Last hammer
 

Just curious, what year and serial number was the last hammer gun made?

My 172,662 is probably the last "production" hammer gun, probably 1917. There were a small group of hammer guns assembled in a somewhat later serial number range (174,055 to 174,058) for shipment to the Orient, if I remember correctly. There may be some comment about these guns in The Parker Story. The order book entry for these guns may give more detail. I have the order in my files, but it isn't easy to access. Big bore guns, like these four, shipped to the Orient, are assumed to be for the use of whalers.

The Youngsters
 

Bill, there is another run of top action guns listed in the Serialization book from nos: 179149 to 179173 including some of grade B and D quality. Perhaps presentation guns for wealthy retiring whalers?::) The SN of last gun in this run is relatively close to the missing stock books' 64-67 range of SNs.

I heard an interesting perspective on late hammer guns made by some English maker several decades after the hammerless gun had come into vogue. They were considered not as desirable as the hammer guns made during the era of hammer guns. That was because the craftsmen who made them were not as versed in their manufacture; they were more familiar with making hammerless guns and the quality was not as good. I wonder if this applied to Parker as well?

I think that quality when related to the Parker Gun, was paramount to anything else at the gun works whether it be Hammer or Hammerless, I myself tend towards the Hammer guns because of the surface for engraving on high grade guns, Gary

Late era Parker hammer guns were most likely made up out of parts on hand so there would be no difference in quality from the earlier models.

DLH

I remember this order of hammer guns that were shipped to Japan. Austin and I had a chat about them. As I recall, they used high grade barrels (Bernard and Damascus) but the price would reflect 0 or 1 grade quality. I think PB was just getting rid of barrels and actions that were laying around. They were probably used against us in WW2.

I agree with Destry and Mark. On a slow week, PB employees would get together a batch of parts and turn out a few guns. A quantity of NH and PH Grade Twist barrel ten and twelve gauges were put together very late and sold to volume dealers for as little as $19.00.

The difference in quality, if any, would lie in the assembly of said parts and of course the woodwork that was contemporary.

It's like if you gave an auto worker on the Corvette line today a box of 1954 Corvette parts....would he even know what to do with it?

heck yes he would

he would put them on eBay