First I would like to thank are the members here who have provided all the great info about this Parker, especially Jack Cronkhite. Jack and I have exchanged several PM’s about the features it has. The request for the letter went in the mail today. I can’t wait to see what it says.
I hope the letter verifies the no safety option. I can't see any evidence that it was removed at a later date.
I’ve spent quite a few hours reading the FAQ’s and browsing the forum. The info that is available is amazing. I hate to waste anyone’s time by asking questions before checking to see if the info is already out there. From what I’ve read is seems that the screws, trigger guard and trigger should be blued and the forearm metal should be case hardened. Is this correct?
I don’t have any specific Parker books so I’ve also been reading info that’s posted on the internet. I’m always suspicious about info I get out there until I can verify it. Some of the info I found is:
There were 3983 VH models with straight stocks.
The no safety option was the rarest Parker option.
Less that 1% were made with the no safety option.
Can anyone verify if these are accurate statements?
The serialization book verified the barrel length but says it has a pistol grip stock. Jack recommended that I check under the lower tang to see if the serial number was on the stock. The serial number is stamped there. The lower tang is a little over 6” long from the back of the trigger guard to the tip.
Most of the screws appear to be turned and some have damage. The worst is the pivot pin screw. I’m going to very carefully try and move the metal back into place. I’ve had to do this many times on some of my old Winchesters and other SxS’s.
The worst problem it has is the toe of the stock. The finish is scratched off and there is a chip missing. Luckily there is no damage to the buttplate. I’ve been reading about the correct finish for the stock. I haven’t decided what to do about this yet.
Instead of trying to put a lot of photos here I created an album (Marty’s 1921 Parker VHE) and put the photo in it. If anyone would like to see more pictures of any details let me know and I’ll add them.
Thanks again for putting up with all my questions and graciously providing me all the information.