Resurrected DHE
 

I picked up this DHE a few weeks ago online. It came from a Cabelas around Kansas City. I knew it had split stock with a crude repair from many many years ago with a bolt going through it. For the price I thought it would be a neat project to try to see if I could get it back usable. Once I took delivery, it was a bit rougher than I thought. I completely disassembled it and ultrasonic cleaned all the parts. Soaked the stock in acetone/ alcohol to remove all the old grime/oil and finish and removed the old bolt going through the head. I then ironed out all the dents I could, epoxied the stock back together reinforcing the joint with carbon fiber rod. After getting everything back together, and several coats of finish, I must say It turned out better than expected. Definitely, not perfect, but should make a great
shooter.

You did a great job. Your finish brings out the beauty of the grain.

It definitely had a better piece of wood hiding under the 120 years of old finish and grime.

Great Job! Mind if I ask what you used for the finish?

Timberlux!

Good job John!

Thanks!

Well done. Glad to see that you were able to save the original stock.

Nice job, years of shooting left in that one!

I think so. Looks like it's choked skeet or a light IC and light mod. Probably someone's bird gun out west originally.

??? How would you arrive at that conclusion???

Just curious…





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Well, it's not really a conclusion, just more of a guess. I would imagine open chokes back in 1905 would be used for quail or upland birds.

Have the barrels been cut?
Did you measure the choke constriction in thousandths?





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They do not appear to be cut. They measure 28" and, no I have not verified with a bore guage the thousandths of constriction but just a simple drop in guage.

If it has 26 inch tubes it is perfect for and upland bird in the south. 28 inch is good also.

There are several certainties in life:

1. If I buy a stock it will go down
2. If I pay off a car it will suffer a fender bender the day after
3. If I buy a Parker it will be choked M/F or F/F and never anything else...

Andy;

I've learned to live with all three. I actually look for guns in #3. Either way it just cuts the stress not worrying. The first 20ga VHE I bought 50+ years ago was a 26" and I assumed it was IC/M because that was what the guy who sold it to me said it was. Shot it for years on everything from quail, pheasants, ducks and doves and did real well with it. Come to find out it was choked M/F when I finally bought a bore gauge 20 some years ago. Ignorance is bliss as they say.

Unless it wasa special order gun it'sikely to have mod and full chokes with those 28 inch barrels

I'll measure the bores next week at work and see exactly what constriction they are and order a research letter for the gun. That may disclose how it left the factory. It's definitely not mod and full now.

Remember when you measure for choke constriction that the choke taper may be 6” long.






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Weren't chokes of that length only on the oversized bores, in composite barreled hammer guns? I wouldn't expect to see anything longer than 3 1/2" in a steel barreled hammerless gun.

You haven't told us the serial number. An early gun with oversize bores could cause your choke gauge reading to be way off. A choke gauge that you describe is really not the way to establish choke constriction. Nice gun, great stock finish and repair.

Yes, ill measure bore vs choke this week at work. The choke guage is all i had on hand...Serial number 133503.

It works!!!