Your intro to Parkers and your first Parker

[ForrestArmstrong]

I have mentioned all this before too but I like reminiscing. I had a keen interest in guns & hunting at an early age, bought my first Gun Digest in 1954 at age 7, knew a little about Parkers back then, their high status anyway. My first shotgun in 1960 when I reached 13 was a field grade LC Smith 12 gauge, always loved doubles. Even passed up a 410 VH priced at $69.95 in the late 60s because I didn't have the cash. Have traded alot of nice guns since then but always thought Parkers were "above my pay grade" and did not acquire my first until about a year ago, a VH 12 (on my avatar). I decided after I got it to really splurge and have added 2 upgrades and 8 repros over the past year.

[J.B. Books]

I think I have told this story here before but as Forrest said reminiscing is good for the soul. It's been near 30 years since my first Parker. It was a 1913 12ga 28" Trojan I purchased from my local gunsmith, Victor Strawbridge, in Dec 1984. I really did not know very much about Parker's and I had not read Johnson's or Baer's books. An older friend who did a lot of upland and duck hunting, who also had a Brittany, Barry Weeks, had a 26" barrel 12ga Trojan, he spoke very highly of Parker's. Barry's father was friends with Burt Spiller. I never owned a double gun but after hunting with Barry I wanted one of my own. In Dec '84 I was getting ready to leave for an assignment to Iceland and I had sold my Jeep as I would not need a vehicle on a remote radar site. I used some of the proceeds to buy this gun. On the morning I left for Iceland I woke up early, went to a favorite spot on a brackish river, the Bellamy, which feeds into Little and Great Bay NH. It was low tide and I managed to make sneak on a raft of ducks. When they flushed I dropped a black duck but couldn't figure out the double trigger in time to get a second shot. I went over and picked the big red leg and while I was holding the duck I saw a small flock of mallards dropping in about 50 yards away. I rested the forend on the top of my left forearm while still holding the black duck and folded a green head with my second barrel. First two shots, two ducks, Parker's are certainly special, you can't tell me otherwise.

I still have the gun which was in great condition when I got it, 65 to 70% cc. Near twenty five seasons of salt water gunning and laying in muddy cornfields took it's toll. In 2007 I drove out to Ilion on my 50th birthday with Scott Kittredge and I had Larry DelGrego & Son restore everything but the cc which is still a strong 50-60%.

[charlie cleveland]

this parker idis will cause you to do crazy things..i had a good 1955 ford 2 door sedan that i traded even up for a parker 20 ga v grade and a parker d grade 12 ga..and that was this year... charlie

[Mills]

My intro to Parkers was my Dad's black friend, Plez Holmes, who had a Parker with Damascus barrels. I remember he brought it on a dove hunt. Dad and several people around town offered to buy it from Plez but he refused. The barrels didn't blow up on him either. I actually tried to track the gun down a year or so ago. It seems the gun is now owned by a son but they aren't selling.

[Double Lab]

My Dad had a 28" Trojan which he bought as a kid in NJ. I would just stare at that gun and thought it was the coolest gun he had. He eventually let me use it when I found a property on MD's eastern shore that was loaded with quail and I just had to shoot those birds with a SxS. It was M/F but what did I know. Killed a bunch of quail with that gun and that started my passion with Parker's. In 1973 or 74 a gentleman named Howard Donahue had a small gun shop in Towson, MD. and I had just bought my first MEC reloader from him. I noticed on the gun rack a Parker, GHE, with 2 sets of barrels. Of course I asked him if it was for sale but he said no, it was his favorite hunting gun. A few days later he called me and told me he had just got a Parker in on consignment and that it was very nice and that I should come over to look at it. Well I rushed over and he pulls from the back of the store a mint Red Head LOM case and inside was an equally mint Remington Parker, 30" straight grip, checkered butt, BTFE. I bought it for the princely sum of $650. Still have that gun and my Dad's Trojan. But the best part of this story is the friendship that developed between Howard and I. He became my mentor in many things; shooting, hunting, women and good bourbon. He flew B-17's in the 8th AF over Germany and eventually authored a book on the Kennedy assassination. With out a doubt he was one of the most fascinating men I ever met. Thanks Howard.

