Defining a Parker Long Range shotgun

[Dean Romig]

Stan, a big, heavy, long barreled gun if fine for those birds you mention because you’re generally sitting or standing in one place and you don’t have to lug it uphill and down dale, across wooded and tangled slopes, through blackberry tangles and over blowdowns. Give me a 6 or 7 lb. Gun any say for this kind of work. I have a 9+ lb 10 gauge 3-frame D Lifter for turkeys if I want to use it but I’ll normally take my 12 ga. 2-frame 30” DH because it’s 7/12 lbs. I ofter sneak back into these covers before daylight and that’s over a mile in sometimes. That’s why I like a lighter gun.





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[mobirdhunter]

My Ithaca 10 Mag Is over 11 pounds and is a workout on a Fall turkey hunt. Most shots are aimed, but I did take a 57 step flying young turkey on the wing with it one Fall. Once you get it swinging, it keeps going, I will say that!

The world is a better place when there are some differences. This is a good example.

[todd allen]

Originally Posted by Garry L Gordon

My Ithaca 10 Mag Is over 11 pounds and is a workout on a Fall turkey hunt. Most shots are aimed, but I did take a 57 step flying young turkey on the wing with it one Fall. Once you get it swinging, it keeps going, I will say that!

The world is a better place when there are some differences. This is a good example.

It's hard to stop a train! ;-)
Reminds me of a story.
I was at a pigeon shoot one weekend, in a little village in Old Mexico called Sacramento, as I recall. I think they called it El Champion Shoot, or sum sutch.
This particular shoot was a SxS shoot.
One of my crazier friends from back then, (I'll call him John) was shooting an 8 gauge SxS, and, after some persuasion, lent me the gun and 10 shells to shoot a 5 bird practice.
I don't remember much about the first 4, but the last bird sprang outta box 9 and sped away towards the right side of the back fence, like he needed to be somewhere!
The gun was slow to start, but I gave it a shove and it lumbered smoothly across the field, and past the fleeting bird. The right barrel discharged at almost the right time, and caused a large swarm of shot to cut feathers on his right side.
The bird, was infuriated, and swung a u-turn right at the fence, and commenced to charge the gun at high speed!
I left skid marks on the ground beneath me, as I slammed on the brakes, got her stopped, then muscled those huge barrels back in the new direction the bird had taken.
I managed to put the bead on the lips of the charging bird, and hit the 2nd trigger at just the right moment this time.
The devastation was epic! Looked like a pillow fight at mid-field! Imagine a full choked 8 gauge centering a pigeon at 20 or so yards.
I handed the big gun back to my friend and thanked him for the ride, while athletic young Mexicans cleaned up the mess.
The big gun kinda surprised me at how well it handled, in spite it's large frame, and long barrels. 36", as I recall. I think I was something like 3x5 with the big gun, on the practice, with the 8 ga. Yes, big guns are fun!
BTW, I did manage a 2nd place with a 32" Runge/Delgreco A-1 Special trap gun that I brought for the event, so it was a pretty good day for me.
The Parker Gun felt like a cue stick after shooting the 8 gauge, and earned me a few Pesos that day.

[LtCol Henderson Marriott]

To respond to earlier questions, from the AH Fox factory records: 624 HE Grade
Super Foxes had 2 3/4 chambers, while 314 had 3 inch chambers, 8 were not recorded for a total of 946.*

A review of the pages within The Parker Story revealed precious little on the Long Range Parker,
and nothing noted in the index pages. My eyes are aging, so feel free to correct my limited research.
Lt Col Brophy's LC Smith volume covers the Long Range Waterfowl Hunter Arms
guns, but there is no mention of the reinforced lug splinter, as it has been termed
and is found on my 3 inch Long Range Smith.

This has been an interesting short study, and my appreciation is extended to all of the PGCA members
who have generously contributed to our knowledge of Long Range Parkers and other fine long range American double guns.
(I am still in search of a Long Range 3 inch
Parker and hopefully will discover one hidden in a small gun shop or left in a duck blind.)

{Mary reminds me that I was a PGCA member, N0. 905 in 2001-but disappeared for a good while after September of that year.
She graciously allowed me to retain that member number after returning to the fold relatively unscathed.}


* From Craig Larter's " The Super Fox 12-gauge Shotgun"; Winter 2011 Issue;
Double Gun Journal

[Stan Hillis]

Perhaps I'm too narrow-minded about gun weights. But, I don't think so. I can appreciate a lighter quail and woodcock gun, and have several of my own.

