Parker Repro barrel - need gunsmith

AmarilloMike · 12-06-2023, 10:11 PM

My son’s Parker Repro 12 gauge came apart today.

Would someone please recommend a gunsmith?

I used to use Kirk Merrington down in Tyler but he retired.

Thanks!

Mike

Harold Pickens · 12-06-2023, 10:34 PM

wow, that should just never happen

winplumber · 12-06-2023, 10:39 PM

Well sorry to see that I keep telling myself I want one but there's that other voice saying no I think it's time to listen to the other.

B. Dudley · 12-06-2023, 11:46 PM

Oh boy! That is crazy! I would think that the barrel lug itself would be soldered on with a much higher temp solder or brazing than the ribs. But I cannot say that I know for sure. Based on this, they must not be.

todd allen · 12-07-2023, 12:23 AM

Wow, that's a first! I've never seen anything like that ever.

Aaron Beck · 12-07-2023, 07:39 AM

Is that a sheared screw in the middle or a pin used to assemble it? did it get dropped and land on the lug?

Dean Romig · 12-07-2023, 10:08 AM

I believe on the Repros that joint was brazed.

.

Bill Murphy · 12-07-2023, 10:49 AM

We would all like to hear about this failure and whether it happened at the firing of a shell, and what shell. Thanks.

GH-16 · 12-07-2023, 11:26 AM

I don't think I've ever seen a total lug separation like this one. This repair is going to take a smith that really knows what he's doing. Now that Kirk Merrington is out of the game, I really don't know who to recommend. Dennis Potter--Galazans--Turnbull maybe?? Keep in mind that the repair will probably entail a total rib relay & re-blue due to the heat required for re-brazing the lug is greater than required for soft soldering the ribs.

Looking at the picture I'm thinking the lug brazing joint didn't take completely on this set of barrels and the lug has probably been loose for a while going unnoticed & the only thing holding the lug on was the screw that comes through the top short rib into the lug was the main thing holding things together until it sheared & failed.

A word of caution should be taken on this failure. This is only one set of barrels, and this failure doesn't automatically mean that all Parker repro barrels are subject to failing like this. This is the internet, and we need to be cautious of not branding all repro's as being poorly manufactured based on this one failure.

Dean is correct that the lugs on original Parkers were brazed rather than soft soldered and I assume the repro barrels were as well. I'm including a picture of a set of Parker Damascus barrels that clearly show the orange/yellow brazing line for the lug. I think I see some of the same color on the failed barrel lug in the posted picture of it.

One thing is for sure--This is going to be an expensive repair and it might be more economical to find another set of barrels for this gun.

GH-16 · 12-07-2023, 12:50 PM

It looks like our own Josh Lowe might be able to help get this gun back in action. Josh's asking price for this set is probably less than the repair costs would be for the failed set.

https://www.gunsinternational.com/gu...n_id=102498413

Even here in Josh's listing description he gives me a little heartburn internet wise where he implies that the 16ga barrels made by Kriegoff or Galazans are inferior to original repro barrels, when they're not in any way other than the doll head fit on some of the Galazan aftermarket barrels. I'm not picking on Josh, he's one of the best at his game who I respect very much, but it's stuff like this that can catch & spread like wildfire on the internet.