Need help identifying & valueing an old parker

[Dylan Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Fred Beeler

Thank you everyone for your help. I will inform the owner that he basically has a "wall hanger" or bait for the next buy-back program by the local police dept. Either way He will be told to NOT SHOOT IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES !!

easy there. There are a lot of potentially good parts inside the action, don't let it get melted down and destroyed by the gov't.

[John Davis]

That 1902 DH is much more likely to be a 2 frame than a 1 1/2 frame. And the gunk we see may just be grease. 109878 started life with Damascus barrels, so I suspect someone found a set of Vulcan steel barrels that fit or were easily fitted to the gun. I’ve had that done several times and I’m not by myself. It’s not a collectible but it could be a shooter. You just need someone who knows what they’re looking at to give you a hands on inspection.

[edgarspencer]

Whoa! Slow down there, buckaroo. Before you condemn a shooter, have someone familiar with Parkers look at the gun In Hand.
Digital pictures on the internet can be very misleading.
The gun left the factory as a Damascus barrel Grade 3, and possibly the owner fell victim of the "Dangerous Damacus" hype. There are lots (and lots) of 1 1/2 AND 1 frame 12 gauge guns out there, so even if there was some profiling of the very end of the breach end of the barrels, there's still no less than the wall a 1 1/2 frame gun would have there.(Which is still more than a 1 frame gun) I'd be more concerned about profiling in the forcing cone area than at the end of the barrels. The fit of the dolls head 'appears' very good, and would belie the assumption a full 1/16" was removed. There doesn't appear to be any alteration of the dolls head.
The receiver has well more value than the sum of it's parts, and it's still possible to seek out a set of better fitting barrels. In any case, I don't see anything that says the receiver is definitely a 1 1/2 frame. The only way to know for certain is to measure the width of the bolsters,, and height of the standing breech.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

Whoa! Slow down there, buckaroo. Before you condemn a shooter, have someone familiar with Parkers look at the gun In Hand.
Digital pictures on the internet can be very misleading.
The gun left the factory as a Damascus barrel Grade 3, and possibly the owner fell victim of the "Dangerous Damacus" hype. There are lots (and lots) of 1 1/2 AND 1 frame 12 gauge guns out there, so even if there was some profiling of the very end of the breach end of the barrels, there's still no less than the wall a 1 1/2 frame gun would have there.(Which is still more than a 1 frame gun) I'd be more concerned about profiling in the forcing cone area than at the end of the barrels. The fit of the dolls head 'appears' very good, and would belie the assumption a full 1/16" was removed. There doesn't appear to be any alteration of the dolls head.
The receiver has well more value than the sum of it's parts, and it's still possible to seek out a set of better fitting barrels. In any case, I don't see anything that says the receiver is definitely a 1 1/2 frame. The only way to know for certain is to measure the width of the bolsters,, and height of the standing breech.

…and the distance between firing pin centers.





.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

…and the distance between firing pin centers..

So, are you saying the table in the 'book' is wrong?

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

So, are you saying the table in the 'book' is wrong?

I’m saying that the quickest and easiest way to determine frame size is to measure the distance between firing pin centers in sixteenths of an inch, also shown on the pages you have included Edgar.






.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

I’m saying that the quickest and easiest way to determine frame size is to measure the distance between firing pin centers in sixteenths of an inch, also shown on the pages you have included Edgar.

The question was, was it a One and a Half frame, or, a Two Frame. Since the table says the two frames sizes are both 1 1/8" firing pin spacing, measuring the pin spacing alone will not answer the question. The width across the bolsters, and the height of the standing breech are the two measurements needed to determine the frame size, but NOT the firing pin spacing.
So, back to my original question; Is the information in the serialization book incorrect?

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

I’m saying that the quickest and easiest way to determine frame size is to measure the distance between firing pin centers in sixteenths of an inch, also shown on the pages you have included Edgar.

This really isn't accurate. At best, it may have been true, pre 1900, but with the addition of the 1 1/2 frame size, which fell in between the existing One, and Two frames, the firing pin spacing is the same as the Two Frame.
Again, in 1928, with the addition of the Half Frame, which at least numerically fell in between the 0 frame, and 1 frame, the firing pin spacing is is 1 1/16", the same as the One frame.
Since the question remains unanswered as to whether the subject gun in the original post was a 2 Frame, or a 1 1/2 Frame, using the firing pin spacing and the tables, the question remains a question, because regardless, the firing pin spacing, Horizontally, is still 1 1/8".
Because the standing breech dimension between 1 1/2 and 2 differs, the firing pins may be striking slightly off center, in the Vertical plane.
So, using the firing pin spacing alone may get you to the right neighborhood, it might not get you to the right house.