Early Single Barrel Trap

[Dean Romig]

Why aren't the barrels marked Acme Steel?....Dave?

I suspect it is because it is such an early SC.... possibly the first.

[Bill Murphy]

There are three singles earlier than yours in the Serialization Book, but there are many missing numbers in the 176,000 and 175,000 range that may include more single barrels. Your gun does not say Acme Steel because early singles did not have steel markings like the later ones. Your gun should have a T on the barrel flat, signifying that your barrel is made of Titanic Steel.

[Jack Purkis]

Meant to upload these also. Although a little out of focus you can clearly see the "T"

[Mike Franzen]

I would send the info on this gun to Josh Loewensteiner. The "Parkers Found" listing in the Parker Pages lists the earliest known SC Parker as serial number 176798. Your gun precedes this by 553 serial numbers.

[Jack Purkis]

I will send it in, thanks for the reminder!

[George "Scott" Davis]

I have a SBT papered by PGCA which was completed according to Stock Book No. 63 on May 17, 1917. The serial number is 177962 it is a SC 12 gauge with 32 inch barrels. So I'm wondering if Parker made a group of SBT and then waited for an order and pulled the gun with the dimensions requested by the customer. The serial number would make my gun 109 numbers after the above mentioned SBT yet completed earlier. This kind of stuff helps build the mystery of Parkers!

[Pa SxS]

Jack, very nice gun but I'm wondering why no checkered cheek panel? More pictures of the checkering to include the border may help determine if the stocks are original.

Scott, I looked up the Research Letter on your gun. The Stock Book does show 8 SC's made in a row starting with 177960 and ending with 177968 so they did make a run of SC's in May of 1917. It is also listed as a straight grip stock! The Order Book shows that the order for 177962 was placed on September 26, 1918 and shipped on October 26, 1918 to DuPont. The stock was a pistol grip Monte Carlo. My guess is that the gun was either sitting in the warehouse until it was ordered and at that time, they converted it to a pistol grip, or it was a demonstration gun that was returned at some time and Parker reconditioned it and put on the pistol grip stock, then sold it when an order for a SC with 32 inch barrels was placed.

[Bill Murphy]

The buttstock could be a replacement. The plain, uncheckered cheeks are a clue.

[B. Dudley]

I was wondering about the stock myself. The checkering and the shape in some spots is suspect. But the butt seems to match the forend perfectly. Looks like the same piece of wood.

The sides of the barrels would not be roll stamped with the makers mark on these early guns. Instead, the vent rib was hand engraved with the makers mark like the vent rib doubles. I see the barrel flat has a "T" on it, but not in a circle. Maybe supposed to be Titanic??? Interesting that the engraved makers mark has no steel type listed.

Your gun has some of the interesting early features such as the firing pin access screw in the right side and the more sparse (nicer in my opinion) engraving. The later ones were covered with stippling in between the scroll and it really hides the case color.

If you stock is original, it has clearly been cut short, which is very common on these guns.

And the 30" length is pretty rare.

Nice find!

[Bill Murphy]

Yup, the early single traps had Titanic barrels.