[Bruce Day]

About 480 Bernard barreled Parkers are known to have been made, all C grades except for a couple B's and a hammer D. They were made from about 1885 to 1918, which is the last known. Most were made 1889 to about 1905, and any Bernard after 1905 is uncommon. Most were 12ga, there are some 10's, about 16 16ga's, and 12 20's. Only 2 16ga's are publicly known now and no 20's have been found, or at least publicly known. The 12 20's is supposed to be a true number and not a projection, so a 20ga Bernard would be a grail gun to Bernard enthusiasts. There are likely more 16's to be found. Most 12's were 2 frame 30" guns. There are some 1 frame 28" 12ga lighter game guns, but they are uncommon.

The Bernard pattern of damascus began with Leopold Bernard, cannonier, Paris. Leopold died around 1850 and the pattern continued with Emil Bernard, fusils, Liege. Many high end makers used Bernard patterned guns, so one can find continental and top British firearms, rifles and guns, with Bernard. Some evidence points to Emil Bernard making or providing Bernard pattern barrels to the trade, other evidence suggests that the name became generic to the pattern and lost identity with a Bernard as maker.

So here are some Parker Bernards, and I'll do a post for each.

The first is SN 36,491, an 1885 top action hammer 12ga, which was a New York showroom gun for 12years. It went back to have rib matting applied when rib matting began in late 1886.