20ga Wallhanger

[Bruce Day]

When found, it was covered by a fine bloom of red rust that cleaned off without pits. The stock was wrapped with wire and a top tang extension had been welded on and screwed in over the broken stock. It came from a chicken coop in rural Nebraska and actually had feathers in the barrel. The farmer was very pleased to get rid of it for cheap because it was just some rusty old broken gun. He tried to sell it to Cabelas and they didn't want anything to do with it.

There was nothing wrong mechanically with the gun. The skeleton butt was not rusted, as some are when they are left on the floor butt down.

There are just a couple known 20ga hammer D grades.

Some folks would have no interest in a gun like this because the stock has been refinished and it doesn't have high case colors although the gun is otherwise original.

[Double Play]

Originally Posted by Bruce Day

Some folks would have no interest in a gun like this because the stock has been refinished and it doesn't have high case colors although the gun is otherwise original.

Now Bruce, I think you've stretched it a little thin there. I would like to see you name one person who would not gladly add that wonderful little gun to their collection. Thanks for posting the photos.

[Setter Man]

The part of the story that I would really like to hear is how the current owner found the gun. Surely he doesn't make a habit od scouring chicken houses in rural Nebraska.

[Bruce Day]

One of my contacts in Nebraska called me and I called my bird hunting buddy and arranged the deal. My buddy had just before arranged a deal where I came out with a 16ga CHE Bernard.

He worked in a big box store, the farmer came in, the department manager came over and told the salesman to get the fellow out, they were not interested in such a POS. The salesman asked if it would be OK if he bought it personally. The manager agreed but the salesman had to promise to buy and he had better not back out . So the store bought, the salesman reimbursed the store, he called me and thought he might have something unusual but it would take more to restore than he knew or had the money, so I had him ship it to Buck Hamlin who knows a thing or two about guns, and the afternoon it arrived at Buck's, my buddy drove over to see it and called me with an Oh My God. He made an offer that couldn't be refused and started the fix up process with Buck and David Trevallion. Took some skill and money.

Everyone was happy. The farmer had enough money that he could go to to WalMart and buy a black plastic stock matt finish 870...
you know the kind, where you dress in camo, paint your face and wage war against pheasants and if the bird is wounded you can bash his head in with the stock without hurting it. He was pleased to find someone foolish enough to give him the price of a brand new gun for a broken old one. The salesman is building money toward his dream gun, an old Purdey, and this helped him along.

I've arranged for a lot of nice guns to change hands if I know what people want and they are willing to pay fair price. Fair price and not being a tire kicker is the key to credibility. I found two nice VH 410's for a fellow until I realized he wanted me to find one for $8,000, not $14,000 so I stopped looking.

I found an outstanding little 12ga fluid steel 1 frame for a fellow the other day, pretty wood, good condition, some case colors, 6 1/2lbs. $2800, great dimensions, 28", IC and Full, not messed with, the ideal prairie upland game gun.

[George Lander]

Bruce: Ya never know what may still be out there! Sounds almost like the Bo-Whoop saga. No telling how little it changed hands for the first couple of times. Seems like the manager at Cabelas don't know his Parkers.

Best Regards, George

[Jim P.]

Today, with hope of not offending anyone's religious affiliation, this would be the Parker version of "resurrection" - beautiful, beautiful piece.

[Jim Thynne]

Absolutly beautiful, I hope this lttle gun shows up in North Carolina. I would love to tell it how much I like it "in person."