I have followed this thread for a few weeks now wondering if there were others like me and waiting for their stories. I have now come to the conclusion that I am alone. So here is my story.
30 years ago I started buying Parkers as my father had let me shoot his Parkers in my youth. As I found the financial means later in life I wanted some Parkers of my own and started looking for my own guns. Looking back on it, I now realize that my first 10 years of Parker buying mistakes was that I followed the “William Murphy school of Parker acquisition”. This method proved fruitful and gave me varying degrees of gun volume, fun and satisfaction along with some later deep regret. After my first decade of following the “Murphy principle” I had 30 parkers in various states disrepair and 5 or 6 fully working guns that I could shoot when I was not pursuing more orphans or parts to fix the parts guns and pigs that I had already purchased knowing I could fix them with parts found later. This life long trek of buying, searching, and re-uniting actions, barrels, stocks, and forends with their missing parts to make a gun complete is THE MURPHY MISSION and I had subscribed hook, line, and Sinker. I figured that If Murphy could do then so could I.
Halfway through my second decade of gun buying joy I realized that I was being duped(It only took 10+ years). While my functioning guns had increased, I WAS STILL LOOKING AT THE WRONG GUNS TO COLLECT AND SHOOT. I finally discovered that the “Murphy school” was just a sham to get new gun buyers to dig the world for bottom feeders, parts, and parts guns and report to “father Bill” what they found (hopefully with a scan of the factory letter and some good clear photos so that he might use their parts to complete his own 900+ project guns.
That was my #1 mistake in gun buying. I still have the 30 project guns from the decade of my youth following the “Murphy rules”. I am confident that “Father Murphy” has the other half of each of these guns that I own so I refrain from posting any photos or serial # information until he can produce a photo of the other half.…….
PML
P.S. Some parts of this story are VERY accurate and some are just busting on Bill Murphy for NOT posting pictures of his guns (project or otherwise). All, are meant in jest! So, if you take offence at my funning on Murphy…… TFB ��
CHEERS