Some Questions on Our Family's Parker

[Dean Thomas]

This is a gun that came down to me in the family. My Mom believes that this was my Great Great Grandfather's and that he used it for hunting late in his life (he died 1917). He in turn passed it on to his grandson, my Mom's father, or my Grandfather. I never had a chance to discuss it with him before he passed on, back in the late eighties. It is in good condition and all still original and has never been re-finished.

I have done alot of reading on the Parker Gun's website and have come to learn alot more about it. The serial number 104971 indicates that it was manufactured in 1901...so this goes along with my Mom's belief.

12 ga
SN: 104971
Frame size 2
Barrel weight: 44
Vulcan steel
Grade V

Some things I am still fuzzy about...

1. The website table lists barrel type or grade as "VH" for Vulcan, yet my gun is only stamped "V". I had seen someone comment in the forum that they had a "VH" stamp on thier gun's watertable...is this something that changed over time of manufacture?

2. I assume this has an Extractor versus an Ejector based on your description.

3. What is meant by "Case Colors"? This gun is all original (metal and wood).

4. Though this is a family heirloom and is not going any where, I do wonder about it's value. From what I have learned I would guess in the ballpark of $800 but please do correct me if I am off target.

5. Any reason it would not be safe to shoot?

I have taken several photos that I hope will help with answering my questions...most all are close ups thinking this would be best. If there is anything else you would like to see I can take a photo of it and post. If there is anything else I should inspect and/or describe I would be glad to.

Thanks in advance for your help.
Dean

[George Lander]

Dean: Your family Parker looks to be a nice VH Grade extractor gun. Case colors fade with age but the barrel blue appears to be 80% or better. Barrel weight, unstruck, is 4 pounds 4 ounces. For insurance purposes I would value your gun at $1,200-$1,500.

Best Regards, George

[Bindlestiff]

Dean,

Looks like you have a nice Parker.

Can you shoot it, I would guess yes. But, if you have any reason to think it isn't in shootable condition or just want a "real" opinion I would ask a qualified gunsmith. Someone that can hold the gun and look it over is much better than the web and a picture.

You do indeed have a VH. Th V is the grade and the H is for hammerless. If it had ejectors it would be a VHE. But, your gun has extractors, so it is a VH.

Case colors.... When they made the gun the metal is soft but as one of the last processes, they put it through a process called case hardening or heat treating. That process makes the outer layer of the metal hard, it helps to prevent wear and rust. The inner metal is kept soft because if they hardened the whole part it would become brittle and crack or break. Anyway, the by product of the heat treat process is a rainbow of color on the surface of the metal; it can have many colors. The colors depend on the temperature that it was raised to and the rate at which it was cooled. These colors can look like oil on the surface of water. But, they are thin and tend to wear off with use. That is why they are an indicator of condition of the gun; the more case color the higher the condition (generally).

[Dean Thomas]

Thank you both for the feedback...that indeed clarifies things considerably!