Barrels

[RandallTlachac]

With glasses on the barrel sn is 64796 .. it surely does not look like damascus. The water table is stamped with P and sn 109209. I do have a research letter which states the original order was Twist Steel. However the barrel sn would have matched the other sn in any gun issued from Parker in 1902, correct? So this barrel must have been placed on at a later date. So I am puzzled to see if a Vulcan steel barrel could have an sn of 67796 and not be damascus. Any ideas regarding this puzzle?

[edgarspencer]

Randall, When a Gun was sent back to Parker for new barrels, the new barrels would be marked with the Serial Number of the gun for which they were made.
You've now thrown in another SN, 67796, and I'm assuming it's one of the other previous two, which were both Damascus barreled guns. 62796 was a 12ga., and 64796 was a 10ga.

It would have been customary to re-barrel a gun with barrels of the type currently being supplied on a gun. Ordinarily, if a DH was sent back for steel replacement barrels, Parker would supply Titanic barrels, but for the sake of economy, the customer may have asked for Vulcan Steel barrels. You gun, a PH, would have originally had either Twist barrels, or if they were fluid steel, Parker Steel barrels. Whatever the case, your gun is made up from replacement barrels from another gun. In the end, if it locks up properly, it doesn't matter that much.