Shooting hammer guns - Page 4

Stepmac · 06-24-2025, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigThompson

I had three Scott’s a 10 that was my grandfathers and a 12 an 20 that previously were owned by a Mr. Peters of Peters Cartridge fame . But they weren’t hammer guns but rather crystal indicator guns . The 12 and 20 are gone but the 10 will be with u til they throw me in the box .

Years ago I read everything that Ernest Hemingway wrote and I became a fan. Then I read three biographies (Baker, Hoochner and Hemmy himself ("A Moveable Feast") A few years ago I bought the first and then second edition of "Hemingway's Guns". Twenty years ago I started buying guns like Hemingway's. After a while I gave up trying because Hem had just too many, but I got a Winchester Model 12, a 16 gauge Auto 5, a nice engraved O/U, a .22 Winchester model 62, a Mannlicher Schoenauer (In '06), a Winny Model 70 (I'm pretending it's a Griffen and How, Springfield '06). Mine is in 270. Now I have a W.C. Scott which was Hemingway's favorite shotgun and the one he ended his days with. His wasn't a hammer gun. It was a double demascus, side lock engraved Model B. I think it was F & F. He was a great fan of Winchester Model 21s (20 gauge) which today are expensive and I'm not too wild about them. I have a Remy 1900 double which I like. A nice, light 12, steel barrels. BTW the gun that Hemingway blew his brains out with (and all over the little room he did the deed in) is no longer. Mary (his fourth and final wife) gave it to a handyman who cut it up and buried the bits in a field. He kept a few small pieces. People first thought it was a Boss, but it wasn't. It was a W.C. Scott.

As I age my former fascination with E.H. has waned. I think he was essentially a jerk. I read somewhere that all "real men" would like to either be like Hemingway, or be liked by him. Today, I'm not so sure. He owned some nice guns tho.

Dave Moore · 06-24-2025, 03:59 PM

While not a Parker, I just got this nice hammer gun. A Lindner Daly mfg in about 1888. I too am in the group that carries the gun cocked with the action open. Another thing is that I always cock the gun with the action open as well, one time I had the hammer slip under my thumb while cocking the hammer.

Stepmac · 06-24-2025, 04:08 PM

What a wonderful shotgun, Dave. I remember about decade (2) ago meeting a guy in a gunshow who told me that Linder guns are the very best ever. I looked closely at them. Most (all) were out of my price range, but what a nice gun! My W.C. Scott looks quite a bit like your beautiful Linder. It'd be fun to go shooting them with you. I was just rooting around in my garage and ran across a case of RST 12s that I bought years ago. What a nice surprise! As a fan of Double Gun's guru Sherman Bell I shoot standard shells in my demascus guns, but I kinda feel better shooting RST.

Lloyd McKissick · 06-26-2025, 03:13 PM

Gentlemen:

Hello! I just took delivery of a new "toy".

Is this the right place to discuss these sort of things?

I know that it's a mostly-unadorned #1 Frame 12-bore that was completed in 1887, I also know that it is referred-to as being a "Fish Tail" gun, it has 30-inch "Twist" tubes and an English stock. I intend to hunt it, so because of it's reportedly 2 5/8-inch chambers I will be using low-pressure 2 1/2-inch shells in it (RST). The tubes have adequate thickness (26k in the thinnest section) and are not pitted. I own several other Damascus hammer guns (American and otherwise) so this isn't a new adventure for me. I have a copy of one of Mr. Muderlak's books (Old Reliable) but it's not giving me very much about the technical nature of this artifact.

This gun has no grade designation marked upon it and there are only minimal stampings on it's barrel flats (I'm used to English guns), including a capitol "T" with semi-circles over and under it, and a big 3 with a smaller 12 next to it. I'm presuming the the "T" is for the "Twist" form of Damascus tubes and that the barrels originally weighed 3lbs12 upon completion?

Can anyone here educate me further on the fine points of this old Parker hammergun?

Lloyd McKissick · 06-26-2025, 03:34 PM

Researcher (& Dr. Drew) here will likely recognise some of this photography, but I think hammerguns are a literal blast to own & hunt with.

We kill a number of ruffed grouse every year at our lake house in Minnesota, and some are even taken with hammerless guns...

William Woods · 06-26-2025, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigThompson

Another tower shoot with a different big bore hammer . The second picture is the first 8 gauge I acquired and the first feathered or furred things I killed with it again in WV at a tower shoot .

That first gun sure has a nice buttstock. Is it factory or replacement?

6pt-Sika · 06-26-2025, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Woods

That first gun sure has a nice buttstock. Is it factory or replacement?

That’s original and a nice shooting 10 . That guns in really good shape overall . The only restock I have is this one , it started life as a PG then when restocked changed to straight grip , it was also sent to Belgium to have a set of fluid steel 3 1/2” chambered barrels fitted to the gun and once back here the new barrels got Briley thin wall screw ins . So now it’s kind of a bastard two barrel set .

William Woods · 06-26-2025, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigThompson

That’s original and a nice shooting 10 . That guns in really good shape overall . The only restock I have is this one , it started life as a PG then when restocked changed to straight grip , it was also sent to Belgium to have a set of fluid steel 3 1/2” chambered barrels fitted to the gun and once back here the new barrels got Briley thin wall screw ins . So now it’s kind of a bastard two barrel set .

That is the gun I was referring to, really nice looking gun.

Lloyd McKissick · 06-27-2025, 06:27 AM

From my further reading here, it would appear that my recent acquisition is a Grade O, Quality U gun (am I right about that?). Rather a plain, entry level unit, but in very sound shape overall (& not bad for 138 years old). By comparison to some of my other American hammer guns (LC Smith & Ithaca) it measures up very favorably. I will be shooting it today for fit and function. Looking forward to that.

Dean Romig · 06-27-2025, 07:15 AM

You would be fine shooting 2 3/4” low pressure shells in your Grade-0 Parker. Your chambers, if originally cut to 2 5/8” were cut for 2 3/4” shells. The practice of cutting chambers 1/8” shorter than the (fired) shell length was to make for a better gas seal in the cone.

You are correct in your other assumptions though we would refer your Twist barrels as a type of composite rather than a type of Damascus… but many people use the identification term you used so that’s certainly okay.

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