DHE double trap
 

I am a little puzzled by this one and I am looking for opinions from Everyone. This gun is a DHE, 32", Vent rib, Beaver tail, Single trigger, Monte Carlo stocked gun.
Serial number is 24230x. I believe the case colors, finish on the stock and barrels to be original. I have no idea what the Barrel flat markings represent. Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks, Brett

Can you show us both sides of the stock please?





.

A few more photos

Dean, I will get a photo of the other side tomorrow.

It is hard to see the letters RKS on the corner of the barrel flat by the ejector in my photo.
-Brett

Side of stock and but pad.
Could this have been a Larry Del Grego & Son built gun?

My opinion is that Del Grego upgraded the gun. Does it letter? Nice looking gun.

Can guns letter that are higher serial numbered than the serialization guide goes to?
-Brett

I don't know, but you can go to the home page and click on research letters and enter the serial number and find out if records are available.

I’d say definitely a Del Grego redo but probably not an upgrade. Probably restocked. What’s she choked?

The chokes are improved modified and full with a drop in gauge.

Lot of strange things about that gun. No PARKER GUN WORKS, OVERLOAD PROVED stamps on the barrel flats. Doesn't have the grade gauge and chamber length on the left side of the lug that one would expect this late --

Attachment 104083

This is my 16-gauge VHE with a date code of XJ (yellow arrows) --


Attachment 104084

The barrels of the gun in question have a date code of XK X = December K = 1941

Also, as can be noted on my gun the serial number and choke marks are normally on the barrel flats on these very latest guns.

It also appears there was a repair code on the barrel flat, ?H3, but I can't read the first letter. H would be 1939 or 1961 neither of which make sense.

Here is a barrel flat a couple of digits lower with everything we would expect on a very late gun --

Attachment 104085

with also a number of repair codes.

Definitely Del Grego IMO
Nose of the comb is one clue.
Cyanide case colors is one clue.
Drop point shaped like Meriden style, not Ilion style is another clue.





.

And..... It has a Larry DelGrego & Son rubber recoil pad.





.

Nothing about any of the finishes on that gun are original.

I should have been more clear in my statement about believing the gun has original finishes. Is it possible that this late gun was assembled from parts by Larry Del Greco and finished one time, not refinished but finishes that Del Greco would do to an unfinished gun? This is an unusual gun by the barrel flat markings and to me could make sense .
Thank you for all the comments.
-Brett

Researcher,
This is a closer view of the Symbol next to H3
- Brett

I guess that could be an O which would be July. Still neither 1939 or 1961make sense. 1939 would be before the barrels were made according to the XK date code, and 1961 would be after Remington quit repair work on Parkers.

Wonder if these were parts assembled into a gun by DelGrego? Generally, guns of this vintage don't have a rib legend on the barrels. Of the guns I've saved pictures of 241727 is a vent rib with no rib legend.

In my opinion That gun is a Del Grego redo front to back and top to bottom. The barrels also have no business on a 2423xx gun as they have normal Meriden Titanic engraving on the rib and that would not be on a Remington made gun from 1941. I have owned 6 different 2423xx Remington built guns with vent ribs and handled several others and the ribs were all blank. It is a re-barreled Frankenmonster refinised/rebuild by Del Grego and they left their signature on the pad.

PML

Open that right choke up to a modified and you’ve got a great doubles trap gun.

It may just be the angle of the picture but the BT forend seems very flat on the underside.

I would be interested to see the three digits stamped on the bottom of the vent rib. That will tell the story.

Or the underside of the trigger guard or even the 2 or 3 digits found on small parts.

The "Titanic" marking on the rib is way out of character with the surrounding legend.

It suddenly dawns on me that the RKS on the right barrel flat and the partial P on the left are vestiges of PARKER GUN WORKS OVERLOAD PROVED stamp --

Attachment 104104

which apparently was mostly removed.

Bill is correct. And why would a 242 thousand Remington Parker have any barrel rib markings ?

We know that in the 242 range there were guns assembled from remainder components after the close of production . These guns are not in the serial number records and tended to be higher grade and unusual in some way . Larry DelGrego Sr assembled some of these into the 1950’s and I understand others were done at the nearby Lefever shop.

The triplet blonde C grades cased together come to mind. They were owned by Bill Sefken and sold to I don’t know whom now.

The legend on some, if not most, ventilated ribs were hand engraved rather than roll-stamped.This appears to be an example of that. And you can see that there was a word, mostly polished out, beneath the engraved TITANIC.





.

Picky, picky, picky. From a purely collectors view point, probably not a gun you'd be interested in. From a shooters stand point, you'd be lucky to own this gun and should thank Del Grego for all his hard work.

Thank you for all of the observations. This is the kind of information I was hoping to gather.
- I will look for the three digit serial number under the rib, I couldn't find one under the last vent rib gun I had but I'm told it there if the lighting is just right.
- I will remove the trigger guard to see if there are any serial numbers.
- And I will try and get a better photo or look through a loop at the Titanic legend on the rib. what is the thought here with the vent rib legend? Is it that someone would engrave over another legend or should the wavy lines should have been continuous without space for the legend?
- What do the letters RKS stand for as related to Parker Proof barrels?
Again thank you to everyone for all comments, no offense here, just want to represent the gun properly
- Brett

The RKS are the last three letters of the word “WORKS” as in Parker Gun Works Overload Proved.

Got it! The stars just aligned for me and now it makes sense where the faint "p" is located .
Thanks, Brett

Regarding the rib legend - the only thing I question is the word TITANIC and what appears to have been beneath it. The matting and the unmatted section for the legend all look original to me.
Generally, that three digit number (last three digits of the serial number) should be found between the 2nd and 3rd posts.





.

True. Many of these late guns will make a person go weak in the knees.

The original poster asked for our opinion, then stated that all finishes look original. I think he has had the course. I will add that the finish on the barrel flat is a bit rough and that I have never seen a gun that late with the serial number in that location on the barrel lug. I think it is a leftover set of barrels or an unfinished set installed by Lefever or just possibly, Del Grego.

I question if the cyanide colors were done by Del Grego. The wood I would say definitely was. But the cyanide doesn’t look like Del Grego to me.

While I prefer all original I could live with this gun . I kinda like target guns be it SBT , skeet guns , pigeon guns or double traps . Have everything covered except a double trap , perhaps down the road . But if I were shooting a trap doubles event I wouldn’t feel handicapped using either of my so called pigeon guns .

Mike, Del Grego's colors were mostly done at the Arms and the appearance depends on the day of the week. Not a criticism, because I love all my Del Grego and Remington guns. This is a Del Grego gun.

If I were a doubles trap guy, I would want that gun. Beautiful. Just sayin.....

I think I have all the answers I was looking for. Thank you everyone who replied and to those who reached out to discuss this gun further. I now know that all I should have posted was a photo of the stock shield. A picture really is worth a thousand words.
-Brett

Shelly Gitman. The gun just answered it all.