Question about a BH Parker
 

So I’m looking at a BH Parker and trying to decipher some things. As it sits, the stock is a total disaster, someone butchered it beyond repair by dovetailing in a comb. It has two sets of barrels, original Damascus 12 gauge barrels that are cut down to 26 inches, and a set of 16 gauge barrels that look like really late additions from Remington, the markings on the flats and side of the lumps look right but there is no marking on the rib at all. Both barrels are marked RK3 so they were returned in Nov. of 1941. Would it be safe to assume that’s when the barrels were added? The letter also say it was returned in 1919 to Parker Bro and along with other repairs a new extended rib. I’m wondering what that means?

Thanks for the help

That is how Remington marked the SN, so the RK3, no rib inscription, and SN placement would suggest you are right.
The breech end, last two inches of the top rib is referred to as the rib extension.
Did you mean to say the the added barrels are 16"? I hope not, 'nuf said.
What does the tag with the 28" mean?

Forgot to add, a One frame BH is not a common gun, so if you have the original gold grip cap, and the rest of the gun is in decent shape, it would be worth restocking. A 1 frame 12 is a lively gun, and finding a set of damascus 1 frame 12ga 30" barrels may not be too difficult (shameless plug: I have a set)
I am not alone in saying, Grade 5 guns are just so nice.

Is that a beaver tail forearm?

Thank you! Yes the 2nd set of barrels are 16 gauge, I’ll fix that. I think the 28 on the tag is the barrel length. My buddy is a gunsmith and tags everything so he doesn’t mix things up. Thank you for the info.

Yes it is. It has a splinter forearm for the 12 gauge barrels and a beaver tail forearm for the 16 gauge barrels.

Can we see the rest of the gun?

Here are the only others I have

That is a really good candidate for Butt transplant.

The barrels were a remington addition.

Beautiful fine engraving! I agree with Brian, well worth investing in a restock.

I'm surprised the Damascus barrels still exist. With Remington's policy on Damascus barrels by November 1941, I'd have thought they would have required their destruction before they fitted new barrels. Must have been somebody who knew somebody.

I'd expect that if the gun was back to Parker Bros. in 1919 it would have been retrofitted with the 1910 bolt and bolt plate.

An early Quality BH with beautiful fine scroll engraving and a set of "modern" steel barrels should be worthy of some serious restoration investment.

I am struck by how solid the original stock is except for the goofy comb. I have seen guns worse than this with a new piece inlet as a repair. With a careful choice of wood, they often look good and are serviceable. Given the gun and features, what is the opinion of the relative value of the gun if the bad comb were professionally matched and installed. Much less work and cost and much more original (checkering etc) than a new stock. However nice the new stock, it is totally unoriginal vs saving much of the original. Repaired original vs new I would think would be more valuable and cost much less.

Very much a worthy project. It appears the skeleton butt was removed in addition to the comb modification. If it were mine I would do the butt transplant suggested by Brian. That way you get your dimensions and also restore the skeleton butt. I have seen a couple of Brian's butt transplants and they are outstanding. Good luck with whatever you decide. I'm a big fan of BH's and own 4. They are sweet guns you get almost the same level of finish as a AH at a more reasonable cost.

For example…

Attachment 132408

If you're going to do it right, do a complete new buttstock. Where as you can hide the glue joint by butting up to the checkering, you can't hide the joint on the top. Two pieces of wood glued together move in time & will show the glue joint line. You have a very nice B grade and it deserves to be done right. It will be a little more costly, but it the long run you will be happier.

If they’re glued properly with a biscuit or wafer joint they will never move.





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I've been a professional stockmaker & checker for over 40 years & I know what I'm talking about. All you have to do is look at furniture tops that have several glued boards & in time you can see the joint line. I'm not saying that they will come apart, but the joints we'll move and the glue line will appear & different woods can absorb moisture differently & one rise slightly above the other.

