12 gauge Parker shotguns
 

Or any 12 gauge, for that matter. They have become really unpopular.

Why?

Is the recoil that punishing? (I don’t find it to be a problem.)

They are common.

At present I have more intrest in 8 and 10 gauge Parker’s vs 12 gauge . About the only time 12’s intrest me is at a Colombaire , boxbird or zz bird match .

Possibly that people have found that smaller, lighter, gauges work just as well for for their intended purpose.

In my younge years, I thought that I had to have a 12 gauge in order to effectively hunt. I am strictly an upland guy, and the other smaller gauges work fine for my type hunting. That and that is what my father hunted with, same mindset I am sure.

I still have my 12 gauges, save one, and am having another one worked on currently. Anything I dispose of now will be my 12 gauges.

Supply of shooter quality vintage 12-gauge doubles far exceeds the dwindling pool of us Boomers with an interest in such things. Us Boomers are leaving the marketplace faster than any Millennials, Gen Xers, etc. are entering it.

I suspect other guages have become more popular as opposed to people not liking the 12. The old guys I grew up hunting with told me to stick with the 12 because you can almost always find a box of 12's at a hardware store. Now most sporting goods store and on-line services offer most all guages. And yes many gauges are expensive.
Because I knew better than the old guys, I bought a BPS 10 gauge when I was young. Sure enough I forgot to pack my ammo on the way to a goose/duck trip in upstate NY. Had to drive 45 mins to a mom and pop hardware store in Greenwich (I think) to find a box of 10's. Had to shell out almost $40 for the box.

The slow down in 12 gauge sales is really the result of two things in my opinion. One is as Brian said,there are just a lot more 12s out there than small gauge guns. High supply means lower price. The 2nd cause is the improvement in small bore ammo. Within reason, a 20 can do almost anything a 12 can do in most hunting situations. That said,there are some great buys out there in 12 gauge guns right now.

Small gauges have become cool over the past couple of decades.
Most don’t realize the value in light, well-made English 12 bores, which shoot marvelously and feel wonderful between the hands.
In many upland fields, it seems a badge of honor to be shooting a 28 gauge or a .410, but those are toys (albeit beautiful ones) which, in my mind, are not worth the trade-off.
I want a gun that I can shoot! And for me, in the field I want something between 28 and 30 inches and between 6 and 7 pounds that points and balances well enough that you don’t even know it becomes a part of you.
There a plenty of 12s that fit that bill.
I prefer 16s as the most versatile gauge of them all, but I still love a good 12.

You recently had a DH 12 gauge 2 frame 32” safety delete gun I bought off a dealer in the Pacific NW I think 4 or 5 years ago . I sold it to someone in PA two years ago I believe who later sold it to someone else who saw fit to open the chokes . When I had it the gun 38 or 39 points in both barrels . I think when you sold it they’d been opened IC/IM . Someone before you got it in their infinite wisdom messed up a damn good sporting/box bird/Colombaire gun :banghead: oh yeah the price you finally let that gun go for was just a skoosh over 2/3rds what I had in it and sold it for .

So buy a 12 now, and enjoy the value, and its versatility. If you want to sell, know you likely won’t make money on the deal.

It's hard to find an AHE 32" Parker or a Whitworth Steel Purdey hammer pigeon gun in anything but 12 gauge. It's all in what you're looking for. Little sub bore bird guns get tiring when shooting box birds or competitive sporting clays. I won't be selling my 12 gauges any time soon.

I'll take a Parker especially high grade 12 bore In a 1/2 frame or a 12 bore 1 frame parker , you can shoot 12,16 :) and 1 frame 20 bore.

No question the market for small bore Parkers keeps accelerating, just look at the asking prices of major dealers and auction results from top auction houses. They must be selling to someone. 12ga above C grade also bring strong prices if in original condition. The lack of supply of 12 ga C grade and above keeps prices strong and growing. 12ga in grades 0,1,2, are dogs in the market unless in very high condition. As many have stated it's just supply and demand. The internet has changed everything including Parker sales and values. It's a national market with literally thousands of choices if your searching for a Parker. The best value in Parkers today is a 12ga DH(E).

Pat, one of my 1/2 frames is a two barrel set in 12 and 16. Thanks for mentioning the possibility.

I completely agree with this statement. I’m surprised at how LITTLE a 12 gauge DH(E) brings these days! I can’t afford NOT to have one! Which means that’s the next thing I’ll have to actively seek.

