Full disclosure, Not a Parker guy, I have owned several Repo's though.
Was at a local shop this past weekend and saw this nice clean Parker on the shelf. It was listed on the tag as a VH but best I could tell by the engraving it was actually a DH. I wanted to look at the frame and see what frame size and if the frame was stamped as a DH but could not get the barrels off. My friend tried and the guy at the store tried but we could never get them off.
Now I suppose I could have looked at the barrel markings to see if they were stamped as V grade barrels but was frustrated by the problem I just put it back in the rack.
Now I suppose the gun had some refreshing done as the skeleton butt plate was re-blued and had no engraving. It also had somewhat of a short LOP and overall it just looked like someone had did some cosmetic work at some time to it.
Now I could get the forearm off but could never get the barrels off the frame. Was there something I was missing doing? Suppose someone put V grade barrels on this DH gun or does it even matter.

Well anything is possible. Call the shop and get the serial number and post it and if it's in the serial number number book we can advise how it left the factory. Does sound like a cobbled up gun.

It would be unusual for a VH grade gun to have a skeleton butt plate. The VH guns basically have a border engraving. If you couldn't get the barrels off the gun there is something amiss.

Ken

Gun was identified as a VH, but clearly had what appeared to be DH engraving. No ejectors. I would suppose the skeleton butt plate was added since there was no engraving on it and it had a short LOP as well. A 1" solid pad would have gotten it out to an acceptable LOP for me.
Gun was priced at 3K so would that had been a good price?
If I could have seen frame size and additional marking I might had jumped as I would like to have a nice Graded Parker

As you have described, 3k would be high for that gun especially since you couldn’t get the barrels off. There are better ones out there.

lots of images an info here...

https://parkerguns.org/

Wow way too much if its a cobbled together gun.

I bought a GH with a replacement stock pilfered from another gun and a funky recoil pad for about $700. The Parkers seem to spawn a number of mixed and matched examples put together by hobby tinkerers. I struggled to get the same back out of it. It is the only gun I ever bought and sold without shooting. In any event, I wouldn't pay what seems like full freight for one that has been modified, or you even suspect has been modified, because it probably has.

Just curious-if the gun in question has extractors, not selective ejectors, and you cannot remove the barrels from the frame to verify this, how did you or the seller know this? The only double guns I am familiar with where you can visually determine if it is an ejector grade gun is the L.C. Smith- the end of the ejector axle pin can be seen on the forearm metal when the gun is closed. This Parker at his asking price of 3K sounds like a "run, don't walk away deal with your checkbook in your pocket"'. RWTF

I've read about that problem on the Parker Collectors. I think it's pretty common on "dry" guns with congealed oil or no oil. I believe it's caused by the cooking hook remaining engaged. I'd check with the Parker guys.

A common problem with some Parkers is that the bbls won't come off the frame after you take the forend off and then open the action.
The issue is related to the 'hook' and wether it is releasing from the cocking arm.

But rather than getting into all that, you just want to inspect the gun with the bbls off the frame,,
An easy way to dismount these that don't want to dismount is to simply dryfire one bbl
or both, doesn't matter,,after removing the forend.
Then open the gun as normal and chances are 95% of the time the bbls will come right off of the frame.

The bbls can go right back on even though the hammer (or even both of them) have been dry fired.
The forend of a non-ejector gun will slip right back in position.
Open and then close the gun and it is cocked once again.

If the gun is an Ejector gun,, the ejector(s) will be 'fired' after you dry fire either or both bbls and then remove the forend.
To put that forend back on it's easiest to re-cock the ejector hammer or hammers first.

Take the forend in one hand with the ejector hammers facing back at you.
Place the end of a piece of wood against the face of the fired ejector hammer(s) and push them back till they 'cock'
I usually just use the end of my bench hammer handle,,works just as well.
The V springs powering the ejectors are quite stout, so it takes some effort to push them back to the cocked position. You can do one at a time or both together.

Once the ejectors are cocked, the forend goes right back on the gun even though the hammers are down/fired w/ no problem.
Then open and then close the gun and the hammers will be cocked as well.


Another way to recock the guns hammer(s) alone w/o the bbls and forend being on the frame is to reach into the firing pin hole in the face of the frame and push the hammer(s) back to the cocked
position.
You do this with a shop made tool.
Simple, made from an 1100 fireing pin (an 870 works too I think).
Cup the tip of the pin with a small center drill.
Then mount tool in a small handle..that's it.

To use, the tool is placed on the tip of the exposed firing pin of the fired hammer. The cupped point of the tool fits nicely on the tip of the FP.
Then simply push the hammer back to the cocked position by pushing the tool inside the frame.
No, it won't slide off of the tip of the FP or damage anything.

Handy for working on the hammers/sears & recocking the hammers you don't have to constantly have to put the bbls and forend back in place.

Foxy? you open the gun and see if the extractor is split and in that case it's an ejector gun.

No one with the questions the OP has should be remotely thinking of paying $3000 for any Parker, especially one put together from parts.

You don't even need to open a Parker Bros. hammerless double to tell if it has ejectors or not. Viewing the rib extension from the top one can see if there is the little dove-tailed stop plate on the rear face of the rib extension or not.

Just my point.If this gent can't open the gun, how will he know> I own a GH 12 that had been converted by a Minn gunsmith in the 1920's to a GHE-- expensive proposition indeed. Today my "go-to" 12 double for barn yard pigeons and crows is a early 1920's 12 L.C. Smith field grade, extractor gun- 30" tubes tight chokes- I prefer it because I keep my fired empties. RWTF

Foxy?? The OP said he couldnt get the barrels off. He didn’t say he couldn’t ‘open the gun’. Also fired empties from ejector gun are easily popped into the palm of hand.

The gun would open, but would not come off the hook. I looked and the ejector was not split, therefore I could only assume non ejector.

Eureka! Non ejector. Please, back up and learn a bit about Parkers before buying one.

or better yet, buy a stevens...in the dark, they look and feel the same...

I never thought I would hit the "like" button for ed good.

Back to square one. Post the serial number and we will let you know what the book says. Not that hard truly.