How old was you when you bought your first Parkers ?

[Milton C Starr]

Originally Posted by Craig Larter

My story is much like Dean's. I hunted ducks with my Uncle Bill at 16 in the late 60's, he was a double gun guy but AH Fox was his preference. Uncle Bill owned a gun shop and a boat dealership. Establishing my career and family completely absorbed my time and money in my 20's, 30's and 40's. I hunted with a Winchester 101 20ga and a Winchester 23 12ga. My job took me to Philadelphia for 6 years and spending dollars on guns was not in the budget but I did collect a few vintage decoys. By the time I hit 50 I had the discretionary income the result of two business transactions that allowed me to retire and enjoy life. So I'm 70 and have been retired for 20 years and have a bunch of Parkers, Foxes and Elsies, hunt ducks like a maniac, and travel the world hunting. Life has been good but not without it's gut punches.

I hope by the time I hit 50+ I have some decent doubles in my collection .
Though I also know its not financially practical for me to buy one every year .
I realized as well I dont have to be in a big hurry either . I got what is essentially one of my dream Parkers .

[Researcher]

My Father (born 1907) grew up hunting in Minnesota with the heavy 1890 vintage Parker Bros. PH-Grade 12-gauge my Grandfather got in 1901. By the time I came along in 1946, my Father had a pair of Remington AE-Grades in 12- and 16-gauge for the uplands and a 12-gauge Remington Sportsman as his waterfowl gun. In 1959 he succumbed to Jack O'Connor's short barrel writings and had the Remington Sportsman's 30-inch full choke barrel whacked to 26 inch with a Poly-Choke. By the 1960 season the Sportsman was gone and he had a 12-gauge, 2-frame, 30-inch Parker Bros. for his waterfowl gun.

I got my first Ansley H. Fox double in 1963 and another in 1966, but shot Dad's Parker Bros. quite a bit at trap. It wasn't until May 1996 that I added a nice example of a Parker Bros. to my collection, an 1894 vintage NH-Grade.

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[Milton C Starr]

Originally Posted by Dave Noreen

My Father (born 1907) grew up hunting in Minnesota with the heavy 1890 vintage Parker Bros. PH-Grade 12-gauge my Grandfather got in 1901. By the time I came along in 1946, my Father had a pair of Remington AE-Grades in 12- and 16-gauge for the uplands and a 12-gauge Remington Sportsman as his waterfowl gun. In 1959 he succumbed to Jack O'Connor's short barrel writings and had the Remington Sportsman's 30-inch full choke barrel whacked to 26 inch with a Poly-Choke. By the 1960 season the Sportsman was gone and he had a 12-gauge, 2-frame, 30-inch Parker Bros. for his waterfowl gun.

I got my first Ansley H. Fox double in 1963 and another in 1966, but shot Dad's Parker Bros. quite a bit at trap. It wasn't until May 1996 that I added a nice example of a Parker Bros. to my collection, an 1894 vintage NH-Grade.

Attachment 82962

Attachment 82963

Those are my favorite right there the NH/PH Parkers .

[Mills]

My first two were gifts about age 29. The first one I bought was about 10 years later. Things got out of hand after that

[Milton C Starr]

Originally Posted by Mills Morrison

My first two were gifts about age 29. The first one I bought was about 10 years later. Things got out of hand after that

Mills what got you into the 10 gauges ? People hear 10 ga and think its going to be brutal . But these 2 7/8" guns to me are probably some of the softest shooting ones you could get .


I never been much into semi autos because im left handed and the brass/hulls always come close to my face . A sxs feels pretty ambidextrous to me .

[Devan Brown]

My first one was a gift from a wonderful Uncle - who knew about Parkers but did not own one until he was in his fifties. I was perhaps 25 in 1972 when he gave me a 12 gauge Trojan with a sawed barrel - killed lots of ducks with it.

[Matt Buckley]

My first Parker was a 1921 VH 16 gauge that had been restored that I purchased when I was 28. 2" of the barrels where cut off so it is now a 26" barreled gun that still has some slight choke in it with a Miller Single Trigger and is probably the gun I have killed the most pheasants with and shoot the best. I can attribute my addiction to double barrels to my good friend Jim Beilke who is a fellow member and introduced me to nice guns. My first over and under was a 1963 Browning Superposed 20 gauge that was given to me by my grandfather when I was 16-17 years old. He purchased the gun new. I can attribute my addiction to hunting and the outdoors to him.

[Milton C Starr]

I wouldnt mind getting a sxs 16 gauge in the future .
When I was a kid about 7 or 8 I used to watch my friends grand farther squirrel hunt with his Sweet Sixteen and I remember being a kid thinking how neat those purple hulls were .
Since then I have always liked the 16 ga .

Ive only had 1 16 ga and it was a Ithaca 37 featherlight , made in 1957 if I recall .
If I end up getting a 16 ga sxs down the road , I would want one that has a little more weight behind it .

[6pt-Sika]

Mine was about 13 (or almost 46 years ago) I think , a VHE 12 30” #1 frame . Came from a now deceased Parker collector by the name of Jerry Amos . About the same time a nice Fox Sterlingworth 12 28” philly gun and my Greener D-40 12 all appeared . Since then I’d hate to admit the number of doubles that have passed thru my hands and the number still here . Incidentally the three above are still here .

[Robert Brooks]

25 and it was a 28 gauge Remington skeet gun that i was deadly with and should have kept it!