Building a field gun

[todd allen]

My long time hunting partner, Chuck (also a long time PGCA member) has been working on his perfect field gun idea for a few years now.
The formula is simple: It had to be a Parker, preferably a D or above in grade. 1 1/2 frame 12ga, with at least 28" BBLS. Oh, and a recoil pad.
He is the same guy who won the Raffle Gun a couple of years back. The DHE 12 ga, single trigger SSBP gun.
I have watched as various good honest guns rotated through his possession, all with a couple of sought after features, but always with something that needed to be modified. Every time I would practically scream "DON'T DO IT" when it came to permanently modifying an otherwise beautiful and original gun.
Finally, it came down to sending a set of Parker BBLs to Brileys.
NO! STOP! DON'T DO IT!!!
I told him that choke tubing an original Parker is the fastest way to turn it into a parts gun, value wise.
Finally a solution. A sweet little Repro DHE comes along. Everything he wants in a gun, without all of the historical significance of an original graded gun.
The repro now sports double triggers, and a modern recoil pad.
(the SSBP in the for sale forum came from this gun)
The BBLs were sent to Briley's for choke tubes, but the decision to choke tube this gun was scrapped, in favor of opening the constrictions a tad.
My buddy is totally computer/Internet illiterate, so any reporting has to come from me. I'll post some pics, when the gun is completed.
So now you know that I did not cut the end of the buttstock on that DHE that we sold

[Keith Doty]

You've done a good deed! Hack the repo if you want, who cares, but defacing an original would be a shame. I had Briley open the chokes on a 20 I have but couldn't bring myself to have the barrels threaded. Just seemed wrong.

[GH-16]

Over all you are doing a good deed, but it still makes me cringe thinking about cutting off a beautiful skeleton butt plate.

I also cringe with the thought that repro's are considered hacker guns.

[Keith Doty]

I should rephrase. I wouldn't consider the repros "hacker" guns, in this case just the lesser of evils.

[Stan Hillis]

Another way to customize a gun for your use is to start with an original that has already been compromised, but not in a way that limits your possibilities. I did this several years ago with a Philly Fox Sterlingworth Ejector gun. The gun had been across the pond and had been proofed, with accompanying graffiti (proof marks). The chokes had already been opened, and it had been restocked.

My account of what I did to make it suitable to me as a real field/clays gun can be seen at this thread on the AHFCA site.

http://forum.foxcollectors.com/viewt...hp?f=15&t=7229

[todd allen]

Beautiful job, Stan!