[King Cobb]

I'll just say that when I got interested in Parkers about 10 years ago, the Peter Johnson book was by far the 1st and easiest to find book out there.

His facts are a little off and his research leaves a bit to be desired, but take a look at any other gun books out there? George Madis is considered The Resource on Winchester Rifles but his book is still full of inaccuracies that have come to light since it was written. Colt? There are so many errors and inconsistencies in the resources out there that it makes your head spin, especially in the books that try to cover more than one small time period. Browning? Schwing wrote a heck of a book on the superposed, but is still often derided by collectors for mistakes he made. Heck even the Parker Story, a very heavily researched book, contain errors/mistakes/omissions.

However, I will say Johnson wrote what to me is probably the most enjoyable and easy to read book on Parkers that is out there. Are his facts perfect? No. But his passion is there, and an easier to read cover to cover book on the subject of a specific gun (one that doesn't include talk of gun theory or hunting stories) you will never find. I have the Parker Story, and have read it twice through(both volumes) and while I love the gun section and the info it provides, it is still a very good but dry read. Ed's books are very good and have great illustrations and photos and Ed's experiences, but at the same time Ed has a tendency to try to beat the reader over the head with his opinions as facts at times. That isn't a criticism, Ed wrote well and I enjoy all copies of Ed's writing I can find. His work is much more researched than Johnson's but it isn't as quick or easy of a read, at least to me. Larry Baer is another good resource, but of the 3 I have mentioned so far his work seems the least necessary to me. I just enjoy the other 3 sources better. I am a huge fan of Michael McIntosh and enjoy his writings on fine guns, unfortunately when it came to Parkers he was brief but well written so he isn't really a prime source of info. Buckingham speaks of parkers from time to time but is more in the context of hunting than any true breakdown of the gun or it's history.

As for the discussion of quality of the Parker versus other American Made shotguns... I will refer you to the quote in my signature by a gentleman who would have had way more knowledge on the subject at the time than I ever will.