Inherited an old Parker and it's loaded!

[William Brentlinger]

Hello All.

Newbie to Parker shotguns and just inherited Great Grandpa's old shotgun.
I eased the loading rod down the barrel and it shows a load is still in both barrels.

Reading posts has everything from soaking, compressed air, grease guns, to "Oh my buddy just set it off!!!"

For those experienced in getting an old muzzle loading shotgun unloaded, what is my safest bet for getting my wall hanger into a safe condition? My guess is this firearm has been loaded for over 50 years.

I have multiple black powder arms, so do understand the volatility of black power.

Thanks,
William

[Fishtail]

Well if it is a muzzle loader it's not a Parker.

[OH Osthaus]

as stated not a Parker Brothers

there was a British maker named Parker in the muzzleloader days as well as Belgium clunkers

BUT- to answer your question- one of the CO2 cartridge powered compressed air dischargers is best -

next best is a rod with a worm - there will be multiple layers - wad shot wad powder to remove- DO NOT get in front of the muzzle when drawing a load,


and if your "buddy" wants to set it off- i suggest you keep a solid wall and some distance between him and you - just in case

[William Brentlinger]

Thanks for the Parker info. Mine just says Parker and fine laminated steel on the rib. No serial numbers or other distinguishing marks.

[OH Osthaus]

Originally Posted by William Brentlinger

Thanks for the Parker info. Mine just says Parker and fine laminated steel on the rib. No serial numbers or other distinguishing marks.

once your barrels are safe- check the proof marks on the underside- that will tell you if it is British or Belgium

both can be viewed here

http://www.phoenixinvestmentarms.com...Proofmarks.pdf

[Bill Murphy]

A worm to remove the top wads. Pour out the shot, worm it if neccesary. Worm out the filler wads. Worm out the powder.

[B. Dudley]

Not an uncommon situation with old muzzleloaders. It is something that one should always check for.

[Kensal Rise]

Mr. Brentlinger:
You seem unfamiliar with these guns. Thus, I believe the best advice is to take the gun to a qualified gunsmith to have it unloaded and rendered safe. Cost will be minimal, tools unnecessary, and confidence high.

[Richard Flanders]

Roger that on always checking a newly acquired muzzle loader. I shot my original 1842 .69cal Springfield musket for a couple of years before I discovered that there was a dbl corkscrew like wad puller at the base of the bbl. Somehow I never detected it while cleaning it; everything just bottomed out solid until one day it felt different and I somehow got the puller out in perfect condition. I still use it.

[Bindlestiff]

You will need a tool that screws onto the end of the ramrod or cleaning rod that can catch the patch holding the shot in the barrel and then grab the patch that is over the powder (after dumping out the shot). As stated before, DO NOT get over the rod in case it detonates the powder!!!!

The tool you want looks something like this: