I got bit by the Parker bug a few years ago. I bought my first Damascus GH right when I turned 40 and I am 43 now. I am closing in on a dozen Parkers and finally building a gun room. I think part of the issue is conveying the knowledge that you can shoot these old guns and that you really are buying a piece of history. It would be nice if RST or Polywad shells were at more retailers and other shooting places(Addieville East in Rhode Island does carry these shells). Most younger shooters will not likely be reloading. I think some of the main sources of resistance are:
- Knowing what and where to buy
- How do I know if a gun is safe to shoot?(and having confidence in it)
- Where to get shells?(Most people are not ordering shells online). Most of these guns cannot be shot with big box store ammo
- The gun has tight chokes(I didn’t know about spreader shells until I saw them on RST’s website)
- Who can work on it?(Most people haven’t boxed up a gun and brought it to FedEx or UPS) Most of us know by now that sending a gun to get fixed is a simple process.
I had all of these questions when I bought my first Parker, but after 3 years I know all the answers to the above concerns and sometime can’t sleep because I am thinking of a Parker. Every time I shoot sporting clays I am always asked about the Parker I am carrying. I usually have to explain Damascus and low pressure shells. One of the most common questions is “Where do you even get a gun like that?.” Remember most people haven’t bought a gun online or through the mail either(without seeing it first).
I do think more casual vintage or sxs shoots might help if they’re easy and fun. I think anything promoting the “romance” of a fine double gun(not to mention the level of quality and possible investment value) could also have a positive influence. Basically, you have to convince the youth of today that it is worth some of the “hassles” to shoot these guns. Which we would all agree it is and to go even further the only way we want to shoot.
I am trying to do my part, I brought a former student of mine who is 29 to the Southern SXS and let him shoot one of my guns. He loved it! Perhaps best of all, my 5 year old daughter thinks any long gun is a Parker shotgun. As she should…
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