Parker Identification
 

Hello - new to the forum. I have a gun that I am trying to help someone figure out model and value for insurance purposes. So here is what I know...made in 1904 per the SN. Has titanic steel barrels - believe it is a DH (if I'm wrong that's why I'm here) - here is the odd part - it has 34" barrels. Which I can't find anywhere and believe has to be a special order. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Model and value as is? As insured? and if you need any more pictures, let me know please.

Thanks

Rob F.

Holy smokes!! What an amazing duck and goose gun that is! Parker’s answer to “Bo-Whoop”!!

That is a wonderful gun that any serious duck hunter would love to own despite the repaired stock head split. Being built on a 3-frame I’ll guess it’s a 10 ga. but even better if it’s a 12.





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yes, it is a DH grade. It is on a 3 frame, which there has been some heightened interest in on the forums lately. The 34 inch barrels were undoubtedly special ordered. Along with the straight stock, all these things will add to the interest and value. Things that will detract from the value are the head repair on the stock, and the mismatched floor plate (at least in coloration). It's not visible from the photos but is there a safety button on the upper tang? If so, is it automatically switched to safe when you open the gun? If there is no safety, it could be what is referred to as a live bird gun.
As to value, I'll let others opine there. Interesting gun! I'm curious what others will say.

Apparently Dean and I were typing at the same time. Dean is a faster typer than I, Lol

Not really faster David. I went back and edited my post 6 times after each tims I noticed something new.





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Dean - it is a 12g

A close twin to Destry's long one!

Just WOW !





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What a set of barrels that must be. I just looked at the weights of five 34" barrels all 1 1/2 or 2 frame. The heaviest being 4-9 which comes in some 9 ounces under these 3 frame 5-2 barrels. 34" D grades come along from time to time being uncommon at best and not rare IMO. However the 3 frame 12 gauge guns rarely come to market with 34" barrels, there's your value. Unfortunately this one has numerous issues affecting the value. I would think Dean would be close IMO, at top end if anything. Of course that is assuming the barrels have no issues (MWT, lengthened chambers, dents, etc.), that would be a deal killer. There's a seat for every butt as they say and there may be folks willing to pay more for this gun with it being a 3 frame. Even at that it's not going much over Deans guesstimate IMO. If your friend used 6K for insurance purposes he should be adequately insured I would think and if over insured it would be a trivial cost in terms of premium. Great configuration, if it had condition I would stalk your friend :)

The gun is not in particularly great condition overall. The value in the gun as it is lies solely in its rare configuration and as a shooter in that configuration.

Interesting serial number stamping on the water table. The last digit looks like an I rather than a 1. If the that last digit is a 1 it matches the serialization book as a straight grip 12ga with 34" titanic barrels.

Quite the gun IMO!!!

159 DH's were made in this barrel type/length but I'd bet fewer than 20% were on the 3-frame.





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Now for sale on GB. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/900948691

For “Insurance Purposes”... whatever. Like usual.

And as long as people keep giving answers, they will keep asking.

Bush league move. Too bad Dean didn't say $750-$800. Just sayin.

I hate it when someone pulls a stunt like that. Perhaps the gun will sit.

He might not get a bid starting it at that price.

The seller also has a Winchester Model 52 .22cal rifle with 4X Wollensak target scope setup that is kind of interesting, not that I would buy it but the starting price is not too unreasonable.

It would probably have been a smarter move to join the PGCA, and put it in the for sale forum.
I would love to have see one of our members pick that gun up, and have it restored by one of our smiths.

Same pics in the auction as posted in this thread !

Yup, the guy comes on here, outright lies about the gun and his purposes and I am sure we wont hear anything from him again. If he sold the gun, he could at least make a donation to the PGCA as a “thank you”. But I doubt it.

I have said it before and will say it again. When I see the question, “what do I have and what is it worth?” to me, that translates to, “I want to sell this and who wants to buy it?”.

And any time a question about “insurance value” comes up, The only reply I will ever offer is telling them to refer to the blue book of gun values of they want an insurance value.

