Adjustable Combs
 

Has anyone ever put an adjustable comb on a Parker? Yes, I know it's heresy, but short of ugly tape-on risers or a new stock it seems like the answer. The stock has been altered in the past and has had other repairs so it is not original.

I've seen a few Parkers with adjusted combs done by adding a nicely fitted piece of walnut glued in and reshaped. Austin made one on his Vulcan barreled hammer gun and it looks good and the gun fits him perfectly. That's as far as I would go personally but to each his own...

i have a lc smith that a comb has been added to the stock..looks ok and fits me like a glove....if i your gun was mine and that stock had already been modified i would do with it has i seen fit... i dont like to alter oringal guns but if they have already been altered why not.... charlie

Raising Comb
 

The layout of the tang and lock inletting of most top action exposed hammer Parkers is such that the drop at comb cannot be increased without adding wood. The only problem I encountered was that sawing the comb behind the wrist left only a narrow flat strip to glue the Monte Carlo. It has worked out alright so far, but it is a little tricky to maintain a smooth transition from cheek to comb.

I'll try some pictures later.

Best, Austin

Raising Comb
 

Here is the piece sliced off the comb to provide a surface to add height. The raised comb is about twice the width of the base for about two inches. It takes some tricky plane and rasp work to produce a smooth transition from old stock to new comb.

Best, Austin

Go for it Ed. To me a shooter that is modified is still a shooter. It is just now a shooter that will work better for you. In the end its all about shooting better.

Raised Comb
 

Here is the stock profile and the detail of the joint at comb. I gained about 5/8 in drop at comb, which is the essential place, and about 1/2 inch in drop at heel. I found it necessary to provide a monte carlo heel to fit existing pads, with out reshaping the toe.
The gun is stocked for shooting head up; ie see the bird, put the rib on the bird and the butt and comb find the right places by themselves.
The finish is Man O War varnish, leveled and rubbed out with rottenstone and mineral oil.

Best, Austin

Austin, that is one nice hammer gun. Those who have seen my rare and valuable?? PHE vent rib trap with extra factory vent rib skeet barrels after the crossover stock was installed will understand why I don't give Austin a hard time. If you can't shoot it, fool with it. I'm sure that after Austin and I are gone, someone will restore our guns to original. Now Dr. Truitt's guns, I don't know. I think some hard core shooter will leave them as is. His "shooters" seem to have some charm that my and Austin's shooters don't have.

Have you considered a leather lace on comb pad? I use one and it works very well and the original stock isn't altered. In addition it's a lot cheaper thean reshaping the stock.

Richard - I have tried all that. A prior owner took the height of the comb down such that the nose is very thin, resulting in tape-on, stick-on, and velcro-on pads sliding around. My best option may be to do a comb transplant.

Try this Ed, for twenty bucks, it works great.

http://www.rstshells.com/store/c/28-Cheek-Pads.aspx

Ed- I know how you feel. I have a 16 that the prior owner (a former NFL player) cut down the comb so the gun had over 4 inches of drop:eek:. It couldn't be bent that much and the aftermarket comb products wouldn't allow me to raise the comb without moveing my face so far off the stock I couldn't shoot it. I had the gun restocked..expensive but now it fits me.

I couldn't get all the misses taken out of it however:crying:

Bob - I have one of those. They work great for awhile, but eventually they start to slide on the stock.

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Ed,
Here are two adjustable comb examples on a Parker. These were set up as Try-Guns, the first one probably by Parker Bros J.P. Hayes, and the second by master craftsman A.P. Curtis... Very interesting designs for pre-1920's...

Best, CSL
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http://www.webpak.net/~dslcslien/1TryHayes1.jpg
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http://www.webpak.net/~dslcslien/1TryCurtis1.jpg

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