28 gauge parker questions
 

I recently inherited a beautiful 28 gauge parker reproduction. I've been reading some of these threads in the forum and noticed talk about serial numbers. They say mine should start with 28, but mine does not..it is 180688. I also don't know what chokes I have but the barrel is 24 inches long. Where I notice most are either 26 or 28. I believe this gun is an A1. Also, could anyone let me know what the value of this gun could be? The metal is in perfect shape, the wood near perfect. The stock has a few very light impressions in it as it was probably only used once or twice. It has double triggers, pistol grip and splinter 4 piece. Has instractors only, no injectors and quite a bit of engraving including on the barrel, which makes me believe it is an A1 special. I have the case. Everything but paperwork and the oil can. Only has single barrel, no set of barrels. The engraver was W. Kolouch.
Eric

Hello Eric

An A1S would not have had Vulcan Steel barrels but rather would have had Peerless Steel barrels.

Yours was originally made as a Vulcan, or Grade-0 which was the lowest of the grades and, due to the lack of virtually any engraving, lent itself as a perfect candidate for a total upgrade. I can't say for certain but yours bears striking resemblances to some known Pachmayer (sp) upgrades.


Ooops... I just noticed the W. Kalouch notation.

Yeah, not a reproduction but an upgraded original gun. Wonder if it will letter with the 24 inch barrels.

Not in the serial number book but there is records for a letter

Walter Kolouch is a well known and very talented engraver. He is famous for his work on M12 Trap guns!

am i reading those barrels marked at 2 pounds 5 ounces correctly...if so this has 2 be the lighest set of such marked barrels ive ever seen...you sir have one beautiful gun.... charlie

Mr Kolouch lives in Oregon. If you need his telephone number, please advise. He is known for high quality stockwork and his embellished guns. This would not be an A-1 Special, as those guns do not look like yours. Gold on any grade of Parker is extremely rare.

Following are two photos. The first shows the barrel flats weights on a DHE 20ga 0 frame 24" at 2lbs 14oz, so the 2lbs 5oz on an 00 frame 28ga may be be correct for a 24". The second photo is a Trojan embellished by Dick Washburn as his personal gun.

You asked about value. I have noticed that embellished guns have a narrow field of interest. The Parker field is already narrow, and most collectors prefer original guns, the more original and the higher the condition, the greater the value. With an embellished V grade such as this, the best I can recommend is that you watch the sales prices ( not asking prices) for embellished guns such as the Pachmars (sp) . I know I have seen 20 ga Parker Pachmars sell for $8000 to $10,000, but that information is a year old. To put this in perspective, a nice original condition VHE 28ga 26" recently sold for $15,000. The market for embellished guns is narrower than for Parkers in general. As a result, I can't tell you whether your embellished V 28ga today in the present selective market has the same, less, or even greater value than a good condition original V 28ga . Many people say they want one, but I believe you might find that they are not willing to pay as much for one as you would think.

Its certainly an interesting gun, and a wonderful inheritance. Take it shooting and enjoy it.

That is a wonderful and valuable gun.

Here are a couple nice upgrades that have been up for auction for a while...

Pachmayr - PARKER - Invincible Upgrade - $13,000

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=273336606

Parker VHE Upgraded to A1 Engraving - $7,999

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=273397448

That VH 28g. would have been a valuable gun in it's own right if it was original. In this case, the upgrade done to it most likely did not improve the value from where it would be if it were original. And compared to an original VH 28g. in high condition, the upgrade may be worth less.

This upgrade is nice, but a lot flashier than any original A1-S would have been. Too much gold.

Upgrades of such guns rarely make sense from a value standpoint unless it is a 12, 16 or 20g. And in some cases a 20g. may be pushing it.