Circa 1900-05 Live Bird gun

[Bill Murphy]

Frank, there are several specific pigeon gun features Parker provided, but all of the features are rarely seen on the same gun. These features go beyond the "12 gauge, 30" or 32" barrels" of guns not quite up to full pigeon gun standards. The scarce and specific pigeon gun features are no safety, flat rib, no extension rib, and higher than normal comb and heel dimensions, documented as original by PGCA letter. If a PGCA letter is available for provenance of originality, another feature would be longer than 2 5/8" chambers in the pre-magnum era. I have only seen these features bundled in a couple of guns, one being the "Gold Hearts Gun", which doesn't include the flat rib. A full optioned pigeon gun with all of these features is a very hard gun to find. If my experience is an indicator, the "no extension rib" option seems to be exclusively a pigeon shooter's request.

[Researcher]

Lt. Noel E. Money ordered his $400 Whitworth gun on Feb. 9, 1895. He specified 30-inch barrels, a slender grip, no safety, 2 3/4 inch chambers, scroll and flowers, no birds, trigger pulls 3 and 4.

[Double Lab]

Re: Article posted by Rick. I'd love to know what the configuration was of the 20ga. shot by DuBray where he managed to split the top purse in a pigeon shoot.

To answer your query about live bird gun configurations Frank unfortunately it is a widely misused term today. I think Bill has hit on the high points of what makes a pigeon gun but to me having a fairly straight stock with a raised flat rib or vent rib so as to pattern 70/30 would be the ticket. Couple that with a loose mod/very full choke set-up. I guess the only way to find out if it was a pigeon gun would be to trace the ownership back to a known pigeon shooter of the era in question. As you well know the lack of a safety is the characteristic which brings out the claim "live bird gun" at first description.

[Ed Blake]

Bill and Daryl have summed it up nicely, but I’ll add one more thing. I have #103439 from 1901. It’s an odd duck and may not be a pigeon gun but I think it was used in the pigeon ring because it was ordered by a H.E. Anderson of Lancaster, PA. In my research I found Mr Anderson mentioned as a organizer and promoter of pigeon/trap shoots in Md/Pa. Chuck’s letter indicates it was patterned to shoot extra close with 48 grs of Schultz powder under 11/4 oz of #7 shot. It was ordered with a wide flat rib with 28” barrels on a #3 frame and Lyman ivory twin beads. It is a DH and has a safety. The stock is 14”x 13/4” x 21/4” but this is not specified in the records. The gun has an unusual configuration and it could have been intended as a waterfowler, but I think it was made for pigeons.

[John Davis]

Can't seem to copy and paste this article so the columns line up but perhaps you can extract the info. This gives you an idea of what the trap shooters and pigeon poppers preferred at the turn of the last century.

November 23, 1901, The Sportsmen’s Review, in an article written by Gaucho entitled, “A Few Remarks on Some Celebrated Guns,” du Bray lists some prominent shooters and the type of guns they used. Those who made the Parker their choice of weapon were as follows:

Name, Make, Barrel Length, Weight, DAC, DAH, Stock Length, Grip
W. E. Beesom Parker 32" 7' 15" 1 7/16 2 1/4 14 ½ St.
W. L. Boyd Parker 32" 7' 14" 1 ½ 2 1/8 14 1/8 St.
C. W. Budd Parker 30" 7' 15" 1 ½ 2 14 P.
W. H. Colquitt Parker 30" 7' 12" 1 1/4 2 1/4 14 3/4 St.
V. C. Dagan Parker 30" 8' 1 3/8 3 14 ½ P.
O. R. Dickey Parker 30" 7' 14" 1 5/8 2 1/4 14 St.
E. E. Ellis Parker 32" 8' 1 5/8 2 5/8 14 ½ P.
F. C. Etheridge Parker 30" 7' 6" 2 1/8 3 1/8 14 ½ P.
A. H. Frank Parker 30" 7' 12" 1 1/8 2 3/8 14 St.
Fred Gilbert Parker 30" 7' 14" 1 3/8 2 14 1/4 P.
W. A. Hammond Parker 32" 7' 15" 1 5/8 2 3/8 14 3/4 St.
Jno. W. Harrison Parker 28" 6' 1 ½ 2 ½ 14 P.
Sam Hutchings Parker 32" 7' 14" 1 ½ 2 ½ 14 ½ St.
J. F. Jordan Parker 26" 5 3/4 2 3 14 St.
H. J. Lyons Parker 30" 7' 10" 1 1/4 1 7/8 14 1/8 St.
Geo. S. McAlpin Parker 7' 6" 1 1/4 1 3/4 14 ½ St.
J. R. Malone Parker 30" 7' 15" 1 ½ 2 15 St.
R. R. Merrill Parker 32" 7' 14" 1 5/8 2 5/8 14 5/8 ½ P.
F. S. Parmelee Parker 32" 7' 12" 1 ½ 2 14 ½ P.
C. M. Powers Parker 32" 7' 15" 1 1/8 2 1/4 14 3/8 St.
W. C. Rawson Parker 32" 7' 15" 1 3/8 2 14 1/8 St.
R. S. Rhoads Parker 30" 7' 15" 1 1/8 2 1/8 14 ½ P.
C. E. Robbins Parker 32" 7' 11" 1 ½ 2 ½ 14 1/4 P.
Frank Simpson Parker 32" 7' 14" 1 ½ 2 3/8 14 3/8 St.
Franklin Stearns Parker 32" 7' 15" 1 ½ 2 ½ 15 ½ P.
E. H. Tripp Parker 30" 8' 1 ½ 2 5/8 14 ½ St.
S. A. Tucker Parker 30" 7' 14" 1 ½ 2 14 St.
D. A. Upson Parker 26" 7' 1 1/4 2 14 1/4 ½ P.
R. Van Gilder Parker 27" 6" 2' 1 5/8 3 1/8 14 1/4 St.
Wm. Wagner Parker 30" 7" 10' 1 1/4 2 1/4 14 St.
Dr. F. C. Wilson Parker 32" 7" 10' 1 ½ 2 1/4 15 St.
Leroy Woodward Parker 30" 7" 13' 1 3/8 2 14 1/4 P.