Range day with the Parker 10 gauges

[Milton C Starr]

Ive had my 6 frame since last April I think and just now got around to shooting it and the 3 frame grade 2 I picked up from Wayne a few months back. Also decided to take my deer rifle to the range since I have fired it since January . I hate to say it because I love the big guns but the 3 frame seems to shoot alot better than the 6 . Theres about a 3lb difference between them well 3 1/4 lbs I think if you want to get technical . My oldest brother is not tolerant to recoil so when Im trying to compare guns I let him shoot them and see if he notices more than I do . He said for him the extra 3lbs doesnt make enough difference to justify the weight. The 3 frame seems to get on target quicker and it patterns the #4 RST Bismuth loads better than the 6 frame . Which I thought was odd because going by a micrometer its choked alot less than the 6 frame. I still love the big gun though but I think I see why the 3 frames were the go to size for the 10 gauge .

Onto another observation , the lead loads are 1 1/4 oz at 1100fps and the bismuth is 1 1/4oz at 1250 fps . The lead loads are extremely dirty however the bismuth loads are fairly clean I assume perhaps they are loaded to a little higher psi . Now for my rifle I been having a debate with a group of Weatherby shooters on the 340 Wby and its recoil . Its similar to a 30-06 with a good recoil pad not bad at all, but I realized I never shot it with the brake off. So to be fair I decided to fire it with the brake off .... yeah im never doing that again thankfully my safety glasses stopped the scope from imprinting a Leupold logo on my forehead haha .

I noticed on the 3 frame hammer gun the right barrel after every shot there is black soot on the primer my guess is loose chamber tolerances causing blow by ?

[WHO]

Milton, That appears to be a punctured primer. I have the same problem with my 20 gauge hammer gun using RST ammo. There have been several discussions on this forum regarding the problem.

[charlie cleveland]

glad you got to shoot the big tens....a 1 1/4 ounce load in the big 6 frame ought to be like shooting a 410 load....you are right the 3 frame is the best size in the 10 ga guns in my opinion......charlie

[Milton C Starr]

Originally Posted by Wayne Owens

Milton, That appears to be a punctured primer. I have the same problem with my 20 gauge hammer gun using RST ammo. There have been several discussions on this forum regarding the problem.

Would that be a problem with the hammer for the right barrel being too heavy or the quality of the primer? Those are cheddite hulls not sure what primer they use but I have read the hulls themselves are low quality . It only happened on the hammergun the hammerless was fine. I was just shooting today for fun and had the time to finally get to the range .

[Milton C Starr]

Originally Posted by charlie cleveland

glad you got to shoot the big tens....a 1 1/4 ounce load in the big 6 frame ought to be like shooting a 410 load....you are right the 3 frame is the best size in the 10 ga guns in my opinion......charlie

Actually Charlie there didnt seem to be much difference in felt recoil between the 3 and 6 frame which surprised me . I was going to take the 8 gauge but didnt want to haul 50lbs of gear to the range plus the Parkers really needed a day out . I think it might be worth the effort to get into handloading for the 10 ga , the 1 1/4 oz bismuth load at 1250fps I really like a lead version would be ideal I think for other game that doesnt require non tox . The lead #4s pattern pretty tight even at 40 yards especially out of the hammergun .

So I just cleaned the primer on the loads that had soot on the primer and they are pierced .

[WHO]

I believe the Cheddite primers are made from a thinner gauge material and/or the material is more brittle than other brands. Also, your right firing pin might extend past the frame more than the left pin does when fired or the pin might not be rounded as well as your left pin causing the puncture of the primer.

[Milton C Starr]

Originally Posted by Wayne Owens

I believe the Cheddite primers are made from a thinner gauge material and/or the material is more brittle than other brands. Also, your right firing pin might extend past the frame more than the left pin does when fired or the pin might not be rounded as well as your left pin causing the puncture of the primer.

I just read a thread on here from July and it seems numerous members have had the same issue with the Cheddite hull/primers . I havnt seen Federal 10 ga hulls in stock for months . I could always buy steel shot loads to pull apart for hulls but im not that desperate yet . From what ive was reading the main concern with those pierced primers is gas going back into the action and causing stock damage . From what I can tell when I cleaned it earlier the firing pins look pretty well fitted to the holes .

[J. A. EARLY]

A pierced primer on a hammer gun can't get back into the stock so there is no worry for the gun. Plus the firing pin in the hole probably won't let much gas out anyway. Mine does the same thing with RSTs.

[winplumber]

Originally Posted by Jerry Harlow

A pierced primer on a hammer gun can't get back into the stock so there is no worry for the gun. Plus the firing pin in the hole probably won't let much gas out anyway. Mine does the same thing with RSTs.

Not in the stock but it can in the eye and on the face ask me how I know it dont take much to make it sting .

[Milton C Starr]

Originally Posted by Steve Huffman

Not in the stock but it can in the eye and on the face ask me how I know it dont take much to make it sting .

I always wear a pair of osha approved sunglasses when im shooting not sure how they compare to other shooting glasses but they've worked pretty good so far . I am always overly cautious when im at the range whats nice about ours is usually its empty .

I have a question if anyone may have some insight , on these Parker hammerguns is there average amount of force required to cock the hammers ? Or does it vary greatly from gun to gun ? On mine it takes alot of muscle to cock them back .