This must be an interesting Parker...No.45973

[Don Kaas]

I was looking at Larry Baer's book recently. It pictures an original hang tag from 45973. The gun was a 12 gauge with 30" barrels weighing 10lb 7oz and targeted with 3" shells with 1 1/8 oz of Tathams #8 with 3 3/4oz of Dupont's No.5 Grain Choke Bore (black) powder. It shot 175 pellets in a 24" circle at 45yds. Cross referencing "the book" tells us the gun was made in 1885 and was a 12 gauge 30" B4 toplever (a C grade with Bernard steel barrels). A duck gun? A trap gun? Both? Perhaps the latter due to the patterning with #8 shot and a heavy load and 3" chamber but then why not 1 1/4oz of them? And the patterns were not especially tight for pigeons...Clearly the weight, the load and the chambering and the higher grade gun itself were special order. If it were a duck gun why not specific larger shot? Maybe someone has this gun, if so your hang tags out there too!

Next to the photo of this tag is one of a wonderful Spanish language label "La Escopeta Parker -Siempre Digna De Confianza" (The Parker Shotgun -Always worthy of confidence). I guess "Old Reliable" didn't translate well...

[James Brown]

Speaking of interesting Parkers: "A SHOTGUN STOCK THAT STILL FIRES"

ebay item no. 180396164410

James

[John Truitt]

Would a gun patterned as such be more specific to columbare as opposed to traditional box birds?
Understand I have never witnessed such a match or really understood how it works.

[Kevin McCormack]

Don, it could have been a special order gun, not unlilke the 8 ga. DHE ordered out of El Paso TX in 1909 by a pair of brothers defending their ranch against "wolves and bandits" as noted in the Order Book, specified to "shoot close with buckshot."

The gun you describe in Baer's book was most likely ordered to that specific loading of Tatham #8's in the 3 3/4 oz. load of Dupont No. 5 Grain choke bore powder to shoot both chachalaca for the pot (a chicken-like bird of the Road Runner family), as well as the deadly chupacabra, the androgynous dog/wolf -like creature that was reported as "rediscovered" in the early 2000's in the remote villages of Central America, Northern Mexico, and the Tex-Mex borderlands.

There is a good likelihood that we will see some of the more remote spotsman's lodges in these areas advertised in upcoming Shooting Sportsman Magazine adverts that will offer optional specialized combined driven shoots for chachalaca as well as baited night shoots for the dreaded chupacabra in additon to the standard high-volume dove, duck, and walk-up perdiz packages.

I'm glad that my passport is up to date and that my ammo locker is well-stocked with everything from high-antimony, polished hard shot 2 3/4' lead # 6's to the ass-kicking NitroMag 3" sintered # 1 Steel. Classic Parker double by day; Black Gun Browning A-5 3" mag by night. Stewart Granger, eat your heart out!

[Don Kaas]

No John, I highly doubt it was a 10 and a half pound columbaire gun with the same shokes in both barrels especially in 1885...Kevin's explanations are more likely. Pick up a copy of Mike Forehand's "Advanced Competition Shotgunning" for a primer on columbaire as well as trap birds.

That beauty on eBay isn't even a Parker Bros gun...

[James Palmer]

Has this gun ever come to light?

[Researcher]

It was blown up when Don loaded it with 3 3/4 ounces of powder!!

The gun was a 12 gauge with 30" barrels weighing 10lb 7oz and targeted with 3" shells with 1 1/8 oz of Tathams #8 with 3 3/4oz of Dupont's No.5 Grain Choke Bore (black) powder.

[Dean Romig]

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[James Palmer]

45973

[Phil C]

Sounds like a great gun for pass shooting passenger pigeons.