Parker 8 gauge question?
 

Did Parker make more 8 Gauges then L.C. smith? Do we know how many did they make? What is the common chamber length for 8 ga Parkers and did they ever make a 4'' chamber(Mr. Clevend got me wondering about this one)?

Parker made approx. 400 eight gauges and quit production around 1915. They were banned outright in 1918. The most popular chamber lenght tends to be 3 1/4". I do think they made some 4" guns but do not own one. They are all wonderful guns.

My 8 bore was sent back to Parker to be chambered in 4".

we rarely see 8 bores or their cartridges.
who made 4 inch 8 bore shells?

If I remember correctly, Bill Brophy stated that there were 20 L.C. Smith 8 gauge shotguns made. I believe he also had them categorized by grade.

NPEs were available in a 4" length. For many years, the big companies did special orders with a minimum order of one case. I see no reason why 4" shells could not have been factory loaded.

No offense but what are NPE's? Sometimes you old timers on the forum do abbreviations etc. and the rest of us have no idea what you are talking about.

Why did Parker stop making them? They really weren't banned- they just couldn't be used to hunt waterfowl. Down here we can still use them to hunt all game but migratory birds. I've seen old ads from the thirties where they were offered for handsome prices. You would think Parker would have made them to the end.

I expect that the market for 8 gauges was very limited outside of the serious waterfowling world, and those that could no longer be hunted with were often sold off and that number would had more than satisfied the other limited market's needs

New Primed Empty (NPE).

and who ya callin an old timer ya whippersnapper

That does it! My new dream upland gun is a short and light 8ga with open chokes and light loads!