Vent Ribs?
 

Forgive me if this has been discussed before, but Do we know when Parker offered its first vent rib gun?

Also, approximately how many vent rib guns did they produce?

There was a very interesting collection of correspondence letters for sale on ebay recently regarding vent ribs.

As I recall an astute member here once owned a BH from circa 1919 that had a VR. The rib on this one was not documented but it was generally acknowledged that it was factory work. I believe the VR first appeared circa 1923 or so in PB catalogs. How many, who knows. I believe there are some 377 VR guns listed in the back of TPS. 500 total seems to be the number that folks like to throw around when discussing Parker VR guns. No matter what the number it is a very small percentage of PB guns produced.

Thank you Brian and Randy. I appreciate the replies.

However, Parker Bros. did not produce the first VR in America… Parker was the second to produce a VR gun.





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45 years ago I bought a VH E? I can't remember now about that. The gun had a high comb monte-carlo stock, single selective trigger, 30 inch barrels and ventilated rib. I bought the gun because I had never seen a Parker configured like that. Needless to say the gun came nowhere near fitting me and the more I looked at it the more I hated the way it looked. It was well made and all factory work as far as I could tell but it was just not the gun for me.
I sold it pretty quick. I never recorded the serial number either unfortunately.

The Guyette catalog, item number 11, is claimed in the description to be the first vent rib Parker. Delivered April 8, 1917 as I recall. There was a DGJ article on this gun, but the reference in the catalog is incorrect. Does anyone know the DGJ issue in which this gun was featured? Serial number 175,049.

I would argue that Parker made around 2000 vent rib guns (assuming Randy’s ~500 is correct). Some 1500 being single barrel traps, beginning circa 1917-1918.

I’ve only ever possessed one factory original Parker SxS vent rib gun . Bought it from a member here . Was a VHE 37 or 38 Remington made gun . 32” BY and SST with factory Monte Carlo . That gun worked quite well for me on the trap field , sporting course , box bird ring and Colombaire ring .

I like vent rib guns just fine. I currently have two, both DHEs. I traded off 3 others (foolishly), 2 DHEs and a CHE. It wouldn't make me mad if I had those 3 back.

I have CHE, DHE, GHE, PHE, and used to have a wonderful VHE vent rib gun, and, if I could sell my house before the Guyette auction, I might have a AAHE vent rib gun.

Reggie, the 2 DHE's you should probably give up on. The CHE I cannot comment on :rotf:

Oh I gave up on them long ago, but I still enjoy thinking about them from time to time.

I’ve had a lot of success with a GHE vent rib, BTF 12 gauge. May be my favorite side x side.

I have a DHE VR gun with 26" barrels! Only one other gun is so described in the I & S book with "19" features. In fact the one I have is really a "24", so it may be the only 26" VR, Ej, SST, BTFE Parker ever made.

I am thinking if I ever sell it I will ask $200,000 for it since it is One of One!! (sarcasm to those who might remember a "One of" recently posted)

I have a PHE 26", VR, ae, sst, bt forearm, and it's a 2 barrel set, the second set being 30". It's my "working" pigeon gun, not too pretty.

Bill,
Is your gun listed in the I&S book?

I'm wondering if it ever sold? Not that I really care.:banghead:

J Scott Hanes, yes, my PHE two barrel vent rib set is in the Serialization Book. It is listed as a PHE 30" gun with no extras other than ejectors. It now has a Miller trigger and the 26" vent rib barrels are a later addition. The SB is apparently incorrect in missing the vent rib option. The barrels on both sets are flat extension barrels mated to a flat receiver. The 26" barrel are not Skeet marked barrels and are field choked. There is a beavertail forearm that fits the 30" barrels and a splinter forearm that fits both sets.

Here are some photos. Made in 1937: 7#, 7oz, 14"LOP, 1-3/8" DAC, 2" DAH, Right brl .012" and Left brl .022" chokes. Silvers pad.

Attachment 139421

Attachment 139422

Attachment 139423

Attachment 139424

Attachment 139425

Attachment 139426

Attachment 139427

Attachment 139428

Nice engraving by Robert P. Runge. His dogs are easily identifyable. ;)




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More Vent Rib Guns
 

I forgot a couple of vent rib Parkers. I have another PHE, bought on this site. It is a horse of a gun, 32" Parker Steel, factory Monte Carlo and a 14 5/8" stock, a nine pounder. I also have a DH, Pennsylvania pigeon gun, built as a 30" solid rib gun, Parker later added a vent rib to the 30", an added set of solid rib 32" Parker Special Steel barrels that appear factory installed. It also has an early Miller trigger. To add to the confusion, Shelly Gitman gave me a set of 26" Titanic Steel barrels bored cylinder and very full, cylinder on the left. A great Columbaire barrel, if I remember to shoot the left barrel first. A gun for all Pennsylvania seasons.

Remington Arms Co. began offering a vent rib on their Remington Autoloading Shotgun in 1910.

Attachment 139458

I have never seen one of these barrels with the widely spaced posts.

The next year Remington Arms - Union Metallic Cartridge Co. showed the closely spaced posts we see to the end of production.

Attachment 139459

Thank you, Dean. Can you educate me on the difference between the two Runge's dogs?

Setter on the left, pointer on the right. :rotf::rotf:

IMHO Scott, Robert P. Was a very good artist. His execution of head, tail, ears, feathers on the legs, tail, ears, neck were nearly perfect but his conception of a dog’s anatomy was severely lacking. Their backs are generally too short with the tail coming out of the back much too far forward. The positioning of the legs in comparison to the body is so wrong with the foreleg on the opposite side sticking out at an awkward angle at if it had been in a kids game of ‘pin the leg on the doggie’… :whistle::shock:





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Dean, do you have any photos of the two Runge's work to illustrate the difference? I only have one example (the DHE shown) to go by.

Not specifically Scott.
But yours is representative of Robert P.’s engraving.



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Thank you, Dean!

I was hoping the engraving was done by the son. I met him way back in the 1979 when I went to "The Arms" to train on the bench with the gunsmiths before heading out to Field Sales. He was in the Custom Shop one of the days I was there. I also saw him at DelGrego's in 1987 at their old shop. Very nice man.

My favorite Parker to shoot is a 32” straight grip, single-trigger, live bird gun with a high vent rib. Fits like a glove. I’d prefer double-triggers but it came with a Miller-type single.

Bill, we’d really like to see some pics of those guns.

Mike, you have a better chance of seeing a Unicorn doing the St. Vida'sDsy jig on Broadway than Murph posting pictures. lol

I don’t get the joke. @BillMurphy has these nice guns, however will not/can not
post pictures? Why is that? Is it a privacy concern or a technical issue? Let me in on the joke, please.

Dean, the joke is that for as long as I can remember, Bill has not posted a photo. It's just teasing that in this day in age, someone cannot post pics and that's the fun of it all

I have gotten to the ON/OFF switch on my computer. On to step two.

Way to go Murph.

Help Offered
 

Since we are an unselfish community, I offer to assist you, if you care to. I have a great tutorial which anybody who can open a top lever is able to accomplish.

On the other hand, if this is more about privacy for you, then I understand and no response is necessary.

My GHE 16 28 inch 2 barrel set has vent ribs as does a 30 inch DHE 20 and a 32 inch GHE 16. I sold a VHE 26 inch 20 VR skeet gun several years ago.

The DHE is IIRC the earliest one I have and is from 1926