Help wit id

[Old and Reliable]

Nar du er i Danmark er du fra? Vi har en staerk Dansk, samfund omkring 19 km NW fra hvor jeg bor, en skulptur fra Marshall Frederiks pa byens torv. Jeg taler nogle tyske, men jag forsoger at laere Dansk fra en fruend.

[Double Play]

Originally Posted by mikael_kjaer

Hi everyone

Is it possible to sendt and pay for the reserachletter by mail and bank transfer?

Best regards Mikael

Welcome Mikael,
It appears you did very well at that flee market. Your gun is a very desirerable Parker and appears to be in good condition. If you do decide to purchase a PGCA letter you might want to consider joining the PGCA first. Members get a reduced cost for their letters as well as other benefits and your membership would only cost you $20.00. You would also have the honor of becoming our first member from Denmark.

[mikael_kjaer]

Hi Larry

I am still surprised, i have spendt the last days on the net to find out more about Parker. There is nothing about parker on web sites from europe! I have talked with the guy who sold me the gun and he has absolutly no idea to how the gun ended in Denmark.

I see no way, but join PGCA, and get the resarch letter. All this conversation have made me curious to get the hole story about my gun

Best regard Mikael

[Old and Reliable]

Mikeal- one of the earliest books about the history of the Parker shotguns was written about 1960 by Peter Johnson. In the half-century since, thanks in great part to the dedication and effort of many PGCA members, much more detail and information that can be verified has surfaced.

Going back to Mr. Johnson's book, I recall he mentioned that of the major European countries, France seemed to have more Parker owners that others. This may well make sense, as England, Spain, Germany, Austria, Sweden and Italy all have been very involved in manufacturing high quality sporting shotguns and rifles. France, a few known names- Darne and Georges Granger, and if I omitted any others, my error.

My "Blue Sky' guess is- as I am serious student of WW11 in Europe and the aftermath, and my favorite General from that time frame was George Smith Patton Jr.- who owned several Parkers, including a CHE 20 bore- and had some of his personal firearms available for hunting after Germany surrendered in May 1945- That Parker DH 20 might- and that is a very guarded statement- have belonged to an American Staff Officer from WW11, and somehow was left behind.

Fotos and all numbers you can find on the three main pieces of the shotgun- ie: barrels, forearm and the stock and receiver section- and a PGCA search letter might add some further light on the very valid question- how did this fine American shotgun end up in your Country.

[mikael_kjaer]

Hi Everyone

Today I recevied my reserach letter. The gun was ordereds by "Lewald and Schlueter Company in Fresno". Acording to Specifications Mark found i sure it is in the same configuration as br delivery. From Marks letter:

DHE hammerless, 20-gauge. It featured Titanic steel barrels with a length of 30 inches. Its stock configuration was a straight grip. The chokes were patterned RH full and LH full. The order specified a 4 3/8 inch grip, full comb, 2 5/8 inch chambers, straight rib, no safety, 4 pounds of trigger pull and 1 inch of pitch. According to Parker Bros. Order Book No. 96, its specifications were: Length of Pull: 14 ¼”, Drop at Comb: 1 ½”, Drop at Heel: 1 7/8”, Weight: 6 pounds and 10 ounces. The price was $90.75 plus $18.75 for ejectors.

Is there anyone who knows the Lewald and Schlueter Company in Fresno?
I have tryed the internet, but so far with no luck. If any body have a hint please let me know.

Proud Parker owner

Mikael Kjær

[Autumn Daze]

Mikael, From the description the gun sounds like a target or competition gun.

[mikael_kjaer]

Hi

It can explain that there is no Safety on it. But the gun has been used a lot. You can see on the stock that it has been used. But there is no wear in the mainbolt, it closes like a safe, much better than my new shotgun.

Mikael

[Harry Collins]

Mikael,

Your DH 20 gauge Parker is very desirable. I just looked a Jack Paglisi's web page and he has one that may be in better condition than yours and he is asking $8,750.00. I don't have my ear to the ground on Parker prices as others here, however I would think your gun is in the $6,000.00 range. A very nice find. I hope you shoot it as these little Parkers kill like magic wands.

Kindest, Harry

[mikael_kjaer]

hello Fransis

det var en overraskelse at få et svar på dansk. Jeg bor i jylland i danmark. hvor bor du?

Venlig hilsen Mikael

[Old and Reliable]

Originally Posted by mikael_kjaer

hello Fransis

det var en overraskelse at få et svar på dansk. Jeg bor i jylland i danmark. hvor bor du?

Venlig hilsen Mikael

- translated aproximately for others my friend- I am glad you were surprised (pleasantly) that a member of the PGCA might have a smattering of Danish. I live just outside of Greenville in the Midwest, a town of about 7500 pop. very rural, and since 1965 or so, have celebrated the Danish heritage every summer with a three day festival. The beer tent is named Tivoli Garden, and from the Hans Christian Anderson story The Swan, there is indeed a Marshall Fredericks statue of that most graceful bird in the town square. Abelskivers are a big item also.

In another town in the State of Nebraska, there is almost sister town, rural of course, with a very high Danish population, and they also have an annual Danish Festival- in past years we have had a mayor exchange with them at festival time. I am a retired welder with machine shop experience as well, have used the great Vise-Grips locking pliers for all my life. A Danish blacksmith/welder from that area in Nebraska invented them in about 1927-- Hans Petersen.

So welcome to the PGCA and you have found a very fine Parker to start with indeed. They are built like a Swiss watch and shoot like few other shotguns seem to. As far as the language goes, I believe it is a mark of respect to learn as best as one can, another language or even two. I attended a "schutzenfest" this past summer, made friends with some folks originally from Dresden Germany-they lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin a great city with a high percentage of people with German ancestry- It gave me a chance to brush up on "mein Alte Schul Deutch"-

I try to learn as much about the people and cultures from as many European Countries as I can. You express yourself very well in English, and I thank you for your reply. Francis