Agreed, it does have issues!
Frankly, the allure of this gun is that it's in my hands! I would pay $200 to have it around and speculate on what I "might" do with it "someday". I let it pass, I still need to help my non-gun nut friend sell it, as that was my original intention.
If you were someone asking "Dear Abby" about marrying a blind alcoholic on disability the obvious answer would be: Don't. The number of successful rehabs can be counted on the fingers of one thumb. And this goes for century-old broken-stock Parker PH-Twists as well.
Within the past week a person I didn't know showed up in my driveway with a Parker PH Twist in shootable but worn and dirty condition. He had one of my books and the dust jacket says Durand IL, so, of course, he stopped by and wanted to know what he had and what it was worth. An unspecified recent "appraisal" was mentioned at the $2,500 mark. I told him if he walked it around at Sanford NC or the Vintage Cup, a Parker person might go $450...given that the gun was fully functional with good clean barrels, good (but not perfect) screws, traces of colors, stock tight to action, not off face, etc.... Point being that plenty of nice-enough old Parker PHs abound, and no one should chase after a project/parts gun unless he is in the business.
Parting shot: The motivation of helping a gun-nut friend sell a gun by buying it one's self should be tested by the premise that you die soon and your wife has to figure out what to do with a project/parts Parker in the condition stated. Good guns may cost more at point of purchase but there will be a ready market when it's time to sell. EDM
