Barrel Weight Markings and Frame Size
 

I picked up a nice 12 ga lifter yesterday. Serial number 11009. It is a light weight. The unstruck barrels weigh 3 lb 11 oz. I am trying to square this up with the stamps on the flats. I see a 4 where I would expect to see unstruck barrel weight and then over to the left of it a 13. Does anyone know how I should interpret this? The 30" barrels are uncut and the thinnest spot is .040 so there is not much if any missing.
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The other thing I am pondering is the frame size. There is no stamp on the foot of the rear lug to indicate. There is what may be a 1 stamped on curve of the second lug. Measuring shows 1 1/16" between pins so I figure a #1 frame. Then I take some other measurements and from the chart in the serialization book page 45 it looks more like a 1/2 frame. All the other frame measurements are exact for a 1/2 frame size. There is some case color on the frame yet and all the eges and features are nice and sharp so it has not been overpolished. Isn't this gun much too early for a 1/2 frame?
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Thanks.

Yes, your gun is too early to be a 1/2 frame but several of the frame dimensions of a 1 Frame and a 1/2 Frame are the same. Yours is a 1 Frame without question.
The barrels may very easily have had a pre-struck weight of four pounds exactly and the 4 appears to have been stamped in the right location for the weight.
The 13 stamp is puzzling. The gauge is sometimes stamped here on some of the early lifters.... hmmm...

Coincidentally, 11009 is the part number for the pilot bearing in the rear of the crankshaft of all of the Volvo four-cylinder engines fitted with manual transmissions up to the early '80's when it was replaced by the 181393 sealed bearing. (useless bit of Volvo knowledge bouncing around the confines of my cranium)

I don't see how you've determined that "The unstruck barrels weigh 3 lb 11 oz." as the barrels are in a finished condition.
I agree, that the 4 may have been the actual unstruck weight, i.e. 4 lbs even, and it's hard to believe they would have removed 5 ounces of metal in the finishing process. Is the present barrel length correct, to the book?

Edgar, I may be misunderstanding what "unstruck barrel weight" actually means then. I am a rank beginner at this. :-) The number I came up with was weighing the barrels off the gun.

Yes, the barrel length matches what is in the serialization book.

Thanks.

Many of the frame dimensions on page 527 of TPS refer only to the hammerless frames. Actually, only the firing pin separation figures in this chart of of use to hammer gun collectors. There are some off frames in early Parkers, but do not use the 1/2 size terminlology.

Got it. That explains it. I will not worry about the rest of that chart unless I am looking at a hammerless gun. Thanks Bill.

1 frame 12 gauges are a fairly common configuration aret they? I do need to get a copy of TPS soon.

Well it is a pretty nice gun. I will share some pictures when I am done cleaning it up.

Any thoughts as to what the "13" might mean?

Eric, the process of finishing the barrels, after soldering, is called 'striking'. It involves cleaning up excess solder, and generally file finishing the barrels. The stamped weight reflects the weight before finishing, and can be nearly the same when finished, or up to a few ounces less.

Thanks Edgar. I had misunderstood exactly what that meant.

Eric, I meant to say that there are some "odd" frames in early hammer guns, but my time to correct my post was up when I found my error. Yes, the #1 frame is quite common in 12 gauge hammer guns, especially in the lower grades.