The "Parker" Is The Leading Trap Gun

[Drew Hause]

Shooters using Parkers won the (1st) 1893 (R.A. Welch), 1895 (J.G. Messner) and 1896 (O.R. Dickey) Grand American Handicaps at Live Birds. Shoot reports prior to mid-1895 however usually showed British makes to be the most commonly used gun in competitions, and thereafter L.C. Smiths.
See “Top Guns at the Traps”
http://docs.google.com/a/damascuskno...FKEyuY/preview



It was not until 1899 GAH that the number of Parker guns exceeded Smiths
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3305013.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3305014.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3305016.pdf
Guns: Parker- 78, Smith- 56, Greener- 31, Francotte- 24, Winchester- 12, Remington- 11, Cashmore- 10, Lefever- 6, Purdey- 5, Scott- 6, Colt- 4, Daly- 3, Stannard- 3, Boss- 2, Richards- 2, Baker- 2, Forehand, Syracuse, Clabrough, Renette, Abbey, Spencer & Webley- 1 each.

And again at the 1900 GAH at Live Birds
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3503012.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3503013.pdf
Won by 25 year old H.D. Bates, using a Parker, of Ridgetown, Ontario after 8 men tied at 25: J. L. Smith, C. F. Ayling, J. R. Malone – 2nd, Col. A. G. Courtney, Dr. A. A. Webber, Tom A. Marshall, and Phil Daly – 3rd.
"The Parker gun which Phil Daly Jr. shot in the Grand American Carnival and won third prize, was one which he borrowed from A. W. Du Bray, the Parker representative. Daly never saw the gun until the day before the big event, when he killed 15 out of 16. In the big event be was shot out on the 32d bird."
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3504011.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3504012.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3504016.pdf
Guns—Parker- 73, Smith- 34, Greener- 19, Francotte- 19, Daly- 12, Remington- 10, Lefever- 7, Scott- 7, Winchester- 5, Cashrnore- 5, Purdey- 3, Baker- 2, Colt- 2, Richards- 2, Marlin, Prechtel, Grant, Webley, Stannard, Forehand, Syracuse, Churchill, Claybrough- 1 each.



The 1901 GAH at Live Birds
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3622016.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3703012.pdf
Won by E. C. Griffith (Parker), of Pascoag, R. I. He killed 25 straight in the race and finished 18 more in the tie, shooting out twenty one other men who tied him.
2nd J.L.D. Morrison (Winchester), 3rd R.R. Bennett (Parker), 4th J.B. Barto (Parker), 5th Chris Gottlieb (Smith)
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3704018.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3704019.pdf
Guns: Parker – 85, Smith - 34. Francotte - 21, Winchester - 11, Remington - 7. Scott - 6, Daly – 6, Cashmore – 5, Greener – 5, Lefever – 4, W. Richards - 3, Purdey - 2, Saxton, Clabrough, Cogswell, Churchill, James, Lang, Baltimore, Ithaca, Young, Reilly, Boss 1 each.



Smiths were back on top at the 1902 GAH at Live Birds (Last) with Parkers a close second
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3904019.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3905018.pdf
H.C. Hirschy, C.G. Spencer and Rolla Heikes won in one, two, three order, all using L. C. Smith guns.
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3904021.pdf
"The choice of guns the list shows 390 of the American product, of which fifteen different makes were given. The imported weapons number 62 and there were fourteen different makers represented in the lot. This is a great victory for the American gun manufacturers, as the percentage of guns used is very much in their favor. Last year there were 56 imported guns, with 200 shooters, or 28 per cent. This year there were only six more foreign guns, a total of 62 in a field of 456 shooters, or 13 per cent. The total number of foreign guns was about equaled by the number of Winchester repeating guns used."
Smith- 114, Parker- 105, Winchester- 61, Lefever- 21, Remington- 12. Ithaca- 4, Stannard- 3, Colt- 2, Syracuse- 3, Baker, M. Ward, Young, Baltimore Arms- 1 each.

That was the last year that Sporting Life routinely reported the guns, powder and shells used by the competitors, and trap shooters were already shifting from double to single barrel guns; especially the Winchester Model 97 (with which Charles Spencer ran 563 straight 16 yard targets in 1909) and Model 12, Remington Pump (used by W.E. Phillips to win the 1912 Grand American Handicap and Jay Graham to take Gold at the 1912 Olympic games), Remington Autoloading Shotgun (used by Jeff Blanks to win the 1907 GAH and Fred Harlow the 1908 GAH).

Francotte (imported by Von Lengerke & Detmold) and Greener Single Barrel Trap guns had been introduced in 1895, and in 1912 Schoverling, Daly and Gales began to market the Charles Daly SBT. Parker Bros.produced their own Single Barrel Trap in 1917 to compete with the Lefever (introduced in 1905), Baker (1909), Meriden Single Hammerless (1912), Hunter Arms (1917), and Ithaca guns.

Parker doubles were still winning however. The 1909 Grand American Handicap (now only targets) was won by Fred Shattuck of Columbus, Ohio. The great Professionals W.R. Crosby and Fred Gilbert were both using Parkers at that time.

G.V. Deering used a Parker to win the 1910 GAH Amateur Championship.

The 1911 National Professional Championship at 200 singles and Professional Doubles fell to Lester S. German, of Aberdeen, Md. and his Parker.

At the 1912 GAH, W.R. Crosby took the 1912 National Professional Championship. E.W. Varner (Parker) won the National Amateur Championship after a tie with W.S. Hoon at 192 then 19 to 18 in the shoot-off.

In 1914 Woolfolk Henderson won the GAH with a 98x100 from 22 yards, the Amateur Championship of U.S. with a 99x100 from 16 yds, and the Amateur Doubles Championship of the U.S. with 90x100 from 16 yds.