Parker 3 inch guns

[Phil C]

I have a Parker Hammer gun made in 1890 that letters to 3” chambers per customers request.

[Drew Hause]

Complicating the survey of 3" chambered Parker guns will be the fact that many turn-of-the-century trap shooters ordered 2 7/8", 3" and even 3 1/4" chambers.

October 19, 1895 Sporting Life
Dr. J.L. Williamson, of Milwaukee, Wis., has just purchased a new gun of more than ordinary proportions. The Doctor was quite taken with Carver's Cashmore gun, having long barrels and shooting a big load in a 3 1/4 inch shell; but desiring to give the American gunmakers a chance he ordered a gun from the Lefever Arms Company, of Syracuse, N. Y. but at the same time rather doubted their ability to make such a weapon as he desired. However, the gun was furnished and Dr. Williamson killed 79 out of 80 live birds on one trial, and 74 out of 75 targets, part being doubles.
The gun is a Lefever, 12-gauge, weighing 8 1/4 pounds, 32-inch barrels, and chambered for a 3 1/4 inch shell (possibly with a 3" chamber), and guaranteed to stand 4 1/2 Drams of “E.C.” powder, which is the amount of powder which he uses.

In Feb. 1898, C.W. Budd received on consignment a Parker $400 AAH Pigeon Gun SN 87449 with 30” Whitworth barrels F/F and 2 7/8” chambers (likely for 3" shells).

A Cashmore Pigeon Gun 3 1/4" cases. I don't know the chamber length.



Interestingly, the 1894-95 Montgomery Ward catalog listed "The Parker Long Range"

[Drew Hause]

Smith LRWF marketing verbiage touted "special boring" -

"A distinctive L.C. Smith method of choking adds 15 to 20 yards to ordinary shotgun range...specially bored to a longer, tapering choke..."



But LRWF bores are usually .730 without tapering to the choke constriction of about 3 inches.

Despite the "clean kills at 80 yds." claims, this is pattern testing by David Williamson with .042" choke 32" LRWF at a measured 80 yards using 3 inch Winchester (plastic) hull with 38.35 grains of Blue Dot, Winchester 209 primer, Winchester AASL wad, and 1 3/8 ounces of #5 nickel plated shot. The average number of pellets was 246 and measured weight 1.353 ounce. Number of pellets in duck for 3 shots: 5,6 & 6. Pattern % in 30" circle: 5.3 = 13 pellets, 8.1 = 20 pellets & 8.5 = 21 pellets.

[Richard Flanders]

Other than near the Tanana River and on the Minto Flats, it's mostly very unproductive vegetated sand dune country between Wien Lk and Fairbanks. I've hunted the Minto Flats for many years but it's been so flooded the past few years that it's difficult to hunt these days. The island we camped on for decades is now submerged.

[Drew Hause]

Might be good to add one of these magic guns to the long range pattern trial

Sporting Life August 25, 1886 -
https://digital.la84.org/digital/col...oll17/id/21995

[OH Osthaus]

thanks Drew-

I see these ads and wonder if any of these off brand "long range" guns survived use

[Drew Hause]

More 3" "Long Range" guns

3" "Perfect" cartridge; 1904-1914 W.J. Jeffery & Co. catalogs



VL&D were the U.S. agents for G.E. Lewis in 1923



Davis Hy-Power 1927
"...parchment paper capsule that extends beyond the chamber into the bore of the gun."

[OH Osthaus]

I tried to buy a Lewis 3" a couple years ago - it was originally shipped to Nova Scotia

one of the members here had owned it- sold or traded it to a dealer who offered me a price but had excuses for why he couldn't get me some detail photos.

that was a quality gun from a known maker

here is a thread from the member that owned it for a while

http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthr...ighlight=lewis

[LtCol Henderson Marriott]

John Olin deserves part credit for the renewed interest in longer effective range shotguns
in the 1920s. His Super-X 3 inch shells with improved progressive powders, copper plated shot reduced deformation and shot stringing at longer ranges. The HE Super Foxes in the hands of Nash Buckingham and others of the period increased the demand enough so that LC Smith, Fox, Parker and Winchester received more orders for their specialized 3-inch guns.

It is generally conceded that Burt Becker, Maj Charles Askins and AH Fox did a great deal of successful
work with the 3 inch HE Super Fox, and the results without question influenced the
hunting and shooting public. Achieving EFFECTIVE patterns on game at longer ranges
has been shown through Becker-bored Fox barrels to be: a unique style of over-boring, tapered polished forcing cones,
very tight chambers, specialized choke boring, and final bore extra polishing. Along with specialized 3 inch progressive powder shot shells.

Arguments to the contrary might surmise that other factors were in play with developing
the AH Fox HE Super Fox and Sterlingworth Wild Fowl Grades effectiveness. Unless empirical evidence is shown, I tend to withhold judgment. Becker did not sprinkle magic dust on his barrels to get the REPEATABLE pattern results that his barrels achieved.

All other factors being equal- the 3 in Parker, AH Fox, and LC Smith shotguns would send more effective pellets down range to their targets in the duck and goose marshes
than their shorter 12 gauge cousins. That being said, every shotgun has individual
performance characteristics.

[Craig Larter]

I believe Parker was ahead of the curve with respect to barrel boring. I have a 1917 12ga #3 frame 12ga that was patterned with #1 shot and 2 7/8" chambers. The bores measure .740/.742 with chokes of .037/.040. I believe the barrel men in Meridan knew large shot patterned better in a over-bored barrel. I bet Becker, Olin and Fox started with that knowledge when they developed the 3" Super-X loads.