Hello. Thank you for a great forum! I have my great grandfather's Parker Brothers 12 gauge side-by-side, serial number 100645. It's hammerless with 30" Vulcan Steel barrels, has ejectors and a pistol grip stock. On the water table, it has a V above the serial number. It also has 645 stamped in the bottom of the well closest to the firing pin wall, for lack of the correct term. On the barrel flats, it shows a frame size of 2 (is there a specific measurement?), barrel weight of 4 with a raised 2 (what units?), has a K with a small f (perhaps) on the fore end of the flats, and has a + sign under each barrel. It is missing the butt plate. As rumor has it, my great grandfather was a small man so he may have shortened the stock. It has simple engravings that are not too intricate, and looks exactly like the bottom sketch of the Grade 1 and Grade 0 catalog pages.
I'm trying to find out as much information so I can to surprise my dad.
From limited research, I found it was made in 1901. The bore has slight pitting in a few places. I know that without it being inspected by a competent gunsmith there's no way to determine if it is safe to fire. Any general thoughts though?
I don't know how to comment on the finish of the barrels as far as bluing. I have no frame of reference or experience. Same for the wood. The checkering is worn around the pistol grip and a little on the fore end and the wood is on the dark side in general. How can I determine if it is a Grade 0 or 1?
Is this considered a VH, the H meaning hammerless? What does the frame size of 2 mean? Is the weight for the barrels in pounds? I haven't been able to find out about the K f marking on the flats, nor the + signs under each barrel.
As the butt plate is missing, I'm intrigued if the stock has been shortened. What should be the measurement of an intact stock not including the butt plate? I measured 8" from just behind the pistol grip to the toe, 8 7/16" inches from the front edge of the comb to the heel, and 4 15/16" from the heel to the toe.
Are there any ballpark values available?
I know that these are a lot of questions for a newbie but I'm diving right in and truly appreciate any input. I have pictures of all the notations above, except for a good bore shot.
Again, thank you very much for any input!
New Member, old family gun, would love information...
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