I'm an awful procrastinator. I played with this while starting to look at Parkers and reading/asking on this forum.
Here are some thoughts. May be off base here and there and submitted for any use it may have. "Play" time is becoming quite limited on the home front these days so I'll not be fleshing this out further. Hopefully it spurs more contributions to a good cause.
Cheers,
Jack
Looks like a *.doc file cannot be attached . If there is a way to do that, let me know or I can sen email to whoever might put this all together:
this is cut and paste
VH APPRAISAL FORM
As new condition, never been worked on or modified in any way from manufacture. Limited or no shots fired This would be a rare find
In 12 gauge – minimum value 10,000
Sub gauges – add 1000 for every smaller gauge (except 14 gauge add 5000 – very rare) .410 has jumped considerably in value. A good VH could bring 40,000.
Good condition shooter – fading case colors, fading blue all screw heads good condition well maintained no rust bright barrel bores no pitting action tight and on face Wood has never been refinished may have light handling marks but no cracks, deep scratches gouges. Checkering is still deep but may have smoothed tips 1,500
Fair condition shooter – case colors only in protected areas, blue faded to silvery patina, some screw heads have been damaged but are still serviceable light rust on barrels, bores may have some light pitting action is tight and on face Wood may have been refinished or may have heavy handling marks, some scratches and gouges but no cracks Stock not pinned Checkering is shallow 1,000
Poor condition shooter – no case colors no blue rusty patina several damaged screw heads bores with light to medium pitting action must still be tight and on face to qualify as a shooter Wood generally poor stock may be pinned checkering is smooth 500
If repairs are required to achieve shootability deduct the following
Loose action/not on face -200
Barrel dents (per dent) -100
Barrel bulges (per bulge) -150
Bore requires honing due to heavy pitting -100
Rib separation -300
Missing parts
Hammer (each) -100
Sears (each) -100
Sear Springs (each) -50
Top lever spring -20
Any various small parts (each) -20
Cracked/broken wood -200
PURCHASE CONSIDERATIONS
Jack Cronkhite January, 2009
The Parker shotgun has an enviable reputation as a very collectible American-made shotgun from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. For casually interested folks, heirs or serious collectors; I recommend spending time on the Parker Gun Collectors Association forums.
http://www.parkergun.org/
I had the misfortune of having the left barrel of a family owned 1927 Parker VH suffer a catastrophic failure in 2003. The pheasant was dead on arrival and the barrel passed into Parker history. I was able to salvage 18 3/8 inches of useable barrel length and am now the proud owner of a family Parker VH coach gun that has yet to drop another pheasant. I tried, to be sure, but I think I have to hit a bird at 10 to 15 yards for a clean kill. Even an under the feet flush will get out further than that by the time the gun is shouldered, sighted and fired – at least for me. Thus began my journey to find a replacement shooter, as all my guns see their time in the field – no wall hangers, no tucked away investments. Life is too short and hunting opportunities tend to diminish with age. I finally found a shooter VH in New Hampshire, with a purchase price at the low end of on-line sites. I could have bought three new Remington 870’s for those dollars but I wanted to enjoy Parker hunting again. I knew of this Parker’s issues but bought it anyway and spent many hours refurbishing a very well used gun. It saw its new life in pheasant country of Saskatchewan CANADA in the fall of 2008. For those who shoot Parkers, no explanation is required of the pleasure the gun brings in the field. Now a strange thing happened. I haven’t stopped looking at on-line sites even though I now have a good “Old Reliable” to keep me company a-field.
PGCA Forum participants were most helpful, as I went through the tear down and rebuild of my new to me 1929 VH shooter. I also learned a fair bit of what serious collectors consider when they look over a gun. From that, I thought it would be a fair re-payment of the generous assistance to build a check-list of important considerations when purchasing a Parker shotgun.
The shotgun is built with metal and wood parts. Each part needs a good look; however, the likelihood of being able to fully dismantle the gun for inspection is fairly limited, as damage can be incurred during take down. Purchase considerations will be limited in this document to externally viewed components only.
THE WOOD
There are two pieces of wood to consider. The butt stock and the fore stock. Both are critical to the appearance of the gun.
FINISH
If you are looking at what appears to be beautiful wood on almost anything but a very high grade gun or an un-used gun, it may have been refinished or re-stocked. There are tell-tale signs to look for:
A very dark or very light wood colour can indicate re-finishing.
Wood that is not proud of the metal it “almost” touches could indicate the stock was removed and sanded, thereby removing a thin layer of wood that, had it remained, would have kept it proud of the metal.
If the wood fully contacts metal, rather than “almost” contacting the metal, then you may be looking at a replacement stock, as the wood needs marginal clearance to allow for some swelling under wet/humid conditions, such as a duck marsh for example. Original stocks have the full serial number stamped under the trigger guard tang and the last few digits of the serial number under the butt plate. The number on the forestock is stamped into the wood under the front of the fore end iron. The fore end iron would have to be removed to reveal the serial number in the fore end wood.
Presence of varnish or other wood finishes on the edges of a butt plate or bordering metal edges of the action or fore-stock metal can indicate some refinishing performed without having separated the wood and metal and without having removed the butt plate. If the butt plate edges have fine striations along the edge, it could indicate sanding of the wood without removal of the plate.
OTHER SIGNS?????
CHECKERING
The purpose of checkering is to improve the shooter’s grip on the gun by increasing friction between the surface of the wood held and the shooter’s hand or gloved hand when the temperatures a-field dip to bone chilling levels.
If the stock is original and has not been refinished and the checkering appears well pointed, it may have been repointed. If it has not been repointed, then you are looking at a fairly un-used gun, which can increase adrenalin flow. If that lasts more than four hours, consult your physician.
The checker points will wear over time and will eventually become as smooth as the rest of the stock with only a hint of the pattern remaining with no discernible feel to the touch. If that is the case, you are looking at a well-used Parker. This Parker will have a shooting history and it will be fun to collect as much information about its past as you can find; that is, if you buy it.
FAQ - How about a check list to buy a Parker
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