Parker VH Won’t Cock or Open

[Alan Nixon]

I realize this issue has been discussed before in March of 2018, but for my benefit and that of others I would like to focus a new discussion on the topic.

Key information:

• The gun is a Parker VH, circa 1914, Serial # 167900
• It was restocked long ago, and it has a good leather covered pad. I do not want to remove the butt stock, if possible. I realize that the small round caps in the pad may be removed to access the butt stock screws
• The hammers are in the “fired” position, having been lowered on snap caps. The firing pins may be pushed back under spring tension so they are even with the face of the standing breech by using a hard blunt item (front of a snap cap).
• I removed the fore end to remove the snap caps.
• The unhooking pin slides well enough, but the spring may have more resistance than I remember. I can reattach the fore end with no issue. I oiled the exposed pin and the resistance did not change; it is not gummed up.
• The top lever travels correctly, but the action only opens a small amount before the action binds up and will not open further or cock the internal hammers
• The safety tang screw slot is about 45 degrees to the right. The trigger guard screw and trigger plate screws are correctly regulated and are in undamaged condition.
• The position of the safety does not solve the problem.
• I have never had this gun apart or had any issues in the five years I have owned it.
• I do not intend to take it to a local gunsmith who is not an expert on Parker guns. I am in Montana, and Parkers are a rarity here. I realize that even an expert would need to investigate the problem specific to this gun.

Resources:
I have the “Technical Information” located on this PGCA site, the book, “The Parker Gun-An Immortal American Classic”, I ordered the book, “Parker-America’s Finest Shotgun. Tools: I have a set of gunsmith screwdrivers and I can modify them to match the screw slots. I also have other hand tools suitable for fine work. I think I will know when to stop.
I read the PGCA Forum thread titled, “My Parker Won’t cock” starting March 21, 2018. That was informative but some procedures were extraneous or not advised.

What I would like to know first is:
1. Is it advisable to remove the trigger plate to access the cocking slide, view the internal parts of the unhooking pin slide and its connection to the hole in the trigger plate, the position of the cocking crank and the cocking hook, and the hammers? I would like to clean, lube, and examine these and other parts that are accessible through the bottom of the frame. Brian Dudley mentioned the potential benefits of cleaning in the March, 2018 thread (Post #3 on 3/21/18, “My Parker Won’t cock”).

2. Reassembly: I need to know the procedures required prior to reinstalling the trigger plate, since it affects several of the parts. For instance, what position do the hammers need to be in…and therefore the cocking slide, etc.?

3. I suspect that the problem is centered on the cocking crank, cocking hook, cocking hook pin and spring, cocking slide, and the trigger plate. (see page 159 parts diagram and page 191 Hammerless Action-cocking mechanism, “The Parker Gun-An Immortal Classic”). I do not think that the safety or the hammers per se are central to the issue. The cocking slide will not move forward for some reason. (Wayne Goerres mentioned that, “There is a very tiny screw that holds the cocking slide in place. If that screw is over tightened it can cause the problem”). I don’t know how that screw can become a problem after all this time unless it backs out.

Any other information is sure welcome. If this all works out, perhaps I can document the problem and its solution, including pictures. I appreciate this forum and the knowledge and experience of its members.
I think that the Technical Information could be improved by including a numbered parts list to accompany the Parts Illustration. That information is in the Baer book.

Thanks,
Al Nixon

[winplumber]

You need to read up on buttstock removal there is a nice post here if you do a search, No need to remove the butt pad ,Also you need to look at the Technical Information parts list listed on the home page again there is a numbered parts list with with it for Id

[Mike Franzen]

Hi Al and happy one year anniversary in the PGCA. You gave a very detailed description about your gun and your concerns about it. There are members here (not me) who can take these apart and put them back together in their sleep. Maybe someone like that will contact you and offer assistance. Keep us posted.

[B. Dudley]

First off, a Parker is not a drawbolt gun. So your comments about removing the pad to remove the stock are not correct.

My recommendation to you would be to just open the gun and try applying more pressure than you currently are. It sounds to me like you are just hitting the spot where the gun starts to cock itself on opening. And you are not applying enough pressure to move through that point.
Some may wonder how this can happen? Well it can. I have had guns shipped all the way across the country to me from people who said they could not open the gun in this situation and there was nothing wrong with them. They just were not used to the feel of the gun cocking.

[Alan Nixon]

B. Dudley,

That worked!
Certainly that is not a surprise to you, Brian. There is no substitute for experience. Thanks for sharing yours!

You were spot on, suggesting that I simply apply more force to open the action to cock the gun when it seemed that something was wrong with the cocking mechanism. In fact it was OK all along. Although the force needed initially felt somewhat high, the cocking process was smooth against the resistance of the main springs.

This is a tremendous relief. I hope this information is useful to others who encounter the same situation. Thanks to the members who responded to my request for help,

Al Nixon

[edgarspencer]

You may want to consider a good cleaning and lubrication. The cocking slide may be caked in old grease, making the opening that much more difficult.

[Bob Brown]

Just for future reference there is a detailed step by step instruction for removing the stock in the frequently asked questions section on the home page.

[John Davis]

Originally Posted by Bob Brown

Just for future reference there is a detailed step by step instruction for removing the stock in the frequently asked questions section on the home page.

I found that the most helpful part of the "detailed step by step instructions" was to re-enforce the fact that I don't need to remove the stock or attempt to do any other work on my Parkers.