Future of Parker Collection and Double Gun Collecting

[Philip Peart]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

Right on Dr. John!

Key words are certainly "exposure" and "the future of double guns is bright and full of possibilities." but it is our (every one of us) responsibility to expose young folks to these guns and the activities and fun that goes along with it... or the 'possibilities' will be very limited.

So right you are Dean, I myself am a 31 yr old Parker collector and appreciator and ALL 5 of my children ranging from 13yrs old to 5 yrs old can identify a Parker from 10 ft away and LOVE shooting. my 3 boys (13, 11,9) all shoot a VH 12g 2 frame happily and occasionally knock off a shot or two with my OLD 10g hammergun and my girls (7,5) love to benchrest my 20g vh for a couple shots. Waiting patiently for them to get older.
Its all in what we teach them to appreciate. My kids are 5th generation shooting Parkers.

[Austin J Hawthorne Jr.]

In my case gun preferences seem to have skipped a generation. I started my oldest son shooting with a sxs on clay birds thrown with a hand thrower. He hit a few, and showed some interest in shooting but never did well until I bought him an over/under. I don't know if it was the fit, or feel, of the over/under but his shooting improved with that gun. We still shoot at various sxs events and he enjoys using my Parker's but whenever he shoots alone he goes right back to the over/under. My Grandsons, on the other hand, go right to the Parker's and Foxes. So maybe there is some hope. There might be a waning of interest now, but I don't think that the future of side x sides is as bleak as it appears.

[C.O.B.]

Eldon you bring up a point I have often pondered my self. first let me commend you on your interest in these fine guns at an early age. I always thought I'd leave my guns to my little brother as he liked to shoot and hunt but unfortunately he left us to early. I have a daughter who has no interest in my collection at all so there's no future there.
Our youth as mentioned in other posts is a generation for the most part interested in instant gratification and the newest gizmo's. The history behind these guns and not just shotguns but rifles such as Pre 64 Winchesters is lost on them. There is little nostalgia left in today's America as I see it. I can sit in a deer blind and wonder who carried the M70 before me, what did the prior custodian use it for, did he take a deer with it?
IMHO the biggest determent to our youth and these old guns is the cost they are reaching. Jobs are scarce money is tight and younger people are raising families not spending thousands of dollars on a Parker, Fox or Winchester.
I go to a lot of SXS shoots and it's rare to see Dad and son or daughter shooting alongside them.
I have often considered cutting back to a couple of rifles and shotguns and selling the rest while the market is good but somehow I just can't bring myself to do it.....yet.

[Mike Franzen]

I think there will always be a market for these guns. To judge future collectors / shooters by what the younger generations like right now might be a fallacy. A lot of My generation back in the day were hippies, freaks and flower children. Now, I'll bet some are Parker collectors. Fortunately most in my gen moved on. Unfortunately, The rest reside in politics.

[DoubleOframe]

Originally Posted by Mike Franzen

I think there will always be a market for these guns. To judge future collectors / shooters by what the younger generations like right now might be a fallacy. A lot of My generation back in the day were hippies, freaks and flower children. Now, I'll bet some are Parker collectors. Fortunately most in my gen moved on. Unfortunately, The rest reside in politics.

I agree Mike there will always be a market. I am in my late 20s and grew up in a gun shop so naturally I was born with the gunsmithing and collecting bug. Most people my age, including myself, don't have the money to collect a bunch of doubles but that doesn't mean we won't find them interesting and valuable in the future. The same could be said for motorcycles or classic cars. You don't see many 20-30 year olds driving Harleys and buying up classic 150K muscle cars at Barrett-Jackson auctions but that doesn't mean the market is dieing. As long as organizations like the PGCA keep growing in members from year to year I think we will be fine.

[6pt-Sika]

I dunno when I was in my early teens I was interested in doubles , granted I couldn't afford an A1 Special but I can't now either . But you have to take into consideration I grew up in a household where pumps or semi autos were disdained . So doubles , bird dogs , trap and skeet were a natural progression . I would like to think there are still some youngsters growing up in that environment albeit very few .

[Mills]

The way to do it is one at a time. It is up to all of us to each do our part.

[Eldon Goddard]

I agree mills all we can do is show people what they are and why we love them and hope they gain interest. My experience may be skewed as I live in a large city with little hunting and little interest in shotguns in general.

[Craig Larter]

I am very optimistic about the future of vintage double gun collecting. This year we had more youth hunters than ever at our duck club for youth day. The interesting thing to me is the number of female youth hunters in the current generation. Our female youth hunter shot more ducks than any of the guys!! She also was the only young female to bag a turkey in the youth season in the spring. Anyhow, all of these young hunters where exposed to vintage doubles and one hunted ducks during the youth season with a Parker. This summer we intend to host a youth clays day and let any of the young folks experience the joy of shooting a vintage double. They may not be hooked for various reason until they mature but like us they will never forget the experience. The future looks bright but as others have said we need to plant the seed.

[Mills]

I am optimistic too. Partly because I have seen organizations in Savannah where the average age was about 60 or 70 gain a large number of young members. You get one, then another, pretty soon you have a bunch.

There is a perception that Parkers and vintage guns are expensive and valuable when there are plenty of affordable shooters in the lower grades.