New member from Washington state
 

Hello everyone i’m Darin and I stumbled onto Parker shotguns by chance really. I purchased an old double hammer SxS yesterday at an auction and figured to would be a good eye piece for the gun room wall. As with all my gun purchases a started to do a little research on it which brought me here. My first, and probably the most important question would be, is my shotgun a reproduction? How can I tell if my Parker is a reproduction?

Thanks

If its a hammer its not a repro Pictures and serial number would tell

Winplumber, thanks for the reply it is indeed a hammer gun. I did look at the resources here in an attempt to identify the gun but only was able to identify the year of manf currently which appears to be 1879 by the serial# search feature here. Here is the serial# and a few pictures. I do not currently have the gun in my possession it is with the purchasing agent for my trust.

Those old lifters are great Parkers

Parker hammer guns are wonderfully crafted, and in their original form, well balanced and reliable. Congratulations on your first.

The "Book" indicates you have an 1879 D grade 10 gauge with 32" barrels. I shoot my 1881 10 and 12 gauge under leaver Parkers with shells from RST or ones I make myself with appropriate velocities and pressure. A wonderful find.

This is another example of the Serialization book being in error.

This is Not a D3 (Damascus-barreled Grade 3).

Grade 3 and higher Parkers had a 4-pin lock plate design - this one has three pins.
Further, the bolsters would have been sculpted in the Grade 3 style.

See SN 14056


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My best guess, in comparison to SN 14056 above, is that the subject gun is a D2 or Grade 2.


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It looks like a Grade 2 with stepped up engraving quality.

Early Grade 2 engraving style with no birds on the lock plates.





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What part of Washington State? I'm near the Idaho border and shoot at the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene gun clubs.

Thanks everyone for the analysis, I will update with better pictures when I can. Since the book seems to be a little off on the Grade would it be worth my time to get a certificate?

Dave, I'm over on the Socialist (Western) side of WA. :banghead:
My son is a Wildland FF with the Sate over in Spokane, I would love to relocate over to that area. I have another 8 years before I can retire though.

We need to see a picture of the butt plate on this gun.

Here are a few more pictures, including the butt plate and I believe the indicator that indeed does identify this as a Grade 2?

The 2 stamped in the bottom of the lug is the frame size, not the grade.
The screw in the middle of the butt plate indicates a non-original butt plate, or the original has been modified for some reason.
The gaps or vacant spaces under the ribs indicates the barrels have been cut. There should be triangular (cross-section) steel keels soldered in there with no gaps or voids.

Everything else looks original.





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Looks like your extractor guide pin may be broken. Or the extractor is mismatched to the gun.

So you're saying I have a bit of work to do on this gun huh? LOL

Or, like you said in your opening post "it would be a good eye piece for the gun room wall."

Be sure the left side is exposed to view as the right side has the wrong hammer that is not even of Parker manufacture.



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