Parker 12 ga CHE

Ray Dunkum · 10-05-2026, 08:34 PM

Greetings to all. Picked this up at my local shop. Just browsing through and there it was . The owner of the store owed me a little for some work I did for him and we settled on a price of $1085.00. I requested a letter and the shotgun was ordered in 1912 by a Harley Everett Reisman. He paid $112.50 and $18.75 for ejectors. Mr. Reisman was the editor of the Rock Island Railroad Employees Magazine. He arranged for a 6 1/2 page advertisement in the R. I. Employees Magazine and received a credit toward the weapons balance. Please pardon my cell phone pictures. LOP was 14in. from the factory and it did have a dog head B. Plate but only measured 13 1/4 in LOP. Been cut. So I had a repro Galazan Red Rubber pad installed to restore the LOP. It comes to the shoulder Like a magnet on point. The finest gun I own. Hope I did ok. Look forward to all suggestions, comments, advise.

BRDHNTR · 10-06-2026, 08:07 AM

You did just fine

Dean Romig · 10-06-2026, 08:19 AM

The code on the left barrel flat shows that it had been to Remington for service of some sort. Maybe that’s when the stock was shortened and the DHBP was put on.

Nice buy incidentally. A well cared for gun is always a joy to find.

.

Keavin Nelson · 10-06-2026, 09:32 AM

The Cs are among my favorite. I would say you did great in that deal. What are the barrels, 28"?

B. Dudley · 10-06-2026, 10:21 AM

Acme Steel barrels too! Not a bad buy at all. Assuming that he did not owe you like $5k or something.

When you say that the gun had a DHBP originally, does it specifically state that in the letter? It would say "Hard rubber butt" or something to the effect.
The standard butt treatment for a Parker DH and above would be a skeleton steel buttplate. Others such as a pad, checkered butt or DHBP could be had, but they would only be by special order from the customer.

IF the gun did have a DHBP originally, it would have been a number 2 size plate. Given the gauge and frame size of the gun. The plate on it in the photos is the number 1 style, which may have been the easier option to fit since it is smaller in size and the stock surface would have been made smaller when it was cut.

Jim DiSpagno · 10-06-2026, 10:47 AM

Brian, I owned the B grade that Mike Jensen has had for sale that lettered with a hard rubber pad IE DHBP it was a 2 frame , 2 bbl set gun

Researcher · 10-06-2026, 10:58 AM

Wow!! Great gun. Congratulations. Wonderful background on it.

So, our man Edwin Hedderly, editor of Western Field in that same time frame wasn't the only one in the publishing business getting guns for ads.

Edwin Hedderly Dec 1910 Western Field.jpg

Hedderly also vigorously promoted the small bores for California duck shooting in his magazine articles. First, Edwin got 20- and 28-gauge DHEs then moved up to A1 Specials in 16- and 20-gauge, all 32-inch barrel guns. Later he was a long-time member of the California Game Commission. His 16-gauge A1 Special in well-worn condition was pictured on a Guns & Ammo cover in 1966 --

Edwin Hedderly 16-gauge A1 Special on G&A cover.jpg

and after restoration in Larry Baer's Parker book --

Edwin Hedderly 16-gauge A1 Special in Larry Baer book.jpg

Ray Dunkum · 10-06-2026, 07:44 PM

Barrels are 28in.There is a pretty deep grove on top of the wood at the butt. Maybe the reason for the cut and the DHBP. More on H. Reisma . Mr Reisman changed his wife's and his name in 1918 to Remington. His father was of Austrian decent through Iowa. Possibly he changed his name because of the bad feelings towards Germans and Austrians during WW1. 1881 to 1968. Buried in Los Angeles Co. Ca. Wish the shotgun could talk. Thanks for the positive posts.