176xxx S/N SBT no grade on water table

[Bill Murphy]

The SC listed for sale on this site right now is priced at $2750.00, a price that may be negotiated lower. An SC in the mid threes would probably be very original and fairly high condition.

[James Gauntt]

Thanks Chris and Bill — I really don’t know enough to invest in one although they are quite beautiful. Tell me, are there still folks who work on them?

[Woodcock survey]

Many new folks use the term invest. If a return is what you want i suggest an exchange traded fund. Historically a Parker, unless one of a kind, in perfect condition, sells for less now than new taking into account inflation.

Buying is the easy part, for retail, selling for more than wholesale the hard part. Unless you are buying to shoot and enjoy steer your money to the market.

[James Gauntt]

Woodcock survey,

I meant invest as in put money into one, not to make money on it — my options for shooting clays are somewhat limited near me so its a thinker as to whether or not to go with a 100 year old gun vs a used Perazzi or something similar. However, having shot the Parker, I can say I like it very much. Thank you very much and I apologize for suggesting invest in the way it came across.

[Phil Yearout]

Originally Posted by James Gauntt

Thanks Chris and Bill — I really don’t know enough to invest in one although they are quite beautiful. Tell me, are there still folks who work on them?

They are great fun to own and shoot, and of course they don't have to be "original" or "perfect" to shoot and enjoy, but you don't want to overpay, and frankly a SBT will probably only be worth what it's worth today or less; don't look for much if any increase in market value (if that makes sense?). I've never had any major work done on mine but I have had the trigger reworked, so there are gunsmiths out there who can work on them.

[James Gauntt]

Thank you, Phil — based on the info an photos of the one I have posted, and based on Bill Dudley’s input would it be safe to say the gun in question is a $2k gun or would it be less? Mechanically it is perfect, but with refinished and embellished metal and an insert on the butt stock, I have no idea what is “fair”

[B. Dudley]

I would recommend walking away from this gun if you are wanting to buy one and look for one that is right. Let it be someone else's problem. A bad gun is a bad gun at any price.

[Bill Murphy]

Yup, I would hold out for one with original finish and unmodified wood, even if I had to pay up for it. They are not hard to find. I have found a baggo them. By the way, it's not a dove, it's a pigeon.

[Phil Yearout]

There are many here who are much more knowledgeable than I, and certainly more particular ; if I'm buying a gun as a shooter, originality is not as important to me as it is to some, so long as the lack of originality is reflected in the price. One downside of a gun that's not original can be, what else has been done to it, and have things been done that will affect it mechanically? Why did someone choose to blacken the trigger plate or make the pigeon gold; is it paint or some chemical process or...? Does the extra carving on the forend mean a replacement, etc.? Hard to tell from the pic but the receiver looks really shiny; has it been polished or buffed? If you really like the gun and can establish that the issues are largely cosmetic, I think I'd want to pay under $2K for it.

The folks here telling you to walk away told me the same thing when I bought Orphan Annie, my Parker SBT, but for the price I paid she and I have been very happy together .

[Bill Murphy]

I don't think I would have told you to walk away from Orphan Annie because choke was evident at the 27" level as I recall. Condition wasn't an issue, again, as I recall.