20s have replaced the 12. With few exceptions

Where I come from if you don't shoot a 12 you ain't shooting a real gun. 'Course, it has to be an auto - or a pump if you're a second-class citizen - and if that 12 will handle 3" mags, so much the better. 20's are for kids or girls, and 16's...why hell; nobody shoots them old relics any more. Can you even get shells for 'em? 12's are real popular here...so long as you can stuff 4-5 shells into 'em :rotf:

Phil, if you're talking about Browning A-5s, I can get nine shells into mine. :rotf::rotf:

Another gauge that doesn't get much respect is the 16. Lower grade Parker 16's seem to command only a modest premium over 12's. You get very close to a 20ga without parting with as much money. Owning a 16 almost requires that you reload, but a small sacrifice IMHO.

I will admit that I’m living in a pretty narrow lane of the shooting world. (Very narrow when you consider I’m presently at the Grand American shooting my Parker SBT and side by side.). But as a result, nearly every gun I own these days is a 12 gauge. I find I have very little use for anything else. I still keep a couple of 20’s and a 16 for the occasional quail hunt. So, it really does come down to what your interests and goals are. And in the greater shotgun shooting world 12’s are still the most popular gauge, with 20’s running a close second. Just my opinion.

I am curious what the 'unpopular' meaning is here. Is it to mean the prices on 12 gauges have dropped ? etc. anyone ever charted this on a known group of guns? It is actually pretty impressive that a shooter grade 100 year old gun is 1.5-3K comparing to something like a 725 Citori Field that is approx 3k and has zero hassles or worries on purchasing. I'd say the demand is still there considering the knowledge of wood, metal finish , barrels, etc required to buy and use vintage guns. So much easier to just buy the Browning and yet.. here we are.

Simply watch the age of the folks with a birthday at the bottom of the PGCA forums page, not many young people, lots of older folks and those names of familiar posters keep getting older.

It would be an interesting exercise to graph the membership data to see if PGCA members are getting older on average and if membership is experiencing any kind of decline as a result.

Pete, we did a survey of PGCA membership a few years ago to be able to answer questions from prospective advertisers for Parker Pages. Predictably, the largest age group was in the 60-70 year old range. The younger age groups were growing but nowhere near the 60-70 demographic.

If that was a few years ago, that demographic might now be the 70 to 80 range…those that are left…

Glad I’m not old enough oh shit wait , I’m right in the damn middle :crying::rotf::rotf:

Join the crowd, Craig!:)

Can you define a few years ago into a number?

Allan Swanson used to study and catalog for our use all sorts of member demographics.

I sure miss Allan a lot. He was truly one in a million for as many reasons.





.

The survey was completed and published December 2022.

Ian, the major demographics are still 61-70 and over 70. Both at 34.5%. The results are on this site.

Can you imagine that in the next 20 years, about five of us will own all the existing Parker shotguns.

:rotf: Good one Bill.

I was thinking most of the PGCA dues collected is sourced from the Social Security Administration.

:rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf:

That’s still 69% over 60. Not good.

I'm similar to John Davis' reply I own all 12 gauge shotguns except my two 16 gauge upland game guns.
However along the same trend as 12 gauge guns are 32 inch barrels, they've become the "Cat's Meow" and now everyone is desiring only long barrels. Every Wednesday morning we have a skeet shot at one of my local clubs and last week we had two shooters with 32 inch barrels. In fact last week we had more shooters with 30 and 32 barrels then 26 or 28. I know I'm getting older as I can remember when everyone had to have 26 inch barreled skeet guns!

Granted, that is a small sampling of PGCA members. 200 responded to the survey out of almost 1500 members. Plus, there are many other shooters/collectors who have Parker guns that are not members of the PGCA. For example, at our range we have a solid core of double gunners that is growing every year. They are not members of any organization.

I hope I'm one of the five!! :rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf:

You can pretty much look across every collector organization and the demographic will be much like ours, especially when it comes to collecting firearms. This trend also extends to conservation organizations such as PF/QF, RGS/AWS, RMEF, NDA, TU, DU, etc. Even "gun clubs" are seeing this trend. Organizations are "aging out". Members who have been active for a long time just do not have the energy or desire to continue to do the heavy lifting and the younger demographic are not stepping up to fill the vacancies. Whether they have no interest or just do not want to volunteer their time, the answer is unclear. As the saying goes, "It is what it is".

Dusting off the cobwebs of my college Quantitative Analysis class a sample size of 13% (200/1500) would have a confidence of around 90% with a margin of error around 7.5%.

Historically speaking, the PGCA has probably always been basically 69% over 60. I’ve been a member for around 23 years. When I joined I was something like 43 and was considered a youngster in the group, a mere child.

Just turned 52 over here, I've been doing my best to introduce younger than me folks (mid 40's) to vintage shotguns and old stuff in general. I'll keep trying to lower your age average:).