Neat wing shooting sighting aid
 

It's been a year since the last time was on the forum and here I am again with another Parker shotgun that I have came into acquiring. This one is a DH in 12 Ga with Damascus barrels. The first oddity is the fact it doesn't have a safety. I called Bud and he explained it was a live pigeon gun and gave me lots of neat info on the gun. I wanted to show some pics of the front sighting, I'm guessing the original owner had these installed to help with wing shooting. I figured some of you guys may have seen these before but I'm just putting them out here for other's who haven't.

https://imgur.com/YCRDBdu


https://imgur.com/xuuy2pk

https://imgur.com/NxWS9Mo

Oh... training wheels eh?

Nice gun though! Very nice.




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Gadgets to improve your game are nothing new.
Here's what it looks like in golf;
Attachment 72841

Seriously.....?





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Kevin Costner in Tin Cup. I know, but the Parker Live Bird Gun was built for competition, and those of us who have shot live birds competitively get the analogy.
Every external (sighting) gadget attached to a competition gun detracts from the objective, and costs you targets.

my first time to see this kind of sight on a double barrel....nice gun....charlie

Sans dolls head also. Nice gun!

Do you have a PGCA letter that may tell you who the original owner was and how many of the special features were original to the gun?

i can't see that they would help with wingshooting ( but there have been stranger "aids" for the purpose )

but i wonder if they are aiming points - basically blade front sights - for use with buckshot for deer or for turkeys. no telling what uses the old piece has been put to

A few more pics since ya'll can appreciate them. Most people just see an old shotgun.
I planned on selling the gun but since doing a little research I've kind of grown partial to it. Plus when will I ever run across another one that is affordable.

https://imgur.com/zqilnsS

https://imgur.com/SR2dv0i

https://imgur.com/q9luyjc

https://i.imgur.com/g8gDdS1.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YQwG8eZ.jpg

I would like to have some conservation done to it that would not harm the originality or collectibility of the gun. Does anyone know a good person for this and about how much would they charge?
Thanks
Gordon

Difficult to answer your question. What do you want done? How long are you willing to wait?
Suggest you look at the list of gunsmiths shown on this site, and call them yourself

I don't think I would do anything but shoot this gun. It is a pretty nice piece as it is, and I don't think the "shooting aids" would affect the usability of the gun, as long as you are focused on the target, and not the barrel attachments.

I took the gun today to the gunsmith. My heart sank when he said the gun should not be shot. It has a bulge in front of the chamber on both barrels. I noticed it originaly but dismissed it and was hoping for better news. Kind of sucks since I was looking forward to shooting her. My options I guess are to sink money into Briley tubes or find another barrel. Both are probably very costly. Any ideas from the peanut gallery?

Depending on what you have in it, possibly find a second set of barrels for it. Nice wood and probably has a skeleton butt plate. To me it is an unusual gun and if you could find a second set of barrels, it might be a great shooter. I don't know about sleeving them.

Before going any farther with the gun I would call Kirk Merrington in Texas and ask him to evaluate the barrels. I sent him a Damascus set that had a bulge that was able to be repaired. I have shot the gun for years with no issues. He’s probably the top barrel man in the country.

I sent the barrels off to Brad Bachelder for inspection and fixing, I see his name being used on the forum a lot. I may have him do some restoration work as well. fingers crossed, I hope to use the gun this fall to do a little dove hunting.

UPDATE

I sent the barrels to Brad Bachelders shop back in May. I got the news a couple of weeks ago that they felt the bulges were too substantial to be fixed. Just received them back today. It's heartbreaking to see such a nice gun be either sent to the parts bine or a wall hanger. I know I could probably find a set of barrels but unsure of the price for a decent set of barrels ? I may just sell it as is. Any ideas on a value? bums me out either way

Simple Advice - Get a second opinion!





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I apparently do not have enough post on this site to look in the buy/sell section to see if any member has a set of barrels. Anyone know of a set that would fit for sale? The frame is marked 3 if that helps

It will only cost you for shipping to get a second opinion.






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You have a great looking gun there. Mike and Dean have offered sound advice. Merrington is tops in terms of barrel repair. If anyone can fix those barrels he can.

I'd get a set of Briley Companion tubes in 20 gauge. New they cost $600 to $700 depending on weight. You can find them cheaper used. It does add almost 1 pound to the gun but the gun will be shootable.

Regarding being able to see buy/sell: you appear to be a member of the forum, in order to see or post buy/sell items, you need to be a member of Parker Gun Collectors Association, a $40 expense that gets that benefit, a great quarterly magazine, and helps sustain this site.

The "3" on your frame is the grade marking. The frame size you need to know for fitting new barrels is stamped on the bottom of the rear barrel lug. It is likely a "2" frame. Can you post pictures of the bottom of the barrels and of the bulges? Your number of posts has nothing to do with your access to private areas of the forum. Membership in PGCA is the requirement. Parker barrels are not an easy search.

You can probably find a set of barrels to use on the gun, Damascus or Titanic, thats what I would do, what frame size is it, Gary

some pics, The bulges are just ahead of the chamber and are hard to see in these pics. Frame size I'm guessing is 1

https://imgur.com/CwMGOF6

https://imgur.com/N4VNvWi

https://imgur.com/PIO623U

And just like that "I'm a Member" So now to wait till a nice set of barrels shows up in the buy sell. lol

Is there a link to Merrington? I looked in the FAQ search.

Thanks

Congratulations on your membership.

Resurecting my old Thread. After speaking with several noted authorities on my old gun I've came to the conclusion that fixing it or replacing the barrels is not in my wheel house. For the limited shotgun shooting I do and the fact that the romance in my head to use this old gun is probably just a itching notion and could be probably be scratched with something modern. I'll probably just put this gun up for sale and hope it goes to someone with more time, money and has the same heart I have about it one day being something other then a wall decoration or to the parts bin.
With that being said, I haven't a clue as to value. would anyone like to give me an idea of what it is worth?
Thanks again for all the knowledge that y'all have given me.

I’m sure Brileys could chamber sleeve those barrels. The chambers to the forcing cones are drilled out and new steel chambers are inserted. I’ve seen guns where has been done and The repair is practically invisible

Looking for a different set of barrels may be still be worth it...

try ebay for barrels theres some forsale all the time...also list in the wanted section for barrels...charlie

Those attachments appear to be soldered on. A good gunsmith should be able to remove them.
That said, I don't know if I would even worry about them. If you're looking at the target, the added elements would not even be a factor.
I think I would leave the gun as-is.