1890 CH with 28" Bernard barrels
 

I've been sort of lurking about here for a bit over four years now... I don't post much, but read alot instead. During this period, I've been working on the CH that I got from my father about 15 years ago.

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=8694

The entire life of this gun was in Rochester, NY, until 1970 when my father was transferred with Kodak down to East Tennessee, where their chemical plant was located.

Dad got the gun in 1960 for $50 from an old Army buddy named Bill Nolan, also of Rochester. Shortly after his return from WWII European where he had served an Army Hospital Administrator, he got the gun from someone he knew from his civilian occupation as an insurance salesman. "Uncle Bill" and my father were very close; we spent many Saturdays as a kids at his home, playing with his nickel slots, and his HUGE coin collection, while the parents played poker, shot muskets and other guns off the back porch at paper plates on Aunt Elsie's clothes line, etc. After nearly a decade of badgering, in 1970 he finally agreed to sell my father the broken Parker he had picked up in the mid 40's.

The small of the grips had been broken, probably when an earlier owner had fallen on it. During the whole time Bill Nolan had the gun, it stayed in his basement gun storage area, untouched. My father kept it in the back of his closet from 1970 until he passed it on to me around 2000.

Unless the metal had been redone sometime before WWII by someone other than the factory, which I rather doubt, all case color is factory original. The barrel bores are literally mirrors; no striations or markings of any kind, and no pitting, either.

As I said, the stock had been broken before WWII, and the repair, which was well done, had begun to fail shortly after I got the gun, probably because of the many moves I had, with resulting environmental changes of dry / humid / dry.

Around 2006 or 2007 I got on this website, and sought advice of a good stock man in my area, which at the time was Tallahassee. A guy up in Athens was nominated, and the repair was subsequently accomplished. Unfortunately, that repair job was to fail also, this time only after three years.

So, this gun spent three long years at Dennis' place in Oregon, and this summer was finally completed and went to Turnbull's have some of the screws addressed, as they had been buggered.

It got back to me, finally, a few weeks ago, and here I've posted a bunch of pictures for your evaluation. I'd like to hear from the experts what you really think.

Here's the pertinent dope from it's Letter, which I finally got around to ordering in September.

very nice- wish it were still here to look at


BTW- this makes me feel like "Researcher" :rotf::rotf::rotf:

from 1884 city directory

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=8698

All I can say is WOW! Beautiful gun.

IMO the case colors are factory. If Turnbull did the floor plate screws, I'd ask for my money back. Other than that, it''s a wonderful Parker!

Beautiful!!

What a treasure with a wonderful family history.

John, is this the gun I surveyed and appraised for you years ago? (We met in the NRA HQ cafeteria over coffee, as I recall). Thanks, Kevin

Kevin, yes, it's one and the same. Several members here have seen it: Dennis had it at the Southern this summer, and years ago three from Southern Georgia had a lunch with me, too.

Am I mistaken or are those Bernard barrels?

I find it interesting that the makers matk is hand engraved. Since other Bernard barrels have been observed as rolled.

Is there anything different about the text? Like a custom inscription?

The only other hand engraved bernard barrel i have seen was where it was order with "made for..." before the Parker name.