I just had a local gentleman give me this broken piece of Parker stock today. He figured I would get a kick out of it. I cannot really tell for sure what the wood is. Kind of looks like Birds Eye Maple, but the grain in the back section looks more like walnut. But either way, it is mostly burl! The guard inletting is marked with the serial number 118903, grade "0" and the P.B. mark for Pierson Bannister (a long time Parker stock maker). These marks told me that it was 100% a factory fitted stock.
I checked with Chuck Bishop as to if there was anything note worthy mentioned in the records for this number.
It was a VH 16g. with the note to "Use His Stock". I would assume that this meant that the customer was supplying the stock blank.
Well, it didnt hold up well as the grain is going straight across the wrist at the break. It had been repaired once with a sort of metal nailed-in inlay. And that didn't hold either.
What I don't understand is why they would have not used the patented re-enforcing rod for this stock. Lord knows it would have helped it.
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