doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Parker Made Widgeon Club Guns.....

Somewhere, sometime, there was an article written about this group of guns. Does anybody happen to know what magazine and what issue? A friend is doing some California waterfowling history research and wants to read it. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Destry

There is serial number 163962 pictured with its hang tags and some shells in Larry Baer's book The Parker Gun, An Immortal American Classic, Volume II, pages 99 to 102. They are also discussed and pictured on pages 677 and 680 of The Parker Story.

I don't remember ever seeing a magazine article on them or the Widgeon Duck Club.

Is this the same club that most of the members ordered and shot mostly 20 ga. with 32" barrels, Parkers and L.C.s?
Revdocdrew might have some information.

Yeah, they all supposedly shot long barrel 16 and 20 gauge guns special ordered with long chambers from Parker and maybe Smith as well.

Destry

I wonder if this is one of the reasons there seem to be more 'teens and '20s long-barreled smallbore guns in CA? I've seen one 32" barreled Elsie 16 that was marked as an "Avalon Tuna Club" prize award. (Wonder what shot size they used for bluefin?).

It could be.....

I recently landed a special-order Parker DHE grade 16 with 32" barrels on a No. 1 frame that supposedly was completed and shipped to a duck hunter's wife in California in October 1929. The long cone-borings and choke leads are clearly factory and consistent with what was written in 'The Parker Story' about the Widgeon Club guns that Dave refers to. Finished gun weight of 7- 1/4 lbs., for those interested.

I believe Parker's #1 salesman Capt. Dubray was responsible for the smallbore craze out there in CA. He's been called the father of the 20 gauge in America after all. He was their West Coast salesman for many years.

Destry

The use of small bore long-barrel doubles at the California duck clubs probably has more to do with the writings of Edwin Hedderly, of Western Field magazine. Edwin ran a lengthy series beginning in September 1910 in the magazine on the smallbore shotgun. He got some fabulous guns from the Brothers P. in exchange for Parker ads in Western Field. As a warm up on April 4, 1911, he ordered a 32-inch 28-gauge full pistol grip DHE with a Silvers rubber butt, Lyman sights, full comb, no safety, 1 1/2 x 2 x 15 1/2 and 3" pitch, engrave Wildfowl mfg Expressly for E.L. Hedderly. On April 26, 1912, he hit his stride and ordered a 20-gauge 32-inch A1-Special, with even more detailed specifications. Then on May 14, 1912, he ordered a 32-inch 16-gauge A1-Special to pretty much match the 20-gauge. One of Hedderly's well worn A1-Specials is pictured in Volume I of Baer's book, and also on the cover of the September 1966 Guns & Ammo.

I'd heard of Hedderly but didn't know that much about him. Interesting stuff!

I looked for a 3 inch 16 gauge shell for years to put in my collection and finally found it out in California. Not only the guns, but the shells are in the west as well.


Destry

Hedderley's long barrel Parkers were all short chambered as far as I know. However, the three inch 20s were quite popular in California at the time.