Greetings Bill!
Thanks for your input. I looked up the older Parker on auction you suggested- man is that nice. I don't typically look at anything other than 'fix-it' guns, and as it is, I live on the ragged edge of domestic civility on these issues. My joy comes from taking the broken and incomplete antique guns, and piecing together something that is functional, restored to the best of my ability, but not necessarily restoring to value (certainly not valuable in the sense of an original, collectable gun). I get guns at the bottom of their value, ready to be parted-out, and make something that at least I appreciate.
The gun you directed me to is very similar to mine, even some of the details, but the rear stock on mine is straight and that one (like those on the PGCA web site technical section) is a pistol grip, it has the forward lock plates stamped with 'Parker Brothers', a short undertang also stamped with the S/N, but much the same character including the old style forestock with the pin versus the latch. How is it that a gun with a lower S/N than mine (the one on auction is around 1,300) has what appears to me to be more 'modern' features? Or did they carry design features with gauge, like for example the straight stock with 10 gauge?
When I was younger and had more ambition for sanding and varnishing, my primary hobby was restoring old wooden boats (runabouts and cruisers mostly), making them correct and functional. Again my mode of operation was to find basket-case boats (called 'gray ghosts' in that group of afflicted middle-age men) and do all the work myself. What I learned was that the boat makers used what worked, often had no real plan of manufacturing, and used what was locally available that month in order to make production orders. Futher, they were always doing 'this and that' differently, experimenting to find what was the best way to go with products that would sell. I am beginning to suspect that this might be the case here.
Any thoughts on these topics from you guys in the know about early-made Parker shotguns would help. You guys are the repository for information and know-how! The ower of AuctioArms site talked me through hot-dip bluing... as and example. (With the old wood boats, I had to go to the boat bone yards and find the guy working in the back shop!) Thanks for your input. Chuck
|