I stopped at KTP today on my way home from the lake. The place was mobbed! The big tent sale in the side lot probably brought a lot of folks in but they're usually pretty busy there at KTP on any weekend afternoon.
To make matters worse, the gun department was seven people short of a full staff - but young David very politely handed me every Parker I asked to examine.
The first one that caught my eye was Ser. No. 9895, a 10 gauge "Grade 2" lifter with a silver oval on the ball grip in addition to the shield on the top of the grip. It was obviously Parker factory work and it looked to me like it had had something engraved on that oval but it was almost polished smooth from wear that it was unreadable. A research letter may mention this as it looked to be a presentation gun or a prize gun for shooting score.
The next one I looked at was a DH 10 gauge on a 3-frame, Ser. No. 82509. It has nearly perfect screws and has been expertly refinished many decades ago. The Damascus barrels are beautifully rebrowned and the Damascus pattern is so fine I had to look at the barrel flats to check for a DD stamp - I was surprised to see just a single D. The bores are absolutely perfect and the wood is beautiful too - not oil-soaked at all. Nice grain and the checkering looks to be at least 22 l.p.i. or finer on both the grip as well as the forend. The gun has a DHBP that may be supported by a letter (we have seen other Parkers that would normally have had a SSBP but research supports the DHBP.) If I didn't already have a Damascus barreled 10 ga. DH this one would definitely have come home with me. You'll look long and hard to find a better one!!
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"I'm a Setter man.
Not because I think they're better than the other breeds,
but because I'm a romantic - stuck on tradition - and to me, a Setter just "belongs" in the grouse picture."
George King, "That's Ruff", 2010 - a timeless classic.
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