Runge and possibly Del Grego records

[FewOldGuns]

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

You know that it is a gun that started out as a vent rib DHE and was later on customized and restocked by someone. It is what it is.

Tearing the gun apart to search for signatures and marks would only satisfy your own curiosity as to who did the work. And it is up to you if you want to mess around with that.

I get that. Any idea why it would have peerless bbls though? They match the description in the PGCA letter. That's the oddity that has me very curious and yes it is my curiosity only that I am trying to satisfy. But is also an altruistic quest - honoring the gun itself (which I guess is selfishly driven???).

For me, part of the fun of collecting is learning the history of not only the manufacturer and models but the history of a particular gun. I realize that it may never be known and at the end of the day it doesn't matter as I love the gun.

History gets lost - so I am trying to plug any gaps for the next generations.

This Parker is a beautiful, unique and mysterious gun and that is why I acquired it - I am very pleased with it and even if it was a complete fake (which isn't) I would still love it. I do believe it deserves some effort in investigating it's history. I plan to pass this on to one of my sons so I am not interested in the value or its purity per se.

Realizing I may never know, I still want to give it a good try, the particulars of this gun that are mysterious to me are:
1 - When did the upgrade occur?
2 - Who commissioned it?
3 - Who was it commissioned for?
3 - Why didn't the engraver sign this incredibly intricate and beautiful upgrade? (Who did it? Who did they do for?) - I know there are 2 previous owners at least.
4 - Why does it have peerless bbls? That is not standard for a DHE. (It does appear the bbls have been reblued by someone who knew what they were doing as mid rib has been strategically drilled for expansion)
3- Why has receiver been restamped A1S and grade 8. Is that typically done on upgrades?.

So my theories are:
1 - It was an upgrade by a large shop commissioned for a particular individual - Pachmayr or similar (most likely)
2 - It was an upgrade Commissioned by an individual in an attempt to pass it off as a A1S to unknowledgeable purchaser. (not likely but not out of the realm of possibility)
3 - Wild a$$ theory is that it was factory produced by Parker before the transition, someone at Remington decided to upgrade it for a particular person and it was done in house. (not likely but plausible) Any thoughts on that?

I sincerely appreciate any education or information anyone has to share. This is my first Parker and am enjoying learning about them. Truly remarkable guns.