Need some interpretation

[Troy Marsh]

Just got a letter on one of my Parkers, a 16 gauge GH with Damascus steel barrels ordered on September 4, 1890 and shipped on September 26, 1890. The barrels were originally patterned "RH full and LH full." The gun was returned on June 29, 1891 to "make shoot RH 250 and LH 300 at 30 yards." What the heck does that mean? The gun was later returned on October 11, 1895 to "bore RH choke to cyl." Thanks in advance for any help.

[Bill Murphy]

In various periods of Parker production, guns of various types and sizes were patterned at the factory with various loads, at various ranges, with various weights of various shot sizes, at various size targets. Sometimes the researcher will have the results of those patterns available to him, but more often not. The reason is that the stock books where the pattern information is posted are too big to fit on a normal Xerox copier. The pattern information is usually on the end of the page which was not included in the copies. The size of the page already required two trips across the copier, so the third section was not copied. The information included in your PGCA letter was from the "order book", which does not imply that the information included actually followed to the finished gun. Only "stock book" information refers to the finished gun. Both documents are used to create the PGCA letter. Without the pattern information from the stock book, it is a guessing game to determine what size shot and how much was used to create the patterns requested. My guess is that your 16 gauge was patterned with about an ounce of #7 or #8 Tatham shot at a 30" target. Your left barrel, assuming #8 shot, would be shooting about a 73 or 74 percent pattern. In a 30" circle at 30 yards, that would be maybe a modified choke. Of course we know the right barrel has no choke. Interesting stuff in your letter. Most of us don't get anywhere near that much information.

[Troy Marsh]

Thanks for the info. The letter actually contains more information, including the purchaser's name, city (Bridgeport), and state (Connecticut). Using that information, I did a little research and found that the purchaser was a Private in the 5th Regiment, Connecticut, during the Civil War and was shot in the leg near Winchester. Interestingly, my great-great-great grandfater fought in the 47th Regiment, Georgia, and these two Regiments battled at Gettysburg, Kennesaw (Georgia), and Savannah. How the gun ended up in Georgia is a mystery.

[Autumn Daze]

Troy,If you PM me the original owners name I might be able to find out some more for you. I live in Stratford,CT about 1/2 mile from Bridgeport.

[Feathersjr]

Troy:

You got to watch we'uns down here in Georgia, after the war of Aggression by the Northern states we loved to "collect" purty little 16 gauge Parkers. Heck, we didn't have much else left.

John

[Old and Reliable]

Kennesaw- as in Kennesaw Mountain Landis- the first MLB "Commish" after the 1919 Black Sox- Arnold Rothstein scandal- banned Shoeless Joe Jackson. a fore-runner to the Bartster G. banning my hometown team's hero "Charlie Hustle"- hey life's a gamble-

Love Georgia- peach ice cream, Thomasville furniture, Southern ladies and gents, and the title of the best of many great somngs the late Hoosier lad- Howard Hoagland Carmichael ever cranked out.

And you have it right about the War of Nawthern Aggression- first heard that term from a DU pal who lives just a few clicks NE from Atlanta- towards Curahee Mt. (we stand alone)!!

[Hammer Gun]

Francis, you are right on with everything but one, Thomasville furniture was made in High Point N.C. the so called furniture capital of the world at one time. My father worked there in the late forties. Atlanta is burning,the horizon is flaming the thunder of cannon in the distance I hear, any one remember the song?

[Feathersjr]

I can't think of the specific song but can think of several such as:

"Massa in the Cold, Cold, Ground"
"Swing Low Sweet Chariot"
"Georgia"
"DIXIE"
And as if anyone could ever forget the theme from "Tara".
By the way, the Brumby Rocker was made in Marietta/Kennesaw back in the 1800's and unless they've gone bankrupt in these tough economic times, they are still being made there. The Brumby Rocker was and is used on the front and side porches of many of the southern homes. Designed for relaxing and sippin a tall cool mint julep!!!!!

[Old and Reliable]

I have heard of Thomasville GA for the at one time great quail hunting on native "buuurds"- recall a great "set-up" story about Gene Hill's friend Jim Rikkoff- a WRA rep. Supposedly Jim was an invited guest down in deep Dixie- his host provided a fine 20 bore Parker quail gun, as Jim was rumored to like the Win M59 12 ga. autoloader, and this hunt was steeped in tradition, so the only shotgun any g'entman would dare use had best be no larger in bore than a 16 ga., and it must have two barrels as well--

The host took Jim aside and told him "Jimmy- we ONLY shoot the cockbirds in a covey rise, and once the covey has flushed, we leave the "scatters" alone and put the dawgs on to find a fresh covey. AND- if any man shoots a hen bird, he is fined and has to case his gun for the rest of the hunt"-- End result, Jim was so wound up he only shot at one bird, which happened to be a cockbird- later that night they revealed the "set-up" to him, over Mint Juleps I am sure-- Make mine with George Dickel please.

I should have remembered that the main two States in Dixie for furniture are both the Tar Heel and the Palmetto States-and grownin' up in the Queen City, we were a lot closer to Dixon than to Mason in our raisin' up, and thank the Lord for that.

Havilah Babcock, Archibald Rutledge, William Faulkner and of course "Mistah Nash" hisself- none of those gentlemen, sportsmen and authors although gone now for some time, will ever be any more "forgotten" than the "old times" sung about in Dixie-

I recently heard that Scarlett O'Hara's father won TARA in a card game- if that was mentioned either in Ms. Margaret Mitchell's novel or the movie, I guess I missed that- anyone shed any light on that rumor??