I don't know if the gun I distinctly recall seeing was done by Brian, but it was an excellent butt transplant. Because of the grade of the gun (IIRC, it was a hammer gun) the checkering came right up the wrist from the cap to the centerline, behind the top tang. The edge of the checkering was mullered, precisely over the joint. I know I am not the only one who saw the gun, as I recall there was a group of us standing around, admiring it. I'm pretty sure it was in the tent at Hausmann's, probably around '12, or '13.
Gary C, help me out here. was it one of your great hammer guns?

We are talking about a early BH if without a screwed up stock and little case colors is a 7k gun. A completely new stock would make it a money pit in my opinion. We all want to save these old guns but must consider it's market value after restoration. A butt transplant would result in a nice shooter without being way underwater.

If you have family members you can leave the gun to after you pass and want it to stay in your family, I'd bite the bullet and have it restocked. Nice gun

‘Scuse me David - didn’t mean to offend.





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Yeah, that is the downfall of many of the blended and painted over extensions is that movement of the wood causes the glue joint to become visible over time. Plus most of those faux finishes look like plastic anyway.

Definitely bite the bullet and have it restocked. There are some great craftsmen out there, and examples of their work abound. Years ago (c. 1990) we rescued a horribly abused BHE 16 ga. 28" DT PG SFE whose stock had been cut, planed, recut, built up, filed down, and for a final insult had a Morgan adjustable pad installed!

That was the bad news; the good news was that the gun had magnificent engraving, unaltered chokes and chambers, pristine barrels inside and lots of original finish outside, decent case colors left and best of all, everything worked. We went for a total restock and FE restoration, paid the big bucks for correct production era (c. 1919) Circassian walnut blank(s) and insisted on period-correct stock sculpting (no fat Fleur-de-Lis "fingers" or flush cheek panels!). The result was a magnificent restoration of the gun to its former glory, complete with detailed engraved SKBP.

In a more poetic license, it became "A thing of beauty and a joy forever. GO FOR IT!

Isn't it fun to try and help someone else to spend money!! :rotf:

My favorite past time is spending other peoples money.

When I made my post I was simply trying to point out that there is a whole range of solutions to most problems. The comb is terrible. By far the cheapest on that stock is cut the existing comb out and replace with a closely matching piece. In the stock repair world it is the easiest and lowest cost decision. It may become more visible down the road but that will be another problem at another time. Many people may be happy with it. More importantly it followed the medical philosophy of "do no harm", or at least the minimum. The butt transplant would most likely be the next most costly and likely last longer. A new stock would be the most ost costly with no originality left. You pay your money and make the choice.

I will make one comment on the glue issue. I have joined hundreds of 0.10 inch pieces of wood near 2 feet long with hot hide glue or high performance wood glue and then used them in structures subject to bending forces of several hundreds of pounds with no failure . These joints are absolutely invisible. They stay that way. This is with highly figured wood . The key is fitting it so closely there is nothing to see. The reason I brought up the patch is because of location and shape of the inletted piece. From what I can see in the pictures it would be simple to cut the offending section out on a milling machine and leave a perfectly flat surface. After finding a closely grain matched replacement, it could be milled or planed perfectly flat on the mating side and joined with a couple of small biscuits and I guarantee that you would never see the joint (which is not the same as the differential grain of the patch). It would likely be better to replace the entire comb than the front 80 per cent.

In either a patch or a butt transplant the transparency of the job, assuming good workmanship, depends on the grain match.

Think of it as a form of investment counseling; in this case we spent $2250 on the gun, close to $3K on the restock, then sold the gun 9 years later for $10K.

Forgot about passing it down ect. If you like the gun, it is a great opportunity to make a fine shooter that is fit to you!
Life is short. Use the good China!

Edgar, do not think it was one of mine, Gary

I did a search trying to find the previous thread, and found the one where Brian had done this exact job on a lesser grade gun.

https://parkerguns.org/forums/showth...utt+transplant

For a gun of such beauty that a BH is, it would be just what I would do.

I thank everyone for the help and general opinion of the Parker community. I will say unfortunately for me, my buddy has taken this info and is now going to keep the gun lol. That said it will be getting the proper treatment of a proper restock. At least he is giving me first right of refusal if he changes his mind or decides to sell it down the line.

WELL, Isn't that a kick in the ......!