Brian,
The restoration turned out better than expected and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. I purchased the gun for my wife because it’s 5lbs, 1oz with 26” barrels and in 28ga which is our preferred gauge for hunting quail in South Texas. The metal work is excellent with correct barrel polish and bluing, proper screws and recut of the engraving. Turnbull did an outstanding job on the case color. As for the wood, I appreciate your recommendation to replace the fore end wood, and it matches the butt stock perfectly. In my opinion, our goal to restore the gun to period-correct original was accomplished. We had considerable discussions regarding wood selection and didn’t want to go overboard with wood that wasn’t correct for a VH Grade. Although the wood is better than the original, I own several factory field grade guns with wood containing feathering as this one now does so I don’t think we went too far on wood selection. The original stock had been shortened with a pad added and we weren’t sure what the original butt plate was. In checking with the Parker Research Committee, there was no record of the original butt plate, so we had to assume the original was a dogs head with spur. The one you installed is beautiful and I’m confident we made the right selection. As for the stock shield “DLS Christmas 1916” we don’t know the history, but I think we can all agree it adds to the provenance of the gun. With the restoration complete, I commend you on your craftsmanship and attention to detail. We now have a correctly restored 109-year-old gun that looks as good as it did on Christmas Day 1916.
I also must commend my friend and fellow Parker enthusiast, Keith Doty. He recommended you for the project and insisted that we restore the gun to period correct as close to original as possible. Keith’s advice has led to a superb outcome for everyone involved. It’s gratifying to see a plan come together and exceed expectations.
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