Hammer gun load advice

[Bruce Day]

Here is what Parker recommended during the hammer gun times. The powder is expressed in black drams but a person can translate to dram equivalents such as on present cartridge boxes.

[Bruce Day]

I hunt with a Parker hammer gun from 1881 and these are what I use but I will go to size 6 shot for pheasant. Wild birds out here.

The cleaning rod is a C M Powers, who was a Parker shooter.

[Bruce Day]

This is a Quality G 12/28 and is fully original except that I personally applied a top coat of Timberluxe to the stock to correct a few light scratches and dullness.
The barrel and chamber dimensions are shown. The choke length is the 4 1/2, the original chambers are 2 7/8.

We were at Pheasant Fest in MSP in February and displayed about 30 Parkers . That was a short drive from you .

Your gun is several years newer than mine. I’m sure you know that smokeless powder was in widespread use by the late 1890’s and even required in many competition shoots. As Parker made Damascus barreled guns until 1927 , many have never seen black powder . Black powder cartridges were the cheap choice, even the base grade Parkers cost three times what many other guns cost and I suspect that many owners did not shoot the cheap shells when offered a choice.

[RickR]

Interesting info Bruce and the other "shoot away" posters. Bruce raised my confidence even higher seeing that box of federal target loads. Local Walmart has some of those in 16 ga. that are cheaper to buy than I can reload. (Unlike other stores where 16 shells cost way more than any 12 or 20 similars.)

That last post. 2 7/8 chambers? If so, then mine may NOT have been lengthened and I was concerned over nothing.

I was skeptical at first of those Parker recommended loads before I interpreted what I can see of the copy above the chart ( 4drams and 1 1/8oz. ?), they were apparently referring to some very coarse powder, AND one would have trouble getting that much powder, shot and wadding into a shell that wasn't closer to 2 3/4 anyway.

I appreciate all the responses

Rick

[Bruce Day]

I see no indication from your measurements or photo that would indicate to me that your barrels have been altered. Lightweight hammer Parkers are uncommon, most are 30”, No. 2 frame and about 7 1/2 to 8 lbs. Yours is most likely on a 1 frame.

You have a Quality T plain twist barreled gun, 1882 price was $55 retail.

Following are a few 1882 catalog pages that you might find of interest.

I hunt with my Damascus barreled Parkers , Lefevers and Colt a lot. The G hammer is a fine Minnesota grouse gun. You may be interested to know that Purdey’s can still provide a new Damascus barreled gun . Winchester made some Mod 97’s with Damascus barrels. They were the top end Black Diamond grade.

There are differences in the various types of composite steel barrels including various twists , laminated and Damascus, each different and some quite spectacular.

[Bruce Day]

And finally , something that has started many on the road to ruin .

[Dean Romig]

Right Bruce. One that comes to mind is our turnip farmer friend’s Grade-2 hammer gun with the American Flag bunting barrels comes to mind - a rare one among Parkers, possibly unique. It is in amazingly high condition... I have a couple of pictures of it around here someplace...

Oh yeah! A grade 4 hammer gun with Bernard Steel barrels, Nice! Mine is on the 1-frame.



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[Mike of the Mountain]

Rick, welcome to Parker Universe!! I too shoot a lot with Damascus guns. I shoot factory shells and reloads. If I shoot factory shells I may use some RST and keep the empties to reload. I mainly shoot Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics 1 oz shells in 12g, 7/8 oz in 16g and 3/4 oz in 20g. Biggest issue with most of these vintage guns is not necessarily "metal" problems such as ruining your barrels, etc, but these old stocks have a tendency to crack/split/break. Since you are handy and enjoy working on the stocks, best thing you can do in use a glass bedding compound (such as Acraglass) and reinforce the head. Clean/degrease it then do some bedding, even do some work with a dremel and threaded rods (inside the head) to help hold the head together.

[RickR]

Thanks Mike. Yes, Accraglas has been a staple for me for years. I've written 3 books on vintage archery bows and my current hobby business of bow restorations includes using glass bedding for fiberglass limb repairs such that i buy the bulk version from Brownell's. There's even some on the Parker part of which is under the checkering I replaced. Yes, I'm in sync with you over the fragility of old oil soaked wood standing up to recoil. One of my fix-ups includes knocking back the oil with acetone or even with wood bleach and sealing the stock innards with s-glue or even accraglass to harden and protect.

As I was finishing up the Parker a few weeks ago and giving thought to taking up Cowboy action shooting, I watched some videos of matches. What I saw was speed reloading amounting to near abuse while slamming the guns open and closed then dropping them to pick up revolver or rifle. Unsure I want to subject my Parker to that, there was a total basket case NR Davis & Sons that had been sitting on the rack at a local (and still open) gunshop for as long as I've been going there. Cobwebs in the barrels and a stock that looked like someone attached a 2X6 to the receiver (and it broke at the fences so badly that there was more wood missing than still present). I gave them $100 and brought her home.

I actually had to glue a veneer of Zebrawood to both stock sides at the receiver and re-shape. But when back onto the gun, it originally must have been receiver proud because my added width at the receiver wasn't enough and there was originally very narrow receiver to stock contact. So I glassed her all around the tang and the trigger group and essentially rebuilt the stock width at the receiver with all Accraglas. Ugly but solid, I'm giving thought to hiding the buildup by adding checkering to the fences like is on many better grade doubles.

Once I got that beater looking good again, and cleaned out the barrels, I found the bores to be perfect and a pattern test of 30" barrels revealed full and fuller excellent patterns. Rather than cut the barrels, I bought some cowhide and built a leather monte-carlo cheekpiece and intend to try her as a trap gun. The old Ducker weighs almost 8.5 lbs. so a trap gun is probably a better future for the gun than as a sawed off coach gun. No conclusions until the ranges re-open, but I'm still seeking another fixer-upper ok to chop and serve as a Cowboy shooter, or if that competition doesn't "take" for me; a gun to stand behind the door and guard the toilet paper (grin).

Rick

[todd allen]

Three books on vintage archery.
Rick, one of the things that kinda jumped out at me on your original post is how well written it was. And then the follow up.
Just a thought, but if you joined the association, and continue your Parker pursuits, down the road you might want to write up your experience(s) and submit it/them to our magazine, The Parker Pages.