My Parker in an ammo can project made a major advancement this week when I was able to obtain a set of barrels that march well and I'm making progress fitting.

The gun came with the original roller hinge, pin and screw. The pin is really tight. The parts are clean and lightly oiled. I use a small brass hammer to tap the pin and then snug up the screw and then tap some more. At this point, I have just driven the pin in about half way - enough to work at fitting barrels.

How tight should I expect the pin to be? Does it require driving in? Should it be a slip fit?

Thanks!

The pin is a very tight fit. Driving it out requires a steel punch placed down in the bottom of the screw thread hole and a decent hammer to knock it out.
Putting it all back together is usually a little easier as the parts are cleaned up from old grease & oil, ect. But they are still a drive fit.

A large brass punch on the pin w/a very thin pece of leather so as not to ding the surface. Again that decent size hammer,,,,and the action well supported in a bench vise.
I've used Delrin/Nylon drift pinches and they work OK and deffinetly won't mark the surface of that pin,,but I just don't like the lightweight feel to them for this.

When disassembling, I place a small witness mark on the pin under the removed screw to indicate 12'oclock.
That helps in reassembly to get the pin back in the right rotational allignment so that the screw 'qualifys' when tightened up.
Even then I sometimes have to tap the pin back out and turn it a degree or two to get the screw slot just right when tight.

Coming to you disassembled you will probably have to go thru the latter of adjusting the pin placement till the screw slot qualifys for you.
But it's not a difficult thing to do, just takes a little time and the result is a big difference in the final appearance of the project.

Thanks for the quick replay.

I'll probably drive the pin back out and clean the pin and hole really well. Timing of the screw slot was something I hadn't considered.

The screw slot and head of the pin screw are a little abused. I may try to improve it some. The gun will never be totally restored having updated wood and mismatched barrels but it won't hurt to improve it any little bit I can.

I need 4 screws to finish up. The set screws on both sides of the hammer pin screws are missing and the small screw on the left side that cover the cocking lever pin. The rear trigger guard screw is wrong - just a common wood screw.

Galazan makes a set of screws but I can't find any in stock.

I think Brian Dudley might make those screws or has had someone make them for him. Could be wrong. Might send him a note and ask.

Yes, i have almost anything you may need for screws. New and used.

The timing of the joint pin screw is something that can be some trial and error. Sometimes the pin is marked with a little stake mark at the factory. But if now, you just have to tighten the screw down and see where it lands. Then drive the pin back out enough to rotate it, and then try again.

The joint pin should be tight. And should be driven in. Some go in easier than others. I usually use a maple block on the head pf the pin as a buffer for hammering them in.

Well, it's together!

I've gotten with Brian Dudley and will be getting the last 4 screws.

I have some 2.5" brass hulls that I'll load with black powder and see if the old gun will go bang.

Thanks for all the help.

Yeeee Hawwww
Please post a final and shooting report with pictures
Mike

It's getting closer to time to shoot it. Actually, I'm waiting for weather conditions to improve to were I can take good video. Right now it's just below freezing and high winds. I know all I'll get is the roar of the wind.

A couple of questions on finish:

What should the finish on the Damascus barrels look like? The gun is 1884 vintage and the barrels a few years older. I've looked at many pictures of Parker shotguns and there are so much variation I'm not sure.

The wood is updated but what looks to be polyurethane finish is thin in spots and now has small handling marks. I'm thinking a light skuffing and apply another coat by hand. I normally use Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil. Is that going to fill the scratches and cover the thin areas?

Black and White is the proper barrel finish.

You will likely have good luck getting the truoil to do what you want it to. For scratches, i would maybe try wet sanding them out if they are just in the poly. Finish itself will usually not do much for filling in scratches.

I'm not got something right or not doing something right when I try taking the barrels off the action. The cocking hook stays under the cocking lever. I can get the barrels off by taking the cocking hook screw out but I don't think I should have to.

The cocking hook is pushed by a spring powered plunger. I don't see how gravity is going to let it swing forward enough to clear the cocking lever.

I've done some research and what was suggested was to fire the hammers and hold the barrels down. I've tried that but the hammers cock again before they come apart from the frame.

Suggestions.

Thanks,

Does the trigger plate have it's unhooking slide and spring loaded plunger in place?

You'll have to drop the trigger plate out to see and check the slides operation. But it fits in a very narrow T slot in the plate w/the plunger and spring within the slide. One of the tiny headless screws secures it in place from the side edge of the trigger plate.

