RARITY OF PARKER LIVE PIGEON GRADES

[Don Kaas]

When hunting birds (i.e. bobwhite quail) on horseback, one commonly keeps the gun (classicly a 20 or 16 gauge double) in a scabbard unloaded. When the setters and/or pointers locate a bird or covey, one walks the horse up to the covey and dismounts. You then remove your gun and walk towards the dogs. When in position you take 2 shells from you pocket and slip them in the gun. The dog handler says "Ready" and the gun(s) say "Yes" and he proceeds to flush the birds. A safety is as superfluous in this scenario as it is on score in the pigeon ring.

Were I ordering a purpose built Parker for bird hunting, I would order an 0 frame straight grip CHE 28" Bernard, 2 1/2" chambered 20 gauge, double trigger without a safety weighing < 6 lbs choked right .005 and left.015. For the pigeon ring, a 1 1/2 frame 32" Whitworth, 2 3/4" chambered AAHE straight grip, single selective trigger without a safety, weighing 7 1/2 lbs choked left .020 and right .035...

[Larry the Gun Guy]

I found one of those no safety guns last summer; 20 ga AHE with 30" Acme steel barrels on a #1 frame....and yes someone who didn't know what they were doing restocked it. The project is beginning with the search for correctly figured wood.

[John Truitt]

That is an interesting gun. What kind of trigger is that. Also it has the reinforced forearm lug. Very cool.
Thanks for sharing.

[Larry the Gun Guy]

I don't know what kind of trigger it is, but I hope someone does. I think it will probably go in the restoration.

[Bill Murphy]

I don't know that I would be losing the trigger in the restoration, especially if it works. It looks like a fine piece of work. What is the provenance of your gun? I assume you requested a PGCA letter.

[Ed Blake]

I've heard of those long-barreled 20 gauge California duck guns. I'm in agreement with Bill Murphy, leave the trigger as is.

[Autumn Daze]

Larry, What frame size is that great gun?

[Ed Blake]

I'll bet it has 3" chambers too.

[Larry the Gun Guy]

The chambers are 2-3/4" and it's on a #1 frame. The right barrel, measured with the Galazan gauge, is modified in the right barrel and improved modified in the left barrel.

But, here's a DH on a number 2 frame that I saw at a gunshop. The gun has 32" barrels and the wood was cracking behind the top tang. I didn't buy it because there were no drop points off of the side plates.

The coolest thing about this gun is the flat rib, no concavity to it at all, and it was about 5/8" wide at the breach and narrowed to about 3/8" at the end of the barrels.

[Autumn Daze]

Larry, Thanks for the info. She looked a little heavy at the breech. They both look to be great guns.