Considering a Parker Purchase-Advice Needed

[kolhoznik]

I have been seriously contemplating the purchase of a Parker The shop has it as a D grade and the serial number was 102xxx and that came back as 1901 year of manufacture. The gun has 2 3/4" chambers and the tubes look great. The gun has blued Damascus barrels and the receiver is silver with nice engraving. The bottom of the pistol grip has a white ivory cap on it. The wood looks great, the butt still has the skeleton plate on it so I think its original and the engraving is sharp. The only case colors left are beneath the forearm. Lastly the lockup is very tight but I have to push the release lever right to close the shotgun as it does not stay left when I break it open. Are any of these cause for concerns? Are Damascus barrels normally blued? Can they be used with modern loads?

[Hammer Gun]

Mike how long are the barrels, grip cap is added are special order get a letter! 60 bucks is cheap when considering spending 2000 or more, sounds like it needs a good cleaning, and no they did not blue damascus at the factory. Could have been don to make you think it is steel.

[Chris T.]

Mike, the lever not staying in place while the gun is open is probably not a big deal. Most likely it just needs to be cleaned, there isn't alot to break in there.

[Big Friend Ten (BFT)]

Mike,

Are you looking for a collector's piece or great shooter? The following is for considering a great shooter.

If the barrels have not been cut (see other threads for instructions on how to evaluate), the screws are not damaged, and all else is in good condition, the price is fair to good.

A note of caution is that if the bores are perfect it might be wise to check the barrel thickness. Light barrel pitting can be removed by reaming or honing. This of course reduces the thickness of the barrel walls. Providing the barrels are still thick enough the gun will be shootable.

Modern loads? This is at your own risk but many of us do shoot some modern loads in our Parkers. For 99% of my shooting with Parkers, even those with fluid steel barrels, I use low pressure loads. I have however very sparingly shot modern heavy loads, even some with steel shot, in my Damascus Parkers. I have of couse checked the thickness of my barrels and am confident their remaining thickness provides enough barrel strength.

The top lever not staying open is likely that whoever last took the gun apart lost the little spring that causes the "trip" to engage to hold the top lever open. This is an easy repair for anyone familiar with disassembly of Parkers. There could however be other problems other than the trip spring.

The barrels can be "redone" to remove the blue and restore the Damascus pattern for about $400. Sources for this are Craig Smith of Circle Fly Wads, Brad Bachelder, and several others. Please note that blueing could be covering dents that have been removed. All the more reason to consider an expert evaluation.

For $2500 I'd reach out to other PGCA members (please join the PGCA) to help in a evaluation at the gun shop. Of course when you ask for this type of assistance you should be ready to "pull the trigger" if the gun is in great condition and worth the price! With the luggage case which you mentioned, a DH in good condition won't last long at the asking price.

You might ask the gun shop for a 3 day inspection period. If granted rush it to someone who can properly inspect a Parker.

This of course is my opinion for what it may be worth. Other's opinions may be different.

[Ed Blake]

Since the barrels have been blued, make sure they have not been hot-blued. If there is a small hole drilled in the underrib, be careful. Hot-blueing will compromise the solder.

[Bruce Day]

Originally Posted by Mark Ouellette

Mike,

.... I have however very sparingly shot modern heavy loads, even some with steel shot, in my Damascus Parkers.....

Aaaah. Another confessed member of the "M" club. You are the tenth so far, Mark, along with me of course.

[StubTwist]

Originally Posted by Gary Carmichael Sr

Mike how long are the barrels, grip cap is added are special order get a letter!

The grip cap in the picture is white. Is this unusual? I thought they were normally black.

Just learning...

Frank

[Brush Buster]

Hello Mike ,Unless I missed it you haven't mentioned what gauge this Parker is ,if it happens to be a 20 Gauge or smaller ,there is a substantial difference in the value between the 12 Ga., and the Smaller Gauge guns ! Pictures of the end of the barrel by the Bead would be helpful in determining if the barrels have been cut or are original also ! There are many things in these old guns we collect that make up the value of them ! I n the pic. you posted the gun looks like a nice gun ,as in a previous post a day or so ago ,I mentioned a 16 Ga. D Grade I had purchased which had been blued and after sending it out to have the bluing removed and the barrels refinished ,it proved to need to have the Top Rib Relaid ,probably because of the bluing job ! Brad Bachelder did the barrels for me and the relaying did add some cost ,but it wasn't drastic and made the gun safe and solid to shoot ! Best of luck on your new gun ,if you decide to but it ,you will surely enjoy it ! Russ

[Bruce Day]

Originally Posted by Frank Cronin

The grip cap in the picture is white. Is this unusual? I thought they were normally black.

Just learning...

Frank

That's because the gun owner had one carved in ivory. Not factory of course and it will appeal to some and not others.

[Opening Day]

Originally Posted by Bruce Day

That's because the gun owner had one carved in ivory. Not factory of course and it will appeal to some and not others.

I don't know Bruce normally I would agree with you, but after see Bill Murphy's "Pimp gun" and it lettered out I won't make those discisions until I get a letter....Bill's gun was over the top and I would have sworn that there was no way Parker would have done that to one of their guns....but they did... So like they say never say never until you get the letter....