Parker Live Bird Gun??

[Bruce L. Cohen]

Mr. Osthaus: Well I don't actually agree with that completely. I have shoot boxed birds as late as two years ago. There is actually a very large world wide community of folks who still shoot "Fliers" and it is still legal in many states and outside the US in many Latin American and European Countries. It is done in a quite way and yes it is a big money game and most of the shooters shoot big money guns. Now in 1924 as now not everyone who shot boxed birds was a millionare. I imagine the Parker VHE i have cost in excess of $ 60 with the bevertail forend and ejectors and I imagine in 2015 dollars that is a lot of money for the average guy. Pigion shooting was common in every state back then and there were alot of clubs around still. Not saying your wrong, just saying it could have been a trapshooters gun or it could have belonged to a guy who did both but on a local or regional level.
That's the great thing about strange guns, absent the record of whom it was sold to, I will never know just guess.
As to the fancy shooting irons there is a very large shoot held in PA each year and the winner four or five years ago was shooting a Remington Pump Gun. Imagine that

[Bruce L. Cohen]

Got the rib thing now. Thanks all . You are correct mine is concave and does have the dolls head.

[Researcher]

In his book Pigeon Shooting, by Blue Rock, Capt. A.W. Money argued that 30-inch barrels were the perfect length for the ring.

The International Flyer Championship was held at Kansas City from at least 1917 to 1941.

Homer Clark, Jr. won at Madrid, Spain, in 1949, shooting a big No. 5E NID Ithaca with vent rib, beavertail and single trigger.

[OH Osthaus]

i think most will take the trap comment as the humor it was meant to be, although the Remington pump does sort of fit my point.

i know flier shoots continue and I know some here still do it- but - its not nearly as common or to the level of public exposure it was before the last century in this country- which is where a V was likely sold.

still sounds like an interesting gun- and still hope you can get some pictures up

[Big Friend Ten (BFT)]

I am sure that this and most all guns without safeties MAY have been used for shooting pigeons in a ring. Chances are however that more likely they were not. We see 20 gauge Parkers without safetys claimed to be "Live Bird Guns". Were those built for the pigeon ring or a Texas dove field?

It is more likely that a long barreled SxS side built without a safety was a completion gun for trap than for pigeons. There were certainly more clay pigeon shooters than live pigeon shooters.

Also, remember when seat belts in cars came about? How many people refused to were them? Heck, some still do not wear them and get fined for not wearing them despite the documented controlled test results and empirical evidence from traffic accident survivors in favor of the good the belts provide.

Some of those old shooters might have hated safeties as much as I hate a car that locks it doors automatically! A hundred years ago I would have been the type of SOB who ordered a gun without a safety just as I would NEVER buy a car or truck that locked its doors automatically!

Sorry to bring logic and my personal lack thereof into this discussion,
Mark

[StubTwist]

Originally Posted by Dave Suponski

No rib extention means the lack of the "Dolls head" that fit into a mortise in the top of the frame.

What advantage does the lack of a dolls head provide in pigeon, trap, competition shooting?

Curious....

[Double Lab]

I have a 30", VH 20, ordered in 1904 by noted Parker shooter W.R. Crosby. It was ordered without a safety and the notation "Send Bill- Compliments of Parker Brothers". It is choked IM/F. I have shot live pigeon smallbore events and this could have possibly been used for this but more than likely it was used for clays.

[Craig Larter]

My TH Keller gun is a 1903 DH, PG 14"LOP, 1 1/2x 2 1/2, 7 3/4 to 8 lbs RH Full, LH Extra Full, chamber 2 3/4", no safety. From my readings the classic pigeon gun of the era was 30", 32" and higher stock dimensions became the norm as shoots turned to trap clay bird competitions. http://parkerguns.org/forums/album.p...pictureid=5153
I am not sure if I am correct---what say you?

[Kevin McCormack]

Dave, the forend on Homer Clark's gun is the most monstrous BTFE I think I have ever seen on a SxS gun. It could be a design from one of Josef Fanzoi's three-barreled SxSxO/U guns! Our mutual friend who runs the local pigeon ring recently purchased one, BTW - at the last 2 gun shows, it achieved "Pat The Bunny" status!

[Autumn Daze]

Scott, It is my belief that having no dolls head speeded up the loading/unloading process in competiton guns.