Budget Collecting

[chris dawe]

To be honest Bruce ,the G is my favorite graded Parker...not too much ,not too little engraving,and the wood always seems carefully picked,my only complaint would have been the checkering pattern,it could of had a little more thought

[Brush Buster]

Bruce ,Great Gun ! The Rods are very nice also , always enjoy your posts ,I think this level of Parker Addiction is pretty much where most of us are , with an occasional D thrown in , or a Higher Grade Shooter ! The gun Justin just bought was a real " Sleeper " seemed nobody much noticed it on GB for some reason , It was all I could do to keep from bidding on it but I am saving again for a certain gun , it is a beautiful gun and was an extremely good buy in my opinion ! Congrats on that Gun Justin ! Russ

[Harold Pickens]

I just bought a GH16 0 frame and am quite pleased with it. I bought it to hunt with, so was not too concerned with its issues. It is supposed to have 28' barrels but were damaged and were cut to 27"--still have alot of choke left. The barrels were also blued and I cant wait to get them stripped and redone--should look real nice. Haven't weighed it yet, but I'm guessing at around 6 lbs even. It should be a great grouse/woodcock gun. I've loaded up a bunch of light 3/4 and 7/8 oz loads to shoot thru it.
Russ, gun show at Washington this weekend--you going??

[Brush Buster]

Hello Harold , Thanks for the Heads Up ! Wish I could go ,I enjoyed the day we walked the aisles down there ! As I recall you bought a " Nice Looking Grouse Getter " that day also ! We are tied up Saturday and of course I work Sunday so ,so much for the weekend ! Thanks for the invite ,we will do it again ! Best ; Russ

[Bill Murphy]

Bruce has brought up a great point in Parker collecting, even though some collectors don't follow his suggestions. As a result of keeping my nose to the ground and paying the price asked for the gun I was offered, I have brought several guns into my shooting collection. My VH 28 was bought on a skeet field from another teenager in 1960 for $130, an amount which would buy him what he wanted, a Savage Model 99 to hunt whitetails in MD. My wonderful VH 20 was bought at a MD auction for a reasonable amount, $800, and is now Rich Anderson's "Gunner's Gun". My GHE 16 was bought at a 1971 PA auction for $225 with other educated collectors in attendance, but many other great guns competing for attention. So the GHE slipped away from other bidders. My VH 12 was bought from another bidder at the same sale for $225 because she was intrigued that "I like Parkers and she had one that her husband was not shooting any more". That was my entire Parker hunting arsenal for a lifetime, total cost $1380, 12, 16, 20, and 28 gauge. Except for the "Gunner's Gun", all sellers were people that I met, spoke to, shared information with, and added to the history of the guns. Even "Gunner's Gun" was from a local family whose home I pass several times a week. All but "Gunner's Gun" are still being shot regularly and will remain in my collection forever. Oddly, no gun show or internet finds in my hunting arsenal. Thanks, Bruce, for the idea for this post.