My First Parker SBT

[Bill Murphy]

J. Scott, Rudy may have been a Remington man, but his stockmaking enterprise didn't play any favorites. He made stocks for all guns. His some time headquarters in Sun Valley was a good deal for a stockmaker. I have no idea who the actual craftsman was, but I doubt it was Rudy. Rudy was in residence at the Remington plant at Ilion one time I was there, but we never crossed paths. Some of his guns and paraphernalia including his famous Remington 870 are on display at the National Firearms Museum. Rudy didn't just shoot Remingtons, however. I tried to purchase his Purdey pigeon gun some years ago, but was too late. His son was offering it for sale for a very attractive price.

[J. Scott Hanes]

Bill, all the stocks were made by Rudy's dad, Fred. Rudy had very large hands with thick fingers. When he had that 870 in his hand, you could not see the grip at all! He always claimed that the grip design helped control the gun. In all the trapshooting he did, he never used a release trigger. With that huge hand and the small, tight radius' grip, nothing moved except his trigger finger. If you ever read his father's book "Commensense Shotgun Shooting", there is a photo of Rudy on a skeet field, standing on one leg on the shell stand they used to have on skeet and trap fields, holding a Model 12 in his right hand only from station 8 and station 4 to show how one could control the gun with the Etchen grip.

Also pictured in that book are two Parkers (one 30" VR and one 32") with the Etchen grip, a Model 31 Rem (Fred's gun) and 2 model 12 Winchesters.

Was that Purdey the "Bar in Wood"?? That was a beautiful shotgun.

Scott

[Bill Murphy]

I have Fred's book in my collection. No, Rudy's Purdey was a standard late vintage (post WW1) pigeon gun, self opener, hammerless, 32" barrels as I recall. I have a picture of it around here somewhere.

[Pa SxS]

I donated a signed copy of "Commonsense Shotgun Shooting" to the ATA museum many years ago. Rudy's son Joel is also a great shot. Must run in the family!