Last Fishtail
 

I was going through the safe trying to decide what battery to bring to the Southern. I had to move a few out of the way and picked up a 0 frame 16 70,xxx serial number with a fishtail top lever. Does anyone have a fishtail with a later serial number?

Spin

I have 1310211

I own 132430.

I had three 0-frame 16's in Grade 1 all in the 74,XXX range, all with the "fishtail" lever - I still have 1.




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Might there be one to many digits there ?

Dean:

Mine's a grade 2, magic wand at 30" D2 tubes.

Spin

That's on my wish list

The other two had 28" barrels and I kept the one with 26" barrels because it is the only Grade-1 top-action made with 26" Laminated Steel barrels.

It is a wonderful little grouse and woodcock gun.





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Would you mind a few pictures, please

74446


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Dean, that is a beautiful gun and love the classic patina of that fowling piece. Couple of questions and comments, did they scoop the receiver flats to reduce the weight some or does some of the barrel flats protrude into those indention's. If that is the original butt plate, that has definitely been a lightly used and cared for gun. Also noticing the darkening of some of the wood on the forearm, is that from oil, grim, or is that just part of the grain in the wood.

Also, on a personal note would like to thank you for valuable knowledge, and untiring support for people like me that come on to this page to learn and share information. You always provide valuable and timely content and insight as do many others. I commend and applaud your efforts and commitment to share your love and knowledge to the unknowing and seasoned professionals and experts. Yours and many others on this website that do the same do not go unnoticed and are very appreciated.

Wow Dean, that’s beautiful!

Also, on a personal note would like to thank you for valuable knowledge, and untiring support for people like me that come on to this page to learn and share information. You always provide valuable and timely content and insight as do many others. I commend and applaud your efforts and commitment to share your love and knowledge to the unknowing and seasoned professionals and experts. Yours and many others on this website that do the same do not go unnoticed and are very appreciated.


Double Ditto!

Thanks for your kind words gentlemen. But as has been pointed out in the past, I'm not always right. I am still a student of the Parker in every respect but I try to help others out whenever I can.

The patina is all original except for the barrels. They have been very nicely refinished by Brad Bachelder after he did some masterful work on them. I shoot this gun often and it is in fact one of my Parkers that I shoot best.
The patina on the wood is about 125 years of mixed grime and oil, though there is no oil soaking anywhere. The butt plate is original - the checkering is original - the case color is original too so it is obvious that it was not abused..... but actually, it was.

Read about it in my article "Shot to Destruction" in the Autumn 2015 Issue beginning on page 45.

Incidentally Todd, yes those are what we call "lightening cuts" and are done on some of the smaller frame Parkers, both hammer and hammerless guns from the smallest 000-frames, the 00-frames, some of the 0-frame hammer guns but not all of them and there is a possibility of a very few 1-frame hammer guns with lightening cuts... and no, there is nothing on the barrel flats that fit into these grooves.






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Dean:

My Grade 2 is hammerless. Why it needed a fishtail I'll never know.

Spin

They were leftover stock from the hammer gun days. Parker Bros. was nothing if they weren't frugal.





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Need a fishtail, no. But i think they look cool

By no means am I saying you're wrong but I still don't totally buy that .

I've got two hammer guns that were made before 1885 and NEITHER of them have fishtail levers .

I also have an 1891 GH that does have a fishtail .

But again I'm not disagreeing with what you said just not totally agreeing YET :whistle:

I dunno I've already got a GH with the fishtail lever and I'm already flush with EH 10's of which none have the fishtail lever but I'm starting to think I need an EH 2 frame with the fishtail lever and perhaps an EH 3 frame also with a fishtail lever :rotf:

Most of the collectors that I know agree with Dean. Charles Parker was not a wasteful man. You may have gun with a regular lever that was made before your gun with the fishtail lever, as all those levers were in a parts bin on whatever was grabbed out of it was what was put on the gun, at least that is what Austin Hogan thought when he and I were talking about it at the Southern one year.