doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com having a set of new barrels made

Where would you go to have a new set of barrels made for an american shotgun,say a BH grade Parker? Not sleeved,or Teagued or mono-blocked but made from scratch new set of barrels with new ribs.I know it will be expensive.

CSMC.

Good question. It seems strange to me that fifty years ago, it was easy to find a European or British firm to do this, and now it is not so easy. Today, there are many more fine gunmakers than fifty years ago. I guess they are busy making guns, not barrels.

RD:
For me, there is only one person to do this properly in the US: Kirk Merrington -- A seasoned barrelmaker from Churchill's, etc. He isn't cheap. But he IS good!

A friend went thru this with a Parker. The place he chose was the company that is the maker of Parker shotguns today...Remington. He made the deal with Remington and they instructed him to ship to Galazan's for the work. He gets an invoice for the work from Remington. I haven't seen the gun yet, but I hear tell around the range it's back. I'm looking forward to seeing it. His goal was that the pedigree reflected going back to "the factory" for a second set of bbls. Remington contracted barrels should have all the Parker markings and correct matting on the rib. I have no idea what it cost him, but the only other way I'd do it would be a good set of used original Parker barrels, which in this other guy's case would be nearly impossible given the gun was a 28g and the barrels desired were .410.

This thread reminded me of something I saw in my old "Buxton's Guide to Foreign Firearms". Back in the early 60's, an outfit called Atlas Arms Inc. of Chicago--now long out of business, I'm sure--offered either Parker or LC Smith semi-finished barrels, of English Vickers steel, 90% fitted and ready for bluing, for $70. For another $35 plus shipping, they'd blue and fit the barrels in their gunsmithing department. They imported from both Italy and Spain, and there's no indication as to where the barrels were made.

Steve Tasitritsis' 'ATLAS ARMS', 2704 N Central, Chicago and (later) 7952 Waukegan Rd. Niles, Illinois offered replacement barrels for Smith and Parker guns in the 50s and 60s using tubes made by E.S.C. Vickers (England) and fit and finished by Armaf in Belgium
http://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identifies%20a/a%20armaf%20fr.htm

These Parker barrels have a 1954 date code



A Smith recently turned up with barrels by Armi Sarezzo in Italy.

I believe Dewey Vicknair uses PacNor barrels www.VicknairRestorations.com

I have a friend who once owned a nice Parker GHE 20 ga. with Damascus bbls. that he had Atlas fit a set of bbls. for. As I recall, they were very nicely done. Cost him around $250 in the early '70's.
JR

And only devalued the gun by a little over a thousand dollars, well, maybe two thousand. I hope he kept the old barrels. Most Atlas customers did not.

Lefever did a great job installing original Parker barrels for $200 to $250 depending on grade.