Question about a BH Parker

[Researcher]

I'm surprised the Damascus barrels still exist. With Remington's policy on Damascus barrels by November 1941, I'd have thought they would have required their destruction before they fitted new barrels. Must have been somebody who knew somebody.

I'd expect that if the gun was back to Parker Bros. in 1919 it would have been retrofitted with the 1910 bolt and bolt plate.

An early Quality BH with beautiful fine scroll engraving and a set of "modern" steel barrels should be worthy of some serious restoration investment.

[B. Dudley]

For example…

IMG_0053.jpeg

[ArtS]

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

That is a really good candidate for Butt transplant.

The barrels were a remington addition.

I am struck by how solid the original stock is except for the goofy comb. I have seen guns worse than this with a new piece inlet as a repair. With a careful choice of wood, they often look good and are serviceable. Given the gun and features, what is the opinion of the relative value of the gun if the bad comb were professionally matched and installed. Much less work and cost and much more original (checkering etc) than a new stock. However nice the new stock, it is totally unoriginal vs saving much of the original. Repaired original vs new I would think would be more valuable and cost much less.

[ArtS]

Originally Posted by Arthur Shaffer

I am struck by how solid the original stock is except for the goofy comb. I have seen guns worse than this with a new piece inlet as a repair. With a careful choice of wood, they often look good and are serviceable. Given the gun and features, what is the opinion of the relative value of the gun if the bad comb were professionally matched and installed. Much less work and cost and much more original (checkering etc) than a new stock. However nice the new stock, it is totally unoriginal vs saving much of the original. Repaired original vs new I would think would be more valuable and cost much less.

When I made my post I was simply trying to point out that there is a whole range of solutions to most problems. The comb is terrible. By far the cheapest on that stock is cut the existing comb out and replace with a closely matching piece. In the stock repair world it is the easiest and lowest cost decision. It may become more visible down the road but that will be another problem at another time. Many people may be happy with it. More importantly it followed the medical philosophy of "do no harm", or at least the minimum. The butt transplant would most likely be the next most costly and likely last longer. A new stock would be the most ost costly with no originality left. You pay your money and make the choice.

I will make one comment on the glue issue. I have joined hundreds of 0.10 inch pieces of wood near 2 feet long with hot hide glue or high performance wood glue and then used them in structures subject to bending forces of several hundreds of pounds with no failure . These joints are absolutely invisible. They stay that way. This is with highly figured wood . The key is fitting it so closely there is nothing to see. The reason I brought up the patch is because of location and shape of the inletted piece. From what I can see in the pictures it would be simple to cut the offending section out on a milling machine and leave a perfectly flat surface. After finding a closely grain matched replacement, it could be milled or planed perfectly flat on the mating side and joined with a couple of small biscuits and I guarantee that you would never see the joint (which is not the same as the differential grain of the patch). It would likely be better to replace the entire comb than the front 80 per cent.

In either a patch or a butt transplant the transparency of the job, assuming good workmanship, depends on the grain match.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

That is a really good candidate for Butt transplant.

I did a search trying to find the previous thread, and found the one where Brian had done this exact job on a lesser grade gun.

https://parkerguns.org/forums/showth...utt+transplant

For a gun of such beauty that a BH is, it would be just what I would do.

[Craig Larter]

Very much a worthy project. It appears the skeleton butt was removed in addition to the comb modification. If it were mine I would do the butt transplant suggested by Brian. That way you get your dimensions and also restore the skeleton butt. I have seen a couple of Brian's butt transplants and they are outstanding. Good luck with whatever you decide. I'm a big fan of BH's and own 4. They are sweet guns you get almost the same level of finish as a AH at a more reasonable cost.

[David C Porter]

If you're going to do it right, do a complete new buttstock. Where as you can hide the glue joint by butting up to the checkering, you can't hide the joint on the top. Two pieces of wood glued together move in time & will show the glue joint line. You have a very nice B grade and it deserves to be done right. It will be a little more costly, but it the long run you will be happier.

[B. Dudley]

Originally Posted by David C Porter

If you're going to do it right, do a complete new buttstock. Where as you can hide the glue joint by butting up to the checkering, you can't hide the joint on the top. Two pieces of wood glued together move in time & will show the glue joint line. You have a very nice B grade and it deserves to be done right. It will be a little more costly, but it the long run you will be happier.

Yeah, that is the downfall of many of the blended and painted over extensions is that movement of the wood causes the glue joint to become visible over time. Plus most of those faux finishes look like plastic anyway.

[Dean Romig]

If they’re glued properly with a biscuit or wafer joint they will never move.





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[David C Porter]

I've been a professional stockmaker & checker for over 40 years & I know what I'm talking about. All you have to do is look at furniture tops that have several glued boards & in time you can see the joint line. I'm not saying that they will come apart, but the joints we'll move and the glue line will appear & different woods can absorb moisture differently & one rise slightly above the other.