Questions on types of grips

[Daniel G Rainey]

Does anyone have any idea what percent of Parker hammerless guns were made with pistol grips, ball grips or straight grip ? Thanks in advance.

[Researcher]

No.

Technically, "ball grips" were found on hammer guns, while the rounded grips on hammerless guns were half-pistol grips.

DH- January 1, 1929.jpeg

In many of the Parker Bros. catalogs and for many of the grades they only say "pistol or straight grip."

VH-Grade 1911.jpeg

Sometimes they don't mention the grip style at all.

[B. Dudley]

I would speculate less than 25% of hammerless guns are Straight grip. And much less than that are half grip.

Short of going through the serialization book and counting them all, that is the best we can do. And even then not all would be counted for.

[Bruce Day]

There was a consensus derived from counting some years back that concluded that less than 10 percent of V grades were straight hand. The percentage of straight hand grips climbed with the grades to 30-40 percent above grade A.

Straight grips then as now were not favored by most shooters who wanted a less costly gun. The more customers were likely to spend , then more likely they were to want a straight grip stock .

[Mills]

I see very few straight grips myself in hammerless Parkers. With low grades, I would be surprised if it was 5 percent

[Double Lab]

I've got 9 straight grip hammerless Mills. 7 VH/VHE, 2 DHE. I started way back in the 70's and just like straight grip guns. 3- 12ga., 4- 20's. 1- 16 and 1 28ga. I just think that straight grips are the way all shotguns should be built. The thing is I never really sought out straight grip guns but when I ran into one that was righteous I bought it.

[Mills]

I have two myself. They are sleek looking