doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Parker Repro or Arrieta 578 : Need your input?

"I may be embarrased to admit this but there have been some nice quality guns that come out of Japan. That is the sad truth. "

Tanky,
What's sad about Japan making a good product? America should be proud of having a major hand in getting Japan back on it's feet in manufacturing especially. IMO, the sad part is America having lost as much of it's manufacturing capabilities as has occurred.

Don, I agree with you, IMOP I think that for your money that AYA is an excellent gun, in price and workmanship.

Tanky, in going with what Chuck H said, don't be embarrased in saying about the quality of guns coming out of Japan. Look at all the things that are coming out of Japan. Who's fault is it, ours. Now kids come out of college, and if they stuck to their major, don't want to make a starting wage and start at the bottom, they want to make the big bucks, get all the vacation. The bottom line is they don't have any work ethic. Now the workers in Japan do. So in reality we are to blame.
As far as the quality of their gun work look at a Browning BSS sidelock, Winchester 101, Ithaca SxS's. All nicely made.

I want to clarify my earlier post - I own a nice Repro 28ga gun, and I have no problem with it. My problem comes in anyone calling it a 'real' Parker. I feel, strongly, that would dishonor the real Parkers and the people who did make the real Parkers. There's Elvis, then there are the 40,000 impersonators who have followed. They sure brighten our visits to Vegas and some have lovely voices, but they ain't the King.

As for Japan....whether we should hold a grudge for 60+ years (a mere speck of time) is immaterial. The acts committed by the Japanese DIRECTLY affected many of the people who built the Parker gun. I can GUARANTEE that they would have been disgusted to see their gun made by the Japanese. Don't forget, 65 years ago the people in this country still stood for something.

The closest I can come to making an analogy is just imagine the outcry there would be today if the Chicago Bears were sold to Al Qaeda and began competing in burkas, with cheerleaders wrapped from head to toe. We wouldn't like that one bit, would we?

Greg,
Whether a 'real' Parker or not, the fact that it was replicated is the real honor. Additionally, it was replicated well, a credit to those involved from start to finish.

What someone, generically, of that generation would have thought of having it made in Japan today is of no consequence, IMO. Views of the time were very different than most have today, for many reasons...on both sides. The good people of the world have moved on from WW2 in very constructive ways. A grudge is a personal issue that stews inside a person, often to no good.

Chuck, my Dad served on the submarines Chopper and Pomadon in the pacific during world war 2. He still harbors hatred of all things japanese due to their brutality with prisoners. Although I understand things do change, I wasn't in his shoes and I have to respect the way he feels.

tanky, it sounds like you were dealing with some metal hardening issues with your Arrieta for all that to go wrong. Did you buy the gun brand new, if so when? If not, appoximatley when was the gun made?

I own 3 German guns. My grandpa hunted with 7x57 repetier Heym and flew with Sq. 302 against 109s and 111s. I also drive a Mitsubishi. Times change.

Devrep,
Mine served in WW2 and then married a Japanese gal during the reconstruction years. I married a 3rd generation born in the US gal of full Japanese descent of a man who fought in the US infantry in Korea (with a Carbine and later field requisitioned a Garand, but that's another story). So, I'm probably personna non grata with some just by my birth and association to a race. ...but I still like the American made guns anyway.

Jagermeister, feelings of WWII vets I've met are not the same German vs Japanese adversarys for some reason. I think in the most part the germans treated enemy prisoners well and they surrendered when they were beat. With the japanese it was a fight to the death. I might think differently if I were jewish.

Chuck, I personally have no feeling against the japanese. I have a Toyota truck, ride a yamaha motocross bike and have a Parker Repro. Japanese women are some of the most beautiful in my opinion. I was just saying I can understand the feelings of some of the vets from that era. It was a long tough war for those guys. We owe them a lot.

Chuck, I also have no problems with the Japanese of today. My comment is simply that any shotgun made after 194? is not a 'Parker', no matter who made it. With the Repro's, I feel their Japanese manufacture moves them further away from the orignals. The way they were labelled 'reproduction' is in my estimation a proper move.