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Posted By: Dust 2 Dollars 1889 Parker CH Hammerless 12 Gauge - 08/03/21 06:15 PM
Good day to you all.
I joined this group mainly for knowledge on Parker shotguns. I've always tried to learn from others who are willing to share. So here we are giving it a go. One thing I know from over 20 years of doing this starting when forums were no more than a chat room was this. People love to ask questions but not post pictures. Well, that is not the case with me.
This gun's letter just came in and it states the stock configuration was a pistol grip. I know that the research was determined by 132 year old documents which are not always correct or legible. So I would like your opinion on this since it is not a pistol grip stock in the least. The gun was returned in 1913 for a set of 28" Vulcan barrels that it now wears.
I appreciate your time and comments to come.
Mark Sr

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Posted By: skeettx Re: 1889 Parker CH Hammerless 12 Gauge - 08/03/21 06:18 PM
Welcome on your first posting
Mike


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Posted By: gunut Re: 1889 Parker CH Hammerless 12 Gauge - 08/03/21 06:36 PM
nice bluebird day hunter/shooter....
Posted By: Drew Hause Re: 1889 Parker CH Hammerless 12 Gauge - 08/03/21 07:48 PM
Beautiful gun with what appears to be Grade 5 wood

Grade 4

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Grade 5

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These folks will know
http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=33908
Posted By: CJO Re: 1889 Parker CH Hammerless 12 Gauge - 08/07/21 11:44 PM
The stock oval and long trigger guard look like factory work...also the stock appears to be set for a left hand shooter “ cast on”

All best

CJ
Posted By: ed good Re: 1889 Parker CH Hammerless 12 Gauge - 08/08/21 01:38 AM
lovely old gun...a true work of art...
Posted By: Joe Wood Re: 1889 Parker CH Hammerless 12 Gauge - 08/08/21 05:58 PM
My vote is for original stock profile. I have a couple of Parker letters that aren’t even in the ballpark of the original. You can quickly settle the debate by looking under the trigger guard tang and seeing if there is a serial number stamped on the wood. If there is and it matches the gun then it pretty well settles the question.
Posted By: DAM16SXS Re: 1889 Parker CH Hammerless 12 Gauge - 08/09/21 02:09 AM
That serial number stamped in the wood under the trigger guard tang is NOT something you can use to ascertain originality.
I have a VH 20 gauge that has been restocked by DelGrego in the late 70's and the gun's serial number is stamped into the wood in that location, as I suspect so many others are that have been restocked. That little "trick" of determining originality has been out of the bag for decades so it doesn't really mean a lot these days.

The wood on the subject gun is, in my opinion, not original to the gun just as the Vulcan Steel barrels are replacements. If the research letter shows the barrels were replaced at the Parker factory consider yourself fortunate to at least have that going for the gun.
I have never seen an original Parker stock with that style of fluting at the "nose of the comb", that angle of the top of the flute simply isn't 'right' except on Parkers ordered with the "Trap Comb." not to say they never did but in the many, many hundreds of Parkers I have seen and examined this one just doesn't conform. That and the fact that the checkering pattern and the fleur-de-lis was not used on a Grade 4 unless it was a special order and such a special order would certainly be noted in the research letter.

The gun is beautiful otherwise.
Posted By: keith Re: 1889 Parker CH Hammerless 12 Gauge - 08/11/21 04:30 AM
The evaluation of originality provided by DAM16SXS was probably not the news that the OP wished to hear, but his observations seem quite accurate. Unfortunately for Parker collectors, there is probably no other American shotgun that has been so subject to refinishing, upgrading, restoration, and even outright counterfeiting. Parkers became desirable and collectible, even in the lower grades, so there was a natural tendency for people to try to enhance the value. And they have been collectible for so long that decades old restorations have aged and now sometimes don't look too good to be true.

The comment about serial number stamps in the wood, and metal, is quite valid. Matching serial numbers are always desirable to the collector, and it is no great trick to stamp new numbers, or even engrave them on higher grade guns. But many newer sets of number stamps utilize different styles or fonts than what was originally used by the factory, so it pays to study small details like that.

Evaluating original condition also requires one to look at the sum total of every part of the gun, and carefully examine whether normal wear really appears normal over the entire gun. This particular Parker is 132 years old, so it isn't surprising to see that the case hardening colors on the frame are quite faded, and that the top lever is very slightly left of center. That indicates that this Parker has seen use, and is not some pristine virtually unused closet queen that is exceptionally well preserved. Yet the wood finish and the barrel blue do not exhibit that same level of normal wear. Even when wood finish is not worn, it changes appearance as it oxidizes over such a long period of time, and perfectly filled pores on an old gun can provide an important clue. The checkering also appears way too clean, so that combined with the other details DAM16SXS mentioned, such as the subtle shape of the fluting at the nose of the comb and the special order checkering pattern even more strongly suggest that the stock is likely a replacement. Assuming that is correct, whoever did the work did a very nice job.
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