doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Relative rarity of 3-in chambered Parkers

This post is somewhat directed to Parker owners, but also to Researcher. You may qualify in both camps.

During the late Twenties and early to mid-Thirties, the Depression, Canadian droughts, and the new Federal waterfowl legislation
may have all combined to discourage buyers of specialty 3 -inch guns. LC Smith and AH Fox had committed themselves, and the Smith Long Range or Wild Fowl guns sold close to three
times those of the Fox Super.
Parker Bros.did not really offer a special model with any fanfare. In the dealer jobber catalogs of the Remington-Parker,
R-Parker mentioned that any chambers could be had at no extra cost for a graded gun. These, though rare-are marked with 3-in chambers.
I have a Parker Bros 1924 2 7/8 in chambered gun. Also two of the above listed rarer shotguns by Fox and Smith. Stan and I are similarly afflicted.
The question is, however-still on the table.

Only the very late Ilion made Parkers, late 1939 to 42 have the "FOR 3" SHELL" marked on the left side of the lug.

Not a answer to the question, but Parker marketed the 'Long Range' concept before Hunter Arms
An ad in the May 1922 Hunter - Trader - Trapper
Western Cartridge Co.’s 12g 2 3/4” 1 1/4 oz. 3 3/4 Dram Eq. ‘Super-X Field’ was introduced in 1922. Could Parker have been tipped off?



Hunter Arms upped the yardage another 20

I wonder how many gunmakers have used the phrase "Old Reliable" on their products? Sharps was the first that i know of. They were defunct long before Parker used, it so I suppose there is no copywrite issue.

Dave would no doubt know when the first "Super-Fox" was shipped, but this ad for the "Original Long-Range Duck Gun" in 1925 states it was "announced" in January 1923



The Smith Long Range Wild Fowl was introduced in the 1923 catalog, but Dr Jim's shipping records show 1 produced in 1921 and 1 in 1922. 14 were made in 1923.
2,704 was the total production 1921-1942

Western’s 3" ‘Record’ with 1 3/8 oz. of shot was released in 1923

Interesting history from the Double Gun Journal and other sources including the various articles on "Bo Whoop", Nash Buckingham's famous HE grade Fox, indicate
that Charles Askins and others influenced Western Cartridge Company-John Olin-to develop the first "Super-X' 3 -inch shells with coppered No. 4 shot. Allegedly,
Mr. Buck may have received the first 4-6 boxes of these shells wrapped or boxed in plain paper-not the usual Western colorful boxes.
Apparently Buckingham used them with great effect on the "tall ones" at Beaver Dam and in Arkansas. That XE engraved Super may be seen at
the Ducks Unlimited HQ near Memphis. It fetched a record amount at auction some years ago. Before his Fox guns, Mr. Buck used a Parker with 34 in barrels.

A question I have attempted to answer with field tests is how modern non-toxic higher velocity-heavy shot - 3 in loaded 12 GA shells function in the older heavy duck guns.
It becomes a matter of individual taste and judgment. I feel infinitely more comfortable with recent re-stocked examples of these 100-yr old guns not designed for
these higher speeds and pressures. RST and Boss shells may be the wise choice. The actions will stand up to occasional forays into this territory, but not the stocks. Hence, the Long Range LC Smith
has successfully slain its share of wild turkey. The AH Fox Super has accounted for more than its share of geese.

There is no mention of LONG RANGE DUCK GUNS in the 1923 and 1927 Parker Bros. pocket catalogs I have, but this is in the big January 1929 Parker Bros. catalog --

The 1929 ad for "Parker Long Range Duck Guns" mentions that such guns have been available for twenty years. I guess we knew that since #3 frame 12 gauge guns had been made during all phases of hammerless Parker production. They were the real Parker wildfowlers. Unfortunately, the 1929 and later versions of 3" chamber guns were made on 1 1/2 frames and were not the heavy guns they were proclaimed to be. Every one I have examined has been the normal 7 1/2 pound range, like the average 12 gauge Parker of the time. Parkers with long chambers had been made to order for decades. One example is an early PH (or NH) grade ten gauge Twist Steel gun in my collection that letters as a 3 1/2" gun. The 1929 ad is an invention of the PR department, not a development from the factory floor.

Good point, Bill. In a roundabout way, Parker is doing exactly the opposite of what many gunmakers of the day did, which was take credit for the long range of the newer ammo by claiming it was the gun that was doing it. Parker, however, here in the 1929 ad, gives the credit for the longer distances at which ducks could be taken to the ammo and, to paraphrase Parker, says that the Parker gun was capable all along of those wonderful far-killing patters, they were just waiting on the right shells.

Of the three late Ilion era Parker 12-gauge, 3" guns I've recorded, two are on the 1 1/2 frame and one is on a 2 frame.



That has always perplexed me as the longest 10-gauge cases our ammunition manufacturers cataloged were 3 1/4-inch.