Restored PHE on GB - thoughts?

[TARNATION !!!]

What are your thoughts on this gun?
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=156270879

I'm asking only to further my education in discerning finer points on what appears to look like a nice gun.

Is the CC close to factory?? I have only seen pictures but nice examples of originals seem much lighter blue and more translucent

How far right of center did the top lever sit when new? This one is the farthest right I have seen in any pictures.

Anything else positive or negative to understand from the pictures or description?

Thanks,
Jack

[Dean Romig]

The colors are a little over the top, more vivid than original Parker Bros. colors but nicely done anyhow.
The lever looks about right for a new or completely restored gun.
The checkering pattern on both the forend and the stock are only remotely correct in both pattern and LPI - on this gun, for a PH grade the LPI is much too fine or too many lines per inch.

I have handled a lot of restored Parkers with great colors, excellend checkering, wonderful barrel refinish both rust-blued steel as well as refinished Damascus and the majority of them were loose at the hinge pin or "off face" and a great many also still sport buggered screws. This one appears to have nice screws anyway. It escapes me why someone would go to the trouble and expense to bring a nice Parker back almost to "new" condition yet still leave these very obvious tell-tale issues unresolved.

[Autumn Daze]

I agree the colors are a little over the top but will fade with time.The checkering pattern on the wrist is all wrong for P grade.

[Old and Reliable]

Jack- if he relists this highly priced PHE 16, as it looks like for now- no bids and the time is running out, and you want me to give it a "look-see" I can arrange that possibly. I know the seller- he doesn't state who did the refinishing/restoration, but Dave and Dean are right about the LPI and checkering pattern- My PH 16 has original checkering and stock finish on both buttstock and forearm, and it is NOT the same as this- Unless he bought it w/o knowing who did the restoration, at that price if it was either Turnbull or Del Grego work (and I am NOT saying it is either here) I wonder why he didn't offer that info--

He has more positives than negatives on the Gun broker feedback- that's open to interpretation I guess-

[Dean Romig]

I'll be the first to say that fxe has and has had some fine original high condition Parkers as well as several other makes up for auction on GB and other sites.
Most dealers (understandably) won't direct a potential buyer to any negative aspects of a particular item, be it a used car, boat, tractor, piece of furniture or even a used gun, preferring the buyer, if he is a wise buyer, find these issues for himself. I made the statements in my previous post simply as an educational response to a question posed - no offense intended.

[Autumn Daze]

FXE is a well known and respected Parker,dealer shooter and collector. My comments just like Dean's were an answer to a question and I agree with Dean 100%.

[Old and Reliable]

I have never dealt with fxe- have seen him at area MI gun shows and other venues, and he does indeed have a good rep. and does get some real high end shotguns for resale. I think bro Romig nailed it down quite well- many vendors prefer to let the astute and observant potential buyers raise legit questions, and then address them- As far as the "negs" on that forum, you will always have folks impossible to please, just as some will always think the profit motive is evil- Not so- no legit dealer, whether he sells John Deere tractors, Stihl chain saw, Martin guitars or previously owned fine guns can operate for long at "cost"-- the scalpers and gougers soon get weeded out, that's the way the market words--

[TARNATION !!!]

Francis: Thanks for that offer but my play money pockets aren't that deep. Convert to CDN $ add taxes importation fees ffl fees and I'm looking over 5K cdn. I play in hundreds so far and then fix over time to create safe shooters. I'm thinking of abandoning that approach and save some play money for a while. Pretty sure I can only shoot one at a time anyway Too bad they look so nice, even if they happen to have a few warts (thanks to tri-focals those seem not so bad any more)

Dave and Dean: Thanks for offering your opinions. They addressed my questions directly. Don't see anything there for someone to take offense. All directed at understanding that gun not the seller

Regards,
Jack

[Old and Reliable]

Jack- my mistake-- I forgot you are a Canadian citizen, and I can only guess the paperwork etc. for you to purchase a shotgun from MI- and to be fair, for me to purchase one from your neck of the woods.

I buy my doubles (12 mainly- side-by with two triggers- either ejectors or extractors- as an "accumulator" not a collector- to shoot, and strip, clean and maintain in proper shooting order. I'm NOT a great customer for Messers: Vicknair, Del Grego, Bickel et al--I am a tad fussy about stock fit, good mechanics (safety working, ejectors in time) and very fussy about good trigger pulls and balance. Barrel length and chokes- not so much of an issue, but avoid any "sawed off Doc Holliday specials"--

I almost gave up on a nice older early Syracuse to Fulton LC Smith 4E with chain Damascus barrels, trigger pulls were heavy, and I don't touch sears etc.- that's a job for an expert- but I can strip down and clean my Parkers and Elsies- and in doing that found the problem- heavy GUNK build up on the trigger blades- so a good soaking in Kroil & Acetone, then dry and fine grit finish sandpaper, also cleaned out the slots in the trigger plate- back together and problem solved- with the BP 2.5" paper 7/8 oz. loads- now I need to find some of those for the 16 PH I recently acquired- 26" twist barrels-love the smell and the Ka-boom of BP on a nice spring afternoon at the range- but don't use them for birds in the Fall (yet)--

I agree, neither Dean or Dave (or hopefully me) said or inferred anything in a negative fashion about this restored PHE 16 on Gun broker-the seller has a fine reputation- BUT I do see the wisdom of the BOD of the PGCA in not allowing us to openly sell Parkers to other members on the Forum- I have seen first hand the "crapfests" that can ensue when someone puts a shotgun, whether a Parker CHE or a LeFever Nitro Special- for sale at a given price on other websites- can often bring out the worst in some folks-- fact of life I guess-

I love Hockey, walleyes, and Labatt's Blue- fished the great Bow River twice back in my fly-fishing days (late 1980's) and can still close my eyes and see that huge river with all the take-out places, my favorite RL Winston 7 wt. with the big hardy St. John reel, a sinking tip shooting head, line screaming as a trophy brown did a Kamakazi on the Wooly Bugger or PMF I had 'spanked the bank" with- the fight, the guide and his net, the foto and then the release- sometimes wish we could do that with the game birds and waterfowl we pursue with equal passion in the Fall-stay well- long time winter it seems

[TARNATION !!!]

Francis: You have given me a new way of thinking. I have not thought of myself as a collector, yet I have more guns than I need and most are nothing to write home about. Accumulator is exactly my situation.

As for moving guns south, there are sites here that caution US buyers that unless the gun in question is a true collector piece or there is a large lot that their final cost will make the gun(s) poor value for money.

As for the Bow River, it's about 50 yards behind me in this shot from my youth. Dad would have had the VH.



That great location is well within the city of Calgary now but there were always mallards by the hundreds nearby. Did a bit of fishing but hunting was the over-riding passion. A friend in Calgary has invited me to join him in fly fishing the Old Man River, various mountain streams and some of the Kananaskis lakes. I bought my new waders and there will be a couple shore lunches allowed but most will be released (rainbows, brookies and browns). I must avoid getting hooked. Can't have the hunting trips reduced for a few scaly denizens of the deep pools.

Cheers,
Jack