Vent hole

[Ruff Hunter]

From what I can tell, Parker is about the only US manufacturer that did not use a vent hole in their bottom barrel rib. I am under the belief that vent holes were drilled at those factories to relieve the pressure from the rapidly expanding air in the void between the tubes when the sets were dropped into boiling water time after time during the bluing process. I suspect that too many barrel ribs popped loose, even when the guns were new, so venting was adopted by most manufacturers. Older LC Smiths filled their vent hole with a headless plug. Winchester filled their 21s with what looks like a lead BB smashed into the hole. Others simply left them open. I myself prefer a vent hole that's open or can be opened easily. Of all the vintage barrels I've boiled, only one set was still air tight, and it was not a Parker. That means that damp and maybe salty air got under all those barrel ribs for many years with no practical way to oil those hidden barrel surfaces. That can't be good. After a season of wet weather hunting, I tip the barrels up and fill the space between the ribs with my favorite gun oil. I then let them sit like that for hours before draining the oil out through the vent hole. As for the look of a small, well centered vent hole that's concealed under the forestock, it doesn't bother me at all. Had Parker Brothers used vent holes like everybody else, we would now be discussing how bad a Parker without one would look.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Justin Julian

Had Parker Brothers used vent holes like everybody else, we would now be discussing how bad a Parker without one would look.

But they didn't... and we don't.

[Parker Bachelder (Brad's Profile)]

The use of drain "weep holes' is common in barrel manufacture. It is not always a bad thing. Many refinishers add holes to prevent trapped solutions in the rib space. We leak test all of the barrels that we run. With Parker barrels, slight rib gaps are common. When we need to vent barrels we try to avoid drilling any holes that are visible. We fixture the muzzle and remove the top and bottom keels and deep drill into the open rib space. Barrels run muzzle down throughout the entire process. When the barrels are finished we reinstall the keels, solder and finish the muzzle. Parker may have done the same thing, thus avoiding additional drain holes. Properly fixtured the keels can be resoldered without disturbing the finish.

Brad