Parker Gun Collectors Association Forums  

Go Back   Parker Gun Collectors Association Forums Parker Forums General Parker Discussions

Notices

Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
“Letter Roulette”
Unread 05-22-2023, 10:04 PM   #1
Member
Brett Trimble
PGCA Member

Member Info
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 188
Thanks: 249
Thanked 350 Times in 84 Posts

Default “Letter Roulette”

I just received a letter for a gun I recently bought.

I was surprised to see that it left the factory with a single trigger as it now has double triggers.

Question; how common is it to get unpleasant (or pleasant) surprises when lettering a gun? :)

Best,
Brett
Brett Trimble is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05-22-2023, 11:11 PM   #2
Member
Rick Riddell
Forum Associate
 
Rick Riddell's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 653
Thanks: 339
Thanked 658 Times in 186 Posts

Default

I’m 0 for 5! I do enjoy it though , just the basics on Trojan to grade 3. Roll the dice!!
Rick Riddell is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Rick Riddell For Your Post:
Unread 05-23-2023, 01:46 AM   #3
Member
Dean Romig
PGCA Invincible
Life Member
 
Dean Romig's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 32,073
Thanks: 36,788
Thanked 34,224 Times in 12,648 Posts

Default

I’ve never received a letter that had a disappointing surprise but I have several letters containing positive surprises.






.
__________________
"I'm a Setter man.
Not because I think they're better than the other breeds,
but because I'm a romantic - stuck on tradition - and to me, a Setter just "belongs" in the grouse picture."

George King, "That's Ruff", 2010 - a timeless classic.
Dean Romig is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Dean Romig For Your Post:
Unread 05-23-2023, 08:39 AM   #4
Member
Pa SxS
Research Chairman
PGCA Lifetime
Member
 
Chuck Bishop's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,918
Thanks: 1,232
Thanked 5,085 Times in 1,455 Posts

Default

Brett, I checked your info, it's correct. It's possible the customer changed the configuration and it just wasn't recorded.. What you get in the letter depends on when the gun was made. If the gun was made before 1920 and we have the order book, you will get that info. If we have the stock book info, you will get that too in the letter. If made after 1919, you would only get stock book info assuming the book is not missing. You may get order info from the IBM card but it's very limited. This would be for later Remington guns.

Some of the records are in ink and easily read. Some are in pencil and have faded over time and are unreadable. They didn't realize that someone would be trying to read the books 100+ years later.
Chuck Bishop is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05-23-2023, 12:23 PM   #5
Member
TOOL MAN
PGCA Member
 
Steve Cambria's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 644
Thanks: 1,014
Thanked 2,007 Times in 442 Posts

Default

[QUOTE=Brett Trimble;389037]I just received a letter for a gun I recently bought. I was surprised to see that it left the factory with a single trigger as it now has double triggers.

"Two barrels....two triggers."

I'd definitely file that one under, "PLEASANT SURPRISE."
__________________
"On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia...."
Steve Cambria is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Steve Cambria For Your Post:
Unread 05-23-2023, 12:54 PM   #6
Member
Jim McKee
PGCA Lifetime
Member

Member Info
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 457
Thanks: 1,712
Thanked 607 Times in 190 Posts

Default

Of my 3 current Parker's, 2 have letters showing they are the same now as when both left the factory. The 3rd had no stock book but I very satisfied with it.
Slowly I have learned to check the serialization book to see if a shotgun matches with the way it is now before buying, assuming there is a listing for it.
Jim McKee is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Jim McKee For Your Post:
Unread 05-23-2023, 01:21 PM   #7
Member
mobirdhunter
PGCA Lifetime
Member
 
Garry L Gordon's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,097
Thanks: 14,275
Thanked 10,690 Times in 3,372 Posts

Default

Don't always count on the Serialization Book to give you an account that agrees with the records.

At an auction a few years back, there was a lot that had two Parkers, including a nice looking DH that had 28 inch barrels. The Serialization Book indicted that the gun was a DH, but that it had 36 inch barrels. I'm sure that scared guys away from the gun (and think of the wailing and gnashing of teeth by our long-barrel aficionados!). I really wanted the other gun in the lot, and the shortened barrels didn't bother me, but for the life of me, the barrels looked right (uncut). I got a good deal and bought the lot for the price I thought the other gun should go.

When I got the letter back, lo and behold, the records had the gun as a 28 incher and it matched everything from the letter.

Two lessons learned (at least):

1. Records trump Serialization book
2. Trust you eyes when examining a gun
__________________
"Doubtless the good Lord could have made a better game bird than bobwhite, and better country to hunt him in...but equally doubtless, he never did." -- Guy de la Valdene (from A Handful of Feathers )

"'I promise you,' he said, 'on my word of honor, I won't die on the opening of the bird season.'" -- Robert Ruark (from The Old Man and the Boy)
Garry L Gordon is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to Garry L Gordon For Your Post:
Unread 05-23-2023, 02:14 PM   #8
Member
Craig Larter
PGCA Lifetime
Member
 
Craig Larter's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,660
Thanks: 3,182
Thanked 11,090 Times in 1,754 Posts

Default

I love letter surprises. I bought a AH 12ga 30" with a straight grip and a Silvers pad. The letter states it was a show gun at the 1897 MSG show gun that is not in the PS list. In addition the gun was sold to DuBray and returned two years later for an adjustment to the comb height and the addition of a Silvers pad.
Craig Larter is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Craig Larter For Your Post:
Unread 05-23-2023, 02:43 PM   #9
Member
Phil Yearout
PGCA Member
 
Phil Yearout's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,389
Thanks: 5,406
Thanked 4,581 Times in 1,169 Posts

Default

The majority of discrepancies I've found have been in the stock dimensions, mostly DAC and DAH. Whether the letters are wrong or the wood has moved...? Can't say. I did have a 20ga Fox that turned into a 16ga once but the letter was corrected when I pointed it out.
__________________
It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so. - Mark Twain.
Phil Yearout is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Phil Yearout For Your Post:
Unread 05-23-2023, 04:17 PM   #10
Member
Brett Trimble
PGCA Member

Member Info
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 188
Thanks: 249
Thanked 350 Times in 84 Posts

Default

Mr. Bishop,

I would like to start by saying thank you! The service that you and the Parker Association provide through making production information available is invaluable. It is wonderful to have a source of “truth” if you will about these guns that we all love.

My “roulette” reference was to how a given gun has been altered through the years. The letter is correct… the gun may or may not be not be!

All the best,
Brett Trimble
Brett Trimble is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Brett Trimble For Your Post:
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:25 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 - 2024, Parkerguns.org
Copyright © 2004 Design par Megatekno
- 2008 style update 3.7 avec l'autorisation de son auteur par Stradfred.