Parker Pages

[Kensal Rise]

Originally Posted by Mark Conrad

I am a little confused. The percentage of components varies for each steel. In some cases there is a significant difference. The carbon content is close but the other components are not. In the next to the last paragraph Dave states that PB used basically the same steel in their barrels and used a good marketing strategy.

Many factors work toward Parker using one fluid steel for barrels: Cost, sourcing, production simplicity and functional practicality. It's much easier to put a romantic name on a top rib than complicate your business with a host of steel formulas. The marketing staff does the rest.

[Harold Pickens]

Finished the Parker Pages last night. Great job! The technical stuff is good, but after getting slammed with patients all day, it is the light-hearted reading I enjoy most. COB's article on the last hunt of the year with Daisy and Gunners gun took me back to hunting in the UP with Daisy and Rich, and the first time I saw Gunners' gun at Rich's cabin. I can really relate to OWE guns.
I actually like using old beat up guns, used hard and put away wet, as they say. They probably have much more interesting stories to tell than their pristine counterparts. I wonder who would take such poor care of my latest aquisistion, a VHE 20 with barrels cut to 26 1/2" and cyl/cyl. Rough bores, cracked stock, and no bluing. I think to thank me for rescuing it, I shot a 41 with it on the competition course at Hausmann's on Sunday wit Edgar and Allan, but of course I had registered as just shooting for practice and later found out that Mike of the Mountain won the 20 ga event with a score of 41.
Had I been shooting for score, I'm sure I would have choked.
Good job Dean, and all involved

[Autumn Daze]

Mark, As Larry mentions each type of steel carries a range of elements and these vary by manufactorer. Also they will vary by the era they were made in. All these samples tested clearly fall into the mild steel range. Ever hear anybody say how easy Parker barrels dented? I have! I again would like to publicly thank Edgar our resident metalurgest for all his help in making all the results readable to the layman. This article is the end result of over 15 years of trying. I hope you all enjoy it.

[Chris T.]

Great article Dave, it was the first thing I flipped to. And yes, Edgar is a smart fart. Always a good time when he's around.

[Mark Conrad]

Dave, thanks for your clarification and thanks for taking the time to finally get an answer to the question.

So an extra set of barrels for an A1S was $250 and an extra set for a VH was $25. And, they were the same barrels less the engraving. Wow, you can see where the profit was.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Mark Conrad

So an extra set of barrels for an A1S was $250 and an extra set for a VH was $25. And, they were the same barrels less the engraving. Wow, you can see where the profit was.

Mark, the highest grade Dave had available for analysis was Titanic, so I wouldn't make the assumption Acme and Peerless were necessarily the same specification.

[Mark Conrad]

Ed, I agree but my point is they didn't have much money in the barrels made with American steel. Whitworth was another story.

I heard a story once about the first .410's made with tubes supplied by Ithaca. The usual Parker barrel steel names were used on those guns.

[edgarspencer]

I'd like to add a thought that has been bothering me since Dave first called me to discuss the results he had gotten back.
It wouldn't be necessarily correct to make the assumption, based upon the chemistry alone, that the lower grade barrel steels were essentially the same, or fell within the same specification.
Part of the process in making steel is achieving the chemical analysis of the melt, while still in the furnace, so that it meets that portion of a specification. Another equally important portion of the manufacturers ability to meet a specification is to also heat treat the material so that it meets the physical requirements. These requirements, at a minimum, include Yield Strength, UTS (Ultimate Tensile Strength) Elongation, and Reduction of Area. These requirements are determined by heat treating with the product, a test bar from the same melt, then machining the test bar to the requirements of one of the several profiles used in Tensile Testing Machines. Varying the temperatures of heat treatment, and the method of cooling from those temps, can make one material, whose chemistry meets a plain scoop of vanilla, to a butterscotch sundae, with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry.
Our larger melt furnaces had capacities of 40,000 lbs. When the furnaces were tapped, into a ladle (hung from a 50 ton overhead crane) garden variety castings were regularly poured from the same heat as propulsion turbine cases for GE Steam Turbine. one casting may have a selling price of $2.50/lb, and another, $10, or more. There is a lot that goes into the processing of steel beyond simply meeting a chemical analysis.
Its unfortunate Dave didn't have samples of a sufficient size to also do physical testing.

[Autumn Daze]

Mark, We were only able to test samples up to Titanic Steel.If I ever get samples of Acme and Peerless they will be tested also.

Another thought that popped into my head after the article was sent to Dean was. Could Parker Bros. have decided to label the barrel steel type by the degree of finishing they perfomed on the finished barrel set? We know that as the grades went higher so did the degree of barrel finish. Just food for thought....

[Wild Skies]

It has often been stated that Parker Reproductions were better than Parker Bros. guns because they used modern steels. Wouldn't it be enlightening to know if Parker Repro steel was truly better and have them analyzed, too?