TRYING TO GET MORE INFO

[John Rutledge]

I have taken my new(old) DHE to Briley for some work on the ejectors and barrel selection switch. Where can I get some information on what the gun looked like when it left the factory. The stock looks not original( it is English) althought the serial number on the tang matches the others. The rest of the gun is original with all matching serial numbers, It is choked extra full/extra full so it may have been made for driven birds.

Any help in getting to the right sources would be appreciated.

John Rutledge

[Labowner]

If your gun is straight stocked with a long trigger bow it probably left PB that way, I have a straight stocked DH a 1900 gun. If you take the screws out of the trigger bow and pull it out the serial number should be stamped in the wood. Give us the serial # of gun and it may be listed.

[John Rutledge]

ERF, thanks. The serial number is 174054. I did not look under the trigger bow but that serial number is on the fore end, the barrel block, the tongue behind the opening lever and on the trigger tang( I am not sure I have all the correct terms!) There is an extra screw hole behind the trigger tang that made me think the stocl was not original. I must admit, however, that the stock's wood and checkering match the fore end.

JR

[Bruce Day]

xxxx

[10ga Hammer]

12ga,DHE,Pistol Grip,32in barrels.

[John Rutledge]

Thanks, since the gun now has an English stock, could it be possible that when the gun was returned to PArker for an SST ( I understand they came after 1919 and the gun was made in 1916/1917) it was also modified with the new stock. The extra screwhole(long since filled) could be from the original trigger guard for the double triggers it originally came with?

Lots of questions and still looking for help.

JR

[Labowner]

John that is possible that your gun was restocked at PB when the trigger was installed, when you have a chance take some pictures and check under trigger guard for serial number.
Bob

[Bruce Day]

Although by no means is my limited observation determinative of all Parker shotguns, the ones I have seen that were factory restocked from pistol grip to straight hand also had the short, curved, single screw hole trigger guard removed and the long, straight, two hole guard installed. A common expedient when a non factory aftermarket change is made is to straighten the PG guard and weld on an extension, and add another screw hole. On all those that I have seen, the weld line is very visible on the underside of the trigger guard tang extension. On a few PG to straight conversions I have seen, the re stocker did not bother to even use a longer TG tang, but merely straightened the short PG tang and made do with that.

While all this explanation is what it is, it is much quicker and rapidly determinative to simply unscrew the trigger guard and lift up and rotate. On factory TG's the SN will be stamped on the iron underside and on factory stocks, the SN will be stamped into the wood of the tang channel. Its quicker to do that than even talk about it.

If necessary, I can post photos of factory PG and straight hand trigger guards. I am no Parker expert, but I have a few and seen a few. There is no difference in the trigger guards of double trigger or single trigger guns. A DT to SST conversion would have no difference on the trigger guard.

Many re stocks are quickly apparent as non factory and a common discrepency is in the comb nose. Here is a 1911 gun as made by Parker , which is the closest I have to the year your gun was made. This is a G stock, and does not have the drop points characteristic of a D stock.

[Autumn Daze]

John, I hope you get to see this post....it may disappear at any moment.

[John Rutledge]

Many thanks to all of you( I did not see the last post).....I will check the underside of the TG when I get back to the gunsmith. It is possible that the restocker used the shorter TG tang. It will be interesting to see if the stock is a PG stock or something else.

JR