doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Parker pad

Would like to know what the correct type pad that should be fitted on a Remington Parker, has original butt plate but the pull is short.Thanks

The Hawkins with the heart shaped trestle is what is most often seen on thirties and forties Remington Parkers. Very late, when the supply of Hawkins pads was depleted, it is my opinion that Remington installed Mershon White Line pads, but no one has come up with any proof of that.

Hawkins Model 25



Hawkins "No. 12 gauge" Model 32



Dessicated Mershon White Line

Mershon White Line pads that were originally installed on a Remington Parker will usually look like the ones pictured unless the gun was never stored on its butt and seldom shot. The pad will be black, as pictured,(from my observation) and very hard. No Remington advertising or IBM cards from the Remington archives, that I have seen, have mentioned the brand of pad on late guns. It is always worth a shot to order a PGCA letter on a Remington gun since, very occasionally, interesting information is found on these cards. I have a late VHE 20 in about new condition with a Mershon pad that I suspect is original. I have not removed it to see if the screw holes for the pad are the only holes in the butt. Does anyone know the exact screw positions of late Remington Parker buttplates and exactly how long the screws are? With that information, an original Mershon installation could be fairly honestly identified. Of course, in today's world, a new Mershon pad may be as hard to locate as an original Hawkins. The second Hawkins pad pictured is available as a reproduction from Galazan's but it is not the type pad that was normally installed on late Parkers.

Hawkins Schmawkins and Mershon schmerson. I wouldn't take the original buttplate off any Parker to install a pad.

Use a slip on pad or have your surgeon remove some bone from your forearm. But leave the gun alone.

A good smith can install a suitable pad on a Parker without messing with the curvature of the butt or the mortise for the spur (if the gun has a mortise). I have had that done on a couple of short Parkers, and it's completely reversible: just take off the pad and screw the DHBP back on.

My .02 is that even if a good gunsmith does it, in 5 or 15 or 20 years the original plate will become divorced from the gun. I can count less than 5 times I've ever seen a gun advertised with a pad and a plate. I still vote for having his arm shortened.....