Robin,
It seems as people want to know specifics such as maximum pressure that a Parker can withstand. As Bruce has often advised, Page 515 of The Parker Story provides a guide for working pressures. It is understandable why the PGCA would not want to advise shooters without first inspecting each and every gun! Obviously that would be impossible. I included this in a new thread since this one has wandered from it's initial point.
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If you want to read the words I retyped them in the new thread.
Mark
PS: Below is Fact #32:
Your Parker isn't new, it may look new but it isn't. It was made at best, decades ago, if not a century ago. Many advancements in metallurgy and gun powder have been made over all those years. It doesn't seem reasonable to expect a fine old Parker to withstand the same punishing standards that current manufactures expect from today's finest doubles.
Parker shotguns were made with several chamber lengths; have your Parker checked and shoot only the correct length, or shorter length, shot shells. In its day, articles were written that Parker shotguns actually patterned better shooting shot shells longer than the chamber size. The logic was that the "role crimp" would open into the barrel increasing pressure and improve shot patterns. That may or may not have been true but today's star crimp shells will certainly open further into the barrel and in conjunction with today's powders create much higher pressures.
Metal may fatigue as a result of age and oil soaked wood will be weakened. Shooting modern, heavy commercial hunting loads in these old guns have been the cause of many cracked or broken stock wrists.
There are several manufactures that have recognized a market for shooters of older shotguns; who's owners want to "take it easy" on the older gun but also want it to perform well both on the range and in the field. Search these manufacturers out; buy and shoot the correct length shells in your Parker.
Keep the pressures low and your Parker will last another century.