Broken Stock

[John Farrell, Charter Member #33]

On the skeet field, taking a station 8 high house straight overhead would result in the gun locking up and not opening for reload for the low house. Sometimes I could give the underside of the receiver a good whack with the heel of my hand and the gun would open. The real pain in the butt was in the hunting field when shooting at a high incoming bird caused the same problem. The gun would lock closed and not open at all. Several times it was a long walk back to the car to get my spare gun. It never happened except on that straight overhead shot. Larry Del Grego shot it and could not make it lock up until I told him of the exact situation. Then he had it happen. Upon taking it down to parts he found a burr on the spindle shaft (?), filed it off and the gun could be used. I was never relaxed shooting the gun; after the cyanide bluing rubbed off during the first hunting season, the broken stock, then that problem, I had enough and found a VH28. It was like owning an Edsel.

And, I'm not a picky guy. I can accommodate the peculiarities of life easily, but not with that Repro.

[edgarspencer]

In 66 years, I've handled more guns than some, less than others, but think I have a pretty good sense of "feel", as in, it feels "good", or it feels "warm". I have some old shoes like that. They may have been like any other, when they were off-the-shelf new, but now they look like I want them to look, feel like I want them to feel, and slip on an off with ease.
I enjoy the gun shops where you can take anything down and handle it, or even walk out the door to swing it at an imaginary target. Some of the new European doubles feel super, others feel like new shoes. I still see NIB Reproductions, and on occasion will heft one. I don't think any of them have the correct stock profile, especially at the heel of the butt. The radius is much greater than either a Meriden, or Illion gun. There is a resonance in the gun that transmits to the hand when you close it up. Not there for me in a repro, but I may just be tuned to a different frequency.
I had an old Benz diesel wagon that I bought when it was five. I drove it for years, and 300+K miles and lament the day the new owner drove it off. I could have replaced it with new, albeit only recently in a diesel, but I didn't.
I don't have to own something to appreciate it. I went over to CSMC the day after Christmas to exchange my new bore and choke gauge with one that had a micrometer barrel whose threads were more like a machine screw and not like a wine press. The one they sell is a copy of the old Chubbs gauge from England. They had one that worked OK, but before I left, I hefted many Parkers, and gave the Remington commissioned AAHE a good look-over. I spent a lot longer fondling a 230,xxx range AHE 20 with 30 " tubes. They both had eyeball appeal, but the 20 was warm. Sometimes a copy, however good it looks, is just a copy.

[Joe Bernfeld]

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

In 66 years, I've handled more guns than some, less than others, but think I have a pretty good sense of "feel", as in, it feels "good", or it feels "warm".I

Not sure what that means, but I too have handled and owned my share of guns, although in only 64 years . Everything from Lebeau Courallys and Holland and Hollands, to Garbis, Grullas, Browning Diana, and many others. I've owned 7 Parker Repros and they felt as good as any of the others to me!

[C.O.B.]

I have a Holland & Holland and a Charles Boswell that are both so thin in the wrist it's scary I won't take them out on a winter hunt as a fall will surely break something.

I have had several of the Reproduction Parkers both 20's and 28's back in the day when I couldn't afford an original Parker. I have never had any issue with them and they had single triggers for the majority of them. They are a great gun at a good price.

[edgarspencer]

When my dad died, he had over 50 side by sides, and more than half were Parkers. The rest were English. If you held one of his H&H 20s in one hand and his Purdey 20 in the other, my description of "warmth" would be more easily understood.
He had a virtually new DHE 20 with 26" barrels and one day brought home a reproduction 20, in all repects, the same gun. To look at either, you felt you were holding a great gun, but to hold the two at the same time, the warmth factor popped right out. He gave that 20 to one off my Nephews, and I'm still trying to figure out how to get it back. The repro went in short order.
I think what I find I like the least of the Repros is the stock and fore end. I also don't like their cyanide case colors, but a little borax and linseed oil cures that fast. I prefer guns with dark wood, and oil finishes. Maybe 'warmth' comes with age, because I have a friend who has a repro 16 with more miles on it than most originals, and it 'feels' good.
My dad's CHE 28 became my daughter's Master's degree, and that's an itch I am still scratching. I know I could get a repro 28 tomorrow, but will wait till the right real one comes along that I can afford. I know it won't be a CHE, but a VH would be just fine. I look at gauge and configuration before grade anyway.
We'll have to agree to disagree on the likability of repros. They may, and probably are good guns, but I have enough variety in my guns, and there's no void that only a repro can fill

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

But I have enough variety in my guns, and there's no void that only a repro can fill.

I agree, but will say that, at the times that I bought them, there were three Repros that I just had to have.

[Joe Bernfeld]

[QUOTE=edgarspencer;124739We'll have to agree to disagree on the likability of repros. They may, and probably are good guns, but I have enough variety in my guns, and there's no void that only a repro can fill[/QUOTE]

With all due respect Edgar, and I am aware that everyone is entitled to their opinion, it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to come to a Parker Reproduction forum to tell everyone why you don't like Parker Reproductions .

[edgarspencer]

Actually, It's a sub-forum of the Parker Gun Collectors Assoc., not the Parker Reproduction Gun Collectors Assoc. (Please don't let that keep you from spending $40 and Joining the PGCA. You'll get 4 issues of the best collector oriented magazine there is, and access to the members only section. They sell repros there too)
Maybe if you're that intimidated by criticism, you ought to get the mods to put a sticky up that says it's only permissible to post if you Love repros.
Just to set the record straight, I never said I hated the gun, and in fact have mildly intimated the opposite. If you're unhappy that I'm not just gushing over them, I can't help you with that.
I recognize it would have made the gun somewhat more expensive had they done the case hardening in bone/leather/organic, as opposed to cyanide. Finding a sufficient quantity of American, or European walnut would have been difficult, and more expensive.
No, I'm not in love with the repro, like I am a Meriden gun. I don't hate it, and if I have enough years left, and wake up some morning unhappy that between the far left, and far right of my 15 Parkers, there is a gun missing, gauge, grade, whatever, I might fill it with a Repro. I've certainly done dumber things than that.