First Parker
When I was about 22 or so I had the idea I wanted to shoot and hunt with a traditional side by side. My brother worked at Creekside while going through college and ordered an Ithaca SKB 20 with 26" barrels and beaver tail....well it was a fine little gun but I wanted a "historical" piece to hunt with and I looked over briefly the big 5. The Parkers just stood out to me and it wasn't close. I found a VH 16 at a gun show with a $1000 price tag which you all will remember was a lot of money in those days especially for someone my age. But I had to have it and in those days at least for me Parkers were hard to find...anyway an older dealer I trusted walked over to look it over for me. I was shaking...he took his time, looked it all over, and pronounced it an honest gun...SOLD! For the next few years I hunted grouse, pheasants and woodcock with that gun but never was as accurate with it as I was with a single barrel pump....But I practiced and improved and used it till I got some snow in the right barrel and caused a bubble...Sent it to Lefever and they were able to fix it but they refinished the stock and left it blond which I just couldn't stand ..so it was sold...But I wish I still had it.....I do have a few more now 
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There are some things which cannot be learned quickly, and time, which is all we have, must be payed heavily for their acquiring...They are the very simplest things and because it takes a man's life to know them the little new that each man gets from life is very costly and the only heritage he has to leave.......E. Hemmingway
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