If that's not in place/missing,,or is stuck and jammed in position which can happen very easily, then the hook will not let go of the cocking arm.

Another thing is that on a parts gun, the hook may be just a little too big as far as the tip of the 'hook' is concerned. Not being able to release itself from the cocking arm even though the slide is pushing it back.

Just some thoughts..

Also check the plunger in the frame, it should protrude from the knuckle at the front of the frame. Its purpose is to push the unhooking slide back when the forend is in place, some times it gets stuck in the depressed position.

It has the plunger and spring and it does push in and spring back like I think it should.

I have another hook that is original to the gun. I may compare it to the one that came with the barrels. Maybe try it.

Thanks,

I wrote a whole piece in the Parker Pages on unhooking. It can be a very involved issue.

I spent a little time today studying the hook and disconnect plunger.

I think I now understand how it should work. With the forend off, the disconnect rod is pushed forward and should push the hook forward to let it pass the cocking lever.

The disconnect rod protrudes more than an 1/8" and can be pushed back in with some force and it springs back out smoothly. When it springs out, I can see something sliding forward in the bottom plate under the cocking lever.

I got the second cocking hook and compared it to the one that came with the barrels and they look identical.

I took out the hook plunger and spring and cleaned and oiled them and the hole - even though they seem to be working fine. The spring seemed stronger than necessary. I cleaned and stoned the sides of the hook.

Am I right in my thinking that the spring force of the disconnect pushing on the bottom of the hook has to be greater than the force of the hook spring in the lump to push the hook back?

Maybe try it without the hook spring and plunger?

Brian, I found the title of your article in the Parker Papers but could not get to the article. Is it only in print?

Thanks again guys,

Ta-Daha!

I made a shorter and lighter hook plunger spring and the barrels will come off as intended.

Thanks.

I've got 25 brass hulls loaded with BlackMZ, fiber wads and 1oz of shot to try it out once there is a break in the weather.

I got the last 4 screws yesterday. I was able to fit and time 3 of the four with only a little work and patients.

The hammer screw lock screw on the left side bottomed out but was still proud about 10/1000. I was taking it out to see if there was something under the screw or if the head needed shortened when half the head broke away. CRAP! I put it up for the day. I know better then keep going when things go wrong.

Afrer "sleeping on it", I took a fresh look this morning. I had backed the screw out a good bit - enough I could get a small pair of vice grips on it and screw it out.

Wanting to get something that looked better than an empty hole, I took the smallest scope base screw in my assortment and turned the head down and cut back the underside to the right thickness. Then ground the threads off and reduced it to a diameter small enough to drop into the threaded hole. Basically, I made a "faux" screw. Obviously, it doesn't screw in but fits nicely and looks good - kind of like a glass eye looks better than an black hole.

Your screws are 45 degrees out of time.

90 degrees, Brian....... a quarter turn.

SRH

Thanks!,

I looked a number of picture and found them in all o'clocks. I found the hinge pin in the wrong way and so on. So I had to decide what looked right.

The hinge pin screw in on the left side and horizontal - that's correct. Right?

The hammer pin screw is notched so it has to go vertical. Right?

The cocker lever pin screw plug that I have vertical should be horizontal. Right?

The hammer pin screw lock screw should be horizontal. Right?

I have several sets of gunsmith screwdrivers - including a set Grace for the Browning A5 that is thiner than most other drivers I have. But the Parker screw slots are even tighter than that. Are there some specific screwdrivers or bits that work well with these small screws?

Is there a trick to working on these small screws? To hold them, I tend to chuck them in my cordless drill chuck.

Yeah... you know what i meant.

Good pictures here
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/752436608

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/752132560

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/752139011

Thanks,

Little more work to do.

Thanks to all who have came to my aid with my Parker DH project. I had to stretch well beyond my comfort zone to get this ammo can of parts together and make it bark again.

I put off shooting it until the weather conditions were at least reasonably good to make video of the event. The wind was still blowing harder than I wanted. Had the wind been calm and humidity higher, there would have been more smoke in the air.

The next event for the old Parker is to take it and show it to the old gentleman from whom I got the gun. This is the third project gun I've gotten from him and completed. I'm sure it means a lot to him to see them done.

Its projects like this that I find the most interesting on this Bulletin Board. Bibbyman, it looks like it shoots as if new...Geo