Quote:
Originally Posted by David Noble
Perhaps your dad didn't shoot the Parker much, but he took good care of it.
He may have been saving it to give to someone special in his life.
No way I could I sell that gun. If you have any children, give it to one of them.
They'd likely be hhonored to own their Grandfather's (or possibly Great Grandfather's) Parker!
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by J. Scott Hanes
Dan, welcome to the PGCA! There is more Parker knowledge existent in this membership than you can imagine. Be willing to ask any question you wish and someone will be able to assist.
As far as what you do with the gun, please take your time in whether you want to sell it. While it is in very good condition, it is not a 'museum piece' per se; very few Parkers are. They were made to use for hunting or casual shooting [a few are used extensively at clay targets] and enjoying. I am guessing you are under 40 years old; maybe under 30 and your Dad has passed. I get it that he did not use it much so there is likely no connection to any adventures he shared with you with the Parker, so your memories with your Dad lie in different activities. But do your research when you can and hold onto it for a while before making a final decision. Your Dad kept it all those years for a reason; maybe it is for you, maybe someone else in the family. Either way, it is yours for now to do with it as you wish. Good luck.
|
Thanks, all! I'm actually in my late 40s.. Not to get too personal, but I actually do know what he wanted me to do with it, because, well, he told me before he passed. He actually said "Sell it and put the money in your daughter's college fund."
Neither I nor my mom knew he had this gun. As far as I know, it spent 50 years just sitting in his closet, along with a couple other shotguns and an old .22 target rifle (I knew he had the .22 and one of the shotguns -- an Ithaca Model 37, but didn't realize he had two SXS shotguns.)
He figured I wouldn't get much for the other guns, but the Parker he said specifically to sell. He'd had it appraised years ago (although I'm not taking the value he told me as the current value), and figured it'd actually be worth a bit, whereas the others weren't really worth much (and based on a quick spin on gunbroker to check, they don't seem to be).
Anyway, I'll figure out what to do with it eventually. In the meantime, it's resting comfortably in my safe.
Can anyone explain the two numbers on the barrel underside? The 4 and the 3? I gather one of them is supposed to be barrel weight, but...why are there two numbers?