Which 20ga to get?

[Jreed]

Need some opinions. I have been looking for my My son (10 yr old) his first Parker. I have found a 20ga VH in pretty good shape with 0 frame, 2-3/4 chambers 28in barrels, and a 20ga reproduction DHE 26" barrels straight stock with hard case within a couple of hundred bucks of each other. Which would you choose? The old original or the newer higher grade reproduction?

[Keavin Nelson]

It would depend on stock dimensions and fit for him. Although at 10 years old, hard to predict.
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Does he like a straight stock?

[Jreed]

He honestly doesn't care about the stock configuration. The original VH does have a shorter stock (13-5/8) which would fit him better now, but he's growing fast!

[Steiner]

I’d buy them both and which ever one works best for him for fit, recoil, etc. I’d keep and sell the other one. (Or keep it) If I had to choose 1 for a youngster I’d probably go with the repro for less concern about the bumps and bruises it might get and concerns re:maintenance/repairs. I don’t think there is a wrong answer.

[Jreed]

I wish I could afford both but unfortunately cannot.

[Jreed]

My gut says original, but when you think about durability and able to shoot a bigger variety of ammo as he gets older, the repro makes more sense.

[Keavin Nelson]

the repros are very nice durible guns. Stocks can be altered, for now and future. And it is fancier than a VH. But fit is important for ypung folks starting out.

[Wild Skies]

David Trevallion, one of the most respected names in the doublegun business of our time, opined this: "Parker Reproduction guns were in every respect equal - if not superior - to the originals." Show your boy good pictures of both guns and let him make his own decision.

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Greg Baehman

David Trevallion, one of the most respected names in the doublegun business of our time, opined this: "Parker Reproduction guns were in every respect equal - if not superior - to the originals." Show your boy good pictures of both guns and let him make his own decision.

He may be quite correct . But after close to forty years of them being around the word Repro is still hard for me to swallow .

[Wild Skies]

Originally Posted by CraigThompson

He may be quite correct . But after close to forty years of them being around the word Repro is still hard for me to swallow .

I realize that deeply held prejudices can be hard to let go. But, there comes a time for all things to come to an end.

Don't look at Parker Reproductions as something made in Japan in the same light as many other products that came out of Japan. After all, weren't they designed by an American born in the U.S.A.? Weren't they the brainchild of an American born in the U.S.A.? Weren't they built by an American company headquartered in the U.S.A. (albeit utilizing a production facility located in Japan)? Wasn't the stock wood supplied by an American company located in the U.S.A.? Weren't they marketed by an American company located in the U.S.A.? Weren't they sold through a network of American dealers located in the U.S.A.?

Furthermore, Parker Reproduction cases were made in Italy and the snap caps were made in England.

If anything, given the U.S.A., Japan, Italy and England connections, Parker Reproductions was/is an international endeavor with worldwide reaching proportions to be enjoyed and collected by many generations yet to come . . . and they're here for us right now.