10 gauge Damascus lifter
 

I have this 10 gauge Damascus lifter shotgun that I’m interested in purchasing but don’t know enough about Parker guns to know why a good price would be on it? Any info would be great serial number is 11491

The gun is a grade 2.
It looks to be in VERY good all original condition. That is how you want to find them.

Ok so I don’t know much about these guns. What does it mean to be a grade two? How does the grading work on Parker shotguns? Is there anyway to put a ballpark value on it? I saw one that looked similar on a midway USA clip on YouTube that said 2500 for a value. Would that be about right for this one?

If you go to the homepage there is all sorts of information about grading.
The value of the gun is something you will have to determine based on active listings and known sales. Or if the gun is for sale, then there should be an asking price. If you think it is fair, then pay it. All we can say is that it IS a good gun. A nice example of a grade 2 lifter.

Ok sounds good thanks for the info and it’s an auction so no listing price that’s why I’m curious on approximate value, I tried to find others like it and there aren’t very many out there and they have a fairly wide range on prices. Is bore condition a fairly good determining factor on what it could be worth?

Here’s a few more pictures I have now..

It is a 2 frame 10g. which is also considered to be somewhat "desirable" as it would be considered a lightweight 10g. Normally a 10g. would be built on the heavier 3 frame.

However, with the lighter frame, bore condition and wall thickness is very important for it to be considered a safe shooter as the lighter frame means lighter/thinner barrels.

B Dudley, I don’t have any picture of the bores but they are nice and Whitney with no visible pitting and seem to be in very good shape. If I end up bringing the gun home I will be bringing it to my gunsmith to give it a more thorough check to make sure it is safe to shoot but it looks up nice and tight with no slip or play anywhere. What does the D5 stand for that’s shown in the pictures?

D represents Damascus barrels and the 5 indicates the pre-struck barrel weight of 5 lbs., 0 ounces.





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Would $1500 be a good price on a gun like this?

Yes, that’s a goodprice but you may have to pay more to get it. Keeping in mind it’s at auction and there WILL be other bidders.




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Got er for 1200!

Good for you Jacob but just one word of advice. After your gunsmith confirms the guns shootability use only light loads. The early parkers had non-radiused breech faces and have been known to crack occasionally. Don't be to concerned though...I've had three of them over the years and put several hundred rounds through each of them without any issues.

Sounds good that’s good info to have. Do you buy loads for them or load your own?

Jakob

You likely have done this, but I checked the serial number and factory record check. Your gun was made, it looks like, in early 1878 and there are existing factory records for it. You can apply for a Research Letter and find the relevent data available. This often allows you to see if it matches the way it left the factory and helps with its valuation.

If you go on and actually join, you will save more than the membership cost on the first letter, and get access to the member section with buy and sell ads for guns, parts and memorabilia, along with a lot of other interesting forums with a bunch of info.

I was using RST's early on but started loading my own to save a few bucks. Components are getting hard to find now and RST is also having problems finding components. Hopefully this situation will eventually pass.

So what is the best way to clean these old Damascus guns like this to keep them in great condition?

some good gun oil and wipe it down regularly and clean the bores....some wood polish on the stock and forearm and do this on a schedule not hard keeping a gun clean....charlie

So just dropped it off at the gunsmith and he was very suprised at the condition of the bores! Said it probably looked the same when it was brand new. Said it’s it really good shape. Just gonna give the once over then gotta get some shells and give it a try at the range.

Congratulations Jacob on a good buy. I also have a grade 2 lifter made in 1878. Yours has some some extra engraving on the breech balls. Let us know what the gun smith says.

Is there any way of knowing how many grade 2 10 gauge lifters with hammers were made?

Yes, you can tabulate an approximate a total from the grade tables at the end of each grade chapter in The Parker Story.

There were a lot of them made… many thousands.




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Ok sounds good thanks I’ll check that out.

After re-reading your question, I see that you asked specifically for Grade-2 10 gauge Lifters and in my previous reply I suggested "many thousands" but in Grade-2 10 gauge Lifters I count only about 1,854 or so.





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Jacob:

Did the gunsmith merely look at the bores?

It would be vital for the bores also to be measured for minimum wall thickness to determine if the gun were safe to shoot.

True Russell, I am always skeptical of “shiny” or “minty” bores in someone’s description of a gun. True, they may have never been touched… or they may have been honed to get rid of pitting, then polished. I prefer to know the actual wall thickness.





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He hasn’t checked them out yet but he did say he was gonna do that when her gets to it probably gonna be a couple weeks before I here back he did the same with and older lc smith I bought about a year ago.

Just thinking out loud here, but what about having Briley's make up a set of 20 gauge tubes for these early 10s?

I got my 10 gauge back from the gunsmith and he gave the thumbs up to be able shoot it. Anyone know where a guy might be able to find shells suitable for old guns like this? RST isnt making 10 gauge anymore.

For the time being they are not.

Yeah I called the company and asked. Is there anywhere else a guy can go to get shells for these old guns?

Unless you reload, your options are to find someone who has extra shells or load your own.

If I was just getting into a hammer 10 gauge, and RST was not an option, I would shoot/reload black powder shells. You can get brass shells like in the picture below or reload plastic shells with the same technique and hand tools. There is a company called Track of the Wolf that has all of the supplies except the black powder.

Trust me you will be enjoy it...it is fun to shoot these with the shells they would have shot when new.

That is a favorite 10 gauge of mine a #2 Frame Top Action with 30" Twist barrels.

Good luck!
Jay

Can you load smokeless loads in brass shells? If not, why not?

I was just wondering the same thing. I would be tempted to try if you could

Bill, it depends on who makes the brass. Magtech makes thin walled brass shells(not in 10 gauge though) and black powder only is recommended. Rocky Mountain Cartridge makes higher quality turned brass shotshells that can be loaded with smokeless. I only shoot black powder in the Track of the Wolf shells, just because that is what I like. However, I do know people who use a Red Dot load that works well with the Track of the Wolf 10 gauge shells, which are high quality.

So that is a long way of saying yes it can be done in a high quality brass shell.

The brass shells - black powder are probably your best bet. Several years ago I wrote an article the Parker Pages about loading 10 gauge black powder brass hulls. Maybe 2015 give or take. (PGCA members have online access to every edition of the magazine). The loads you can work up are a lot of fun and can bring the full potential of the 10 gauge. I dropped a Turkey at 70 paces with no problem. The old loading tools are easy to find and the booklet Jay mentioned gives detailed instructions. Good luck and keep us posted.

I reload 8 and 10 gauge brass shells and never used black powder. I too wrote an article on reloading 8 gauge brass shells with only with smokeless powder for a Parker Pages article several years ago. Several Turkey's and a grouse have been taken using those shells. The 10 gauge Track of the Wolf shells have been successful for taking many dove. Light smokeless powder loads can be used in brass shells in my opinion.

Wayne would you happen to know when you article came out. I would like to read it. Thanks!

The article was included in the winter 2015 issue. Since then I have added a Italian wad and use a combination of #4 and #7 1/2 shot. It worked well on this Tom this year.