[C.O.B.]

My Grandfather was a trap shooter and bird hunter. When I got interested in hunting my Mom would tell me stories bout his guns and how much he loved his Parker. Unfortunately my Grandfather died before I was born and all his guns were given to friends or sold. At a gun show I saw a Parker Trojan 12ga. I was about ready to graduate from Michigan State at the time and Mom and Dad bought that gun for me as a graduation present. I traded it for a VH 12 then traded that off for a Grade 5 Browning 20ga O/U which I traded off for something else. Years, no decades went by before I got the Parker bug and bought a DHE 20 from Cabelas in Owatonna MN on my way to Wyoming to shoot Prairie dogs. I still have that 20 but I wish I had the Trojan back.

[todd allen]

I had already graduated into hunting with SxS guns, 30 plus years back, but my hunting partner had a Parker. With this in the back of my mind, I ran accross a table at a gun show, maybe 25 years ago, a young man was selling off his recently deceased grandfather's collection of assorted and sundry stuff, and lo and behold, there's a Parker on the table. This was mostly a black rifle type show, so the Parker was not getting much attention. I picked it up and noted it was Damascus BBL'd. When I asked the young man if he was aware that it was Damascus, he said "just give me $250.00 and it's yours".
Okay. Now I owned my first Parker, which turned out to be a beautiful, unmolested GH 12 ga from the late 1880s. I was clueless, but my hunting partner told me I did okay.
BTW, I still have that gun.

[Craig Larter]

You guys have some wonderful stories thanks for sharing. I came to Parkers very late as I am 64. I have been a Fox man for a very long time as my mentor Bill Towner introduced me to Fox guns and duck hunting in 1965. All my resources went towards my Fox obsession and later Elsie 10 bores. I started thinking about Parkers about 4 or 5 years ago. How nice it would be to display a nice Parker with my "The finest Gun in the World" collection . I purchased The Parker Story and joined the PGCA; I was hooked! I purchased my first Parker at a small country auction about three years ago, a well used but honest CHE with beautiful Bernard barrels. I have added 3 more to my accumulation. Someone please stop me!!

[Bill Murphy]

Daryl, I know your friend Howard Donohue but I can't quite place him. Is he a member of your gun club? What was the name of his business?

[Steve Hodges]

Originally Posted by Pete Lester

I think I have told this story here before but as Forrest said reminiscing is good for the soul. It's been near 30 years since my first Parker. It was a 1913 12ga 28" Trojan I purchased from my local gunsmith, Victor Strawbridge, in Dec 1984. I really did not know very much about Parker's and I had not read Johnson's or Baer's books. An older friend who did a lot of upland and duck hunting, who also had a Brittany, Barry Weeks, had a 26" barrel 12ga Trojan, he spoke very highly of Parker's. Barry's father was friends with Burt Spiller. I never owned a double gun but after hunting with Barry I wanted one of my own. In Dec '84 I was getting ready to leave for an assignment to Iceland and I had sold my Jeep as I would not need a vehicle on a remote radar site. I used some of the proceeds to buy this gun. On the morning I left for Iceland I woke up early, went to a favorite spot on a brackish river, the Bellamy, which feeds into Little and Great Bay NH. It was low tide and I managed to make sneak on a raft of ducks. When they flushed I dropped a black duck but couldn't figure out the double trigger in time to get a second shot. I went over and picked the big red leg and while I was holding the duck I saw a small flock of mallards dropping in about 50 yards away. I rested the forend on the top of my left forearm while still holding the black duck and folded a green head with my second barrel. First two shots, two ducks, Parker's are certainly special, you can't tell me otherwise.

I still have the gun which was in great condition when I got it, 65 to 70% cc. Near twenty five seasons of salt water gunning and laying in muddy cornfields took it's toll. In 2007 I drove out to Ilion on my 50th birthday with Scott Kittredge and I had Larry DelGrego & Son restore everything but the cc which is still a strong 50-60%.

Pete, my friend, that is "quit a mug shot"