doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Parker Trojan 16 -Moved from FS to gen discussion.

Not trying to be "Parker-Picky" here, after all, there is a PGCA group for "pickin' the fly poop outta the pepper" on minor details, but what exactly makes the small doll's head rib extension so "rare" on a Parker Trojan? I thought all early Trojans had that feature- dropped later on. I have a 12 Trojam made in 1927- without the doll's head extension, it has a flat breech face as found on the Winchester M21 shotguns.

Your price sounds "In the Ball Park" as compared to the possibly higher values found in the 2014 Fjestad Blue Book. If someone offered me $3000 for my 12 Trojan, they would then own it outright for that amount CIF--

None of my business but since your sale has been commented on by a non buyer.

There were 8 years of dolls head Trojans 17 years of no dolls head Trojans. Most buyers would pay more for a dolls head gun. thats a fair price for a nice 16 G Trojan if it looks as good as it sounds. I paid nearly as much for a fairly rough non dolls head 16 Trojan.

Boats

So, if the Trojan came out on the market in 1915, as Peter Johnson details in his 1959 book on the Parker Gun, that means through 1923, right? Then add 17 years to 1923 and I get 1940, right w/o the extension. Why would a prospective buyer prefer the first version with the small doll's head over the later version? Same design and metallurgy, right? If what you state is correct, and I am not saying that it isn't, then why doesn't Fjestad's Blue Book show a price differential for 1915 to 1923 produced Trojan guns over the later production Trojan guns. 'Splain that to me if you will, Boats. I prefer the later with the M21'ish flat faced breech, but one man's Chateau Briand is another man's horsemeat!!!

It's rude to comment on somebody else's deal. I broke a rule by saying anything at all, will say no more.

Boats

mAYBE SO, BUT SHOWN ME IN MY FIRST REPLY WHERE I BELITTLED THE SELLER OR HIS AD- IF YOU'D CARE TO RE-READ THAT, I BELIEVE YOU'LL READ WHERE I TOLD HIM HIS PRICE IS WELL IN THE "BALL-PARK" FOR SOME REASON(S) WHICH ESCAPE ME, tHE fJESTAD BLUE BOOK PRICING SEEMS HIGH- (oops, cap lock FUBAR) read the values listed for his Trojan 16 bore on page 1455- I must also admit I have always downgraded any 16 gauge, have felt that perhaps the 20 and 28 bores may fetch more than the popular 12 bores- in the same make and model shotgun, and in the same condition--

But then, all my shot-gunning gurus basically shot 12 bore double guns: Paul A. Curtis, Ray P. Holland, George B. Evans, Gene Hill and of course, "De Master" himself- T. Nash Buckingham. I believe Paul Curtis referred to the 16 bore back in 1934 as the "bastard gauge" but times have indeed changed (even though I may not have with them)and I meant no direct offense to the seller here.

I see the term "rare" overdone (IMO anyway) so often in the BS ad copy in Gunbroker and other websites-- L.C. Smith Eagle grade 12 gauge with RARE HOT and Ejectors--The greatest % of L.C. Smith 12 gauge shotguns from Specialty and up through Eagle Grades had ejectors, once you moved up to Crown grade, I believe they were standard "back in that day".

I also think, but do NOT know for a fact, that if the production dates stand true for the first design Trojan from 1915 to 1923, due to America getting into The War To End ALL Wars (what a sham that was, but I digress)--possibly production of Parker shotguns may have slowed somewhat until after the Armistice was declared-- I do know for a fact that once Wilson declared war on Germany, A.H. Fox and other American double gun makers found their supply of top quality Krupp Flustahl tubes cut off- go figure!!!

foxie: you wana buy dis classic early 16 gauge magic wand parker huntin gon?

ifn not, jes shat up.

Ed, Merry Xmas you Old Scrooge- I turn down good or even gooder deals on 16 gauge shotguns as a matter of habit and principle, ditto 10 gauges and the idiotic .410 bore. Why don't you buy this "bastard gauged" Parker Trojan, strip it down and fire up your Flammenwerfer and both recolor and warp the receiver beyond recognition, then mark it up and try to sell it here- on or Gunbroker. You'll see a Rabbi forgive Hitler or Himmler before you'll find me investing?? in a 16 gauge-Go for it, and Mazeltov--

Foxy; I am personally one of those with a fondness for the 16 bore. I think of the 16 like many others do, and that is given the typical identical model of gun, the 16 is often times half a pound lighter than the same model in 12 bore. For me, as a 'rough' hunter that is huge for a gun with a 1 oz payload. For driven shooting, that half pound doesn't amount to diddly, but for rough hunting, such as Grouse hunting which is what I do, a half pound matters a TON after an entire day maneuvering through the great Northwoods. For me, the 16 gauge fits the bill.

Theoretically, the Flat Knob Short Tang (FKST) Superposed is much more rare than the Round Knob Long Tang (RKLT) Supers, but that doesn't make them more valuable. Rare, like "value" is in the eye of the seller and buyer as to what they think rare equals, even if it's described in a book as a source document. And the old saying, Caveat Emptor always applies.
But isn't that what makes hagglin' fun?

I'll concede that point- doubled and redoubled. But as 95% of my shotgunning on game birds is either on hunt club pheasants, or ducks and geese, to me that's a 12 ga. game, plus I reload 12 gauge hulls RST and AA- for off-season crow and barn pigeon shooting- If I have to pay almost twice for 16's over 12's, and in my neck of the woods, 16's are hard to get locally- OK if you order from RST- anyway, to each his own. And I kill birds cleaner at age 73 with longer barreled guns in 12 gauge that are a tad muzzle heavy- and as I don't get on them as spryly as I might have at age 40, Full or Mod and Full in the double guns works best for me.