He could have spent the 50 bucks for membership, ordered a factory letter, and sold the gun for a fair price, all at this site for less than a hundred bucks.
But on the plus side, we got to look at an interesting gun.
As the Baptists say, bless his heart.

Well darn. The thing they oughta realize is that these folks could tell the truth, in this case I'm gonna sell it. And he would have gotten the same assistance. He ain't worth the worries. What a configuration though. I think one our members bought a 3 frame 34"-12 ga a few years back, am I right on that JD? Other than that I have not seen one.

Just went through the ad pics. A right wanker has been at that gun. His opening bid would be for a non effed up specimen. Too paraphrase the hose trade, that one has been rode hard and put away wet. What hasn't been mentioned is the oil soaked forend, and really buggered and timed floor plate screws. The erosion around both firing pin holes is interesting, I wonder how many boxcars of shells have been through both barrels. The no safety leads me to believe that it was used as a live bird gun. Full howitzer loads through both barrels would explain the head stock split. It might not be a functional gun.

I have a great shooting no safety DH made the same year that doubles with some regularity, crushes the bird and your shoulder at the same time. It also has the erosion at the firing pin holes which allows primers to back out and effectively locking the gun closed. I have a $3500 quote letter from Larry D. for the cost to put that gun right.

Caveat Emptor!

That gun will be lucky to bring $3000 in todays market. It needs a minimum of $2500 restoration work. There were 2 DH 32" guns at the Ohio Gun Collectors show last weekend in similar condition. One sold for $1800 and the other was priced at $2500 and did not sell. 34" barrels and #3 frame will add value,but not more than $1000.It is a $3000 fixer upper.

You are correct. BHE. Choked: right barrel tighter than Dick's hat band / left barrel tighter than a bull's a$$. Weights a couple of pounds more than me. Has it's own set of value detracting issues however. You will probably see her in June in the Bo Whoop competition.

You mean I will see her "again". While my memory is not great at times a 34" B Grade 12 Ga on a 3 frame is the sort of thing that sticks with me. I shall look forward to it.

Boy did I make a big mistake when I assigned a value to this one.

I just went back and enlarged all of the pictures and saw lots of things I hadn't seen before and I edited value right out of my post.
I was lusting over the configuration rather than paying closer attention to the badly worn engraving, checkering worn smooth and poorly re-checkered just to name two.

I bow to those who suggested about $3k though even that might be high.

Apologies to all.





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Maybe in the future when someone asks for value they are told “It is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.”

That’s certainly the truth but I would never say that to soneone seriously asking.





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Thirtyfive years ago I remmember many of the trap shooters saying a 32” O/U was to hard to get around quickly on the second shot at trap doubles . Bet they’d really cry about a 34” 3 frame :rotf:

A 3 frame 12ga. Parker is a quisasential duck gun in my opinion. I am fortunate to own 3. They bring a 2x premium over a 2 frame with similar condition in my opinion. Barrels over 32" bring a 3x premium. Most are not overbored or have tighter than .040 chokes. Super Foxes are overbored to .748 and .049 chokes.

Well someone is at $4,499.00

I'm athinkin' it might be the seller...





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[QUOTE=Dean Romig;334820]I'm athinkin' it might be the seller...
/QUOTE]

It's not Dean.

Congratulations to the one bidder then. He has forsight and a pure vision of “what can be.”





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I was waiting for it to be relisted at a lower starting price... Oh well...





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I was hoping it could have been linked to Nash Buckingham but I barked up that tree with no results that I could connect.


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If I’m not mistaken the bidder is the dealer in MI that has a bunch of stuff on GB for sale . He I think generally has his stuff over priced , well in my opinion .

You and me both ! Well if it sells elsewhere atleast I save money :whistle:

Probably wrong, but I remember Nash's 34" Parker to be a AA grade.

Could be, who knows... but the one in the picture I posted appears to be a D or a C judging by the oval with the game scene.





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