Pin Lifter
 

I'm fairly certain this has been discussed before I suppose, but after some searching the forum and reading for a few hours last evening, I have not found it.
Does anyone know the approximate time or serial # that Parker ended the pin being lifted through the frame upon opening the lifter actions?

Thanks in advance,
Stan

For what it's worth, I have an 1874 made 10 gauge that did have the pin and had been modified so that the hole was closed and the pin shortened. It is so well done that I believe it was done during the original build.

****Edited date*****

Stan, the pin which extended up from the frame immediately above the lifting lever when opening the action was modified/inproved upon in late 1874 and early 1875.
The lever mechanism was changed so that the pin no longer extended up from the frame and the frame was changed and the pin hole in the frame may seem to have not been but this is because the new design was retrofitted to some guns.
In late 1874 or early 1875 the change in the bolt and bite design occured in order to better facilitate the bolt to seat more securely into the bite, hence the new tapered design.
Some guns had this new design retrofitted and we have seen a few of these guns where the hole in the top of the action has been plugged but most of these examples have the later tapered bolt/bite installed.
The earliest known example where there is no hole at all in the top of the frame is Parker No. 4239 but Parker No. 5395 has the hole but it is plugged.

Pages 95 - 98 of The Parker Story explain the changes in the lifter designs.

Above, ArtS gives an example of the modification retrofit to such a Parker.





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I appreciate the help there Art & Dean,

I thought it would be fun to have one of those pin guns, thanks for pointing out where to find that Dean, much appreciated.

Stan

The one I mentioned (without going and checking) is 40xx. It definitely has the old style lifter (I tried a newer style and it wouldn't work) but the top hole is filled and barely visible in the metal surface. The old lifter works so it must have been shortened. That's why I think it was factory modified when assembled.

Barrel Lug Frame Size Marking
 

Thanks again Dean for pointing me in the right direction on learning more about the design changes on these Lifters.

So after reading some more this evening, I read ( In 1877, and perhaps earlier, Parker started marking the size of the gun’s frame on the bottom surface of the rear barrel lug.

Now it makes sense that there was no frame size on the barrel lug of the lifter that I’m looking to bring back to life, it is serial #5710 (1875), and the second set of barrels (late 1876) that I’m adding are marked as a 2 frame.

This would also make sense why the gun serial #3130 (1874) that Todd Allen was offering is also not stamped/marked with a frame size.

Stan

If you can get your hands on a Lifter from that era, I would love to see a report.
;-)

I've been taught that patience is a virtue, but, but, it sure is hard:banghead:

Here’s my 1875 10 gauge D Lifter No. 5949 with no evidence of it ever having been drilled for a pin.
It’s a 3 frame as measured from center to center on the firing pins…. The lug is unmarked.



.

Stan, I could always adopt you, that way I could hand down my pin lifter to you. 12B/14ga. Laminated barrels and a straight grip. 1" spacing between the firing pin holes!