Parkers and Pressure ?

[Gene Baker]

I am new to the forum, and have an inherited Parker grade 2, hamerless double in 12 ga. with Damascus barrels. It was my FIL's, and I think he said he got it from his own father. It was mfd. in 1905. He said he used Remington Express in it, and I have some of the old rolled crimp shells that came with the gun.

This gun has been hunted quite a bit. There are scratches on the stock, but nothing is broken as far as I can see, and the bore is bright. There appears to be a couple spots of surface rust on the frame. With a dial caliper I get about .063 metal thickness at the muzzle. I don't plan on hunting with it, mostly because I don't want to damage it.

From what has been posted, am I really safe to use ounce loads of smokeless powder in this gun?

Thanks. This is a very interesting place.

Gene Baker

[Labowner]

One ounce loads should be find in your GH. I shoot 1 oz. for trap and 7/8 oz. in skeet with my fluid steel and damascus guns.

Your gun should be fine up to 1 1/4 loads.

[Double Play]

Gene .063 at the muzzle means very little and is more a result of how much choke the gun has more than anything else. To determine if a gun is safe to shoot you should have the wall thickness measured a few inches in front of the chambers. To do this correctly you need a wall thickness gage that most good gunsmiths should have.