Getting the Band Back Together

[Bill Murphy]

Very nice, I hope to get a similar picture some day.

[Stan Hoover]

That is spectacular Dean!!!

I would love to hear more about the Grade 6, I thought Parker Laminated barrels were more common on Grades 3 & 4, have you encountered these barrels on many higher grades?

Thanks,
Stan

[Tennessee Dave]

Awesome guns, Thanks for sharing them.

[Dean Weber]

Originally Posted by Stan Hoover

That is spectacular Dean!!!

I would love to hear more about the Grade 6, I thought Parker Laminated barrels were more common on Grades 3 & 4, have you encountered these barrels on many higher grades?

Thanks,
Stan

Stan, we talked about this gun previously in this thread. Gun is 2 barrel set, 1 Damascus and 1 Parker Laminated.
https://parkerguns.org/forums/showth...ighlight=grade

Unfortunately, my pictures seemed to have gone missing. Probably user error on the picture hosting site.

Here are couple to enhance the thread.

[Dean Romig]

I once counted the number of grades listed in the Serialization book that included the L designation (e.g. L4 or L3 or L5 and so on) covering the three-year period encompassing the manufacture of Parker-made Laminated Steel barrels, 1877-1879 and for a couple of years following 1879, and came up with something like 300+ guns manufactured. Certainly it is unknown if these “L” guns actually had Parker-made barrels, or if they were rough tubes sourced in England or Belgium, but I think we can safely presume the vast majority were. I counted two L2 guns and similarly few L6 guns, the majority being L3 through L5.
This doesn’t answer the question asked and certainly there likely will never be an accurate count.
The Parker-made Laminated Steel barrels will always be an interesting subject and will always be high on the collectibility scale.





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[George "Scott" Davis]

these would make a great photo for the cover of Parker Pages

[Brian H]

Fantastic group!

[ArtS]

I have studied TPS on the subject, and as I read it, the Parker Laminate barrels were intended(?) to be used on Grades 2,3, and 4. The production records they give seem to support this. However, as Dean has pointed out before, there seem to be a few higher grade guns that were fitted with them. What makes them hard to track is that, to me, it appears that Parker tended to view their own Laminate barrels as superior to others in that they installed them on Damascus Grade guns along with normal Damascus grade appropriate barrels. I think that may be in line with the above note that they are a separate form of Damascus (Tonsin).

I have two lifters with Parker Laminate barrels and am negotiating for another. The two I now own are split. One appears in the serialization book as a Damascus grade and one as a Laminate grade. However, they both have original laminate barrels, even though there is no mention in the Letters. I actually obtained a Letter on the one I am trying to buy, and it Lettered as a Damascus gun and is shown in the serialization book as such.

About a year ago, I searched through old posts here, and quickly located about a dozen guns shown in posts which were recorded as Damascus guns but had original Parker Laminate barrels. Compared to the number of L guns listed in the records, this number just in one quick search session seems significant. We know Parker put a lot of effort into setting up and making these barrels and they prominately reported on this fact at the time. It had to be a point of pride to them. It would only be logical I think that they pushed their use. There is no way to know with the records we have, but I think they may have simply used them as a Damascus equal on their mid grade guns.

[Harold Pickens]

Beautiful hammer guns Dean. I remember in the TPS there were a run of 34 and a few 36 " barreled O frame 16s. I have that battered set of 34" O frame 16 twist barrels, along with the fore arm, receiver, minus the right hammer, but without a stock, a grade O. Ihad hoped to restore it, or at least have the barrels fitted to my current grade O 16 TL hammer gun. Both Dave Fjelline and John Hosford looked at the set but passed on fitting them.
Curious, Ill look at the ser# and you can see see if it is in the same range as yours.

[todd allen]

That Grade 6 seems to be the Leader of the Band!
Beautiful collection!