Stepdad's shotgun...?

[Steven Dennis]

Hi. Just received this from stepdad's estate. Don't know a thing about it and its value. Can you help? It does have matching numbers when it broke it down into three parts. Serial # 16348 which indicated it was manuf in 1879. It is dbl barrel. 26 inches. It does say "Plain Twist" on the barrel. Underside of barrel when separated from stock (I guess the "flats") has an "M" and a "3" with an "8" raised above it to the side like an exponent. It also has the number "6892." It also has the serial number 16348 on opposite side. I don't see any number on the barrel lug. I do see a small "JS" on the forward raised piece in front of the barrel lug? On the watertable, I do see the same serial number followed by the letter "U." The small piece that locks the barrel to the stock also has the same serial number of 16348. The wood piece of that has been cracked and repaired many years ago.

What can you tell me about this guns quality...and, of course, estimated current market price? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your time. Steven

[B. Dudley]

You should post pics if you can. If it is in fact a Parker Brothers gun, then it is an fairly early one. There is not much in your description that tells me for sure if it is or is not a Parker. Sometimes they end up being one of those Belgian "Parker" knockoffs.

[David Hamilton]

It could very well be a Parker as the description matches but we do need images to give you the kind of advice you want. David

[Steven Dennis]

Hi David and B. Dudley. Thanks for replying. I have attached some photos. Let me know if those are good enough. Thanks, Steven

[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.

[Steven Dennis]

Here's a few more photos. The measurement between firing pins, if I measured in the right place, is 1 inch separation as shown in photo. It does accommodate 20 guage shells as shown. When the barrel is separated as shown in the first series of photos, it measures tip to stern at 26 inches exactly. I included a photo of the end of the barrel. p.s. Bill, I live in Orlando.

[Brett Lumsden]

Just a thought here, but could this have been a coach gun hense the short barrels ??

[B. Dudley]

Good Golly, and it is a 20g! Go figure. Steven gets this gun willed in an estate, then he comes on here asking about value because he has no idea what it is. And it ends up being one that many of us would fight to get. That is the way of the world.

Though it may not be original, 26" length is not out of place on a 20g. gun. But it is a bit long to be considered a coach gun.