A-1 Special or BHE Steel Shot Specials?

[Wild Skies]

Has anyone here seen or heard of a Parker Reproduction Steel Shot Special being built in a grade other than DHE?

Steel Shot Specials are identified by being stamped with "12SS" as part of the serial number. The production chart in TPS lists 350 Steel Shot Specials having been built -- all in DHE-grade. Confusingly, TPS has a BHE pictured and identified as a Steel Shot Special, but it is sans the "12SS" stampings. In addition, the production chart in TPS doesn't list any BHE Steel Shot Specials built.

[Joe Bernfeld]

I bought one of the Steel Shot Specials when they were being sold through Paul Jaeger, Inc. (Dunn's), by John Allen, I believe. I too was under the impression that there were 350, all DHE. Mr. Skeuse, what say you?

[Wild Skies]

I had a discussion yesterday with a friend, who's also a stockmaker and PGCA member, I mentioned that I have a Steel Shot Special (SG, SPL, DT) which appears to be unfired that I may be putting up for sale. He asked if it was a B-grade and I say no that I believed they were only produced in D-grade. He then told me of an acquaintance of his that had two BHE Steel Shot Specials (one unfired). Being suspicious of them being BHEs and realizing with all things Parker we never say never, I asked how they were marked and his reply was that they were stamped "Steel Shot Special" on the barrels. I said, Hhmmm, never seen nor heard of them marked in that manner nor was I aware of them built in any other grade other than a D. The conversation left me scratching my head -- and thus the question above.

[George M. Purtill Member #28]

Never seen of anything but 12SS in DHE configuration. Never say......

[Wild Skies]

John Allen: From the "BHE Repro 28 are there any .." thread, you had mentioned . . . "We even ordered one BHE 12ga.in a steel shot configuration."

Do you know for certain that this order was actually fulfilled? If so, can you tell us what differentiated it from other BHE's?

[John Allen]

The BHE I ordered was the only one with 28" improved and mod barrels with 3" chambers that I am aware of. All of the other 28" barrels were mod and full to my knowledge.I had one customer who insisted on a BHE steel shot.We finally talked Parker repro into building it.When it arrived,he did not take it.I sold it to a good customer who has since passed away.His nephew now has it.It is unfired.Also,no guns were marked "steel shot special".The Jaeger guns had SS in the serial number.

[Wild Skies]

John, do you recall if that BHE with 28" bbls. choked IC/M that you had ordered for a customer and subsequently sold to another have "SS" as part of the serial number?

I recently pressed my friend and PGCA member I had mention above about the BHE barrels being marked "Steel Shot Special" and he admitted that he never actually saw them, he just assumed that they were marked that way.

[John Allen]

It did not have the SS prefix.It was special ordered after the order was placed for the SS guns.They took a BHE that was already in production and put the 3" IC/Mod barrels on it.

[Wild Skies]

Originally Posted by John Allen

It did not have the SS prefix.It was special ordered after the order was placed for the SS guns.They took a BHE that was already in production and put the 3" IC/Mod barrels on it.

This gun that you're talking about John sounds eerily like the as new BHE w/PG, BT, SST, S/N 12-0098, 28" bbls., 3" chambers and choked IC/M that Rock Island recently sold at auction. Only the dates of order do not correspond.

We discussed it here:
http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=23938

[John Allen]

The only guns that have the SS are the 360 that came through Jaegers.All of them were DHEs.Parker Repro may have made other guns with steel shot barrels that I am not aware of.What did the Rock Island gun sell for?