Why am I attracted to old war horse Parkers?

[Alfred Greeson]

Reading and learning about doubles years ago, an old collector said he loved old doubles "because they harbor old mens soles", as time goes by I cant pick up a worn parker without thinking of the times and places it may have been. Now each one I own has at least a story, some known, some imagined. Like a little VH 16 found in a fishing store in Cheasapeake, I know an old duck hunter hunted on the bay with it and it remains in well cared for condition but being a 16, kind of an interesting duck gun for its time. Another 28 ga DHE from the same area had barrels in terrible condition, used hard and put up uncleaned over and over but one I wish I had bought. The $12k asking was a lot at the time but I wish I could have bought it, even if I had to sleeve the barrels. I still wonder who got it.

[Alfred Greeson]

On active duty, called back after 9/11 and two sons in college took priority but looking back and maybe today for some, borrowing to buy a special piece should or could have been a choice and would have been well worth it.

[Woodcock survey]

in the early 70's i was cash poor but wanted a Parker in the worst way. Local auction house brochure had 6 VH 12's for sale. First went for 1200 and the last was painted with duck boat paint and probably used sea duck hunting in the salt. No bid's so i offered 100 and it was taken. Paint stripper and a stock refinish, checkering recut and i had my Parker. It has taken ducks, geese, crows, grouse ,woodcock and a fox. Great long range target gun and my go to gun to this day. It has marks on the barrels that I imagine are from leaning against a steel sink box and nothing will change my mind. I imagine it in the hands of a market hunter.

[Dean Romig]

When I first hunted with a Parker in 1961 it was a borrowed and well used but not used up 12 gauge Trojan with 28" barrels that had been used for ducks in the Saco, Maine area and pheasants. I learned a lot from that old war horse Trojan and it will soon be coming back to me. But a couple of years ago I bought a 20 gauge Trojan (battle worn) war horse with a painted stock and a lot of "patina" on the metal. I cleaned it up andit fits me very well and looks like a well used and well cared for Parker farm gun... and I Love it!
I can't really think of any other Parkers in my collection that fit in the 'war horse' category but more may come as time goes on.




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[Mark Kircher]

1919 GHE 20/32"
Checkering worn near smooth. Original pad with lifetime of milage. Scars up and down from the pad to the bead. Gun is perfect as is.
Scratched a bunch of ducks and geese this past weekend and will hunt her on our home opener Saturday. I love this gun!

[Mike of the Mountain]

Honest wear in a gun is classy. As many have posted they too resemble their guns with honest wear. If I can get new hips and knees, I think I can allow a shooter a new recoil pad or a fresh stock finish once in a while too! 🤣😂 I just don’t know if the causes for arthritis are considered honest wear or just abuse?

[BRDHNTR]

yes

[Francis Marshall]

Here is a story about an old workhorse Parker.

https://youtu.be/3bTUtpTlfKw?si=lUMsdrH_8Lge9GXb

[Joe Kallo]

My first Parker, a 12ga VH, is such a war horse. I wish it could talk. It has the stock from a much earlier Parker, almost no checkering left, the obvious signs of where the original owner(s) rested their hands when carrying it etc. It's also the quintessential grouse gun, with C/M chokes, a light barrel set, and 26" original barrels. It doesn't look abused- it looks like what a tool that's used for 100 years should look like.

This past week, I was honored to hunt with it on my first grouse hunt (ever) in the northern LP of MI. I didn't manage to hit any of the 6 grouse my dog and I raised, but I did shoot my first woodcock with it.

Today I scouted some fields closer to home checking if any of the fly bird woodcocks have moved into my area. Pic attached.

[Researcher]

I would rate my Grandfather's old 1890 vintage, heavy, Quality PH, 12-gauge as an old war horse. So the family legend goes he gave one of those new-fangled Winchester pump guns a try and was not enthralled, so in 1901 he took it to Kennedy Bros. in the Twin Cities and trade it for the 11-year-old Parker Bros. It then spent the next fifty plus years on a Minnesota farm where six boys were raised. It spent many years with Selous plates on the sides of the grip and finally was restocked by Grandpa's youngest sister's husband's brother who was a local gunsmith west of Minneapolis.

Uncle Art, the gunsmith, as many of the family did, moved to Seattle and he made my first .22, a Winchester Model 67 he restocked like a Model 70 Super-Grade and fitted with a Mossberg scope.