Laminated barrels on early Lifter

[Austin Smith]

Hello All,

I’m just getting into Parkers and I’m looking to purchase my first one and would like some opinions.

This is the one I’m looking at right now, the price is okay enough to do some restoration. The seller says the lock up is tight and the bores are clean with just the surface rust on the exterior. The barrels are stamped laminated steel but the pattern is not visible from the pictures. To my understanding, Parker made their own laminated steel barrels on these early lifters but only on high grade models. Or is there a possibility these could be Parker made barrels as well since it’s stamped as such?

I’m just trying to determine if this might be a good find and a possible diamond in rough, or just a standard low grade lifter as the price is decent but no steal by any means. I’m just not sure exactly what I’m looking at. Thank you everyone!

[Mills]

Looks like an early grade 1 equivalent.

[Dean Romig]

The records show that Parker Bros. made only 1 Grade 1 with Laminated Steel barrels during the years they were making their own Laminated Steel barrels - 1877, 78, 79 and for a couple of years after they stopped making their own barrels.

Look on the barrel flats for a P stamped on the right barrel flat.


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[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Mills Morrison

Looks like an early grade 1 equivalent.

The three-point bowtie checkering pattern on the forend is that of the equivalent of the Grade 2. But this is the period of production when the specific features of a grade had yet to be completely adopted.





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[Mills]

That is right. Is that a spur or a dent in the wood?

[Dean Romig]

Yes the wood is dented but the center diamond is quite visible. On the early Lifters with the keyed forend they couldn’t make it any larger because of the key guide-plates.





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[Jay Oliver]

I think that gun may be too early to have Parker made Laminated Steel Barrels. The pattern on the barrels looks like that of earlier laminated barrels Parker used. With the squared receiver and keyed latch forend that gun may be earlier than 1877. What is the serial number?

Having said all of that...it is a nice honest early lifter. It looks like the receiver may have been blued? I might try to remove that...

How are the bores? It looks like a nice honest early Lifter. Hopefully it is shootable and you can get it in the field again if you decide to buy it. I would be interested in it with those barrels as you don't come across them that often(regardless of the year of manufacture). Good luck!

[Austin Smith]

Thank you all so much for your responses!

I will see if the seller will send me a picture of the barrel flats as well as the serial number.

I would remove the bluing for sure and try to do an honest restore on the gun for sure. The seller told me the bores look to be in good condition “limited superficial pitting” I guess I would have to see them to see what that really means!

So laminated barrels are less common when it comes to Parkers?

Thank you again for all of your responses!

[Dean Romig]

Laminated barrels are not UNcommon but from sometime in the later 1880’s onward Parker limited them to Grade 1 guns.





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[ArtS]

There is a well used but much better one on Gunbroker that ends Sunday night. I have been watching it for a weekand emailed the owner two or three times. It is a grade two, with nice wood, that needs a refinish, worn engraving but a nice pattern. He said 1883, but the serial number shows 1881. Don't know the source of his info. It has a pretty decent set of Parker laminate barrels in 10 gauge that are shown as 30" 12 gauge in the book. The pictures show 10 gauge snap caps in the chambers and they look like they fit properly.The P is definitely there and the pattern looks good. Unfortunately the barrels have been cut back to 29" and the gun has a threaded hole in the rear of the left sideplate which I have never seen.

If it were a 3 frame, I would buy it to get the barrels to cut down and fit on my 1880 grade three, but it is only a 2 frame gun and mine is a 3. I have too many projects going now, but it would be a good project gun to make a nice shooter. It looks solid enough and and I have heard no negative reports from the seller, who is not a Parker guy. I think the starting bid is $800 and Buy It Now is $1000. Not a great buy, but a really nice set of rare barrels. I it hadn't been cut, I would definitely have tried to buy it.