Defining a Parker Long Range shotgun

[Researcher]

Does anyone actually have an unmolested Parker Bros. 12-gauge, gun chambered for 3-inch shells, from the period 1923 to 1933 that letters as such?

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Dave Noreen

Does anyone actually have an unmolested Parker Bros. 12-gauge, gun chambered for 3-inch shells, from the period 1923 to 1933 that letters as such?

Back in 63 before I shipped out I ha........ wait that was a bad dream sorry

[Cold Spring]

Originally Posted by Dave Noreen

Does anyone actually have an unmolested Parker Bros. 12-gauge, gun chambered for 3-inch shells, from the period 1923 to 1933 that letters as such?

Dave, not quite what you asked about but I recently found a 32" 12-gauge VHE, 194000's range shown as made in mid 1921, that has 2-7/8" chambers, bores at .749/750" and 6+" long full tapered chokes with constrictions at 48 and 50 points. That's with my Super-Fox chamber length gauge and Stan Baker bore mike, so the measurements are accurate. I know that 1921 date is a bit pre-intro of progressive powder factory shells but we know a lot of 3-inch experimentation was going on in that period by Askins, Sweeley, E I DuPont and others, and was being written up in the sporting mags. And in turn that influenced some people to Jump in and order guns for handloaded 3-inchers and anticipated factory machine made shells. It's an interesting gun with barrels that look to be unmolested, and I'll be doing more research on it along with patterning etc. Also looks to have been a ducker, no surprise there.

[LtCol Henderson Marriott]

Originally Posted by Dave Noreen

Does anyone actually have an unmolested Parker Bros. 12-gauge, gun chambered for 3-inch shells, from the period 1923 to 1933 that letters as such?

Dave has gotten me to reflecting:

I have owned 3 and still hunt with a Long Range 3 inch LC Smith, a Super Fox 3 inch gun of which I have owned two, and retain two M-12 3 in Heavy Duck guns.
I have not actually seen or handled a Parker 3 inch gun. It does beg the question:how many Parker 3 inch or 2 7/8 inch guns were actually made
and sold?

Other manufacturers by the 1930s were surely taking up market share: Winchester, Fox (Sterlingworth), possibly Ithaca, and some British doubles.
Fox later used up the last of the HE grade barrels and frames to market
a waterfowl heavy Sterlingworth. The price of that rarer late Fox was close to the original Super Fox HE price. Not many were offered or sold.
The Depression and new game law restrictions on geese and duck limits played a part in supply and demand. Many hunters bought used Model 12 pump shotguns in the 30s because they could not afford even a used double gun.

An Abercrombie and Fitch NYC 1933 used gun catalog, personally owned- offered a Parker A-1 Special for a bit over $200.

[OH Osthaus]

Originally Posted by henderson Marriott

possibly Ithaca,

I have no doubt an NID in 3" 12ga would handle the heavy load well

but Ithaca's specific entry to the long range waterfowl arms race was the 2 7/8 Super 10 - not to be confused with the later 3 1/2 magnum 10 boat anchor

The Ithaca Super is a wonderfully efficient hunting tool

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Rick Losey

I have no doubt an NID in 3" 12ga would handle the heavy load well

but Ithaca's specific entry to the long range waterfowl arms race was the 2 7/8 Super 10 - not to be confused with the later 3 1/2 magnum 10 boat anchor

The Ithaca Super is a wonderfully efficient hunting tool

I like my 3 1/2” Ithaca Boat Anchor, but I do have to buy longer sleeved shirts after using it. It’s a turkey killing machine.

[Researcher]

Do we have a number on the L.C. Smith Wildfowl/Long Range guns? A quick look in Houchins this morning while my oats were cooking, I didn't see one.

The count of their records Ithaca Gun Co. did back in the 1960s showed 87 12-gauges built on the NID magnum-frame. The Magnum-12 wasn't listed in the Ithaca Gun Co. catalogs until 1937, but we see 12-gauge guns throughout the 500000 serial number range. However, some of these 12-gauges built on the NID magnum-frame that have surfaced have 2 3/4" chambers.

A.H. Fox Gun Co./Savage Arms Corp. built about 950 12-gauge HE-Grade Super-Fox guns but how many started life chambered for 3-inch shells is not known.

Some other manufacturers tried their hand in the field as well. Davis Warner Arms Corp. offered one of their N.R. Davis doubles which they called Hy-Power Grade --

Davis Hammerless Guns 1926 E.K. Tryon.jpg

The Hy-Power Grade doesn't appear in the Crescent - Davis Arms Corp. paper from the 1930s.

[OH Osthaus]

Originally Posted by Dave Noreen

Do we have a number on the L.C. Smith Wildfowl/Long Range guns? A quick look in Houchins this morning while my oats were cooking, I didn't see one.

There was a real nice half page chart in an LC collector association newsletter many years ago- I believe it was put together by Jim Stubbendieck - it breaks the total down by grade and options. I’ll see if I can find my copy Dave, It would be good addition to your ever growing data collection

Originally Posted by Daryl Corona

Just my 2cents......

To me a lot of the long range, super dooper duck crushers were merely marketing hype

Exactly Daryl, my earlier point

Nash Buckingham gave the Super Fox it’s reputation, but if we were honest, few if any of us will ever shoot like him no matter what’s at our shoulder