Doozy of a query!
 

Greetings from the great state of Maine!
I have secretly been enjoying the website as well as the forums for a little while now. I feel I have finally finished my research and come to the point where I can ask educated questions. First; a bit of background information:

I came into possession of a Parker while I was cleaning out the basement for my Father-in-law. He had a stroke earlier this year, and is currently unable to care for his home and firearms. I was clearing off shelves that were packed with forty years of dust and odds and ends when I came across the gun. I knew that the gun was precious simply due to its obvious quality and the weight of the gun (both of my parents are hunters and trappers so I know what a “normal” side-by-side feels like). I was given the gun as payment for my work, this was a couple weeks ago.

The gun is heavily rusted, though the triggers pull and the hammers will engage. That is the extent of the guns moveable parts at this point. It appears to be frozen with rust as it is unable to break open. Looking at the gun though I notice no serious blemishes; some normal wear on the stock, and a small chip in the wood nearest the breech. The rust is evident. The markings are discernable though, and here is what I have been able to read on the exterior alone: The barrel is a plain twist. The serial number on the trigger guard is of question unfortunately (rust loved this gun). It either reads: 86961 or: 19698. First; I am not completely convinced the number one is actually there or if it is a rusted scratch (the more I look at it the more it looks indeed like the number one and thus belongs there). Second; I am not completely sure if I’ve read the numbers correctly due to the fact that they can be read both upside and down. If you position the gun so that the barrel is to your left it reads: (1)9698. With this number, 1880 would be the manufacture date. Which makes sense since it is marked with a patent date of 1878. Again; it will not break due to the rust. So I am unable to discern the grade.

This leads me to my queries. I am familiar with cleaning guns and shotguns for normal use, but I am totally lost at this level of repair. My sincere preference is to make this Parker my winter “project.” It is full winter up here, and one of the ways we get by is to have a small project to occupy ourselves as the snow flies. I would love to do the work myself, eventually getting it to firing quality. I already have an excellent Remington that I use for my hunting needs, but owning a Parker with the knowledge that it can fire would be excellent. I have no desire to sell it, only to get it looking better and hopefully firing quality.

I’m putting this out to all the wise-guys who are more experienced with Parkers. Any insight and wisdom you wish to impart would be greatly welcomed. Should I consult with a professional gunsmith? Is it important the gunsmith be educated on Parkers? I have been toying with the idea of sending it to a professional for reconditioning. The barrel’s measure 30 inches, what does this tell you? Can anyone discern the gauge? The choke measures 0.75 inches inside diameter using a digital caliper. Perhaps you folks have some idea’s or things I should know. Thank you so much for your knowledge and expertise!

sincerely, Sean

P.S. I'm currently taking pictures of the gun. They will be up shortly.

ser # 19689 is listed as a 12ga under lifter with 30 inch twist barrels, grade 0 with a pistol grip stock.

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Start with penetrating oil on the hinge, top lever, screws, etc. and let that soak in thoroughly. Try to open after a few hours. A good soaking of Hoppes should help loosen the external rust. I assume it's unloaded, but you never know until you can open the action.

Thank you Robin! I'm afraid though that you are off a digit. The serial # clearly reads: (1)9698. Not as you have it at (1)9689. The number 8 is definately the final number.

I have not found direction with a grade of 0 on the Parker website... Any particulars on that grade?

Thank you Ed. I will certainly do that tomorrow. Any brand of penetrating oil you recommend? I have decided at long last that the complete restoration will absolutely be a job for a professional.

19698 is listed as a 10 ga with 30" barrels. Looks like a lot of work. You best get a price on the complete restoration before you do anything. Could be that it would cost more then the gun is worth. Ray

Sean: There is a lot you can do. First off, do not touch the screws with anything but hollow ground tips. Wedge screw drivers bugger the heads very easily. I got into a rust bucket like this and am still playing. I purchased a set from Brownells (Magna super set plus the thin set) This was a good purchase.

After soaking enough to remove screws and get the wood off, you can soak parts and dismantle until all is disassembled.

A trick I learned off this site was to then soak all the metal in "Gunk" Heavy duty Rad cleaner.

I soaked everything for about a month.

Most the rust disappeared.

I then soaked the cleaned off metal for another month and the finer areas of rust pitting cleaned up although the pits are still there.

Good idea to have a competent gunsmith assess shootability.

My two bits worth - proper screw driver bits and "Gunk"

Regards,
Jack

Sean,

Lifter Parkers are a joy to shoot. By the looks of it not much money would change hands for the one you have. I know it is not for sale and I purchased one like it several years ago for about $850.00 and it is my sporting clay Parker as well as a great dove gun. What I am trying to get around to is that your original thought to have a winter projest is a solid one. You have received good advice on a bath of Hoppe's #9 and light work with 0000 steel wool on the surface rust. Any good penitrating oil would work well. Apply around where the barrels join the frame as well as the lifter button in front of the trigger guard bow. Let it sit for a day or so then try to push the lifter button up. A very light tap wih a small plastic hammer might break things loose if not add more penitrating oil and wait it out. I enjoy projects like the one you have undertaken.

Kindest, Harry

You have some work ahead of you Sean. Keep the penetrating oil away from the wood as much as possible. I suspect it will free up eventually if you're patient. We have a saying on the forum here that when working on Parkers we try to "do no harm", which means being very patient, not forcing anything prematurely, and having the right screwdrivers such as the Brownell set mentioned. Just take your time and you'll likely have it open soon enough. I suspect it will take a lot of soaking to get the side lock plates off when the time comes. Keep us up on your progress; everyone here loves stories on projects like yours...