Tell Tale Signs of a Re-Stock

[Reggie B]

Can you guys tell me what you look for when trying to determine if a Parker has a replaced stock? Just some general thoughts and guidelines would be helpful.

Thank you.l

[B. Dudley]

Form and quality of work. Plain and simple.
Ideally one should not know that a stock was replaced if it is done right.

[Southpaw]

What I have noticed is when it looks like forearm and stock come from two pieces of different wood. A lot of times the for-end and stock came from same piece of wood at the factory when manufactured and will have the same finish, look, grain, feel etc. Also the patina and character of wood on one may not match on the two pieces. Checkering is a giveaway as well.

Like Brian said, if done right then its hard to tell since a high quality craftsman will make both pieces look the same.

I was looking at a nice Vulcan Parker 12 ga on 1 1/2 frame that was made in 1905. Gun looked pretty good and locked up tight and gunsmith that owned shop said the barrels were in good shape. Started looking at the stock. The grain of wood, patina, looked a little different. The wood on stock was straighter grained and did not look as worn as the forarm. Started looking at wood to metal finish and it looked good, but at the end of the day it was a restock.

BTw this gun shop also had a bunch of old guns. He had also just bought out a gunshop's old inventory of wood blanks from a Perazzi gun dealer that went out of business. He had a whole bunch of some incredible wood that had grain that looked almost unreal with the dark and swirling grain in the walnut. I would hope that the wood was unfinished enough to be used for something else.

BTw also agree with Dean and Brian. It is not easy and by no means am I an expert, but I am experienced with old wood since just about every piece of furniture in our home is antique family piece. It is hard to explain and just like playing poker there are tells that expert players will notice and its hard to explain. I think it also applies to picking horses on race day. Remember my granddad going to the track. He was not a big gambler but he knew horses. He would slide off and go to paddock and look at the horses and then place his small token bets and was most of the time was always in the money. He liked betting on the long shots to show or place and very rarely ever bet the favorites. He did score once bet a long shot to win. He would never tell us which horses he was betting on. Asked him one time to explain what he was looking for and he would just say the complete package and nothing about what went into the package. Understanding that, took a lifetime of working with horses and watching them move.

[Dean Romig]

It is very difficult to try to describe in a few sentences or paragraphs that which one develops over years and years of examining and comparing known high condition originals with those that pretend to be.

Some can look at a stock or forend and know immediately if it is original or a replacement.

It is a developed skill, not easily described.




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[Bruce Day]

1. Factory fore ends and stocks are seldom matched on low grade guns.

2. Fore ends are often much more worn on guns that have been shot a lot because the hand slides on the fore end.

3. Have you considered checking the stock serial number?

[B. Dudley]

Well, that of course is an obvious thing to check.

However, you cant always pull the guard and check serial numbers on a gun that you may be looking at, either in hand or at a distance.
Besides, any good stock maker that is shooting for a correct job is also going to stamp the serial numbers in the stock in the same fashion, and using similar stamps as the factory did.

[Bruce Day]

Well I’m a novice on these matters and I have to rely on the real experts.

[Bindlestiff]

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

Besides, any good stock maker that is shooting for a correct job is also going to stamp the serial numbers in the stock in the same fashion, and using similar stamps as the factory did.

Is that ethical? I think making something to the same standards is a goal to strive to but to make it 'appear' original isn't. JMHO

[B. Dudley]

Well, i dont know... lets take a poll.

[Southpaw]

Originally Posted by Bruce Day

1. Factory fore ends and stocks are seldom matched on low grade guns.

2. Fore ends are often much more worn on guns that have been shot a lot because the hand slides on the fore end.

3. Have you considered checking the stock serial number?

Interesting points. Always thought on most of the Parker guns that are hand fit they would pull from the same piece of wood or get something pretty close to match. Makes sense in high production if they didn't.

Have looked at a lot of old guns and probably never made direct distinction between wear on fore ends and stock. Most if original and well cared for looked equally worn. Some looked worse than others chips and cracks etc. Again its not sole indicator if you were just trying to see if some woodwork replaced.

Learning something on Parkers. I know there are several SN stamped into metal parts, but they also stamped the stock's. Where would you find the stock stamp in the wood. I am guessing but maybe under the butt plate? Just looking at a gun would not want that liability of removing something unless its stamped somewhere in the open.

Hey I am learning so maybe when I look at other Parkers I know what I am looking at.