Just always seemed odd to me that so many men obsess over one or two pounds extra weight on a turkey gun, that they may carry a mile or more slung over their shoulder, but never complain about having to tote a 24 pound bird that mile back out.

Not all duck hunts are easy peasy walks in the park, either. I'm no stranger to hell-hole woodie ponds that require walking in through briar patches, devil vines, blowdowns and sharp beaver cut stobs that don't slow down punching through a set of waders.

Variety is indeed the spice of life, and I'm very glad so many people prefer lighter guns. They certainly have their place.

[Bill Murphy]

A good, and cheap, alternative to a Long Range Parker is a ten gauge with twelve gauge chamber inserts. Most wads seem to seal just fine in a .775 bore. An .800 bore, maybe not so much.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Stan Hillis

Perhaps I'm too narrow-minded about gun weights. But, I don't think so. I can appreciate a lighter quail and woodcock gun, and have several of my own.

Just always seemed odd to me that so many men obsess over one or two pounds extra weight on a turkey gun, that they may carry a mile or more slung over their shoulder, but never complain about having to tote a 24 pound bird that mile back out.

Not all duck hunts are easy peasy walks in the park, either. I'm no stranger to hell-hole woodie ponds that require walking in through briar patches, devil vines, blowdowns and sharp beaver cut stobs that don't slow down punching through a set of waders.

Variety is indeed the spice of life, and I'm very glad so many people prefer lighter guns. They certainly have their place.

Gosh, Stan, I don't think you're are narrow-minded at all. You obviously have great experience and have developed a good knowledge of your guns and yourself. And, by what I can tell from your posts, you're an excellent shot.

I like all kinds of double guns, and have a variety of weights, barrel lengths, etc. I tell myself I "need" all these variations for particular settings. I've got some 8-11 lbs. duck guns, a "heavy," long barreled gun for pheasants, a short barreled light weight arsenal for woodcock, and a wider variety of guns for quail (which I hunt the most). I choose the quail guns dependent upon the cover I'll be hunting, and my go-to quail gun is a 30 inch 20 gauge Parker that weighs 6 lbs. 10 oz (not exactly light). Most of my shooting is at close rising birds, often in thick cover. I like the maneuverability of a lighter gun then. At least for me, I get on birds quicker with that type gun. I can see the trade off when I need to take longer crossing shots, as I often end up stopping my swing. That's as much my poor shooting as it is the gun weight, but I know I shoot a more forward-weighted gun better on longer crossing shots. I just don't take many of those over the course of a season. Actually, I don't shoot that much at all any more, limiting my take to just a brace of quail on most days...if I'm lucky enough to find birds.

I've been think about getting a 3 weight Parker 12...and a .410 Parker. I'm sure I'd likely shoot the former better than the latter, mostly because of the potential dynamics of those guns. I'll never be a good shot at dove with a .410 like you obviously are(), but I only go a few days a year at the season's opening...then all the birds head South and I'm left to those "other" birds. Thank goodness. Dove are a humbling experience for this mediocre shot.

[todd allen]

I know some guys who used to shoot doves down in Hermosillo and yes, there were some stories.
BTW, sorry about the wordy post above. I was home alone yesterday, and didn't know whether to write a country western ballad, or make a post on the Parker site.

[Double Lab]

Same here Todd. Somedays I don't know whether to solve world hunger, work for peace or go shooting. Can't decide between 20 or 28ga. Oh well, let's take them both.

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Daryl Corona

Same here Todd. Somedays I don't know whether to solve world hunger, work for piece or go shooting. Can't decide between 20 or 28ga. Oh well, let's take them both.

I got a text from a guy that runs a ring in PA a couple days ago for a friday saturday shoot . Sadly I'll be out of the country (I hope) . But in the two days shoot there will be a 20 bird 28 gauge race . I'm kinda new to the pigeon game but I'd never heard of lesser gauge races .

I would however like to try my DH 8 in the pigeon ring with my light 1 1/2 ounce load in the right barrel and the heavier 1 3/4 ounce load in the left barrel .