Stepdad's shotgun...?

[Bill Murphy]

If your gun matches the Serialization Book description, it is an outrageously rare 20 gauge lifter action gun. The barrels may have been cut, because the "book" states that the barrels were 30" at time of manufacture. The 3 and the 8 are the unfinished barrel weight in pounds and ounces. The U may be the grade. The 6892 is probably the order number. You must tell us if it is in fact a 20 gauge. One way to do that is to attempt to insert a 16 gauge shell in the chamber. If it does not go in, it should be a 20 gauge. You will have to get some professional assistance from an experienced Parker collector to determine whether the barrels are cut. A PGCA letter should confirm that the information taken from the Serialization Book is correct and matches the information from the stock book. A piece of information which would help us is the exact distance between the centers of the firing pin holes. The barrel weight is consistent with a small bore gun, so we are hoping you truly have a 20 gauge. For now, don't clean this gun, don't do anything to this gun except to keep it indoors.

[Bill Murphy]

The really good news is that both the order book and the stock book copies that should include your gun are in the PGCA research collection and should shed light on your gun's original configuration as well as the person or business that originally ordered your gun. That's a lot of information on an 1879 gun for $40.00. Get that letter request in as soon as possible. Your gun may be a very important gun to Parker collectors and have a bit of value regardless of issues of condition. If you choose to tell us where you are located, we can suggest someone to look at your gun. Please confirm that barrel length measurement for us.

[Bill Murphy]

You should send us a good picture of the water table, and don't forget the measurement on the firing pin separation. You asked about value, and no one here has any idea how much someone would pay for a gun this rare.