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I acquired my first Parker yesterday! After much searching I found either a real closet queen or a very well done professionally restored gun.

VH Grade, 28” barrels, extractors, 98-100% color, 98-100% bluing, 98-100% wood, pistol grip cap is original, inlayed wedge at the top of butt, recoil pad.

Serial #-138,700
Barrel Markings-V(inside circle, Vulcan Steel), WK(inside oval, W King), 3 6(barrel weight, 3lbs 6oz), K(very small, stamped on the lug), no frame designation
Water Table - 138,700(serial #), V(grade)

This is where it starts getting difficult. Center to center of the firing pins measures less than 15/16...”00” frame? Certainly can’t be a “000” frame. This gun was sold as a 20ga and I thought it was a 20ga as well. A 20ga shell falls past the extractors and a 12 ga shell won’t go. After some searching, I located a box 16ga shells and that seems to be the answer.

The fact that it isn’t a 20ga isn’t really an issue, just unexpected, yet a little more collectible in my mind.

Any help on the frame size would be helpful. Any other thoughts are appreciated. Pictures available if there is a way to post, and I might have just figured that out.

I don't have the knowledge that most others on here do, but I can tell you the first thing you'll be asked for is more photos of the water table, lugs, side views of stock and forearm, barrel ends..etc. I don't have my serialization book with me at work but I'm sure someone will chime in.

Measure again, this time not with a carpet store yardstick. Sorry, I couldn't resist. It is probably a #0 frame 16 gauge.

An O frame 16. It has been reblued, recase colored, and refinished-- but so what. O frame 16's are quite desirable--I was trying to buy one last night on gun broker. Congrats, shoot it proudly. If you post the serial#, we can look it up and tell you how it left the factory.

Unfortunately it's not a closet queen. Every screw slot that we can see has been buggered by previous owners with the wrong size screwdriver and little care to what was happening when they did the deed. There are other issues as well but I'll refrain from enumerating them here.
I don't mean to be hard on you but neither do I believe in keeping quiet when the truth needs to be told.
So this is your first Parker... there will be more and hopefully you'll ask advice here before you pounce on the next one.

I still have two mistakes I made in my earliest years of this Parkeritis affliction most of us have. I'll never be able to sell those two and they'll sit in the back corner of my safe as constant reminders to myself that I didn't take necessary precautions before I made the leap on them.





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Get those barrels checked out. They have been hot blued. Which is NOT a good thing for doubleguns.

The gun has been rather poorly “restored”. Nothing about any of the finishes is original.

According to serial number book,

16ga V grade, capped with 28 inch barrels

Long way from being an expert, but that is the first thing that jumped out at me......

There is so much to learn about these old guns, that I'll never be an expert. Have made a few mistakes along the way, and will probably make more.

I spend a lot of time, reading the great information posted on this forum, then spend a lot of time looking at guns on GI and GB, just looking and learning. Applying what I have learned here, and other places. It's amazing how after time, certain things just jump out at you, or at least make you leary of actually buying a gun.

So here’s the firing pin center to center...1 1/16, making it a 1 frame. It helps when you have your glasses on and measuring with a set of calipers.

With regards to comments of poorly refinished or incorrect restoration; all I can say in response is that, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I liked what I saw and still see. I purchased it at a great price, especially when compared to guns priced 3 times as much that had a lifetime of use and abuse. I’m not asking you to buy it, collect it or have anything to do with it. You probably have some items in your collections that you are quite proud of that I wouldn’t be very complimentary. Thanks for making the new guy feel welcome.

For those of you that were congratulatory...Thank you for your courtesy!

Looks like a fine Parker to me. And if the barrels check out and the price was right and you're happy with the gun , then you made a good deal.