Opinions on Doll's Heads and other stuff

[Wild Skies]

In keeping with the thread topic Opinions on Doll's Heads and other stuff, here's some other stuff...I own a 12ga. Parker DH S/N 155290 w/30" damascus barrels that has a damascus top rib, but has a fluid steel bottom rib. I do not know how common or uncommon you'll find Parkers fitted with ribs like this?

[Dean Romig]

Greg, when I enlarge your picture to the fullest and study that rib it looks like dimly shown uniform pattern... Am I crazy? Or am I imagining it?





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[Wild Skies]

Take a look at the pic below at the side of the doll's head extention, I believe you'll likely see the same or similar pattern as you're seeing on the bottom rib. I don't know if it's caused by reflection from the barrels, by striking, by refinishing solutions or by what? I still firmly believe the bottom rib as well as the extension are fluid steel.

[Breck Gorman]

I have seen very few dolls head extensions that were pattern welded. The vast majority are fluid steel. I don’t know why, but I have a theory.
The barrels, lug and dolls head extension were assembled and fitted to the action using an indexing screw through the dolls head extension. Once fitted, the assembly was brazed together. This was done at a much higher temperature than soldering, usually 800+ degrees to make the braze flow. Perhaps using similar fluid steel in the lup and dolls head extension was more controllable during brazing than dissimilar metals..
I really don’t know the true answer, and just posing a theory. Thanks

[Dean Romig]

That makes very good sense Breck, thanks for that angle.

Does that indexing screw go all the way between the barrel tubes and thread right into the lug?





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[Aaron Beck]

From what I can tell, sometimes the screw is visible in the rib extension and sometimes not. I would have thought that it would have been possible to blind tap it but if it was always through bored, then logically it would be easier to hide the screw in a similar steel material with no pattern.

[Craig Budgeon]

Dean, matching the dolls head material to the barrel material had to be a nightmare for Parker Bros. In order to match the the various materials you have to segregate them from receiving, to the machinist, to the fitters and finally to the braziers. What do you think the chances a twist dolls head ends up on a 4 blade set of damascus barrels? I believe that the bottom and top ribs would remain with the barrel blanks when received accept possibly for steel barrels. Never heard of fluid pressed steel but I have seen guns marked fluid compressed steel.

[Dean Romig]

“Fluid pressed” and “fluid compressed” are two accepted terms for the same product.

Regarding matching barrel steel types with the steel types of the ribs (if they were intended to be matched) must have been a tough job because I have examined composite barrels with ribs that do not match them. For instance, Twist barrels with Damascus rib(s) where often the top rib may match the barrel steel but the bottom rib is entirely different. Granted it’s unusual to see these just as it is unusual to see a composite doll’s head extension on composite barrels.

I guess there are exceptions to every rule. So I guess we should continue to say “when it comes to Parkers, never say never.”





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[Tenth Legion]

Also under “Other Stuff”. Is the top rib engraving usually read from muzzle to breech? I’ve only seen one exception to this.

[Dean Romig]

Many early Lifters without rib matting read the from the breech to the muzzle.





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