Lonnie

Lonnie, is it possible for you to post pictures of your gun?

If not by now, i dont think that we will see them.
Of the eatly guns that i have seen, it is not out of the ordinary for them to not have serial numbers on the trigger guards.
When Lonnie mentioned 46, i think we were all thinking unstruck weight. But an eatly gun like this would not have those typical markings as on later guns.

To get to Lonnies original question, the conditon of the gun is not known since we dont have photos, but in nearly any situation, the cost of “restoration” is going to exceed the value of the gun. These early guns are of genuine interest to Parker folks and are good pieces for those who want to add an early example to their collection. Many of them are more considdered to be “relics” more for looking at and studying vs shooting on a regular basis.

I think most of the confusion stemmed from the number posted as 4(space)6 rather than how it is actually stamped on the gun 46





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Quid Pro Quo
 

Lonnie,

Although I am a bit of a newbie in comparison to many on this site, I have also learned that the compensation for extracting knowledge from this forum of Parker experts, is to allow the group to increase their collective knowledge by sharing your resources also. Several different times in this thread, members have asked for pictures of your gun, as any example not seen by the group, and particularly unique examples, such as your very early gun, do not allow the collective knowledge of the group increase.

I wouldn't say that to loud around Charlie.

I absolutely dont want to be accusatory.....but a reply such as, “I dont know how”, “I dont want to”, “i dont have pictures”, would at least cool the frstration. There were 6 seperate requests for pics, and I for one was waiting with bated breath to see the gun...

No offense intended, especially to Charlie, of whom I am a HUGE fan of his posts....

I have a Parker hammer gun I paid $750 that has laminate barrels. It cost me $350 to have the barrels redone. Was it worth it ? Probably not, but I wanted to see what they looked like. The price has gone up a bit, but even a $1000 for barrels and case colors to me wouldn't be out of the question if the stock was in decent shape. Even if you paid another 500 for the stock to be cleaned up [ or do it yourself ] and you'd have a damn fine gun. Some guns I leave as is, and others I work on myself, or pay someone to redo the items I don't feel I can do myself. What they're worth in the end is what my wife can get for them after I'm gone to the happy hunting grounds.

Most hammer guns can be improved greatly in appearance with having the barrels done if nothing else.

Wouldn't a back action with laminated barrels be a bit more rare? I "think" the price of the gun new would have been $125, is that right? Most back actions I have seen came with decarbonized barrels. I know they were made with damsacus as well, and I would like to have one of those as a side note.

I have always liked the look/lines of the back action Parkers. There was a real nice original one at the last Amoskeag Auction, I think the serial # was in the 200 range, it had decarbonized barrels and I had a chance to briefly look it over. I don't think it sold, so I would agree that they might not be in as high demand as other Parkers.

I like them though, it's hard to explain...they just look nice to me.

Good luck with your gun Lonnie!