Front sight bead missing
 

I have a 1927 16 ga GH that I have lost the front brass bead on (in the heat of a whitewing shoot). Noticed it gone as I cleaned on the tailgate after the shoot. Might possibly be 2 faint threads deep in the hole, can't tell for certain, but certainly not threaded full length. Appears to be a press fit and best I can measure the mounting hole is .109" (7/64). Suggestions on type? Sources for a replacement? Any help appreciated, dove season approaches!

Kinda tells you you don't really need it. It happend to me once while shooting bunker trap at Quantico Marine base in VA and I never noticed it until I was finished shooting my 4th round. Brian Dudley here should be able to help you.

I hate the hole in the rib!

You could fill it in with putty so as to be removable or do what a buddy of mine did at a three day shoot we were attending. It bothered him so much that he took a wooden match stick and improvised until he could get it fixed.

:rotf:Just had a hilarious vision of a big ol' kitchen match stick, red sulfur head up. stuffed in place of a front bead! Gotta figure Elmer Fudd was the shooter.

Still laughing. No disrespect intended to your buddy, I'm betting he cut the match head off and used it in place of the front bead. My vision was the whole match!

Check with Brownells or Numrich for a replacement. Ace hardware for the matches.

The front bead is missing on all of the Parkers I shoot. You get use to the hole.

Ok, which one of you guys is taking all the Parker sight beads? I saw a DHE that had both of the ivory sight beads missing.

re: Front sight
 

This 1901 VH had an unsightly Ithaca “Glow Worm” front sight, it was loose too. On the way home from shooting some trap I stopped in to see my “Smith”. I told him he could have the sight, but please put on a small gold bead. He disappeared and came back with a plastic box with dividers, all sizes, gold and silver beads. Probably a Brownell’s assortment pack. Told me to take my pick. Five minutes later he handed me my shotgun. Asked him what he wanted and he just said “Have a nice day”.
Well granted, it’s not an original Parker mushroom bead but that’s okay and it’s not orange.

Some years back under the Obama administration, they were requiring the removal of ivory beads at auctions under some BS law on ivory and its origin. Several guns up in Maine had removed beads prior to shipping. A damn shame

Wonder where the beads went???

Ivory Bead:
 

Fond of my ivory bead, it won’t be coming off.

James D. Julia Auctions in Maine did that as well.

And it wasn’t just sight beads, it was ivory grips on handguns and other ivory accoutrements on antiques of all kinds.





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Do we aim a shotgun or do we point it? If we aim it then a sight, a bead, is helpful. If we point it, then it is not. As I consider it, I look at the bead when I mount the gun. If I have two beads I place one above the other. Then I call for the bird. When I call for the bird I look at it and not the gun. Maybe the bead makes it a little easier to point the gun. If that is the case then we need one...or if it is there we utilize it.

I basically shoot the rib and pay very little attention to beads but I want the gun "correct" just because it makes me happy! This is a very nice little 16, fully restored case color, a nice rust blue on the barrels etc., and one of my very favorites. Kinda broken hearted when I realized the bead was lost.