Non-ejector, made about 1913 or so, steel barrels. The wood in the stock is very good, checkering is OK for an old gun. 30" barrels full/full.

I think it's a good gun, tight and on face. Got it at a VERY good price, and although it's heavy, it's a 2 frame, it's probably usable. I think it has 2 7/8 chambers.

Needs re-bluing.

Duck, turkey, crow, and coyote killer! Any game that is more sittin' than humpin'! Enjoy.

I don't hump! Too old! Wondering if I should get the right barrel bored to modified? What do you think? I'd not shoot steel in it, though the bores are perfect.

Depnds on where you intend to use it. My VH was F/F and I opened it to IC/M for 95 per cent of my shooting over decoys.

The first Parker I owned was (traded,stupid,another story) a VH 30" #2 Frame, full & full: I got it through a mail deal, and when it came, I thought "too much drop, too heavy, choked too tight, and why did I spend my money on this old thing?" Then, I took it hunting.
First bird I shot at, was a quail crossing toward me......stoned him. Next, and immediately after, another quail going the other direction. Same result. Every time I shot that "too many things wrong" gun, I hit the damn bird. Now, I AM a real short,fat, guy; probably built a lot like fellows a hundred years ago, so that may be part of the answer. But, for the past 25 years, there has never been a day without a Parker in the gun safe, and for birds, my "go to" gun. I still have a VH #2 frame, still choked "too tight" and will probably go on to wherever old hunters go with one close by.
Sam Ogle, Lincoln, NE

What impresses me is on a cheap Parker, and the VH was only a step above the Trojan, the wood is about as good as wood gets.

Never a "cheap" Parker. Inexpensive! Mechanism as sturdy as higher grades.

Hello Gene:

I got a neat old 16 ga. Parker VHE from 1914 about fifteen years ago for the right price ($600). It had very long pipes (32), double triggers, and was oddly choked, EF in the right barrel and F in the left, originally set up for Pacific coast waterfowl I was told. Wonderful figure in my stock as well.

I tried to get a Parker letter on it, and none was available for that serial #. There are some ragged holes in the Parker records apparently.

I hunt upland birds on the prairie usually over pointers. With this choking I had the actual experience of blowing the legs entirely off of tight holding birds or missing them entirely with the front trigger, so decided to do the easiest thing to make it more appropriate... open that right barrel to modified. It is still a bit too tight for some of the shots presented, but for these situations where the birds are sticking I'll often carry a few spreader loads. I'll also shoot a whole sporting clays course with spreaders. In no-tox settings like wetland pheasants I'll shoot factory tungstun-matrix, and have also starting loading ITX #2 and #4 for waterfowl as well, and so far most the patterns look very good.

I'd say, make this new gun work for your situations! That is the only thing that will keep these fine old guns busy afield.

KING BROWN very good and correct point. jeff

as the old timers say here in new england, hard to beat a pa ka!

but then there are the fox guys, the ithaca guys, even a few smith guys and of course the everything else guys...

Would it be a fair comment to say that with Parkers, the difference in grade is more a matter of external cosmetics (engraving, wood, checkering), rather than one of mechanics?

dave: yes, and the same with foxes, smiths and ithacas...and least we forget the syracuse lefevers...

That would be my guess, Dave. I haven't read of VH or Trojan being less reliable than higher grades. I admire the old craftsmen's art but the Plain Janes are so much of the "hardware store" they are more pleasing to me.

This one was made in 1913 and has excellent wood. Just needed a coat of oil or two and a little rottenstone.

Not a great deal of wear on the gun, just age appropriate. The forend needs checkering chased, stock has good checkering. It's a heavy gun, 8.5#. Blueing isn't awful. couple of spots where the blue is thin, looks like storage marks on the barrel, i touched them up. Screws are botched a bit, but not terrible.

I just sold a similar Parker a few months back and somewhere along the way I was told (perhaps by one of our forum members) that there were more 12ga. Parker VH's on a #2 frame with 30" bbls, choked F&F, than any other configuration. It was the "standard" Parker, if it can be said there was such a thing.

Congratulations on your "new" gun! I hope you have many happy and healthy years shooting her.

Pics please!

All the best!

Greg

Well, I'll give it a try.

[img]http://s1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd498/genelangston/[/img]

This didn't work out as I planned, but it's viewable. I don't know how to use Photobucket.

Hi, nice looker!! Very nice stick of wood. You should be proud to own a piece of American history!

Congrats again!

Greg

Nice looking gun.

Once you have saved your picture, go to the IMG Code box and click once, it
will say "copied" , then paste it to your post

Thanks. I thought that was what I did, but it didn't work for me.

I've got a couple of Parker hammerguns on a 1 1/2 frame and thought they were about right for weight. Then a buddy sold me a D grade hammerless on a #1 frame- boy does it feel nice. Don't know how long I'd like carring a #2 frame in the field - but then I'm 66yrs with shitty legs so I keep to the clay target fields now. That 2 frame would be nice for soaking up the recoil. Paul

Larger frame Parkers are the linebackers of the shotgun world. Broad, beefy shoulders able to soak up the hits. Remmington 1894's and 1900's have the same feel to me. Great, sturdy guns. A friend of mine picked up one for only $500 a while back. Engraved pheasants, great barrels and wood, except the chokes were reversed: full right barrel/ic left barrel. Maybe it was set up for a leftie?

Interesting point about mechanics changing on lower grades. Lefevers lost the dolls head on DS and I grades, but still don't wear out. Any others whose mechanics change on the lower grades?

Hey! It worked !!!! Thanks for the tip.

You are welcome

I would say that is an ordered upgraded wood for a VH. If that's the case, I bet the Parker Collectors could give a letter about exactly who the gun was shipped to or maybe the guy ordered it through a dealer.

not to be a party poop, but that wood looks awful nice and new to be on a 1913 field gun? could it have been, perhaps, maybe restocked?

Gene, looks like you did very well. Beautiful stock. Gil

It looks good because I cleaned the stock and applied several coats of oil. I don't think it's been restocked. I've got a GH and it has very good wood as well.

Otherwise, who would restock a VL? And why not replace the forend? The bores are good, and the blue is pretty good as well. It's a pre-WW I gun, back when wood was easy to come by, not being used up by the War. I don't think it was used much, carried some.

That's a splendid gun any way you look at it. My 1911 VH 30-inch was F/F and opened to IC/M for gunning over decoys. A glance at the flats and you'd think Jim Gary and Walter King stamped them yesterday. Plain as pudding but what a gun! Newf did a great job restocking it for me.

If it is an original Parker stock, the serial number will be stamped in the wood under the trigger guard tang. A PGCA letter for forty bucks will give information about a wood upgrade, if original. I have a 16 gauge VH with a little bit of figure in the buttstock that is proved to be an original upgrade by a PGCA letter. However, my stock is nowhere near as nice as yours. Requests in Parker Brothers orders for nice wood are not unheard of. Get the letter.

I ordered (tomorrow) the letter at your suggestion. I didn't remove the tang to check if the # is on it, and won't. Whatever, if it's a restock, the stocker did a helluva job.

I agree.

Parkers; They lost the Doll's Head on the Trojan. Not of course mechanical but the Trojan lost a lot of the frame sculpting as well, just not as good looking gun in many folks opinion.
DS & I Lefevers also lost the cocking indicators, though there have also been a few very high grades turn up without those as they didn't fit in well to the engraving pattern.