New here.
 

Hello all. I'm new to this forum. I only have one Parker. My grandfather gave it to my father as my first birthday present. It was made in 1930. It actually started life as a 16 gauge but the person from whom my grandfather bought it had it made into a 20. It's a fairly heavy gun, but it shoots where you look. When I remember to keep my head down and let instinct take over, I hit pretty well with it. I'm going to get some Hevi-Shot Classic Doubles or Kent Tungsten Matrix and shoot teal with it this October.

Welcome Chris! That Parker should be just the ticket for those teal.

Thanks Dean! :) I shot it today. I forgot how much I like it.

I wish my grandpa had left me a Parker. I should not complain, he gave me a Colt Python with maybe 1 box ran through it.

Look out Chris, you already are showing symptoms of Parker fever. There is no known cure.:shock:
Welcome to the club :bigbye:

That's pretty cool. I don't really shoot pistols. .22 rifles and shotguns :rotf:

My dad has 3 but they're not often shot. A 12 that's never been fired, a 20, and a 28 on a 00 frame. I shoot mine though. I only own two guns, my Parker and my Browning A500R. I'm going to pick up a .22LR soon-ish, then I'm not sure. Maybe my dad's Lefever :shock:

I love my Ruger 10/22 stainless. Custom thumhole stock & .920 fluted bbl. There are 4 Parkers living here also. If I can find some more grass to cut the Parker count will rise.:whistle:
This fever alyays starts with just one gun, so be careful. It has been known to be contageous. Occassionally wives or girlfriends or buddys have been known to show symptoms. This can be hard on your wallet.:rotf::rotf:

Well, my girlfriend was going to go shooting yesterday but this Saturday she's leaving for college. I just wish she was able to go shoot before she left. I was there when she caught her first "real" fish. So I guess when she comes back we'll take it from there. My mother shoots too. She didn't really like the Parker. She's got the smallest shoulder pocket I've seen. Side by sides tend to hurt her. She shoots a 20 gauge Winchester 101 with light loads that don't cycle in the Remington 11-87. That little Remington is the gun my brother and I learned to shoot on. Now my other brother is learning to shoot it. It's got my littlest brother and my sister to teach. If/when my siblings or I grace my parents with grandchildren they'll learn on it too. Eventually my dad'll get to take the youth stock off :rotf: As far as a .22 goes I think I'll just pick up a Marlin 795. Between working one day a week, paying my parents (my own decision, mind you) and school/books, it's gonna be a while before I can get it :rotf:

How was your 16g. converted to 20g? By sleeving the monoblock?

Love those Colt Pythons, especially the ones with brushed nickle finish and target grips.

I'm not too sure what the monoblock is. If it's the back of the barrels (where the rim of the shell holds onto) then yes, there is a visible seam where the chamber was reduced.

Yes. That is called "sleeving" or "Monoblocking". Basically, the original barrels are cut off in front of the chambers or monoblock and then new tubes are sleeved in. Do you know if your gun was originally fitted with Damascus barrels? If they were, they should have a "D" stamped on the flats.

No I don't think it was. I'll check in a bit.

Chris - you should consider joining the PGCA at the Vintage Cup shoot at Addieville East Farm in Mapleville, RI at the end of September. It is a wonderful, three-day, international event with hundreds of guns for sale, lots of sporting clays and five-stand shooting, and lots of yarns and lies to swap.

I'll definitely consider it. Hopefully I'll have a car/my license by then :rotf: The only things stamped on the flats are the patent date (October 25th, 19(23?)) and the letters OV

It could have been a #1 frame 16 completely rebarreled to 20 at the factory.

Do you know what frame size it is?

It should be a 1-Frame Trojan judging by the OV stamp.

What is the serial number?

Measure the exact distance between firing pin centers in sixteenths of an inch to determine frame size.

I'm fairly certain it's a 12 gauge frame, but I could be mistaken. The serial number is 233781

OK then, it would be a 2-Frame Trojan. Sorry, thought I read 16 ga somewhere here.

Oh no you did, it was originally a 16 gauge gun. I think. Can I measure just by opening the action or do I need to disassemble the receiver?

EDIT: I think it's either a 1 or a 0 frame.

EDIT 2: It's a 1. It says 16 as well. What is an OV grade? Under the serial number it says OV. According to the Parker I.D. system on this site, the grade is on the watertable. The barrels are Trojan grade steel.

OV is the Parker stamp for the Trojan which is not a graded gun but rather Parker's entry level shotgun. It is every bit as solid and functional as the graded guns but lacks any of the fine engraving, checkering, nicer figured wood, ejectors, forend latch, etc. Internally, they are about all the same except for the finer filing and finishing of the internals.

Hey, it's a Parker no matter how you slice it.

If it is stamped 16 it should be a 1-Frame.

I'm glad it's not a super valuable gun, cuz I plan on shooting it at ducks :) you know how hard on equipment that game is. Thank you for your help.