opening up chokes

[todd allen]

Maybe not relevant here, but in pigeon shooting, open chokes help a poor shooter, and hurt a good shooter.

[Southpaw]

Needs and wants are two different things. You just have to make your mind up with that particular gun if its an investment/collector type gun or does it need be a more effective shooter in the arsenal. Obviously your gun ..... enough said.

My dad picked up a 12 gauge VH that had a pinned stock and someone a long time ago cut the barrels back from 28 to 26 to open the chokes, or someone overloaded blew chokes out and cutting back was the cure. Its essentially a cylinder and cylinder gun that is really now not so much a collectors or investment gun but a shooter. You almost have to intentionally try to miss, to miss with this gun on going away targets that are 30 yards and in. He got it for field trials. An old man and an old gun making the most of it.

Btw my dad would never modify a gun in original condition that he owned, but he sure is enjoying his new to him Parker guilt free since he did not modify it. I think he got it for about 8 bills.

[Tom Flanigan]

Todd....unfortunately your father's gun is not unusual. Many fine Parkers had barrels cut or chokes relieved over the years. There are many of them out there and they are not hard to find. That is one reason that I am so against messing with the original chokes on a Parker. One can easily find a gun that has been modified and so there is no reason to molest original Parker chokes, in my opinion. The process can't be reversed and so another gun with carefully bored original chokes is now added to the population of molested guns......an unfortunate situation.

[Southpaw]

I agree with you Tom and understand they aren't making anymore old Parker's. But its hard to tell someone how to play with their toys and we don't know full story about Mr. Rainey's gun and or his needs or wants. We may not all agree but I respect his path of choice whatever he chooses. Not to get off topic on chokes or modifying a gun but there was similar conversation about someone now engraving a badge that for most part had been left blank for most of guns life, would that impact value or function? Anyway modifying a gun is sort of like trying to legislate opinions on morality, who is to judge, cast the first stone.

Yep there are some pretty good deals out there on some modified shooter Parkers if you have a mind for that type of gun and certain you can find one, but that gun may not see the light of day for some people but for others it would be a joy. There are lots of shades of gun metal grey.

[J.B. Books]

Does it really matter very much if the gun is an average/worn condition Trojan, V or G, provided the work of relieving the chokes is done right? It seems to me there are lot of "shooters" out there where the value of the gun would not be changed very much if at all.

[C.O.B.]

Originally Posted by Pete Lester

Does it really matter very much if the gun is an average/worn condition Trojan, V or G, provided the work of relieving the chokes is done right? .

Would you take a vintage car in 100% original condition and install power windows?

[Kirk Potter]

Originally Posted by Rich Anderson

Would you take a vintage car in 100% original condition and install power windows?

Depends.. A 1953 Corvette? No. A 1958 Biscayne? Maybe?

I personally wouldn't alter anything to non original on a DH or higher, but a Trojan or VH?

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Rich Anderson

Would you take a vintage car in 100% original condition and install power windows?

A "faulty comparison" Rich. A closer analogy would be more like adding accessory springs to the steering linkage of a model T to keep it stable at 45 mph.

[Southpaw]

Originally Posted by Rich Anderson

Would you take a vintage car in 100% original condition and install power windows?

Nope not me, but others may and that is their freedom of choice, or at least in this country its suppose to be. Different strokes etc. etc. People just have different views. Ya know what some call fashion others call tacky, who gets to choose that label?

In my podunk little hometown in middle of nowhere redneck Alabama there was a fella that painted this wild impressionistic modern abstract art. To me it was weird, gawdy and tacky that looked the inner workings of someone bordering on insanity and most people I knew would not hang that stuff in a closet. Of course they loved his work in Paris and he became very famous over there and somewhat celebrated back home, after the fact. Besides the only other claim to fame my little hometown had was the actress that played Nurse Ratchet in "One flew over the Coo Coos Nest" uncle lived there and she came to visit, once for a few hours at his country store.

Anyway, I like the comedian Louie Anderson talking about his Dad when going on vacation wearing plaid shorts, black socks with garters and loafers and then seeing hippies walking buy and murmuring under his breath "Would you look at those freaks" and then say "Hey quit looking at us, we're looking at you."

[Tom Flanigan]

I truly believe it does matter, even with a worn Trojan. The guns are no longer made and therefore taking another gun out of the remaining and shrinking pool of unmolested guns is a big mistake, in my opinion. I do believe that we are only caretakers. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. Much damage and bastardization has been done to many Parkers over the years. Our generation knows better, for the most part, and we should not contribute to the carnage.