11-Gauge Parkers

[David Hamilton]

The full-length taper: I have a 10 ga 1883 Colt that he's a choked modified right barrel and a full length tapered left. I have often wondered about why one would go to the trouble of a full length tapered bore? David

[Richard B. Hoover]

David,

That is interesting. I suspect that those early full length tapered bores were made during experiments to obtain improvements in choke. In the late 1860's and 1870's Parker, Greener and other makers were just learning about choking methods, and some of the very early Parkers had relief muzzle boring, while others had constrictions of different extent, contour and degree.

Have you patterned your two barrels? Also did you do the measurements of the bores to determine the bore diameters were from chamber to muzzle. If so, I would be very much interested in learning the results.

Richard

[Pa SxS]

My grade 0 underlifter S/N 8036 has chambers (3") that measure .810 as best I can measure with small digital calipers. The bore diameters are .744 and .746. I'm sure the chambers, forcing cones, and chokes have been messed with. The bore diameters are consistant from about 6" from breach to the start of the choke.

What do I have?

Also, my 12ga TL S/N 27356 have chamber diameters of .810 and bores of .758. These are consistant with Austin's plot.