Need help identifying & valueing an old parker - Page 2

edgarspencer · 03-03-2023, 06:56 PM

Whoa! Slow down there, buckaroo. Before you condemn a shooter, have someone familiar with Parkers look at the gun In Hand.
Digital pictures on the internet can be very misleading.
The gun left the factory as a Damascus barrel Grade 3, and possibly the owner fell victim of the "Dangerous Damacus" hype. There are lots (and lots) of 1 1/2 AND 1 frame 12 gauge guns out there, so even if there was some profiling of the very end of the breach end of the barrels, there's still no less than the wall a 1 1/2 frame gun would have there.(Which is still more than a 1 frame gun) I'd be more concerned about profiling in the forcing cone area than at the end of the barrels. The fit of the dolls head 'appears' very good, and would belie the assumption a full 1/16" was removed. There doesn't appear to be any alteration of the dolls head.
The receiver has well more value than the sum of it's parts, and it's still possible to seek out a set of better fitting barrels. In any case, I don't see anything that says the receiver is definitely a 1 1/2 frame. The only way to know for certain is to measure the width of the bolsters,, and height of the standing breech.

B. Dudley · 03-03-2023, 07:11 PM

Who says it is a 1-1/2 frame gun? The frame is not marked, so unless all of the critical measurements are taken to confirm, we would not know. I would assume the frame is a 2 frame, as the barrels are marked. Obviously the gun just had barrels from another gun put on it and fitted down fairly crudely. The barrels were taken down around the breech and a lot on the rib extension to meet the frame. There can be a lot of variations from gun to gun in these areas. The gun the barrels came from were heavier at the breech than that DH they went onto.

Put some primed hulls in and dry fire it and see if the pins are striking the primers on center.

I would say that there is no reason that the gun would not be shootable from what I see, but it should be looked at by someone more knowledgeable to make sure there are no unforseen issues.
And please, dont let it go to a buy back. The owner will get screwed and the gun will be destroyed. Someone would pay 6 times for it in parts than they will get from a damn buy back program.

Dean Romig · 03-03-2023, 07:15 PM

The Vulcan barrels were most definitely NOT fitted to tgat gun by Parker Bros. as evidenced by that very poorly fitted doll’s head rib extension and the ‘never before seen’ engraving style on it. The doll’s head was also filed down in a convex slope to meet with the top of the frame contour and the lever. Furthermore tgere are huge gaps between the frame and the doll’s head that you could drive a truck through.

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Dean Romig · 03-03-2023, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

Whoa! Slow down there, buckaroo. Before you condemn a shooter, have someone familiar with Parkers look at the gun In Hand.
Digital pictures on the internet can be very misleading.
The gun left the factory as a Damascus barrel Grade 3, and possibly the owner fell victim of the "Dangerous Damacus" hype. There are lots (and lots) of 1 1/2 AND 1 frame 12 gauge guns out there, so even if there was some profiling of the very end of the breach end of the barrels, there's still no less than the wall a 1 1/2 frame gun would have there.(Which is still more than a 1 frame gun) I'd be more concerned about profiling in the forcing cone area than at the end of the barrels. The fit of the dolls head 'appears' very good, and would belie the assumption a full 1/16" was removed. There doesn't appear to be any alteration of the dolls head.
The receiver has well more value than the sum of it's parts, and it's still possible to seek out a set of better fitting barrels. In any case, I don't see anything that says the receiver is definitely a 1 1/2 frame. The only way to know for certain is to measure the width of the bolsters,, and height of the standing breech.

…and the distance between firing pin centers.

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Joe D. · 03-03-2023, 07:23 PM

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Dylan Rhodes · 03-03-2023, 08:22 PM

For the sake of my own education. How can you tell the barrels have been profiled to the frame and that material has been removed from the breech face? I can see clearly now that the rib has been contoured after reading the comments. I’ve been staring at the pictures for some time and I can’t see it, So I’d like to be able to identify it in the future. Is it the gap between the dolls head and the receiver? Could that not be caused by either removing the material from the dolls head only, removing material from the breach face only, or a combination of the two? Thanks in advance.

edgarspencer · 03-03-2023, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

…and the distance between firing pin centers..

So, are you saying the table in the 'book' is wrong?

B. Dudley · 03-03-2023, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylan Rhodes

For the sake of my own education. How can you tell the barrels have been profiled to the frame and that material has been removed from the breech face? I can see clearly now that the rib has been contoured after reading the comments. I’ve been staring at the pictures for some time and I can’t see it, So I’d like to be able to identify it in the future. Is it the gap between the dolls head and the receiver? Could that not be caused by either removing the material from the dolls head only, removing material from the breach face only, or a combination of the two? Thanks in advance.

A set of VH barrels would have light engraving ticks around the breech. They are gone. So at least enough material was removed to eliminate the engraving.

The amount of a gap there is at the back side of the dolls head is an indication of a couple things. That the barrels were set back a lot, or there was some crude filing done in that area. Or both. More than likely the former. When the barrels are set back on the breech, that are opens up some. It is what it is. This amount is a lot. There really is not anything functionally wrong with it. As long as the barrels are on face.

Dylan Rhodes · 03-03-2023, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

A set of VH barrels would have light engraving ticks around the breech. They are gone. So at least enough material was removed to eliminate the engraving.

The amount of a gap there is at the back side of the dolls head is an indication of a couple things. That the barrels were set back a lot, or there was some crude filing done in that area. Or both. More than likely the former. When the barrels are set back on the breech, that are opens up some. It is what it is. This amount is a lot. There really is not anything functionally wrong with it. As long as the barrels are on face.

that makes a lot of sense now that you mention the engraving. Thanks

Dean Romig · 03-04-2023, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

So, are you saying the table in the 'book' is wrong?

I’m saying that the quickest and easiest way to determine frame size is to measure the distance between firing pin centers in sixteenths of an inch, also shown on the pages you have included Edgar.

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