Your intro to Parkers and your first Parker
 

Thought it would be interesting to hear how people first got acquainted with Parkers and what there first Parker was.

My first intro was at a little rural gun club in central Texas back in 91. I was shooting skeet with the old timers who taught me. I was shooting my 1100 12ga and they were mostly shooting Superposed. One of them brought an A grade Parker. To this day it is one of the most beautiful guns I have ever seen. Definitely the most beautiful case.


My first and only Parker was purchased about a month ago. Made in 1921 VH 12ga 32" barrels.

i was at a tradeing post in the 80 s and i found this old parker ph grade 10 ga 32 inch barrels..traded for it and its been my main turkey gun for some years..since theni have added a few parkers to it...charlie

My first Parker was a 0 Grade Lifter made in 1877. I got a letter for it that even listed the purchaser's name and hometown. The 32" 'Twist' barrels were quite pitted and the top rib had some issues. Brad Bachelder did a nice job giving the barrels a new lease on life. I bought the gun a few years ago from John Puglisi. It eventually went back to him in a swap for something else.

I lived in Keene ,NH next to a retired New England telephone repair man named Louis Goland---my mentor. At the age of 7 (1946) he gave me a Parker, VH, 20 bore of which I still have today along with other guns that he willed to me upon his death . Louis also gave me my first Brittney ---Belle---.

Needless to say I have been hooked on Brits and Parkers ever since .

Allan

When I was old enough to shoot trap, I used my grandfathers SC SBT. He always shot a LC Smith Olympic SBT. When I moved to Harrisburg, I wanted to start shooting trap again. He gave me the SBT. Later before he passed away I bought his 12ga PH with Parker Steel barrels. It was his hunting gun. I still have both guns.

For my Dad's sixteenth birthday, his father's cousin took him to Meriden and bought him his first, a VH 16. He also had an uncle, still living in Meriden, who gave him a T Latch Lifter. I traded that for a First Model S&W .22 when I was 16. I still do stupid stuff, all the time.

1964 picked up a vh 32", I suppose F&F. Took out back and fired it 4 times at an empty hulls on the ground. Had shot trap for 3 years and knew to check POI. Was my first double trigger gun. Went duck hunting the next morning and killed a double with it first two shots. Thought it pointed better than the Mod 12 I had used for ducks till then. Kept it a few years and traded it for a vh 20ga. that's still around here somewhere. In my town in the 60's, 20ga's weren't sought after much, think I gave mabee $10.00 boot on the trade. Don't get out for quail much anymore but when do, I shoot it. It is all beat up but still can hit a quail with it. JH

This story has been told before, but here it is again. In 1960, when I was 14 years old, I was shooting skeet at our local Izaak Walton League range. Another young man the same age was shooting a 28 gauge VH Parker. We traded pleasantries and I asked if the gun might be for sale. He said he would like to trade it for a Savage Model 99. When we determined what the price of such a gun would be, I discussed the deal with my Dad. My Dad would not get involved, but fronted me $130 to close the deal myself. I had been searching for a suitable 12 gauge Parker for some time, preferably in a similar price range. However, the little 28 ended up being my first Parker. Yes, I still have it, 54 years later. Some weeks or months later, I visited a local gun shop and looked at a very nice DH 12 gauge. The shop owner told me that he had been offered a 28 gauge VH a while back, but was hesitant to deal with the young boy who offered it. Oh, well.

My first Parker was a 12 ga Trojan that I bought when I was 17 out of an estate sale for the sum of $50 (1972) I knew even then it was a steal............... But I sold it when I was in college to pay some bills, and I made a huge profit on it, sold it for $400 two years later, Man I wish I still had that gun....:crying::crying:

Well we all do stupid things, This might top them all, I was in a gun shop looking to buy a shotgun for a customer of mine for Christmas, Bought the Ruger, and was looking around and the store owner ask if I liked 20 gauge guns, I told him I did not own a twenty, He went to the safe and brought out a CHE 20 gauge with 26, or 28" barrels I can not remember now, they were Acme I remember because I thought that was a very generic name, took the gun home and for some reason just did not like it, took it back to the dealer and traded even for a PHE with Steel barrels in 12g a this gun was in very good shape with case and barrel black, I parted with the PHE a fews years ago when I sold the P grade collection, Sure wish I had that little 20, I have the serial number somewhere will try to find this gun by posting the number should be interesting, Gary