Three Ruffed Grouse.....
 

.......but not with my Parker! I used my Baker 10 gauge for the first time. An ounce of 7-1/2 shot made a great grouse load. Gotta love those 10 pound shotguns on a 6 hour walk at a balmy 76 degrees. What a workout. Cheers!

Now there is an exercise program you won't see on an infomercial :)

i see im not the only one that tote the big tens...good picture fine looking gun bet them birds eat good.... charlie

I think Burt Spiller started with a 10 bore Baker. There is hope as you have made obvious!

Good job Mark! the ol 10's got to love em. Some times a 1 frame 16 an't to bad as well.:) ch

I really like Parker hammer guns! I wonder what the odds are of stumbling across a nice hammer 20 gauge......slim, maybe! I will consult TPS for numbers and begin my quest. Cheers, everyone!

As Bruce seems to constantly reminds us all, his buddy Charlie found one in a chicken coop. I guess that's where I'd start......

Destry

Dean had asked me to re-tell the story on it. If the story bothers you or my re-telling of the story is offensive to you let me know, or report it to John Dunkle and he can delete the posts and all the photos. In fact, I'll report the post to John myself, and urge him that it he finds it offensive, to just delete that and all the photos.

But Destry, you have the facts wrong again. Neither Charlie nor me found it in a chicken coop. The gun had been in a chicken coop for many years, the owner brought it in to sell to a third friend, that person acquired it, called me and from there it passed to Charlie. I'm always pleased to help out friends and I knew Charlie would be thrilled with this great little piece of Parker history.

Bruce, I have been ogling the photos of your 'Chicken coop' gun! I also consulted my copy of TPS and learned that very few hammer 20s were made. I wonder how many survived in any kind of restorable/usable condition.

Of course its not mine, but I suppose I have vicariously enjoyed it and participated in its restoration. TPS shows that not very many 20 ga hammer guns were made in any grade, presumably because the shot charge was only 3/4oz and meat hunters wanted more than a 20ga could provide. TPS shows only a few 20ga D grades were made. I understand that in the Parker collecting community, only two D grade hammer guns are known, this being one of them, and Larry Baer's book shows a C hammer 20ga, but that gun seems to be extensively modified. I think the small bore hammer collector is far more likely to find a 16ga, and who knows, maybe one will come out of the woods a little north of Eveleth.

Both Charlie and I are firm believers in exhibiting these guns and showing photos here, not for personal reasons, but because it encourages others to become involved. If a person never sees these guns, why should he be interested in Parkers? The chicken coop story is a nice little story because it demonstrates that these guns are still out there to be found. Doc Van Blaricum picked up a really nice 16ga 0 grade top action about a year ago at a Kansas small town local gun show from some kid bringing in the family junk and wanting to get rid of it. He spent a year fixing the cracked stock and getting the twist barrels freshened, but he now has quite the gun.