Parker #129168 has surviving factory information and a letter has been requested.
The Family story goes like this,
The Great Grandfather purchased the gun in 1904 using the first paycheck he earned. East Coast.
A graded Parker was $100 ?
12 gauge DH with Damascus barrels on a #1 frame, splinter forend, pistol grip, skeletal butt.
Bore diameter of .730, both barrels
Minimum Barrel Wall Thickness of .030, both barrels
Unstruck weight of
3 /6
.038 choke right
.040 choke left
2 5/8 " chambers
14 1/8 x 1 3/8 x 2 5/8
6lbs 9oz
Sometime after the Second World War, The Great Grandfathers' gun was hung on a wall in the house of his daughter (the Grandmother). 30 years later when the Grandmother no longer needed the big house, her daughter (the Mother) took over the household and the caretaking duties for the old Parker.
After another 30 years, the original owners' Great Grand Daughter was given possession of the old gun by her aging mother.
Parker #129168 celebrated the new millenium as a closet queen and had remained cloistered until about a month ago.
This gun is not mint/museum quality but is a very beautiful, original condition graded Parker.
It has earned it's scars as a moderately carried, lightly fired, unmolested, fourth generation, wall hanging closet queen.
Perfect screws, beautiful sound wood, good Demascus pattern remaining (underbarrels are better with best under the forend), beautiful case colors in protected areas with some original case colors showing in patina'd areas. Clean bores, crisp triggers, tight action, hingepin and face.
The coolest thing is the Damascus pattern on the sides of the rib.
I've had the gun inspected by Master Gunsmith Les Pittman here on the West coast. All is good.
I've reloaded some
2 3/4" Federal paper hulls with a Windjammer wad, Win 209 primer, a smidge of Hodgdon powder and an ounce of lead.
5100 PSI per the Hodgdon recipe book.
We shot a pair of these pillow soft reloads through the damascus barrels.
The gun threw a beautiful 2 foot pattern approximately 60/40 at 30 paces.
Was it my imagination or do Damascus barrels "sound" different?
Am I setting myself up for a future disaster with the 2 3/4" hulls and the 2 5/8" chambers??
I'm not a 12 gauge guy.
I'm not a DH guy
I'm not a Damascus guy.
Can someone please help me with value?
Thank you,
Bobby