Early 28 Gauge Production

[JWH]

I was wondering what the earliest known 28 gauge produced by Parker?

I've seen it published in articles that Parker started production in 1903 but own a 28 gauge in the 108,3xx range from 1902 that doesn't show up in the serialization book.

[edgarspencer]

There was recently, a thread relating to early 28ga. guns.

http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthr...t=23804&page=9

There are many lower (V, P) grade guns whose serial numbers do not appear in the 'book', due to, according to Bill Murphy, time constraints place on the team working in the basement at Remington.
I have an early 28, which did not show up anywhere, but on close examination of several in the immediate preceding, and following guns, The research director found it was overlooked do to a red mark partially obscuring the number. looking at the records it was determined that it, and the one before it, were a pair ordered at the same time by a well known NY sporting Goods store.
All of this trivia notwithstanding, 108xxx is at least 26 guns past the last one in the list in the above thread.

[James L. Martin]

I believe it's # 94373 with Damascus barrels

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

There was recently, a thread relating to early 28ga. guns.

http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthr...t=23804&page=9

There are many lower (V, P) grade guns whose serial numbers do not appear in the 'book', due to, according to Bill Murphy, time constraints place on the team working in the basement at Remington.

In addition to the V and P grade guns that were omitted, the Grade 2 guns within these ranges were not included either.





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[Bill Murphy]

The "Book" is the serialization book, which includes only stock book entries. Some of the research for the article in question was taken from early order books, adding to the available research. Order book information is available one gun at a time from Chuck, our researcher, at $40.00 a gun, or from an order book itself.

[Dean Romig]

94373 is the lowest serial number in the table of 28 gauge guns in the rear of Vol II of TPS.

However, it is shown as a Grade 5 with 28-inch Titanic Steel barrels.





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[Researcher]

Anyone know the serial number of Chas. Askins' heavy 30-inch barrel, 2 7/8 inch chambered, 28-gauge he writes about in his 1910 book and December 1912 Field & Stream article "The Twenty-Eight Gauge Elf"?

The "standard" 28-gauge shell back in the day was a 2 1/2-inch shell with 1 3/4-drams of bulk smokeless powder (or 14-grains of dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite) pushing 5/8 ounce of shot.

NITRO CLUB 28-ga 1 3-4 dram, 5-8 ounce.jpg

The factory loaded 2 7/8-inch shell had a load of 2-drams of bulk smokeless powder (or 16-grains of dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite) pushing 5/8 ounce of shot.

TARGET 28-ga 2 7-8 inch.jpg

Askins writes of hand loading 2 1/8 drams of Schultze and 3/4 ounce of shot in the 2 7/8-inch hull for his nearly 7- pound gun.

[charlie cleveland]

this is very interesting....a 2 7/8 inch shell and almost a 7 lb gun in 28 ga...this gun must have been a 1 frame gun possibly 2 frame...do we know the where abouts of this gun....charlie

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Joel Hackett

I've seen it published in articles that Parker started production in 1903 .

I have a 28 that was made in 1900, and I believe there was one made in 1899.
94373 was made in 1900 also.

[Kevin McCormack]

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

I have a 28 that was made in 1900, and I believe there was one made in 1899.
94373 was made in 1900 also.

Craig wrote:

"In the book 'Best Guns' by Michael McIntosh (copyright edition 1999), on page 8 (5th paragraph) it says "... "in 1905, Parker built the first hammerless doubles in America chambered in 28-gauge."

As they say in PA Dutch country, "Edgar hat recht; Craig nichts besonders..." If missing 'book' dates & entries are interpolated correctly against SN chronology, the very first Parker 28 ga. built (a Damascus barrel Grade 5!) was built either in very late (e.g., November or December) 1899 or in January of 1900. Attempting to definitively document an exact production date absent the "missing books" is akin to predicting the movement of hurricanes in the Atlantic using the US vs. the European models.