doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Parker GH with straight Grip

I have a Parker GH with Damascus barrels around the 95,000 S/N range.
It has a straight grip on it in need of replacement.
The original has been repaired and sanded far too low in relation to the metal and ALL of the checkering is gone with no traces of it.

My question is two fold...

Does anyone have any good pictures of a GH with a straight grip so I can see what type of checkering pattern is on the wrist originally? I keep an eye on GB for them listed, but there have been none recently.

Also, I see that my values book notes the fairly low production numbers of this grade with a straight grip, but does not list that there is an adder in value for this.

Would any of you say that that straight grip does realistically add any value to the gun since there were a lot less made in comparison to pistol grips?

Will this help??

http://www.gunsinternational.com/Parker-GHE-SXS-12-Gauge.cfm?gun_id=100146491

http://www.gunsinternational.com/Parker-Bros-GHE-12-Gauge.cfm?gun_id=100156035

I prefer straight grips over pistol grips, but there is no premium as far as I'm concerned. It does, however, make the gun more desirable to me. The two guns linked above are about $1,500 off the mark.

The only difference between Grade 2 checkering and Grade 3 checkering is the LPI, otherwise the patterns are identical.

Can you tell us what publication gives you production numbers on Grade 2 straight grip guns? I don't know of any and would be interested in finding such information.

Great wood on that Turnbull gun. Probably too nice for a GHE original stock, unless it's maybe Rem wood.

The book I have is the "2010 Gun Digest book of Guns & Prices"

It lists that a total of 4,291 GH model guns were made and only 430 of them had straight grips.

I have an old copy of Perter Johnson's " Parker-America's finest shotgun" and in there he lists estimated GH total production at 28,000.

How there is quite a gap between those to sources of information.

I just found it odd for my book to list the specific number at 430, but not list a value adder if the number was that low for the many years that Parkers were produced.
However the values book lists the GH as having "Parker Special Steel" barrels. Maybe they are not including the Damascus barreled guns in that production figure they give.

I recall a conversation I had several years ago with Steve McCarthy of New England Arms in Kittery Point, ME about straight-gripped Parkers. He estimated about 10% of Parkers were produced with straight-grips and they would typically bring up to a $1,000 premium over their pistol-grip counterparts.

Operative "up to" includes many variables. For a C grade or above sub-gauge Parker I would certainly pay a $1000 premium for a straight grip.

10% is likely a low estimate but certainly no more than 20% of all Parker shotguns were produced with the straight grip.

Mr. Dudley,

If you are serious about learning about your GH please visit the Parker Gun Collector Association forum at:
http://www.parkerguns.org/forums/index.php

When there be prepared to disclose the complete serial number so that member may check it in PARKER GUN IDENTIFICATION AND SERIALIZATION book. I own a splendid GH 10 with a straight grip that left Meridian as a capped pistol grip. I also own a wonderfully restocked by Remington DHE 20 that left Meridian as a straight grip but is now a capped pistol grip. A lot of stuff can happen in the life of a 100+ year old gun! Also, good quality photos will reveal much.

The annual Gun Digest and their other publications are great entertainment for they cover a very wide range of firearms. I would not however rely on Gun Digest to be experts on Parker guns anymore than I would rely on the PGCA as an organization of dedicated Parker enthusiasts to know much or do a photo shoot on a Ruger Single Six. When I was young I studied every article in Gun Digest, Gun World, Shooting Times and other publications. Now, several decades later I dive into THE PARKER STORY and books by Muderlak and Johnson (which you have) for information on Parker guns, McIntosh for AH Fox, and others who study their subject. Authors who write about certain guns rarely make a lot of money (based on a per hour rate) for researching and writing their books. They do it for love of their subjec matter.

For a range of values most use Fjestad's annual BLUE BOOK OF GUN VALUES. That stated a gun or any object is only worth what another will pay for it. In that regard, Fjestad is the most accurate.