A Parker Bros. Pump Gun?
 

Earlier this week I visited the Cody Firearms museum in Cody Wyoming. If you go prepare yourself for sensory overload as they claim to have 4200 guns in their collection. The guns in glass cases combined with poor lighting made taking good photographs near impossible. I pulled out a drawer in the P section of their Gun Library and ran into something I have never heard about, a Parker Bros. Redfield Pump Shotgun. It's a prototype and very plain. The museum said it is from the 1932 to 1940 era. Who can tell us more about it?

Pete, check in The Parker Story when you’re back home. I think I remember mention of this short-lived experinent.





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Parker Pump Shotgun
 

Pete, try TPS Vol II Pages 462-464. Were you able to get a look at the breech bolt / ejection area of the receiver? The diagram on page 462 makes the bolt look pretty unique.

It is mentioned in TPS, but all that is shown is a drawing done by Hayes. I do not think that this prototype at Cody was known of by the authors or it would have been included.

I have often wondered what ever happened to any efforts on that project of Hayes. As I figured he would have gone father into it than just a drawing.


I will have to try to inquire with Cody about some details on that gun.

I only looked at it briefly because there were so many guns to look at. The action was closed so I didn't notice anything unusual. It's hard to really examine any gun closely and even harder to take any pictures due to reflection from the glass and the poor lighting.

Do you or anyone know what the Redfield in the name was about? I associate the name Redfield with Marlin guns and I believe they make scopes. I am wondering if this example is a one of a kind like the Trojan Skeet Gun. Note that it was/is on loan from Remington Arms.

I did not notice that on the tag. Interesting. That gun was not in the remington museum previously. But it would make sense that any Parker pump gun prototype would have stayed with the company and went on to remington at the move.

I know what you mean about the reflection on the glass and poor lighting, I took a picture of the Annie Oakley guns on display at Cody and was disappointed.

We visited the museum on Sunday, on the weekends there are no curators at the gun museum to ask any detailed questions, assuming they would know something about any particular gun since they have thousands on display. I noticed the museum staff present were moving between the different museums in the Cody complex. The one I spoke to didn't seem too knowledgeable about guns. It was later that I saw him in the Buffalo Bill museum and then the Western Art museum.

As good as I've ever been able to do there --

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The Chief Curator of the Cody Firearms Museum is a friend and colleague from my own museum days. I'll reach out to him and ask for more information regarding this firearm. Any info that I receive from him I will pass along here.

Large, modern museums have transitioned to glass and lighting technology that greatly reduces UV damage to artifacts. Keep in mind that exhibits and displays are designed and created for in-person visitor/education experience, not necessarily for photography.

You would be hard-pressed to find a Museum Curator around on a weekend. Most are staffed by volunteer docents on weekends and holidays (when open).

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a large complex made up of different museums with different themes. The Cody Firearms Museum is one of those, so the chances are good that an Art Curator or Historian is not going to be an expert so to speak in firearms.

Based on that prototype being on loan from Remington, does anyone know the situation with the Remington Museum? Did they transfer everything to their new HQ since they closed the Ilion plant? They held a very nice collection, and I hope it wasn't broken up and disposed of.

I have quite a few pics I took of guns at the Cody in 2007 but I don’t remember seeing the Parker pump gun.

I’ll post some when I’m back home in a couple of days.





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After multiple attempts to contact Remington about the future of the museum, they were very unwilling to give details or even respond. I was told the collection would go to their Georgia plant, but that’s all they would say. I’m not holding my breath on the future plans for any of it.

Sara

Alright so I heard back from the Curator at the Cody Firearms Museum. They received the Parker pump-action prototype on loan from Remington Ammunition after the bankruptcy. He also said that they have around 180 other pieces from Remington on loan since the 1990's. He does not know the status of the old Remington Museum in Ilion, or that collection.

They are basically two different companies. Remington Firearms (RemArms) and Remington Ammunition. Another contact tells me that the Remington Museum collection is in storage and will at some point be transferred to a new location. He does not know if this means Lonoke, Arkansas where the ammunition facility is, or RemArms HQ.

Thanks for the update Alfred!





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