what was your first parker

[Leighton Stallones]

Mine was a 10 ga hammerless 9 1/2 pound gun with 36 INCH barrels. SOld it to a friend of mine for Turkey hunting.

[J.B. Books]

My first Parker was a 1913 12ga 28" Trojan I purchased from my local gunsmith in 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 hunting at the time had a 26" barrel 12ga Trojan and I admired it and wanted one of my own. In Dec '84 I was getting ready to leave for a remote assignment to Iceland and I had sold my Jeep as I would not need a vehicle. 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 feeding into Great Bay. 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 still holding the black duck and folded a greenhead with my second barrel. First two shots, two ducks, who says Parker's aren't special?

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 had DelGrego & Son restore everything but the cc.

[Craig Larter]

I am a newbie---bought my first Parker a DH circa 1918 in 2008. Beautiful all original gun #2 frame Titanic, pistol grip that I shot very well----but I sold it to move into a Fox-----the only good thing is I good friend bought it so I get to visit it frequently---unfortunately he loves the gun and won't sell it back to me.
I got the Parker bug again about a year ago after buying a CHE Bernard at a local auction for a great price----now I own 2 more a GH and a BHE. All are pictured in "albums". I like the early guns pre-1906 with damascus barrels. Fun hobby and many great people!

[Jared V.]

My first is a Parker & Snow 1864 dated contract percussion rifle made for use in the war between the states. I figured I would start collecting at the beginning of things...

[Mike Murphy]

My first was a "new" Parker, a 28ga two-barrel Reproduction. A great gun that fits me well and has accounted for quail, grouse & clays.
My first "old" Parker was a 12ga 32" barreled VHE in really good shape that's seen action at clays and pheasants.

[OLD GEEZER]

Charlie: The first Parker I purchased in 1984 is a VH 12 ga. Two barrel set with 32 inch and 26 inch barrels with English stock and I still own it and it is my go to gun for waterfowl mostly. Thanks for the interest Charlie. Thomas

[Mike Franzen]

My first Parker is #12088 and came out of Delaware where it had been in the same family for more than 100 years. An acquaintance of mine told me about the old gun and its damascus barrels. When I asked if would be safe to shoot he replied, "My God man, it's a Packa! They are hand cannons"! It's got honest wear and looks like a well used, but taken care of 135 year old gun. It shows no evidence of the screws ever being turned and the bores are like mirrors. It hunts and breaks clays on a regular basis. You can probably tell I love it.

[Wayne Johnson]

I guess I'm the real newbie here. I got my first one just a few weeks, maybe a month ago. A 12 ga, 28" Trogan, from 1924, that I found on the rack at my LGS. When I was a kid my grandfather had a Parker 20 (probably a Trogan from what I've learned here) and I had always wanted one, but never could afford it. I was surprised to see that this one was tagged at $850.00. I got it for $750.00. It had been refinished but to me that didn't really matter. I didn't buy it as a collector piece but as a way of connecting back to a time when I was a shirtail kid dragging along behind the grown-ups. I didn't even dare ask to see those guns, much less to shoot them.



I've never been a bird hunter really. Some early season dove hunting when I was younger, but that's about it. I don't hunt much at all now, but I do slip out back from time to time to pot a squirrel in the fall. I think I'll take this one along sometime.

[FRANK HALSEY]

My first Parker was a SC SBT with a release trigger that I got in 2006 and I shoot it well. I had thoughts of changing the trigger back to a pull but I like the release and when and if I sell the gun, I will have the trigger fixed then. My next one was a BHE with 30" barrels and was in the 1893 gun show in Chicago. Than the bug bite hard and it was off to the races. I am still collecting Parkers but they are more of what I really want and not just collecting to have for investing. They are great guns. Frank

[Paul P.]

Great idea Charlie.
My first Parker is a 1927 VH12. I bought it at a pawn shop for $600.00 a couple years ago. Then I found this site while researching the gun, joined up and here we are. I think the count is 7 Parkers. So far.