Serious newbie
 

Hello all, yesterday I was given my father's bird gun by my brother and it is a 12 ga. 28" Parker. Prior to last night, I had never heard of Parker guns, because well, I am not an avid shooter or hunter or collector. I have never owned a gun before, so this is all very, very new. From what I can tell by this very informative site is that it is a 1925 VH #212313. The screw holdng the barrel to the stock (forgive me if I don't use the right terms) is unwilling to turn with the pressure I am willing to put on it (not much for fear of damage) so I can only see the barrel weight 3/9 but not the frame size. I am actually very thankful it is not one of the fancy, very rare guns. Typical of my father (a frugal yankee), he would get a plain but very good quaity gun. He grew up in Sherborn, MA, I was born and raised in Dover, MA and now live in Damariscotta, Maine.

Previously, I have shot some skeet (using .410s) but a good friend really wants me to join her shooting sporting clays. The gun has not been fired in about 15 years, and went out duck hunting last, but has been well maintained, looks to be in very good condition, has little wear, and little corrosion. So, after I have it gone over very carefully, I hope to have some fun shooting with it. My dad would have been 100 yo this year, so I expect he was the original owner of the gun and it feels really nice to have this piece of him still around. I was a late in life surprise to him and he died in 1983 when I was still a teenager, so I never got to shoot with him. I enjoy shooting but will probably never hunt.

Thankfully, I have a number of friends who are very gun savvy and will make sure I get it into qualified hands for cleaning and reconditioning. Is there anything special that I should be aware of, or careful about as I go forward?

Thanks in advance, Pam

Hello Pam Parker! Welcome to the PGCA Forum. What a wonderful inheritance - your Father's own Parker shotgun. It might very well be a good gun for sporting clays but first, you should have it checked out for barrel wall thickness and mechanical function.
It would easily digest the lower pressure loads best - those that can be bought from RST Shotshells. They are easy on the shoulder and kind to your gun too. My parents lived in Boothbay Harbor for many years until Dad had to be institutionalized because of Alxheimer's. I am in Massachusetts.... a flatlander geographically but my mind is always in the uplands of Maine and Vermont.

Your framesize is on the bottom of the barrels when you take them off look at the lug its the square piece that sticks up probably a 2 but who knowes tell us what you find. Don't let anybody get to carried away on cleaning the gun Let your girl trapshooting friend look at it she probably has a good idea what it would need. Somebody may know a good smith in your area. To take the barrel off pull on the lever in the forearm remove forearm then open the gun and the barrels should come off. What does it say on the barel rib abought the kind of steel the barrels are made of. best 2 u ch

Thanks for the welcome all. Stupid question #1, I have the forearm off, the the barrels don't seem to want to come off, should they without removing the screw that appears to be the hinge? It is vulcan steel. The gun appears to have not been shot much.

The top lever should be pushed all the way to the right while also firmly grasping the barrels so they don't fall to the floor. With the top lever at the full right position the gun should break open. If not it may have some rust preventing that but this isn't likely - probably just some hardened grease or crud in the pivot mechanism. Try thumping it over your knee to pop it open.

That screw has nothing to do with the barrels coming off.

I love stories like this! Welcome to the forum Pam. Once you shoot the old gun you'll be in love I assure you. They are a joy to shoot. I too have an inherited V grade that was my mothers that I cherish. Treat yours well and it will last generations.

Pam: Calvin is so right. Forget you ever saw that screw - hard to do as it is so obvious. More people have tried to undo that screw, thinking that is the way to remove the barrels. Very often, the screw head is damaged as a result. The thread is very fine and the fit very tight and it takes a lot of controlled torque to undo but.......there is seldom any need to do so and if there is a need there will be a visible broken part.

Progress slowly. Continue to ask questions before doing anything to your Dad's gun. Take time to read the FAQ's section and the Technical information section, which shows the parts that go into making the gun. Someone will likely be able to recommend a Parker knowledgeable gunsmith for you.

I'm going to guess you have the barrels off by now. It is easy enough, once you know how to do it. If you don't have them off by now and you have the forend off and have tried pushing the top lever fully to the right and still the barrels are not easily removed, then stop and wait for gunsmith info. Likely the only thing it needs will be a good cleaning - once every century is reasonable.

You are lucky to have a family gun like this. Enjoy it. Post pictures too. We all enjoy seeing any of these great guns.

Cheers,
Jack

Welcome Pam!

If you have the forarm off and move the top lever over, do the barrels pivot so the chambers are exposed? If so and the barrels won't lift up and off the receiver, then the cocking hook is not releasing from the bell crank in the well of the receiver. You need to have the hook clear the receiver before the barrels will come off.

I'll try and supply the link to a previous thread which should give you some help. If the link doesn't work, search this forum, type in "Barrels won't come off" and find the thread titled "Stuck Parker Barrels." Hope this fixes your problem.

http://parkerguns.org/forums/search.php?searchid=121906

Hi Pam and Welcome! If you are still having trouble getting that great old gun apart and can wait until January 1st. A bunch of us are getting together at Major Waldrens gun club in Barrington,NH for a little shooting then. Come on down and we can have a look at it.