That distinctive 'Parker sound'
 

I'll start by saying that I'm still looking for my first Parker and the following seems a little....exaggerated.
I read an article today by U.S writer Thomas Tabor. In it he states that:
'One thing I have noticed that is markedly different about Parker shotguns is the sound they make each time the action is closed. It is impossible to describe that sound in words, but I will say that anyone standing within 100m (metres) will surely hear the sound it makes. Like the distinctive sound Harley-Davidson motorcycles have become known for, the sound made by a Parker shotgun being closed is every bit as recognisable and a sign of the quality and workmanship that these guns are appreciated for.'
Factual tidbit or just plain 'ole writers hyperbole?

100 meters? He's got bionic hearing.:bowdown::bowdown:

It makes the sound of a positive engagement, the soft resonance of fine steel and tempered springs working at once and in unison.

I had a Parker that sounded like a Harley but then I got it fixed.

So.... someone can put it in words :)

I had a Parker Hammer gun once - and every time you cocked the hammer - it made a purty little "chitty" sound...

Nicknamed it "chitty-chitty-bang-bang"...

;)

John

I give ya that one Bruce...That was funny....:)

How about a bank vault door?

I had a real chitty shotgun once upon a time but then I sold it and bought a better one.

Mine actually went on to a Hollywood movie career. In fact, years later, become a feature film by the same name? Starred the likes of Mary Poppins, Rob Petrie and was directed by Stephen King. That movie also coined the well known term "ride shotgun"...

Unbelievable as it may sound today, all that was that based on the distinctive chitty Parker sound..?? As for me? I was just proud that my old Hammer Parker could play such a key role in such historical events.....

;)

John

Some Parkers do actually have a sound that can be heard from a distance, but most are rather silent, kind of like a bank vault. The guns that have a really distinctive sound are Foxes that have not been messed with and some L.C. Smiths in crispy condition. Some writers of outdoor pursuits have not had the experience with different guns that we would like them to have had.

Mine make no noise at all, as I close them firmly while holding the lever and then release the lever. I'm trying to make them last a second and third hundred years (if the Gov't does not get them).

We give out retirement hunter cased pocket watches. The first thing we must show the proud new owner is not to slam the case shut with a snap, but to instead hold the button, close the case, and then release it. That is how they last. Same with the guns.

exactly what I was going to say - the only noise they should make is BANG

Agreed!

I kinda like the sound of my '97 when the chamber is loaded; much like the trash man dumping the barrel into his truck.

Or the sound of the Browning A-5 action closing... "chang" - and the sound it makes when you shoot it... "BANGchang.

But there is no sound as that of closing a Model 12.

Storage vault for John Dunkle's chitty Parkers and miscellaneous correspondence repository.

Right you are Dave. When a thief or a mugger hears a Model 12 being cycled he knows exactly what it is.

Best Regards, George