Straight/low drop stocks

[jeffery c]

I recently picked up two used Parker stocks, one is a DH original and the other is Del Grego VH checkering pattern. They both show low drop and even at DAH and DAC. I point best with straight stocks although I’m tolerant of crooked stocks with drop. I’ll be fitting these up to a DHE and VH shooter grade guns.

Does anyone have examples of Parkers with factory ordered straight stocks they could post?

Were most straight, even low drop stocks intended for trap, in your opinion?

Has anyone seen the Del Grego Pad before, if so, can you post pictures of your gun?

[Dean Romig]

Those really are straight - wow!

I've seen a few DelGrego pads before but I don't own any that I remember.





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[Chris Robenalt]

I don't have the stock, it was straight and it had an orange pad with the same markings as yours. I fit it to another VH20. I'm sure it was old Delgrego wood from a restock. The pad resembled a Silvers.

[Dave Moore]

Both of those stocks have had the comb filed off. Here is a pic of an original straight grip stock. Take note of the comb height and shape.

[jeffery c]

Originally Posted by Dave Moore

Both of those stocks have had the comb filed off. Here is a pic of an original straight grip stock. Take note of the comb height and shape.

Nice stock, nice gun! I sure like straight grip guns. Thanks for posting.

I agree my DH comb is definitely lowered from standard, even so it’s still a very low DAH stock. The gun’s SN it bears has an interesting history of being returned, refitted to another gun.

I kind of suspect the Del Grego stock was made that way, though. Hard saying for sure, of course.

[jeffery c]

Originally Posted by Chris Robenalt

I don't have the stock, it was straight and it had an orange pad with the same markings as yours. I fit it to another VH20. I'm sure it was old Delgrego wood from a restock. The pad resembled a Silvers.

I wonder if it was a version of the Pachmayr Old English? I know Pachmayr used to custom label pads even for local hardware stores in some cases.
Does anyone have a picture of a Del Grego orange pad?

[Bill Murphy]

I've been dealing with the Del Gregos since 1971 and have not seen a pad installed by them except the black Pachmayr. If I wanted a Silver pad installed, I had to send them one.

[Stan Hillis]

Originally Posted by jeffery c

Were most straight, even low drop stocks intended for trap, in your opinion?

Yes, definitely. Times have changed but one thing about shotgunning hasn't. If your comb is too high the only way you're going to hit a bird that isn't rising is to float it above the bead/muzzles. And, that is a recipe for poor shooting. 60/40, possibly 65/35 pattern placement is about as high as most people can shoot well, for various target/game presentations.

Personally, I can shoot a gun with a little too much drop better than I can one with too little. Burying your cheek hard on the comb, to get the gun to shoot lower, is distracting at best and often leads to a bruised cheek as well. It's much easier to cheek a comb lightly, on a gun with lots of drop, than it is to cheek one hard that has too little drop.

[B. Dudley]

Here is a 32" 20g. VH that I restored last year. It was restocked to exactly match the original stock which had been damaged at the head. It has a full comb and straight comb. 1-5/8" at comb and heel. It lettered exactly as such.

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[6pt-Sika]

From years and years of shooting skeet and trap birds with a gun that was pretty much 70/30 with all the barrels I truely love floating the bird . Sometimes now with field guns I have to make a mental note not to float the bird . This falls back on something I was grumbling about not to long ago . Shooting the same K-32 and just changing barrels or insert tubes was way easier to constantly shoot well as opposed to shooting ten different guns in the various SxS classes . It’s also a bit intensive to try and shoot all ten regularly to maintain the feel for them all . But ............. this is supposed to be fun