Three days before my forty fifth birthday, I finally acquired a true, American classic. After years of searching for a fine double that my budget could endure I am now the proud owner of a Parker Brothers V grade side by side in 16 gauge. On my routine weekend searches at the local gun dealers, I stumbled upon this little diamond in the rough setting on a shelf behind the counter, out of public reach.
I recognized the Parker screw pattern on the bottom of the receiver and inquired if it was for sale. As luck would have it, the gun was available and When it was handed to me, I knew it would be mine. As I held it, I marveled at its light weight and graceful lines which were marked by a thin receiver and barrels that make it feel like a natural extension of the body that balances exactly between the hands, just as it should. The Parker side by side is fast swinging and perfect as a flushing game gun.
Pushing the top lever and working the action revealed that the 110 year old Parker still locks like a bank vault door. The wood is free from cracks and the original dog's head butt plate and Parker pistol grip cap areintact and free of damage. Traces of case color remain on the receiver and the fine engraving is still sharp. While the barrels have turned to a brown patina and have accumulated a few field scars, including a ding here and there, the overall condition is quite acceptable. This gun is a testament to how much pride that Parker Brothers put into the products they made.
To restore or not to restore, that is the question. I have always been kidded by a lifelong friend that I worry too much about the visual appearance of my guns and less about their usefulness. He says it is from my career as an auto body technician and from my days of building and restoring classic and antique cars. I think he is correct, for I do have a keen eye for craftsmanship and high quality work so, it should come as no surprise that I would seek to have my Parker restored to its former glory.
When I revealed the little Parker and my plans of restoration to the owner of my favorite, local gun shop, I thought I was going to be brought up on charges, maybe even drawn and quartered for such a thought. Most of us who love fine old shotguns have always thought it a sin to do any form of restoration on a classic firearm beyond necessary mechanical repairs. But I look at my intentions as more of preservation than a restoration.
Every time I pick this gun up, I wonder who first purchased it way back in 1903. You would have to have pushed a grand sum of $35.00 across the counter to take a Parker V grade home back then. This doesn’t sound like a great sum of money, today but this was at a time when the median wage was $703.00 annually, or about 40 cents per hour. Basing that figure against the 2012 median income and this little Parker would have equated to a $3000.00 purchase.
This sounds like a lot, but to obtain a contemporary, entry level or field grade gun with quality rivaling that of the Parker would require about $3000.00 commitment. Guns made by Caesar Guerini, Fair, Fausti, Browning, and Beretta come to mind as comparisons in that price range. So to acquire such a great gun as the Parker, it makes sense to me to preserve it for generations to come. My example has most definitely seen use in the field; it was no shelf queen. I can only imagine the fine pointers and retrievers that it followed in the upland brush in search of Quail, Chucker, Woodcock and Grouse. I also imagine that it downed its share of Pheasant too.
It is my desire to take this gun into field and enjoy it as the Parker Brothers intended over 100 years ago. So, plans have been made and a gunsmith selected to do a full restoration of my old and aged Parker even at the risk of the scorn of my gun hhop friends. I did not acquire this gun to flip for a profit or to display. I bought it because I wanted a fine double to use in the field and to someday hand down to my sons in hopes that one day, one of my grandsons will show off their Grandpa Reid’s favorite old Parker.
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