Need some interpretation

[Bill Murphy]

In various periods of Parker production, guns of various types and sizes were patterned at the factory with various loads, at various ranges, with various weights of various shot sizes, at various size targets. Sometimes the researcher will have the results of those patterns available to him, but more often not. The reason is that the stock books where the pattern information is posted are too big to fit on a normal Xerox copier. The pattern information is usually on the end of the page which was not included in the copies. The size of the page already required two trips across the copier, so the third section was not copied. The information included in your PGCA letter was from the "order book", which does not imply that the information included actually followed to the finished gun. Only "stock book" information refers to the finished gun. Both documents are used to create the PGCA letter. Without the pattern information from the stock book, it is a guessing game to determine what size shot and how much was used to create the patterns requested. My guess is that your 16 gauge was patterned with about an ounce of #7 or #8 Tatham shot at a 30" target. Your left barrel, assuming #8 shot, would be shooting about a 73 or 74 percent pattern. In a 30" circle at 30 yards, that would be maybe a modified choke. Of course we know the right barrel has no choke. Interesting stuff in your letter. Most of us don't get anywhere near that much information.

[Troy Marsh]

Thanks for the info. The letter actually contains more information, including the purchaser's name, city (Bridgeport), and state (Connecticut). Using that information, I did a little research and found that the purchaser was a Private in the 5th Regiment, Connecticut, during the Civil War and was shot in the leg near Winchester. Interestingly, my great-great-great grandfater fought in the 47th Regiment, Georgia, and these two Regiments battled at Gettysburg, Kennesaw (Georgia), and Savannah. How the gun ended up in Georgia is a mystery.

[Autumn Daze]

Troy,If you PM me the original owners name I might be able to find out some more for you. I live in Stratford,CT about 1/2 mile from Bridgeport.

[Feathersjr]

Troy:

You got to watch we'uns down here in Georgia, after the war of Aggression by the Northern states we loved to "collect" purty little 16 gauge Parkers. Heck, we didn't have much else left.

John

Kennesaw- as in Kennesaw Mountain Landis- the first MLB "Commish" after the 1919 Black Sox- Arnold Rothstein scandal- banned Shoeless Joe Jackson. a fore-runner to the Bartster G. banning my hometown team's hero "Charlie Hustle"- hey life's a gamble-

Love Georgia- peach ice cream, Thomasville furniture, Southern ladies and gents, and the title of the best of many great somngs the late Hoosier lad- Howard Hoagland Carmichael ever cranked out.

And you have it right about the War of Nawthern Aggression- first heard that term from a DU pal who lives just a few clicks NE from Atlanta- towards Curahee Mt. (we stand alone)!!