Your Thoughts

[Gary Laudermilch]

After watching some of the Parker resurrections on this forum I have been thinking it may be fun to embark on one myself.

Yesterday, while visiting a small gun shop I asked if he had any old doubles around. He came up with a Parker and my immediate thought was that it might make that project gun I have been thinking about.

It is a grade 2 (G) 12 ga. hammerless extractor size 1 frame gun with Damascus barrels and so marked. All serial numbers match. The barrels have been cut to 26.5 but the bores look amazingly good. A few small dents out near the muzzles though and the barrels do not ring at all. It looks like it locks up tight but rattles somewhat when shook. The butt stock is toast having been cross pinned twice and a huge chunk of the stock head missing. Dogs head butt plate has the bottom third missing. The action looks pretty good with no major pitting and the engraving pretty sharp.

I was trying to add up what the repairs might cost to come up with a number I might be willing to pay. Not trying to make money on it but do not want to get seriously under water on it either. Just thought it might be neat to recover a piece destined for the junk pile.

Your thoughts. What is a parts gun worth in case I decide not to pursue it?

[Bill Murphy]

Seriously underwater with only the forend marketable as parts.

[B. Dudley]

If the barrels are cut, don't bother. Even after putting all the money and work into it, the gun will not be right and there is nothing you can do about it.

My opinion here, but if you want a gun to do a restoration on, get something with good uncut barrels and something without pitting/heavy engraving wear on the frame. That is a solid base for any project.

[GH-16]

I second what Brian said & will add my 2 cents as well.

I sent a GH-12 back to the guy I bought from off GB. It was a 2 framed Damascus gun with 30" barrels. Over all the mechanicals were in good condition. The down side was the stock had a crack in it that I knew about going in. The crack was repairable & I considered sending it to someone like Brain who could do a professional repair/refinish. I had $800.00 in the gun and could justify the wood repair in my mind.

The kicker for me was the barrels. The barrels overall were in nice shape. No pitting, dents, dings etc. But when I measured the chokes & chambers is when I found the surprise. Somewhere along the line someone had the chokes opened & the chambers lengthened. The chokes started out with the nice factory tapers that Parker was famous for. Then they went to a flat parallel section approximately 1" from the end of the muzzles.

When I got to thinking it all over. I just couldn't see sinking more cash & time into a lower grade gun which has permanently altered bores. Experience told me this one was a project to far & to keep looking for the right gun.

[William Davis]

Personal bias,

I don't even look at Parkers with altered barrels, no matter how much potential the gun has.

William

[Gary Laudermilch]

You guys said what I was pretty much thinking but it never hurts to ask. I was not envisioning a full blown restoration. Just get it back to good shooter status. It would be a light upland gun with cyl. bore chokes - just screaming to go grouse/woodcock/quail hunting. Oh well, I guess it just will have to go to the scrap heap. Seems a shame though. Thanks for taking the time to provide your input.

[William Davis]

Gary

I bought a rough cut VH four or five years ago. Three reasons, wanted something I could take apart and put back together to learn more about how they work. And could do most of the stock work myself. Third objective did not have any short open choke Parkers and thought I would try it on Skeet at the local club.

First two objectives went fine but once repaired and shooting it 30 cut to 26 just did not feel right. Dead in my hands, this compared to a 26 inch 870 Skeet. Now I own a Original 26 inch Parker factory open choked and it's all the difference in the world from the cut gun. Better to buy one thats built for the job than accept somebody else mistake.

William

[Daniel G Rainey]

Gentleman Thank everyone for there ideas on the































Gentleman Thank everyone for their ideals on restoration











Gentlemen Thanks to everyone on their ideas on restoration. As someone who is just learning I need all the good info






Gentlemen Thanks to everyone for their ideas on the restoration. As someone who is just learning, I need all the info I can get. It seems that my mother was right when she said" that you could not make silk out of a sow's ear" Dan

[Bill Murphy]

I don't know about that "sow's ear" business. I do know that my last two projects, one costing $400 for the raw material, the other $700, turned into wonderful guns that show no sign of their humble and rusty beginning. Both have astounding barrels and badly neglected "other parts".

[Austin J Hawthorne Jr.]

If you want an open choked shooter and the barrels have been cut, so what!!!
Ask if you can pattern the gun, go shoot it, and if it shoots where you look and the price is right, go for it. If your looking for a fast flip, then walk away.
I shoot a number of Parker's with cut barrels and they suit my needs just fine. As far as balance, feel if you will, 2 inches of the barrels weigh only a few ounces and you may be able to bore almost that much from the butt stock. Now you will have a lighter gun to carry and the money you save will give you lots of range time on the skeet field.