what was your first parker

[Hammer Gun]

Charlie, It was a PHE steel barrel gun with 30" tubes. Seems it was in the mid eighties can,t rightly remember. I was in the gun shop looking at a L.C. Smith specialty grade when the owner brought it out from under the counter, It had 70% original case, good barrel blue and wood paid 4200.00 which was a lot then ,but it was a very high condition gun. At the time I was a L.C. Smith guy. Gary

[Blind Dog]

My first is an 1884 0 grade 12 with 28" twist bbls. Bought it for $20 in 1959 from an old Indian known as Chief who ran a fishing and hunting camp on Tunk Lake, Maine. With Dean's help in getting it properly hammered, it still busts birds and targets.

[George Lander]

Charlie: Mine was a Grade Three Hammer 10 Gauge Gun that I got when I was about eight years old. My dad's frien that owned an AMOCO service station had taken it in on trade for gas and I traded him my 16 gauge Iver Johnson single shot for it. I guess that's what got me started in this crazy collecting business. (I still have it!)

Best Regards, George

[Mills]

Mine was a 20 gauge Trojan. It is still my favorite.

[Richard Flanders]

26" VHE20 that was my mothers gun when she was a kid. Last thing she said to my grandmother before she died was "make sure Richard gets the Parker".... I got it and, after having it for 40 yrs, am about to pass it on to a niece who loves to shoot

[Dean Romig]

My first was a borrowed 12 ga. Trojan with 28" barrels. I had it on semi-permanent loan until my friend Dave, the owner, moved to Boise and asked to have it back. That all started back in '61 and I cut my SXS teeth on that gun. I didn't shoot it very well for the first year as I was only 13 and only weighed 130 or so. After I grew into the gun so that it didn't kick me so hard every time I shot it my shooting improved quite a lot.

The first Parker I bought was an 1898 12 ga. DH with 30" Titanic barrels choked FULL/FULL. I bought it in 2000 from KTP (in the pre JD years) and had Russ Bickel fit a set of 30" IC/MOD Damascus barrels to it. Russ also re-rust-blued the Titanic barrels and properly put them back on-face. Brad Batchelder refinished the Damascus barrels and all it needs now is some new screws and it will look pretty nice. It is a great shooter and I use it often.

[Bill Zachow]

Charlie, mine was/is a 12 gauge DH that my wife forced me to buy when I took her a 130 miles to a hunting camp auction outside of Theresa, NY. I have written about the gun twice in Parker Pages. The "forcing" from my wife took place when I dropped out of the bidding at $3000. My wife said, "you dragged me up here because it was a Parker, buy the &$@?) thing." So I did. The gun is in superb shape and the selling family (Snell) purchased the gun in 1917. I have the Parker catalog that was used to order the gun through a Watertown, NY gun a hardware business, the hang tags, additional Parker catalogs and other family memorabilia. The gun piqued my interest so much that I was able to get into Remington (before the PGCA) and find the original order. I still have it.

[Autumn Daze]

Charlie, My first was a lowly VH 12 gauge with 28" barrels on a 2 frame. Bought it back in 1993 I think and paid $700.00 for it. I still remember the serial number 102500. Shot it for a few weeks and the stock split at the head and that is when my friendship with Dennis Smith(The Stock Doctor)took place. I saw his add in the Gun List and contacted him. He restocked the gun to my dimentions for a great price and I have never looked back. Kinda wish I still had that gun.

[10 bore]

Hmm, i bought mine in 1998 i think(maybe pete can help here) at the KTP in Maine too, it was a 12 ga VH, 1 1/2 frame ,28 in, F/M for 680.00. shot that for a few years than the bug hit, trading and selling and buying, scott

[Bindlestiff]

I inherited a GHE 16ga back in 1972 when my very best friend died. My other guns might be sold but never that one. I take it hunting every fall.